The Art Selfie feature of the Google Arts & Culture app is finally available in the Netherlands. With Google Art Selfie you can see which historical painting you look like.
Google Art Selfie shows your historical double
The Arts & Culture app has been around for several years, but only got the selfie function from Google at the beginning of this year. For a long time, it was only available in a limited number of countries, including the United States. The selfie function is now also available in the Netherlands and Belgium.
It works like this: you take a selfie in the app and Google searches its extensive art collection for the most similar character in a painting. The app features thousands of paintings from more than 650 affiliated art institutions and collections.
Then you see several matching paintings and what percentage the painted person and you are alike. Then you can quickly share the duo portrait via social media. You may get to know new paintings through the position, but it is especially fun to see which double you look like.
To find doubles, Google uses visual machine learning. Your face shape and other features of your face are used as landmarks to browse through all the paintings. However, don’t be surprised if a double of the opposite sex comes out, because the software doesn’t select on that.
Try selfies from different angles and with different facial expressions as this will change the suggestions dramatically. You do not have to worry that Google will collect all your selfies in this way for other purposes. The photo is only used for the Art Selfie function, and the selfies are not sent to a database.
More in his march than art selfies
Art Selfie has made Google Arts & Culture very popular in the App Store in a short time. The app is actually meant for much more than ‘art selfies’. You will find virtual 360-degree tours through the most beautiful museums, highlighted art collections, interviews and inspiration. For example, you can also read various background stories about ancient or striking tribes and groups from all over the world.
The app is therefore not only interesting for art lovers, but for anyone who wants to see and read more about other cultures. With the ‘Close’ function you can see at a glance which museums are nearby, or which historical buildings there are or were. This makes the app a useful addition on vacation or when you like to visit museums.