A new app released by Yahoo Japan allows the user to change their face into someone (or something) else with real time video feedback. The program contains pre-set “masks” such as the Mona Lisa, Beethoven and you can photograph and define your own choice. Once set - you can smile, grimace, pout, laugh and move your head around in real time - modelling your new face. The app is aptly called Face Stealer and only available on iOS (iPhone 4 or newer, iPad 2 or newer, iPod Touch 4th gen or newer) at this time.
In addition to the pre-sets the app can generate a working “mask” from almost any image containing a face. In the video the Issei Yoshida of Yahoo Japan shows examples of “Face Stealing” from an observer at the video recording, a Japanese anime cartoon book girl and George Washington from a US Dollar. The mask is defined by setting critical points on a face picture including eye and mouth positions and the face profile. It changes how the face on your iOS device looks “by synthesizing the mask picture” according to your facial and head movements.
Right now the app works in real-time and you can watch yourself on screen but it only generates stills or video which you can then share in Twitter, Facebook or YouTube. However it is foreseen that the new Yahoo tech will be developed into a video chat app, which sounds less like FaceTime, more like Face/Off.
Talk like an Egyptian
Yahoo’s Issei Yoshida said “We think Face Stealer could be used easily to talk with your face hidden. For example, a man could join in video chat using a pretty woman’s face.” Also you could possibly make YouTube video presentations as someone else... The app is still in development but impressive as it works quite smoothly on these mobile processors. If you have a suitable iOS device and feel like a change of face you can download the 50MB app for free here.
