A Snapchat Guide 2

Have you guys been exploring the app a little more since our first Snapchat guide? I'm starting to get the hang of it but I learnt there are so many more functions and ways to inject creativity into your snaps, and just some all around fun.. Here are 5 more tips that you may not have known about. You're quickly on your way to becoming a Snapchat pro!

1) Captions

After you've taken a snap or a video, tap the letter 'T' on the top right corner to bring out the text function, and type away! Tap the 'T' again if you'd like to choose from the 3 different styles of text: small white letters on grey background, giant white letters aligned to the left, or that but aligned centre. If you're using the giant white letters, you can change the colour your text simply by scrolling up and down the colour slider.

2) Drawing

Tap the pencil icon on the top right to bring out the colour slider. Just select your colour and get creative! Draw the sun if you're taking a snap of the blue sky, add a moustache to the funny selfie you're taking, or even use it to write your caption in your own handwriting, just for that personal touch..

Now, where's the white and black colour option? Here's a little secret for you guys! When you're scrolling up and down the slider, continue to drag your finger to the 4 corners of the screen and through the different points in between, without lifting your finger. See how many more colour options and shades you can choose from? Hooray for blush tones!

3) Emojis

If you love your emojis then you have to check this function out. Tap the third button on the top right, which kind of looks like a little post-it, and you'll be able to access all of them. Select your favourite one and place them wherever! Pinch it to make it smaller, and drag it outwards with two fingers to make it larger.. Here's where you can get really animated, so feel free to add as many as you'd like. Or even try creating a whole imaginary scenario with just emojis! If you're having second thoughts about any of the emojis you've selected, then just hold and drag them to the trash icon which will automatically appear at the top.

4) Swiping left and right

Once you're done editing your snap, swipe left to unlock a whole list of fun things. Filters, timestamps, speed, temperature.. and even slow-mo, fast-forward and rewind for videos! When rewind function first came out, some of my friends got really creative and made "magic tricks" out of them. It was a real puzzling time..

If you've enabled location services on your Snapchat, then you'll sometimes get event-based and location-based stickers when you continue swiping left. For instance, during Chinese New Year they came up with a handful of beautiful festival-themed frames! Singapore also has her very own stickers. Travelling from city to city? Check out the various stickers and frames each place offers.

5) Special filters

This is a new one! Snapchat came up with a bunch of interactive filters that fits and moves with the face. Just tap and hold the face of your subject and you'll get the option of scrolling through the various filters which vary from day to day. For this, we're not going to spoil the fun for you, you just have to explore them yourself! But we'll tell you this.. You'll be surprised how imaginative Snapchat can get, and how absolutely hilarious these special filters can be! Kids love them to bits.

And we have to admit, we do too. If you haven't already, add us on @bloesemblog! Would love to join you guys on this platform..

A Snapchat Guide

Time for a confession.. I'm still trying to get the hang of Snapchat. Anyone else too? (Tell me I'm not alone in this!) For the longest time, I just didn't get what the hype was about, and I got completely lost in the app when I tried to. It's been a couple of months now and I think it's time I hop on the bandwagon, all in..

Thankfully the rest of the Bloesem Team are quite Snapchat-savvy so they've pretty much convinced me that it's actually an interesting social media platform. As this is mostly based on real-time happenings and only allows minimal edits, viewers are able to get a true glimpse into your daily lives, therefore forming a stronger and more genuine connection with your Snapchat friends. A quick behind-the-scenes photo at the studio or even a short calming video of our new plants gently swaying in the wind sure is a fun and easygoing way to stay connected, don't you think?

How exciting it is to dive into something new.. I'm sharing with you today 5 basics I've learnt from the girls to get you started snapping away!

1) Finding your way around

I know when I first downloaded the app and arrived at the camera page, I just stayed there and remained stuck for a long time. Little did I know all the functions were hidden literally everywhere else! So, from the camera view you can:

Swipe down: to access your settings and add your contacts on Snapchat.
Swipe right: to view snaps you've received from friends - which you can only view once - and reply them, on top of a list of past interactions on the app.
Swipe left: to watch Snapchat updates from your friends which were made public, good for unlimited viewing for 24 hours!

2) Taking a photo or a video

This app allows you to take photos or short videos up to 10 seconds. A tap on the big button for the former, and press and hold for the latter! You're able to access both the front-facing and rear cameras, and flash for both too. Selecting the 'night mode' function on the top left corner also helps when you are in dim lighting.

3) Setting a timer for your photos

Now, for after you've taken your shot.. One of the unique functions that Snapchat is known for is how the snaps totally disappears once it's viewed! So if you're sending someone a silly shot, the timer is going to come in handy. Tap the stopwatch icon at the bottom and set it for shorter if you want to prevent your friends from taking a quick screenshot! Alternatively, set it for longer if you want your viewers to take their time and admire the scene.

4) Sending them out!

Once you're ready with your snap, tap the arrow at the bottom and you'll be brought to another page with a list of your friends. You can either send it privately to a couple of them simply by selecting their names, or you can post it to 'My Story' where it can be available to all of them to view for 24 hours.

5) Post-upload

This is only for those you've posted on 'My Story'. From the camera page, swipe left and you'll see everyone's public updates for the day, including your own. Tap the 3 dots on the right of 'My Story' to see how many people have seen each of your snaps. If you're having second thoughts about one you just uploaded, you can select it and delete them. But if you like a certain snap of your own and you decide you want to keep for good it in your photo gallery, same thing - tap the snap and press the save icon at the bottom! 

This is just the basics to get you started. We've got some fun tips and even hidden tricks coming up for you soon.. And it's going to be all about jazzing up the snap with filters, location stamps, and getting creative with the drawing function. Come join the party!