TikTok’s AI Manga Filter: How Do You Use It?

Some TikTok users think it’s silly or a waste of time exploring the filters available in the social media platform’s editing suite. Most of them probably feel that way because they’ve never played around with some of the really cool ones.

One TikTok filter that’s become extremely popular, and is often found on the app’s “trending” list, is the AI Manga filter.

You’ve probably heard of manga. It’s a Japanese art style that dates back to the 12th century, but centuries later, it was adapted for use in graphic novels and comics. Manga online and print publications are dominant in the Japanese market and are often adapted to become anime TV shows or movies, but manga has become quite popular in the West as well.

(Manga is often consumed with anime and the two are somewhat similar. However, manga is more detailed and explores deeper themes, and it’s created on paper or in online “print” formats, usually in black and white. Anime is an animated medium known more for its striking visual impact than its complicated and meaningful stories.)

You’ve probably seen manga (and anime) characters, even if you’re not a fan of the genre. They’re realistic, young-ish cartoonish figures, generally with large, expressive eyes, small facial features, large heads and slim bodies, and light hair and white skin; some have exaggerated bodily attributes (like breasts), and many wear Japanese school uniforms.

There are four types of “main characters” in manga: hostile with a hidden soft side, possessive and violent, sky and socially awkward, and strong but calm. Many other secondary characters move in and out of the stories.

Manga (and anima) appearances are, in some ways, stereotypical. That makes it easy for talented artists — or artificial intelligence models — to create them. The latter is the way that manga figures are created on TikTok.

How to Use the AI Manga Filter on TikTok

Want to see what you (or someone else) would look like as a manga character? TikTok’s editing tools make it easy, whether you want to apply the manga filter to a TikTok video or photo you shoot in the app or have content on your camera reel that you want to turn into manga.

In some versions of the app, you can find the AI manga filter when you tap the “Effects” icon (usually a thumbnail from your camera reel) and scroll the available filters and effects. In others, though, the manga filter doesn’t appear since the selection of TikTok filters is so large that not all of them can be displayed). For that reason, here’s an easier way that should work for everyone.

1. Tap the search icon (a magnifying glass) at the top right of your home screen.
2. Type “AI manga filter” into the search bar and hit “Search.”
3. The filter should show as one of the first couple of results; it just says “AI Manga.” Tap the camera icon to the right of the result, and the filter will appear on a Create screen.
4. You can now choose one of the photos or videos in your camera reel (shown in a slider right below the preview screen), or tap the screen to start recording.
5. When you’re done, the system will take your TikTok content and run it through the system’s artificial intelligence to create its manga version. Be patient; many of TikTok’s two billion users are using the AI at the same time you are, so encoding can take a while.
6. When the processing is done, you’ll see your AI manga content and can post it the way you’d normally upload any other photo or video.

If you have no luck, remember that the AI feature isn’t available in all regions of the world or on some earlier versions of the app. Try upgrading to the latest TikTok version — or if you still can’t find the filter, you’ll have to wait until the AI generator is rolled out to your country.

It’s worth the wait!