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Iris Jiang

A new “ugly-friendly” AI-powered filter is taking China’s social media by storm.
The artificial intelligence filter transforms portraits into “ugly-cute” clay sculpture images that look like characters from stop-motion animation films such as Wallace and Gromit or Shaun the Sheep.
Remini, the photo editor app that launched the filter, topped China’s free app rankings with about 400,000 daily downloads in the seven days from April 30 to May 6.
The momentum was boosted by the country’s five-day Labour Day holiday when the filter was used in travel vlogs.
One clay-style vlog has garnered about 13,400 likes on Xiaohongshu, China’s Instagram.
The Post explains what lies behind the trend.
Appreciating ugliness

The app’s popularity has been attributed to the clay filter “being both ugly and cute”, said the mainland media outlet Dushikuaibao.
In the clay-style images, facial features are preserved, but are more colourful and expressions appear more exaggerated.
The app has been the source of much amusement and entertainment.
In a post on Xiaohongshu, a toy lion was transformed into a young man with golden hair and a white beard.
“These filters have saved my useless shots,” a person said on the platform.
“Using this filter is like opening a blind box,” said another.
In the book, Ugly: The Aesthetics of Everything, Stephen Bayley argues that ugliness, which provides more variety and surprise, is far more interesting than beauty, which tends to be predictable.
Many on mainland social media appear to have embraced the notion of ugliness by using humorous filters that enlarge some features and shrink others.
“After seeing enough of similar influencers’ faces generated by over-beautified filters, people now prefer a flawed version of reality over the perfect facade,” said Dou Donghui, associate professor of psychology at Beijing’s Central University of Finance and Economics.
Healing effect
For the advocates of Remini, surprises provided by ugliness have therapeutic effects.
Public opinions towards the clay filter show “happiness” at 42 per cent and “like” at 19 per cent, according to the AI search analysis on Weibo.
“It’s ugly, but it makes me happy,” an online observer said.
Psychotherapist Wang Huiqiu believes that the clay filter evokes the quiet, healing essence of childhood stop-motion animation films.
“The colours of the clay filter give a feeling of reverting to simplicity, aligning with modern society’s reflection on fast-paced living and the longing for a slower life,” Wang said.
Different opinions
Not everyone is a fan though, some think the effect is unattractive and displeasing.
They prefer the more recently launched “jade” filter in the app, which generates portraits in the style of traditional Chinese jade sculptures.
The effect is smaller and more refined faces with bigger eyes and smaller mouths.

Others share tips on how to first convert photos to a cartoon style before applying the clay filter, to avoid the perceived ugliness.
Alternatives offered by other Chinese photo editing apps, for example, Meitu, have been praised for better suiting Asian faces, with smoother, paler complexions and more appropriate expressions.
About the company
Remini, owned by the Milan, Italy-based Bending Spoons, was initially developed by Beijing-based start-up Caldron.
The company was acquired by the Italian firm in 2021.
Remini was known for enhancing blurry photos. It then gained popularity in Western markets in 2023 by launching an AI-powered feature that predicted what an unborn child could look like.
After a seven-day free trial, Remini users have to pay at least eight yuan (US$1.1) to keep using it, and 68 yuan a week to access more advanced features such as the clay effect.


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A recently launched filter that makes photos look like Wallace and Gromit characters is proving a sensation in China as people flock to look “cute-ugly”.


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.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Photo editor launches filter app, has 400,000 daily downloads in 7 days ‘Cute-ugly’ images appeal to people bored with uniform ‘influencer’ beauty

Photo editor launches filter app, has 400,000 daily downloads in 7 days

‘Cute-ugly’ images appeal to people bored with uniform ‘influencer’ beauty