A Guide To Snapchat's Secret Filters

Here are the commands to unlock secret Instagram-style filters and drawing tools. UPDATE - Dec 20: Snapchat just released a new version - here's our new guide.

By
Katie Notopoulos
by Katie Notopoulos

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Feeling ennui start to set in on your Snapchatting? Here are a few secret features in Snapchat to reinvigorate your Snaplove, or at the very least impress your friends with your Snapknowledge. That IS how you impress friends, right? Yes? Anyone?

A quick note: Some older Android phones we tested on couldn't do these, and the "sepia" function is Android-only.

Here's how to take your Snapgame to the next level:

Here's how to draw with white crayon:

Touch the rainbow color bar, and without lifting your finger, drag over to the upper lefthand corner.

Bam! Now you can draw with white!

And here's how to get black crayon:

Touch the rainbow, drag your finger left, then down.

Black is at the bottom.

Touching the rainbow and then dragging left turns your whole screen into a color pallet, so there's all sorts of cool in-between colors. Now you can become the Snapchat Picasso you were meant to be.

UPDATE - Dec 22, 2013: A new update from Snapchat makes it so these old filters no longer work. There's new, better filters you can turn on in "Settings". Here is our new guide to turn on the latest filters.

How to turn a photo black & white:

Black and White photo:

1. Take a photo in Snapchat

2. In the text box, type in exactly (capitalization counts!): B&w...

Voila! Your photo turns black and white. You can now erase the text and type in something new.

How to make a photo negative:

Same idea as the black & white.

1. Take a photo

2. Type into the text box (capitalization and punctuation count!): Negative...

Blammo! Although keep in mind, negative photos look really weird and gross, so who knows what you're using these for.

How to turn a photo sepia-toned:

Laura June

1. Take a photo

2. Type in: Sepia...

Perfect for photos where you're dressed like you're in an Old West saloon.

Sorry, this function doesn't work on the iPhone.

UPDATE: It works on iPhone now!

Here's the full video tutorial on photo filters:

View this video on YouTube
youtube.com

Here's the full tutorial on how to get extra secret crayon colors:

View this video on YouTube
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