Funny Face Filters Live Camera

Review by eFreeware

Most phone cameras are built to make you look good, which is exactly the wrong tool when the goal is to look ridiculous. If you want a video where your face stretches sideways, your eyes sit on your chin, or your friend's features land on your head, the standard camera app has nothing for you. Funny Face Filters Live Camera is one of the older names in that space, made by VysionApps.

It has been on Google Play since July 2016 and now sits past 10 million installs with a 4.0 average from more than 85,000 ratings. The app is free, carries ads and offers in-app purchases, and the developer has kept it updated, with the most recent notes mentioning bug fixes and performance improvements. What follows is a look at what the developer describes, who the app is built for, and where I would expect the trade-offs to show up.

What the camera actually does

The core idea is simple: the effects run while you record, not after. You point the camera at a face, pick an effect, and the distortion or mask is applied to the live image. You can record video or take a still photo, then save the result and share it.

That live approach is what separates an app like this from a photo editor where you load a picture, drag a slider and export. Here the fun is in reacting to the effect in real time, pulling faces at the camera while it bends them further. The developer also includes a developer mode that demonstrates the real-time face detection and 68-point tracking behind the effects, which is an unusual extra for a casual app.

The list of modes is long enough that no two sessions need look alike. Warping, swapping, masks, blending, chin effects, puppetry and stickers all live in the same app, and the developer says more features are on the way. For a free download, that range is the main argument in its favor.

Warping, swapping and blending faces

The face warp camera is the headline tool. It applies distortion effects to video, letting you stretch, twist and squash your features as you record. The app is billed as an ugly camera, so the intended result is comedy rather than flattery.

Face swap works between two people, trading one person's face with another's in the live view. Face blend goes a step further and merges two faces into a single hybrid, with a face flip option thrown in for good measure. Both are the sort of feature that works best with a willing participant sitting next to you.

Chin face is the odd one out and probably the most memorable. It turns your face upside down and places your eyes on your chin, which the developer cheerfully admits is a bit weird. It is a one-trick effect, but it is a trick that tends to get a reaction, and it is the kind of thing that would not be practical to fake with ordinary editing tools.

Masks, puppets and stickers

Face mask covers the animal and skeleton territory, with live filters that sit over your face as you move. These are the closest thing here to the filters people already know from mainstream social apps, and they are the easiest entry point if warping feels like too much on the first try.

Face puppet uses your mouth to animate a different face, so your expressions drive something that is not you. It is a neat idea for a short clip and a good example of what live tracking makes possible. Face sticker takes a simpler route, letting you lay hats, glasses, moustaches and similar props over a selfie video.

Between them, these three modes cover the gentler end of the app's range. Not every clip needs a stretched skull or a swapped head; sometimes a moustache and a hat are enough, and having both options in one place saves installing several apps to get them.

What it asks of you, and what to weigh

The app is Android-only, and the developer is upfront about that, joking that iPhone owners should switch devices. If you are on Android, the barrier to entry is low: it is free to download, and the developer describes the interface as user-friendly enough that no technical skill is needed. The content rating is Everyone, so the effects themselves are not the concern.

The trade-offs are the usual ones for a free app of this type. It contains ads, and there are in-app purchases alongside them. The app is built around live performance, so a decent front camera and reasonable lighting will matter more here than in an app that processes a still image afterward. The developer's own framing is that this is a funny selfie camera, and the effects are aimed at laughs rather than at anything you would print or frame.

It is also worth setting expectations about the output. Warped faces, upside-down chins and blended heads are not subtle, and the results are meant to be shared as jokes. If your goal is a flattering portrait or a clean edit of an existing photo, the app's stated focus points elsewhere.

Who this is built for

The clearest fit is anyone who makes short, silly videos to send to friends or post on social feeds. The combination of live warping, swapping and stickers is aimed at quick reactions and group laughs, and the ability to save and share straight from the app supports that. A group of friends passing a phone around, or a parent making a goofy clip with a child, are the kinds of situations the developer seems to have in mind.

There is also a practical use for it beyond pure pranks. Anyone curious about how real-time face tracking behaves, or wanting a simple way to demonstrate it, gets the developer mode as a built-in example, which is more than most casual filter apps bother to include.

The app has been around long enough to accumulate a large install base and a large number of ratings. Recent updates suggest the app is still being maintained rather than abandoned.

A quick answer on installing it

I would treat Funny Face Filters Live Camera as a free, ad-supported toy with a surprisingly broad toolkit. The range of effects, from warp and swap to chin face and stickers, is the reason to pick it over a single-purpose filter app, and the live recording means the results feel spontaneous rather than edited.

Go in expecting ads and in-app purchases, an Android-only download, and an output that is deliberately absurd rather than polished. If you want an easy way to turn a face into a joke and share it within a minute, this app is built for exactly that. If you want careful photo editing or a flattering selfie, the effects here are pointed in the opposite direction.

What's new in version 7.1.1

Bug fixes and performance improvements