The SLAPSHOT app has now launched – an AI-powered VFX toolkit that makes high-end visual effects accessible to creators worldwide. Developed by a team of VFX veterans behind Academy Award-winning films, Emmy-winning TV shows, and VES-winning commercials, SLAPSHOT combines the latest AI advancements with an intuitive interface to empower creators to effortlessly craft stunning visuals and bring their ideas to life.
Featuring the latest, cutting-edge AI technology, SLAPSHOT ushers in the future of visual effects. By leveraging AI to automate labor-intensive processes, the toolkit significantly reduces the cost of high-end VFX. At the same time, its intuitive design ensures creators can seamlessly integrate advanced effects into their work without needing expensive hardware or technical expertise.
SLAPSHOT launches with two core tools:
- AI-Powered Rotoscoping: Revolutionising the traditionally labor-intensive Rotoscoping process, SLAPSHOT allows users to select and isolate elements in just a few clicks with results exportable in industry leading formats such as EXR, JPG, and MOV in hard and soft mattes.
- Generative Retiming: Extending video length without compromising quality, this tool uses AI to predict and generate new frames, enabling video extensions of up to 200%. Simply upload a video, input the desired length for the retimed version and export the results.
Until now, professional-grade VFX have been out of reach for many creators due to cost and technical barriers. “If you’re an individual creator, adding VFX to your work has traditionally been too expensive. You just don’t have the budget to create the work using the toolsets that exist today,” said Jon Mason, Co-Founder and CEO of SLAPSHOT. “We believe AI can bridge this gap, bringing down the cost of creating visual effects, and empowering millions of content creators to tell better stories.”
“Most of the recent innovation in the VFX market has been focused on pushing big, expensive, manual processes a little bit further,” Mason noted. “With the rise of the creator economy, it’s time to make these VFX tools accessible to everyone. SLAPSHOT is the first step toward making high-end visual effects affordable and easy to use, helping creators produce more compelling content.”
SLAPSHOT is designed to make advanced VFX accessible to creators across industries ranging from leading VFX companies to independent editors, colourists, content creators, social media influencers and more. The toolkit’s adaptability allows users to streamline their creative workflows in unique and innovative ways.
“One of the most exciting things we’ve witnessed during beta testing is all the creative ways people have used the product. When innovative technology like this is made accessible to more people, it’s amazing to see where they take it” added Mason.
Leading VFX companies utilise SLAPSHOT to streamline the creation of fast temp comps, enabling teams to visualize concepts without the need for labor-intensive manual work. Editors, on the other hand, have used it to quickly assemble work-in-progress (WIP) versions of ideas, eliminating the need to involve external VFX companies during the early stages of production. Production companies have also found SLAPSHOT invaluable, with its tools delivering final outputs in appropriate contexts.
One case-study also utilised the AI-powered rotoscoping tool to extract interview subjects for a museum video installation, while others have relied on SLAPSHOT to create finished effects for soap operas in India. Colourists have harnessed the toolkit to isolate specific areas of footage for precise color grading, streamlining their workflows.
Commenting on the broader implications of artificial intelligence in VFX, Mason noted, “There’s been so much debate around whether AI tools are ‘good enough,’ but that misses the point. There’s no single benchmark for what’s ‘good enough’—it depends entirely on the project, the platform, and the audience. SLAPSHOT isn’t about replacing traditional VFX; it’s about empowering creators with cutting-edge tools to tell better, more compelling stories.”
SLAPSHOT delivers a fast and efficient web interface for hosting and working with video and its robust cloud infrastructure ensures compatibility with the latest AI models, supporting resolutions up to 6K and eliminating the need for expensive hardware. This focus on accessibility and usability reflects SLAPSHOT’s mission to empower the growing creator economy. It also makes SLAPSHOT the most advanced AI-powered VFX toolkit on the market, outperforming all competitors without exception.
The innovative new app has been created by the visionary team behind Hotspring: Co-Founder and CEO Jon Mason, Co-founder, COO and Head of Product Varun Parange, and Managing Director Ben Stallard, who have harnessed their extensive expertise in VFX and AI to develop SLAPSHOT. Hotspring’s globally located network of artists and teams continue to meticulously create final versions with access to faster WIP, accelerating the creative process and unlocking earlier opportunities for tests, comps and presentations across a range of TV, Feature Film, Commercials, Music Videos and Direct To Brand projects.
Recent projects include: Award-winning TV series ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz;’ feature film ‘Timestalker,’ written, directed and starring Alice Lowe; Disney short film ‘The Boy & The Octopus;’ Direct to Brand campaign of 3 commercials for Squarespace; and 2024 Christmas Commercials for John Lewis, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
With decades of experience in high-end visual effects and a strong technical foundation, SLAPSHOT’s founders identified a clear gap in the market for tools that are both powerful and accessible. By blending their deep understanding of VFX workflows with cutting-edge AI technology, they have created a solution that brings professional-grade effects within reach for creators everywhere.
Hotspring & SLAPSHOT Managing Director, Ben Stallard, said:
“It’s important to understand that AI-Powered Rotoscoping and VFX are not intended to replace traditional Rotoscoping in Film, TV, or Commercial Production. Instead, it serves as a complementary tool used alongside traditional techniques when appropriate. Whilst AI Roto adds efficiency and provides options faster than before, it’s rarely intended to produce final results in high-end productions. Its primary role is for tasks like temp work, editing, or background elements in appropriate shots. This technology enhances workflows without replacing the precision of hand-done roto in professional pipelines.”
Hotspring & SLAPSHOT Co-Founder and CEO, Jon Mason said:
“Our goal with SLAPSHOT is to streamline and modernize traditional VFX processes so they can be used by more people. By leveraging the latest advances in AI, SLAPSHOT enables creators to produce high-quality work faster and opens the door for innovative storytelling.”
Check out the SLAPSHOT app at slapshot.ai.