iWorld
Google rolls out AR effect tools for YouTube Stories
MUMBAI: With the overwhelming popularity of Stories feature on social media platforms, the companies are leaving no stones unturned to make it more attractive. Now, Google is rolling out support for its advanced Augmented Reality (AR) effect tools for YouTube Stories while its rival Facebook and Instagram already support AR filters for Stories on their platforms.
The new feature will allow users to add animated masks, glasses, 3D hats and more such objects to their selfies. "To make all this possible, we employ machine learning (ML) to infer approximate 3D surface geometry to enable visual effects and ML pipeline for Selfie AR," Google Artificial Intelligence research engineers Artsiom Ablavatski and Ivan Grishchenko wrote in a blog post on Saturday.
"That way we can grow our dataset to increasingly challenging cases, such as grimaces, oblique angle and occlusions. Dataset augmentation techniques also expanded the available ground truth data, developing model resilience to artefacts like camera imperfections or extreme lighting conditions," the post added.
The company has also claimed that it will use improved "anchoring" process with the new AR effects to make them look more real and responsive. According to the post, it uses a unique set of technologies "that can track the highly dynamic surface geometry across every smile, frown or smirk."
However, YouTube Stories is not available to every user yet as the tech giant launched the feature last year but only to creators with more than 10k subscribers.
iWorld
Tips Music releases romantic indie track Lootera
Zain Imam, Shruti Chauhan and Shaan Grover star in love ballad
MUMBAI: Tips Music Ltd. has unveiled its latest romantic offering, Lootera, an indie pop track that leans into longing, melody and a touch of old fashioned heartache.
Released today across major streaming platforms, the song features Zain Imam, Shruti Chauhan and Shaan Grover in a visually rich music video directed by Dibya Chatterjee. Sung by Pranav Singhal, the track pairs heartfelt lyrics by Jayveer Panghaal with a tender composition from Amaan ARS.
At its core, Lootera is about surrendering to love so completely that you barely recognise yourself. It is wistful without being heavy, intimate without turning indulgent. The melody lingers, the lyrics ache just enough, and the storytelling feels personal yet universal.
The music video follows a romantic narrative that unfolds frame by frame, drawing viewers into a world of quiet glances and unspoken emotion. Imam said he felt the emotion of the track instantly and described working with his co stars and director as a seamless, natural experience. Chauhan called the shoot beautiful and immersive, adding that the atmosphere on set allowed the cast to stay present in the moment. Grover echoed the sentiment, praising the collaborative spirit behind the project.
Produced by Kumar Taurani under the Tips banner, the single continues the label’s tradition of delivering music that connects across generations while keeping an ear tuned to contemporary tastes.
For Singhal, the song demanded emotional honesty. He noted that the synergy between the lyrics and composition helped shape a vocal performance rooted in authenticity.
With Lootera, Tips Music once again proves that when it comes to love songs, a simple story told sincerely can still steal the show.
