“I’ve noticed that the more I make filters, the longer it takes me. Why? Now that I’ve grown as a creator and built a beautiful community, I try my absolute best to make sure my filters work on everyone.”
- Aram Karamanian, TikTok Effect House Creator
Imagine collaborating with one of your favorite beauty brands to create a filter for their newest eyeliner look.
A massive flex and a true story for Aram Karamanian (@aramkk5), a talented TIkTok Effect House Creator.
He’s also the creative mind behind the Midnight filter that over 14 million people caught a vibe with last year.
We were lucky enough to have an exclusive Optix AI chat with Aram to share some of his insights as a creator.
Here’s how it went:
The most frequently asked question about my filters is “How long does it take to make a filter?”
It really depends on the type of filter, the environment, the mood, and your creativity. Filters can take me from 10 minutes to 10 days to even months to create. I noticed the more I make filters, the longer it's taken me. Why? Now that I’ve grown as a creator and built a beautiful community, I try my absolute best to make sure my filters work on everyone.
A common misconception about the effect-making process is that it’s easy to do. The process takes lots of time. It also takes a lot of logical and creative thinking. That’s why it can take a while to publish.
A fun fact about my creation process is that I apply the marketing skills I learned from school to my filters. I think deeply when I plan on releasing and promoting a filter. This plays a huge role in the creation process.
My favorite filter right now is ‘Babe by aramkk5’ because of how diverse the filter is. It’s simple yet works on everyone.
The most popular filter I created is ‘Midnight Vibes’ on TikTok. I believe over 10 million videos have been created with it.
The filter that took me the longest to make was the filter I made in collaboration with KVD Beauty. It required a lot of scripting and creative thinking. However, the process was extremely fun, and I enjoyed working with them.
They reached out to me back in 2022 when I started to expand into more makeup effects. We collaborated and came up with an interactive eyeliner effect inspired by their campaign. I digitally recreated their real-life makeup looks in a way that made the effect extremely interactive so people could play around with it and be inspired to create real-life makeup looks using KVD’s Tattoo Pencil Eyeliner. We recently worked together again and released a new KVD Beauty filter.
I believe people resonate with my effects because of how inclusive and interactive they are. I was still new to the environment when I started making effects. As time went on and I started to grow, I began experimenting with my effects and looked into how I could make them more inclusive as well as interactive. So, I think this is what resonated with a larger audience.
The Effect House community has been my second family. They've given me so many opportunities and support. I've never experienced something like Effect House in the 5 years of my filter-making career. The community, support, and endless opportunities they provide for creators like me are why I love the community so much. We all support and help each other.
I have extremely big things planned. You just have to wait and see.
A fun fact about me is that I also love to draw! I think one of the many reasons I started to create filters is because I enjoyed drawing.
If you want to see what Aram is up to next, you can follow him on TikTok and Instagram.
For more information on the filter creation process, check out TikTok’s Effect House and stay tuned for more creator Q&As and insights on your favorite filters and effects.
If you’re curious how to make personalized avatars for free in under 30 seconds using the latest filters and styles, try the Optix app for free here.