Image via Netflix

Netflix has just released a preview of the highly anticipated Love, Death + Robots Volume 3 before the complete volume launches on the streaming service on Friday. This preview segment sees the show return to one of the most popular episodes from previous volumes. 

Called 3 Robots: Exit Strategies, this short is a sequel to the Three Robots story from the first volume of the popular sci-fi anthology show. The previous short and this new one are written by sci-fi legend John Scalzi, the author of the Old Man’s War and Lock In books. The first Three Robots short followed three robots as they explored a post-apocalyptic world, encountering scattered and broken remains of human civilization. 

The sequel features all the clever dialogue and dramatic irony of the previous short as the titular robots blunder their way through the wasteland uncovering things that, while mysterious to the robots, are familiar to those watching at home, presenting a unique take on the post-apocalyptic genre. The short also delivers some fascinating social commentary and an environmental message which shows that the third volume of Love, Death + Robots isn’t going to be backing away from more serious topics. 

Netflix describes the short as: 

The first direct sequel in Love, Death + Robots history – from the mind of acclaimed sci-fi novelist John Scalzi. The titular trio of droll droids return to take a whirlwind tour studying post-apocalyptic human survival strategies before mankind was finally snuffed out. 

They also offer a shorter description which simply sums up the short by saying: 

Three robots walk into the post-apocalypse… and take a whirlwind tour of humankind’s last attempts to save itself.

The complete Love, Death + Robots Volume 3 arrives on Netflix on May 20th. 

Malaysian filmmaker and content creator Mohammed Sofian, aka Sofyank96, probably didn’t think he’d be collaborating with Ryan Reynolds this year. Or maybe he did; the young CGI artist has already filmed crossover videos with Peacemaker star John Cena, and Will Smith.

The 26-year-old Sofian, a native of Kelantan state in Malaysia, has been an online creator since he was 14, when he began creating videos for the now-defunct vid-sharing platform Vine. After being inspired by internet personality Zach King, Sofian started to up his game by incorporating digital VFX into his videos.

Sofian’s YouTube channel has generated a staggering 59,218,098 views since he started, and it seems with every video, he ups his creation game another notch. After his collabs with Cena and Smith, Sofian approached Reynolds with the idea of collaborating on a video piece about Reynolds’ Netflix film, The Adam Project. Reynolds agreed, and allowed Sofian to record footage of him over Zoom. Then the young artist stepped in with his own green screen and knowledge of CGI.

Incredibly, while Sofian’s footage of the Deadpool actor was only 16 seconds long, the creator not only used CGI to bring in the appearance and effects from The Adam Project, but also to artificially-extend the footage of Reynolds. The results made it seem as if Sofian and Reynolds were filming mere inches apart from one another, when in fact they were thousands of miles away.

Sofian released a vlog post on his own YouTube channel showing the process of recording and editing down Reynolds’ footage into the full video:

After Sofian released the video, Reynolds offered him his compliments in his own Ryan Reynolds-y way, Tweeting that “[He] thinks this sets an unfair standard for 4 minute junket interviews.”

It’s not known what Sofian has in the works for his next project, but his goal is to gain international recognition for his content. Given who he’s rubbing virtual elbows with, that goal may be realized sooner rather than later.

Image via Pixabay

While starting new trends and going viral is pretty much the name of the game for dedicated TikTok users, sometimes users will find their videos getting swarmed with likes and shares literally by accident. That’s just what happened to user @kateylorrell recently when she filmed herself taking a tumble while showing off her new outfit.

The original shows Lorrell backing away from her phone as she prepares to show off her look for the day when she suddenly hits her bedpost at exactly the wrong moment. She emits an epic “OW!” and then tumbles onto her bed. Not exactly a perfect rendition of ‘Renegade” or one of the many other dance trends that find themselves going viral on the app. But other users are finding the video hilarious and are even using the app’s side-by-side Duet function to add their own commentary and soundtracks.

User @mrjonzmusic even took to Twitter to post his video response and to add Lorrell’s distinctive “OW!” to the chorus of a Bee Gees hit — not to mention showing off his own fairly impressive pipes.

For whatever reason, Lorrell’s uniquely pitch “OW!” has hit the perfect note on TikTok to go viral. The original video alone has received 1.4 million likes so far, but many of the resulting duets have garnered even millions more, inspiring a whole new viral trend on the site.

User @peningtonn”s duet, which mixes Lorrell’s “OW” with Nelly’s “No Matter What I Do,” has racked up a mind-blowing 9.7 million views. Many users are re-creating the “Staying Alive” video posted by @mrjonzmusic, but other users have found plenty of other tunes for Lorrell to interject her shout into.

Only time will tell how long the trend continues – but given the TikTok’s love of a good trend, Lorrell may find herself “duetting” with users across the platform for some time to come. And great TikTok trends never really die. They just get saved to “Favorites.”

Image via Pixabay

Filters are an essential part of the online media platform experience. They allow you to take your videos and images and change their look and aesthetic. From simple filters that make videos look more vibrant and eye-catching to ones that recreate other media formats, there really is a filter for every need. 

But what do you do if you want to remove filters on TikTok? 

Why are people talking about removing TikTok filters?

The idea of removing filters from a TikTok video has been going viral across several platforms in the last few weeks. This has stemmed from the popularity of the Rotoscope and Red Silhouette filters, both of which turn the user into a silhouette of some form.

