2024.07.17
"More beautiful" & "Photo-editing" Expert Yuka Kubo Talks About AI's Future in Visual Communication
The term "mori" ("盛り," referring to photo enhancements) has been a staple for a while, but compared to the Heisei era, "mori" has evolved significantly. Around 2006, the "mori" popular in print sticker booths (purikura) spread to photo-editing apps with the rise of smartphones, and recently, AI has been making waves.
Photo-editing apps, essential for taking selfies with your smartphone, continue to advance. But where does this technology currently stand? And where is AI, which demands our attention, heading in the future?
This time, we spoke with Yuka Kubo, who researches Cinderella Technology and "mori" culture.
PROFILE
Yuka Kubo
Ph.D. researcher. Specializes in Media Environment Studies. She has held positions such as Specially Appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Lecturer at Tokyo University of Technology's School of Media Science, and Specially Appointed Researcher at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Information Science and Technology.
Her publications include "『盛り』の誕生―女の子とテクノロジーが生んだ日本の美意識―" (2019, Ohta Publishing) and "ガングロ族の最期ーギャル文化の研究―" (2024, East Press).
Japanese Aesthetic was Indeed Purikura
Basically, we are on the receiving end of technology created by engineers.Despite living in the same era as these engineers, we have received countless technologies from them.
Print sticker booths and photo-editing apps, which blend seamlessly into our daily lives, are some examples.
Looking back from the Heisei era to now, there has been significant evolution. But what was the background for Kubo's research on "mori" and "photo-editing"?
"Originally, I was researching image processing as a technology researcher. Gradually, I began to study face image processing. Unlike the depiction of water, for instance, processing faces involved confronting cultural aspects, not just aiming to mimic natural phenomena. This led me to start researching 'mori.'"
CG and image processing technologies progressed mainly for Hollywood movies in the US. Kubo thought about incorporating Japanese cultural aesthetics into these technologies.
First, she started quantifying features of Japanese bijinga ("beautiful women pictures") from past to present. Unlike photorealistic art, Japanese bijinga, observed in ukiyo-e and emaki, are deformed. Kubo saw this as a reflection of Japanese aesthetics and began developing methods to incorporate this into CG and image processing technologies.
While historically focused, when Kubo looked toward the future, she felt that purikura incorporated Japanese aesthetics similar to bijinga.
"First, I noticed similarities between Japanese bijinga and the covers of 'Popteen' and started buying them. The faces of the girls seemed identical due to the deformed styles. At that time, I overheard girls talking about purikura at the library. I realized that the purikura from my youth were still popular, so I immediately went to take some.
"Like the covers of 'Popteen' and 'Koakuma Ageha,' purikura used photo processing to deform images. Since purikura automates image processing, I thought the manufacturers must quantify these features, akin to what I wanted to achieve.
"Listening to the girls back then, Kubo noticed they used the term 'mori' to describe the deformation seen in covers of 'Popteen' or purikura. This shifted her research focus from bijinga deformation to modern girls' 'mori.'"
Japanese purikura's face image processing was overwhelmingly advanced, filled with Japanese aesthetics, according to Kubo.
From around 2010, the technology used to process "mori" images combined with the emerging "selfie" culture due to the proliferation of smartphones.
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