Articles on: Ai Effects

How AI Effects Work

AI effects are one of ALIVE's most powerful features. They use artificial intelligence to transform your guests' photos into completely new artistic styles — in seconds. Anime, Disney Pixar, Pop Art, Watercolor, and over 200 more.

The Basics

When a guest applies an AI effect, here's what happens behind the scenes:

The guest selects an effect from the effects slider on the attraction screen
The guest takes their photo on the capture screen
The photo is sent to our AI processing pipeline, which transforms it using the selected style
The AI generates a brand-new version of the photo in the chosen artistic style
The transformed result appears on the share screen in seconds

The whole process takes just a few seconds. Guests don't see any of the processing — they just see the magic result.

[screenshot: Before and after AI effect comparison]

When Do Guests Choose Effects?

Guests choose their effect before taking photos. On the attraction screen, they'll see an effects slider showing the effects you've selected for the event. They pick the one they like, then move to the capture screen to take their photo.

The flow is:

Browse effects on the attraction screen → 2. Pick an effect → 3. Take photos on the capture screen → 4. See transformed results on the share screen → 5. Share or print

What Makes ALIVE's AI Effects Different?

Quality — We use state-of-the-art AI models that produce high-quality, consistent results
Speed — Effects process in seconds, not minutes
Variety — 200+ effects with new ones added weekly
Custom effects — Create your own effects with custom prompts

How Credits Work

Each AI effect application uses credits from your account. Credits are billed on a pay-as-you-go basis — you only pay for what you use. No monthly effect limits, no wasted subscriptions.

See AI Credits — Pay-As-You-Go Pricing for the full breakdown.

Types of AI Effects

There are three types of AI effects in ALIVE:

AI Style Effects — The main library of 200+ effects. These transform the photo into a completely different artistic style — like Disney Pixar 3D, Anime, Rubber Hose Cartoon, Pop Art, Watercolor, and many more. Cost: 15 credits (~$0.15) per photo.
Custom AI Effects — Pro plan only. Create your own effects with custom prompts to get exactly the style you want. Same credit cost as regular effects (15 credits per photo).
Green Screen Effects — A special built-in effect that replaces the background behind guests with a custom image. No physical green screen required (though a solid backdrop helps). Cost: 5 credits (~$0.05) per photo.

A fourth type — AI Video Effects — generates short animated videos from guest photos, turning a still image into a moving, cinematic clip. Cost: 40 credits (~$0.40) per video. See AI Video Effects for details.

Requirements

Basic or Pro plan — AI effects are included with both plans
Internet connection — Photos are processed in the cloud
Pay-as-you-go — AI effects are billed automatically per use, no need to pre-load credits

AI effects require an active internet connection. If your Wi-Fi drops during an event, effects won't be available until the connection is restored. Photo capture and printing will still work.

What's Next?

Browsing the AI Effects Library — Explore 200+ effects and find the right ones for your events
AI Credits — Pay-As-You-Go Pricing — Understand how credits work and what effects cost

Updated on: 03/28/2026

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