The popularity of these filters has caused many sites to post that they know methods to remove the filter from other people’s videos, allowing you to see the original video before the filter was added, which could reveal something the video’s creator didn’t want you to see. 

Can you remove TikTok filters from another user’s video?

You cannot remove the filter from other peoples’ videos. Once the video is posted on the site, the filter is effectively baked into the file, making it impossible to remove. In the same way, you can’t delete a visual effect from a movie or TV show. 

Unfortunately, the internet is awash with links and videos suggesting that they can do this. However, these videos and articles tend to be incorrect or feature falsified results. Others are simply scams trying to get you to download another app or program that could harm your computer or steal your data.

Can you remove TikTok filters from your video? 

While making a TikTok video, you might accidentally apply the wrong filter or decide that a filter doesn’t work with the video you’re editing. Thankfully, there are ways to remove a filter from your own TikTok video, and the exact method will depend on how your video is stored. 

If the video is stored in your drafts folder, you simply have to tap on the “me” option at the bottom right of the screen. Then go into your drafts and select the video you wish to edit. When the video is open, hit the back button at the top of the screen to return to the video editor. Then tap Effects at the bottom left corner of the screen. You should then see a small backward-facing arrow on the right of the screen. Tap this to remove the filters you’ve added to the video. Once this is done, tap the Next button. Then, when you reach the effects menu, tap “None” and save the changes to have the draft video without the filters. 

If you’ve recorded a video using a filter but haven’t posted it, you can still remove the filter. Once you’ve recorded the video, go to the Filters tab, and select Portrait. Then choose Normal to have a video without filters. 

You can also record a video without any filters at all. To do this, launch TikTok, and on the video screen, select filters. Then go to Portrait and select the Normal option. Then press the Effects button and tap None. Next, go to the Beautify option and set all of its values to zero. Then go to the Makeup tab and put all those values to zero. This will allow you to record a video with no filters or alterations.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Universal Pictures

It looks like when it comes to her recent deactivation of her Twitter account, rapper, Cardi B is over it. The entertainer just returned to social media to announce the video for her single, “Shake It” which drops at midnight, and re-activated the Twitter account she had deleted only a handful of days before.

The Twitter post also contains the sleeve art for the single which features New York Drill rappers Kay Flock, Dougie B, and Bory 300. A snippet of the song and video surfaced recently and has already gone viral. The original Tweet featuring the snippet posted by user @DearBelcalis already has over 5.3 million views and has accrued more than 23,000 retweets and 136,000 likes so far.

In the snippet, B leans hard into the New York Drill style popularized by her co-artists on the single, rapping over a loop of “Bananza (Belly Dancer)” by Akon. Cardi B’s husband, Migos rapper Offset, commented that “I love when wifey be on da GanGsta time… remind them where u started from.” Other commenters agreed that the snippet signifies a shift back to Cardi B’s roots on the mixtapes Gangsta B*tch Music, Vol. 1 and Gangsta B*tch Music, Vol. 2.

The Twitter post marks Cardi B’s return after “quitting” the platform due to what she referred to as her “fuckin dumbass fanbase,” dragging her for not attending the recent 2022 Grammy ceremony.Se appears to have removed the posts concerning the episode and is already back to her highly entertaining self. Hopefully, she’ll stick around. At least until next year’s Grammys.

“Shake It” will be released in its entirety at this midnight, Friday 15.

Twitch, the popular live-streaming service behind some of the world’s most popular streamers, is now offering gift cards.

The site joined the vast majority of restaurants and retailers around the world in launching an official Twitch gift card, which non-Twitch users can purchase for friends and family members with an account. Here’s everything you need to know about Twitch’s new offerings, from where to find them to what they can be used for.

How and where to buy Twitch gift cards

Purchasing one of Twitch’s new gift cards is simple, even for those without a Twitch account. Interested purchasers can simply head over to the Twitch website, where a full page is dedicated to various versions of the bold purple card. Most digital purchases will go through Amazon, where you can find a variety of options — from birthday wishes to graduation celebrations — and select the correct price point. Digital Twitch gift cards are purchasable for any amount between $25 and $200 for the U.S., Canadian, and Australian shoppers, between €25 and €100 for European shoppers, and between £25 and £100 for British shoppers.

Twitch gift cards can only be redeemed by users with a Twitch account, so ensure your recipient still spends plenty of time on the streaming site before purchasing. Redeemed cards will appear in a user’s Twitch wallet, and can only be redeemed and used in the same currency they are purchased in.

Physical gift cards are also available from most major retailers, according to the Twitch website. These will function similarly to their digital counterparts, but allow purchasers to exchange a physical gift with their recipient. These cards are mostly customizable, and can be purchased in any amount between $15 and $200 for most users. Canadians can boost their physical gift cards to up to $500, but most European users will have to stick with digital for the time being.

Who can use Twitch gift cards?

Twitch gift cards purchased in a certain country can only be redeemed by users in the same country. That means that gift cards purchased with U.S. dollars can only be redeemed in the U.S.

Gift cards are currently available for users in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, and the following 25 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

What are Twitch gift cards used for?

Twitch gift cards can be redeemed for a variety of things on the site, from channel subscriptions to bits and gift subscriptions. U.S. dollars can also go toward Turbo, which provides users with ad free viewing, a chat badge, expanded emoji selection, extended broadcast storage, and custom chat username colors. Turbo is not available with a gift card purchase using any other currency.

Twitch gift cards cannot be used to purchase Twitch merchandise or prime gaming.