Meitu is the latest app to go ridiculously viral, with it allowing users to transform themselves into a kawaii prince/princess by way of its hand drawn photo-editing process.
The Chinese app made its way to the West last week, though has been around since 2008 in its home country. It’s already become a massive hit, attracting 430 millions outside of China with 6 billion photos having been generated across the world, and users across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have been sharing photos of themselves altered using its swift editing technique. Of course, selfies aren’t the only thing that Meitu can “kawaii-fy” — users have been transforming photos of celebrities and even video game characters, too.
No, YOU spent the morning putting various videogame characters through Meitu filters… (for your viewing pleasure) pic.twitter.com/VUW9Tw4Pcw
— Insert Coin (@InsertCoinTees) January 18, 2017
While Meitu also offers the option to “beautify” photos with filters a la Instagram, its hand drawn feature is what has proven to be its most popular feature. The swiftness and accuracy in its ability to render photos has led it to great success, with its parent company of the same name having been valued at $5.2 billion last December. This is despite the company having operated at a loss since 2014.
Meitu’s name means “beautiful picture” in Chinese, with it granting users the appearance of an anime character, widening their eyes and slimming their jaw lines while shrouding their photo in a variety of different effects. The app is mostly used by young women in China, though it seems that people of all ages and genders in the West are getting a kick out of it.
The app is available on both iOS and Android, so if you’re interesting in making your time-worn face look more rosy-cheeked and optimistic, then get downloading.
