Lensa has become one of the most downloaded smartphone apps in the last few months. Even if you have not heard of it, you surely know one of its functions that has gone viral on social networks such as Instagram or TikTok. We are talking about the app's Magic Avatars. This feature generates versions of yourself with artistic effects and in surprising scenarios. In other words, avatars that look like hand-painted pictures but have been created by artificial intelligence.

Stable Diffusion is the artificial intelligence used for such a feat. This AI generates images from prompts, so it works like a pocket artist. Using your photos or selfies, this app can turn you into a medieval hero, an astronaut, or a futuristic robot using painting-like effects, randomly created backgrounds, and more. The results will surprise you, and you can share them on social networks. All you have to do is provide the photos, and the artificial intelligence will do all the work.

What is Lensa?

Lensa is a smartphone application for photo and video editing. Its main feature is that it uses artificial intelligence to automate retouching and editing tasks, meaning you do not have to do it manually. Just ask for what you want, and the app takes care of the whole process. It can remove blemishes, enhance colors, erase an object or element from the image, apply artistic filters, outline your eyebrows, and more. In short, it will make your photos look better.

Photo enhancement with LensaPhoto enhancement with Lensa

Moreover, the process is very straightforward. Just load the image to be retouched, or take one with your smartphone's camera and explore Lensa's options menu. There is a section dedicated exclusively to retouching your face. There, you will find a section for backgrounds, generic photo adjustments (like contrast, lighting, and color), endless effects and filters, and borders and frames to decorate your image.

What are Lensa's magic avatars, and how do they work?

Lensa's Magic Avatars are possibly one of its biggest attractions. This feature uses generative artificial intelligence to create new images using your face or whole body. In the words of its developers, "Be the star of your digital world. Create standout avatars with the power of cutting-edge AI, making your virtual self truly unique."

Magic avatars created with LensaMagic avatars created with Lensa

Regarding how Lensa and its magic avatars work, the images you provide through the application are uploaded to AWS (Amazon) servers to create them. There, the Stable Diffusion API generates the artistic avatars. Finally, the app displays them for you to download. According to Lensa's representatives, the images you share to create the avatars are deleted from Amazon's servers after a while.

To avoid legal problems, especially if you are going to share the magic avatars on social networks, try to use your own photos. When you use images featuring friends, family, or acquaintances, make sure you have their permission to publish the generated avatars. Keep in mind that some avatars may be annoying or disliked by their protagonists.

How to create a magic avatar with Lensa's artificial intelligence

The only requirement to use Lensa's Magic Avatars function is to be of legal age in your country and pay a fee. Yes, there is a charge for this feature, as it uses artificial intelligence, and this comes at a cost. You can subscribe to the application and enjoy all its exclusive functionalities. Or, instead, you can purchase avatars before they are created during the process. It is up to you.

How to create a magic avatar with LensaHow to create a magic avatar with Lensa

To create your Magic Avatar with Lensa:

  1. Log in to the Lensa app.
  2. You will see the Magic Avatars button on the home screen. Tap on it.
  3. Choose the type of avatar you want (human, animal, or others).
  4. Select the styles or types of avatars you want to obtain.
  5. You can select up to 10 styles for more varied results.
  6. Tap on Continue.
  7. Check the I am of legal age... option to confirm that you are of legal age.
  8. You will have to take some selfies to help the app generate the avatars.
  9. Follow the instructions on the screen.
  10. Finally, all you have to do is pay for the avatars. Depending on how many avatars you want, the price will change.
  11. A screen will appear after you pay, indicating how long you must wait.
  12. Within a few minutes, you will see the magic avatars organized by categories.

Although the time required to create avatars may vary, the application usually takes one minute per avatar. So, if you want to get 100 images, you must wait around 100 minutes. For 20 images, you must wait 20 minutes. You get the idea. But it is worth the wait. On completion, you will see images in your likeness in different styles and scenarios imagined by the artificial intelligence behind Lensa.

The avatars generated by Lensa are saved in the application. Then, you can download these images on your smartphone in two different qualities: 4K resolution (4096x4096 pixels) and standard resolution (1024x1024 pixels). The images will be yours. So you can share them, save them, or show them off on social networks. It is up to you. Alternatively, you can take more selfies or reuse the ones you already have and see what new magic avatars Lensa can do for you.

How much do Lensa's magic avatars cost

Although most of Lensa's tools and functions are free, some are paid. This is unavoidable, considering that certain features imply an economic effort on the developer's side to maintain servers for the image processing service.

There are two ways to pay for Lensa's magic avatars. The first option is to pay for them directly at the end of the creation process. As we saw above, when the magic avatar creation process finishes, it will ask you to pay a fee. At the time of testing the app, the prices were as follows:

  • 54 unique avatars with 9 variations of 6 styles: US$ 7.63
  • 102 unique avatars with 17 variations of 6 styles: US$ 9.82
  • 204 unique avatars with 34 variations of 6 styles: US$ 14.19

In short. The price will increase or decrease depending on how many styles and variations you want. However, if you think you will use Lensa often and want to get the most out of it, the second way to pay for Magic Avatars is by subscribing to the application. This will give you access to all the app's functions without advertising and save you 50% on the magic avatars. The annual subscription to Lensa costs US$ 109.20, although, at the time of testing, the application offered a 60% discount, that is, US$ 43.66 per year. Or, in other words, US$ 3.64 per month. Optionally, you can try the subscription for free for 7 days, but you will still have to pay for the magic avatars.