As you scroll through videos with your finger, you must have come across content like this: people in the shot are talking as usual, even telling funny jokes, yet their faces have two streams of "tears", eyebrows furrowed like an old man, eyes red, and at the same time, their mouths are exaggeratedly wide open. This strong contrast with what they're saying is hard to resist laughing at.
This is the sad face filter that's now taking social media by storm. From its debut on Snapchat to its viral spread on TikTok, this filter is not only a powerful tool for creators to generate laughs but also an important means to build a unique visual atmosphere. This article will take you into the world of sad face filters and help you make the most of this popular element.

- On This Page
- What Is Sad Face Filter?
- How to Use Sad Face Filter on Social Media
- Beyond Snapchat: Top 3 Sad Face Filters that Unlock New Ways to Create
- Vidwud AI Face Swap: A Powerful Creation Tool for Sad Face Content
What Is Sad Face Filter?
A sad face filter app is a tool that can real-time alter a user's face to generate sad expression effects. This tool was first launched by Snapchat on May 6, 2022, and quickly went viral online. Later, short video platforms like TikTok also introduced similar crying filters, sparking another wave of popularity.
The core of this filter lies in its precise simulation of sad expressions: furrowed eyebrows, bloodshot eyes, red nose, tired-looking nasolabial folds, downward-turned mouth corners, and tears. It can instantly transform any face into such an exaggerated expression, which also gives it a unique contrast mechanism. The more wildly the person in front of the camera laughs, the more exaggerated the sad face generated by the filter becomes. This strong hedge of expressions further adds tension to the video.
How to Use Sad Face Filter on Social Media
Now that you know the basics of the crying face filter, you might be eager to try it. Take the earliest sad face filter Snapchat as an example; its usage is very simple and can be done in a few steps.
Step 1: Open Snapchat, then click the search icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to enter Lense Explorer. Then, type "sad face filter" or "crying filter" in the search bar, and the system will pop up relevant filter options.
Step 2: Select the one you want to use, and the filter will automatically load into the camera screen.
At this point, you can directly shoot videos or photos facing the camera, or upload existing materials from your phone to let the filter add sad face effects to them.

Beyond Snapchat: Top 3 Sad Face Filters that Unlock New Ways to Create
When you try to add tears to photo, the original sad face filter provided by Snapchat is definitely worth a try. But besides it, many other platforms have launched similar functions with unique features to meet the creative needs of different scenarios. Below are three excellent tested products for you to choose from.
TikTok Crying Filter - Easily Create Viral Short Videos

As one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, TikTok also has multiple built-in crying filters, which enhance the fun of its short video business. No need to download or jump to other pages; you can use it directly in the shooting interface and enjoy real-time effect preview. Whether you're recording funny content or making contrast videos, TikTok's sad face filter online free is a great helper.
Key Feature
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The sad effects generated by the filter respond instantly, allowing users to accurately control the screen effect while shooting.
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The effect library has built-in segmented crying face filters such as "overwhelmed cry", "wronged cry", "laughing till crying".
- One-click co-shooting function supports live connection with friends.
- The platform provides a variety of popular challenge templates; you can generate traffic-worthy content by applying them.
Fotor Sad Face Filter Online - Change the Expression of Your Photos

If you want to add sad expression effects to pictures, Fotor, an online tool, is a good choice. Boasting not only a special sad face filter but also a range of other expression effects like Smile and Wink, it’s well-equipped to meet all sorts of creative needs.
Steps for Using Fotor Sad Face Filter
Step 1: Go to Fotor's crying eyes filter page and click the Try Free Sad Face Filter button to enter the editing page.
Step 2: Click Upload Image or directly drag and drop to upload the photo you want to process.

Step 3: After uploading, select Beauty > AI Expression in the left sidebar. Choose your favorite filter; the Sad filter has two intensity options. Click Apply to apply it to the picture, and after processing, you can export and save the picture to your local device.

Key Feature
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The Sad filter offers two intensity options: Standard and Maximum.
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It can process up to 50 pictures at a time, with the ability to uniformly apply filters and batch export.
- Effects can be used in conjunction with elements such as stickers and text to generate exquisite graphic content.
SendFame AI Crying Video Generator
SendFame is an innovative AI crying filter that can convert portrait photos into 3-5 second dynamic short videos of crying. Just upload a portrait photo, and the system will analyze facial features, automatically add sad expressions such as tears and furrowed eyebrows, as well as actions like covering the face and wiping tears, making the originally static image vivid. For creators who want to make emotional short films, this tool can bring a lot of inspiration.

Vidwud AI Face Swap: A Powerful Creation Tool for Sad Face Content
Sad face filters have already found their place on short video platforms, but you should know that when it comes to creating sad face content, filters are not the only option. Face swapping is also a feasible solution. You might as well try Vidwud AI Face Swap.

Vidwud AI Face Swap can let the characters in the video have the face you want. You can choose a photo of a crying face to swap into a classic video, or swap your own face into a crying video. In addition to high flexibility, Vidwud also ensures naturalness after processing; the expression transition after face swapping is smooth without stiffness. No matter what content you want to create, AI face swap can perfectly convey the inner emotions while retaining the narrative logic of the original video.
Key Feature
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Free & Automatic Tool: AI takes over the entire face swap modification process. No complicated operations are needed; just upload the content and click to complete the face swap, and it's free of charge.
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AI Expression Migration: By accurately extracting the contour features and micro-expression textures of the target face, the sad expression after face swapping is naturally linked with the body movements and voice intonation of the original video character, avoiding robot-like stiffness.
- Multi-scene Material Compatibility: It supports importing various types of materials such as movie clips, live broadcast recordings, and game screens. The new face will automatically adapt to different video contents to ensure stable presentation of the face swap effect.
- Real-time Preview: After replacement, the preview interface can simultaneously display the face swap effect and compare it with the original material, which is very intuitive and convenient.
Conclusion
People’s varied desire to express their emotions is mirrored in how widely sad face filters have become popular. If you also want to experience the fun of sad face filters and use them to generate laughs, you might as well try the several tools recommended in this article, especially Vidwud AI face swap, to try to make your creations shine with unique brilliance.
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