Augmented reality is no longer just a technology that places virtual elements in real images for entertainment or advertising purposes. Companies like Ikea and BMW have already impressively shown how AR can also be used for meaningful projects. Now Shutterstock is joining them - and launching its first augmented reality feature.
For the Shutterstock customer app (iOS only), the image service from the USA has now launched a function called "View in Room". This allows customers to virtually position any of the 250 million images from the Shutterstock collection on the wall in any room. According to the company, more and more customers are using the images to decorate their own four walls, retail spaces, offices or restaurants.
Within the Shutterstock app, customers can click on the "View in Room" button. The app then switches to camera mode. When the camera is held in front of a wall, the app recognises the wall area and virtually projects the image onto it. Users can then adjust the size and position to get a better idea of how the image would really look in the room.
The iOS ARKit, which was released in autumn 2017 with the iOS 11 update, was used to develop this function. It allows app developers to better and more deeply integrate augmented reality solutions into their apps. "After years of advancing our internal computer vision technology to improve search on the web and mobile, we are excited to announce our first augmented reality feature for our customers," said Jon Oringer, founder and CEO of Shutterstock.
Retailers such as Ikea have been using the technology around Apple's ARKit for many months to offer their customers concrete furnishing advice and thus eliminate a purchasing hurdle in e-commerce. BMW launched the AR app "Mercedes cAR" last year, with which users can not only experience the A-Class realistically in their own four walls, but also configure it according to their own wishes. It, too, is based on Apple's ARKit.
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