With the ongoing pandemic and the extension of the community quarantine, we are refrained from meeting our family and friends. However, it does not mean that we cannot have fun with or make fun of them like we used to. With the deepfake application, Wombo.AI, one can easily animate photos of just about anyone’s face or anything resembling a face to sing songs.
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What is Wombo?
Wombo is an AI-powered lip sync application. It creates deepfake videos wherein it takes the visual attributes and mannerisms of one face and places it on another’s face.
Wombo CEO Ben-Zion Benkhin said that he conceptualized the idea of the application “while smoking a joint with my roommate on the roof.” And since its launch in February, the application has gained immense popularity–earning over 10 million users on the Google Play Store and a 4.9-star rating on the App Store.
Security concerns
Similar to other AI photo editing applications, Wombo has been surrounded by concerns regarding data privacy. However, their privacy policy statement is fairly explicit, providing users with clear-cut procedures and guidelines on the application. For one, it does not stake a claim to any of the photos that are used in the application.
It also mentions that data collected is only shared with third-party services like Amazon Web Services and Amplitude to facilitate Wombo’s animating functions and monitor user experience, respectively. And once the photo animation is complete, all “facial feature data” will be deleted immediately. However, for the benefit of maintenance, the statement clarified that the application would keep certain information.
How to use
Aside from being adequately secure, the Wombo application is relatively easy to use.
Here are the steps:
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- Download the Wombo application from either the App Store 28 or Google Play Store 34.
- Open Wombo and click the yellow Let’s go! button.
- There are three different options for you to choose from:
- Wombo immediately opens your front camera. A silhouette is provided for you to position yourself in the frame. The following instructions are also displayed: a) hold the camera at eye level, b) look directly into the camera, and a bonus tip–do not show your teeth. When you are ready, press the camera button.
- To take a photo using your rear lens, press the reverse icon to the right of the camera button, and take a snap of your subject.
- To use an existing photo, press the folder icon to the left of the camera button, and upload a photo from your gadget. Take note that photos that are more three-dimensional have better results.
- Resize, rotate, and scale your photo as you like. Once you are satisfied with the image, press the checkmark on the top-right corner.
- Press the green W button below your photo.
- Choose among the 34 free songs. You will hear a snippet of each song as you press it. Once you have decided on a song, press the green W button again.
- As Wombo works on animating your photo, you will see a few phrases flashed on the screen, such as “Transmitting particles through radio waves” or “Downloading your mystical creation.” However, this should not be a cause for concern as it is simply for entertainment purposes.
- Once the video is complete, you will have the option to save it to your gadget (as an mp4 file), share it through social media platforms and instant messaging applications, or try again with another image.
The Verdict
Wombo.AI is a user-friendly application that is built for all ages to fiddle with. While it does the job on its free version, it offers a premium subscription for users who would like to unlock its exclusive features. These features include an ad-free experience, priority processing, and premium content for the price of PHP 230.00/month or PHP 1,450.00/year.
https://twitter.com/WOMBO/status/1379493366145163266?s=20
This article was written by Julia Fernando.
