What This Article Covers
• What AI-FX is, and the difference between Preset Filters and Custom Prompt Filters
• Which Snappic plans include AI-FX, and how AI credits are priced
• How to enable AI-FX and add a filter to your event
• How to test a filter and attach it to a template
• Where AI-FX is and isn't supported
• Troubleshooting common AI-FX issues
Before You Start
AI-FX is not available on Starter (Photo Booth) or Pro Photographer plans and cannot be added as an add-on.
Virtual Booth does not support AI-FX.
Multiple frame templates are not supported.
AI may produce unexpected results including changes to facial features, gender, or skin tone. This is a normal part of AI image generation and cannot be controlled.
Sharing via AirDrop sends only the original image, not the AI-generated version.
AI-FX images are only shared when sessions are synced with the Snappic app.
Always test your filter setup before event day.
Table of Contents
What Is AI-FX?
AI-FX is Snappic's AI image generation system. When a guest takes a photo at your booth, AI-FX processes it and produces a completely new AI-generated image based on either a prompt you've written or a pre-built effect from the filter gallery.
There are two types of AI-FX filters:
Custom Prompt Filters: You write a prompt that defines what the AI generates. These give you full creative control and are ideal for branded activations, themed events, and personalised outputs. The two custom prompt filter families are PersonaFX and BananaFX.
Preset Filters: Pre-built themed effects created by Snappic's team. No prompting required — simply select a filter, attach it to your template, and it's ready to use. Preset filters are powered by the BananaFX engine and cover a wide range of themes including art styles, fantasy, occasions, professions, and more.
AI-FX Plan Availability
Plan | AI-FX Available |
Starter (Photo Booth) | ✗ Not included |
Business (Photo Booth) | ✓ Included |
Premium (Photo Booth) | ✓ Included |
Scale (Photo Booth) | ✓ Included |
Pro (Photography) | ✗ Not included |
Agency (Photography) | ✓ Included |
AI-FX is a built-in feature of eligible plans. It cannot be purchased as a standalone add-on.
AI Credits
AI-FX runs on a credit system. Credits are purchased in advance and consumed each time an AI image is generated or tested.
Credits are priced at $0.10 per credit (e.g. 200 credits for $20, 1,000 credits for $100).
Each filter has its own credit cost, which is displayed under the filter name on the Edit AI Filter screen and on the Test screen before you run a test. Always check the credit cost before testing, as test images also consume credits.
To top up credits, go to the Account tab in your Snappic dashboard and click Top Up.
Select AI-FX Credits from the Top Up screen and choose the credit amount you need.
How to Enable AI-FX
Open your event in the Snappic dashboard and go to the Features tab.
Select AI Experience and click Save Changes.
You will be taken to the AI Experience section. Click Add AI Filter to open the AI Filters Gallery.
How to add a Pre-Made AI Filter
Select a pre-made filter from our library. You will see different categories that you can browse through, such as Art Styles, Eras, Fantasy, Fun etc. If you want to create your own custom AI filter using a prompt, skip to the next section (How to add a Custom AI Filter).
You can select multiple filters. Simply click on the filters you want to use at your event. When you are done, click Close.
Click Edit on the filter. Here you can adjust the Name of the filter, the Aspect Ratio of the output image and Pose Selection of each filter option.
When you are done, click Save Config to save the filter, or Save and Go Test to test the filter. Then add the filter to your template. More on that below.
How to add a Custom Prompt AI Filter (BananaFX, PersonaFX, Face Swap)
Select the option you prefer. Then click Close.
Click Edit on the custom prompt filter.
Here you will be given several options: Add your Prompt, Save Prompt (to your library), Enhance Face Likeness (additional credits required for this), option to add a Reference Image (up to 4), Aspect Ratio and Pose Selection.
When you are done, click Save Config to save the filter, or Save and Go Test to test the filter. Then you will need to attach your custom prompt filter to a template. More on that below.
How to Test AI Filters
Click Test on any filter to upload a test image and preview the AI output before your event. The credit cost for each test is shown on the test screen.
