How to make a Snapchat geofilter: What are Snapchat geofilters?
So what exactly is a Snapchat geofilter? Snapchat geofilters are special filters that can be accessed only in specific locations, be it a city or a popular event (we’ve seen CES-related geotag filters for the Las Vegas based convention). It’s a different way to show people on Snapchat where you are or what you’re doing, with each filter being unique to the location. Once you’ve taken a photo or a video on Snapchat, simply swipe to the right to scroll between the geotag filters (if any are available at your current location) – once you’ve chosen a filter, hit send and it’ll be included in your Snapchat.
Although when Snapchat geofilters first became available they were designed by the company itself, Snapchat has recently decided to open up the feature and let users design geotag filters around the world. The company won’t add every single submission it gets but the best will be featured in-app, and it gives people a chance to add a personal touch to Snapchats taken in their favourite places, their hometown, etc. So how do you submit your own Snapchat geofilter? Simply follow our below instructions. Read next: How to screenshot on Snapchat without the sender knowing and Snapchat phone rumours
How to make and submit a Snapchat geofilter
Design your Snapchat geofilter on a program of your choice. This can be done using standard graphic design software like Photoshop or Illustrator – those with Microsoft Paint are out of luck unfortunately. There are a few guidelines you have to stick to when designing the geofilter – the first is resolution. It has to have a width of 1080 pixels, and a height of 1920 pixels. There are guidelines on what can and can’t be included in a geofilter, which can be found here, and Snapchat kindly provides a Photoshop template file for those that need it. Once you’ve designed the geofilter, make sure it’s transparent, web-optimised (Photoshop has a specific export option for web optimised images) and saved as a .PNG file.
Head to the Snapchat geofilter website and click ‘Create now’. You’ll be taken to a page outlining the above guidelines – once you’ve read this, simply click ‘next’.
The next step is to outline the location where you’d like your geofilter to be available. This can be anywhere from your local shopping centre to the whole of London – it depends on the content of your geofilter. Simply click on the map to create a point, and outline the area of interest. Once you’ve completed the basic shape, you can right click any of the points to remove them, or click and drag to move them.
Once you’ve outlined the geotag area, the next step is to upload and submit your geofilter by clicking the Upload Image button. Once you’ve uploaded your image, simply fill out the fields below and tell Snapchat why your geotag filter deserves to be added to the app – think of it like a competition, so try and sell your filter as best as possible!
Once you’ve filled out all required fields, simply hit submit. If you’ve been successful, Snapchat should be in contact and your geofilter should become available soon after. Read next: How to download Snapchat videos and What are Snapchat Spectacles? Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You’ll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