How to add a Template for AI-FX
You will now need to add a template (or templates) that you can attach the AI filters to.
In the template section, select a template from the Template Library to choose a pre-made template or click + Create New Template to create your own.
Click AI Filters under your template to assign which filters will be available for that template. You can select one filter or several per template, depending on your event workflow.
Click Preview to set the template preview image that guests will see when choosing an effect at the booth. Tip: use your test image as the preview.
How to add a Template Design Overlay
Click Upload to add an overlay design onto your chosen template.
Click Edit to preview or add to your overlay
How AI-FX Works
A guest takes a photo at your Snappic-powered booth.
The image is sent to Snappic's AI processing pipeline.
The AI generates a new image based on your chosen filter or prompt.
The AI-generated image is returned to the booth gallery and shared with the guest via email or SMS.
Processing takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes on average after the photo is taken. This may vary depending on server load and wifi connection. There is no guaranteed processing time.
AI-FX Filter Types
For full details on each filter type, see the dedicated articles:
PersonaFX — High-fidelity custom prompt filters for photorealistic and stylised AI portraits. Best for single-person shots with full prompt control.
BananaFX — Cloud-rendered custom prompt filters powered by Google's Nano Banana model. Fast rendering, ideal for outfit transformations and styled effects.
AI-FX Preset Filters — A ready-to-use gallery of themed effects requiring no prompting. Powered by the BananaFX 3.0 engine.
Custom Prompt Filter Comparison
Snappic's Custom Prompt filters are each powered by a different AI model, with different strengths and rendering speeds.
Snappic Custom Prompt Filter | Model | Key Strengths | Best For | Speed |
BananaFX 2.0 | Nano Banana Pro | Studio-quality output, accurate text-in-image rendering, consistent identity across subjects | Complex compositions, branded content, the highest-quality single renders | Fast — about 20–30 seconds, depending on wifi |
BananaFX 3.0 | Nano Banana 2 | Fast generation, supports multiple reference images, strong prompt understanding | Quick turnarounds, group photos, high-volume events | Fast — about 20–30 seconds, depending on wifi |
PersonaFX 2.0 | GPT Image 2 | State-of-the-art photorealism, near-perfect text rendering, strong instruction-following | Photorealistic single-subject portraits, text-heavy outputs | Slower — up to 60 seconds |
BananaFX prioritizes speed on both versions. PersonaFX prioritizes photorealism, which takes longer to render.
Troubleshooting
Why isn't AI-FX available on my plan?
Cause: AI-FX is only included on Business, Premium, and Scale (Photo Booth) plans, and Agency (Photography). It is not included on Starter (Photo Booth) or Pro (Photography), and can't be added as an add-on.
Fix: Upgrade to a plan that includes AI-FX.
Why isn't AI-FX available on my Virtual Booth event?
Cause: AI-FX is not supported on Virtual Booth events.
Fix: Use a different booth type that supports AI-FX.
Why can't I attach an AI filter to my template?
Cause: AI-FX does not support templates that use multiple frames.
Fix: Use a single-frame template.
Why does my AI output show a different face, gender, or skin tone than my guest?
Cause: This is a normal part of AI image generation and cannot be controlled.
Fix: For real, photographic images, Enhance Face Likeness can help, but it does not guarantee an exact match. See the dedicated filter articles for more detail.
Why did my guest get the original photo instead of the AI-generated one?
Cause: Sharing via AirDrop sends only the original image, not the AI-generated version.
Fix: Share the AI-generated image by email or SMS instead of AirDrop.
Why isn't my guest receiving their AI-generated image?
Cause: AI-FX images are only shared when the session is synced with the Snappic app.
Fix: Make sure the session is synced with the Snappic app before sharing.
Why is processing taking a long time?
Cause: Processing time depends on server load and wifi connection. There is no guaranteed processing time.
Fix: If delays are consistent, check your event's wifi connection, or contact support.
Need Help?
Visit the Snappic Help Center or chat directly from your dashboard for live support.