Mote: live camera effects that follow your hands
Mote is a free camera app for iPhone and Android that puts visual effects on your hands in real time: lightning between your fingers, a portal in the gap your fingers make, a galaxy cube between your palms. It tracks your hands live, so the clip you record needs no editing.
Mote at a glance
- What it is
- A live camera app with hand-tracking effects. Pick an effect, hold your hands up, record.
- Store name
- Mote: Live Camera Effects
- Platforms
- iPhone (iOS 16.0 or later) and Android (Android 7.0 or later)
- Effects
- 29 effect sets on iPhone, 28 on Android, each with several looks
- Price
- Free download. Bubble (iPhone), Light Trails and Web are free; Mote Pro unlocks the rest.
- Recording
- Free: up to 15 seconds with a small watermark. Pro: up to 60 seconds, no watermark. Saves to Photos; Share to Story for Instagram from 1.3.0.
- Account
- Not needed. Hand tracking runs on the phone and camera frames are not uploaded.
- Made by
- Second Earth, an app studio in Seoul. Published by SecondEarth AI, Inc.
- Updated
Hand effects in Mote
PortalProFrame a gap with your fingers and a new look opens inside it.
How to do Portal
LightningProLightning jumps from fingertip to fingertip.
How to do Lightning
BubbleFree · iPhonePinch the air, pull, let go: a soap bubble floats off.
How to do Bubble
Galaxy CubeProA cube with a galaxy inside floats between your palms.
How to do Galaxy Cube
StarsProMake a fist to pull the stars in, open your hand to burst them out.
How to do Stars
HologramProFrame yourself with your fingers and the picture turns into a hologram.
How to do Hologram
WebFreeGlowing threads stretch between your fingers.
How to do Web
Light TrailsFreeWiggle your fingertips and light trails follow.
Night VisionProThe whole camera turns into night vision, CCTV, 8mm film or heat.
How do magic hands effects work without editing?
- Open Mote and pick an effect from the home screen. Each one opens with a short guide to the gesture.
- Hold your hands up to the front or back camera. Mote finds your hands in every frame and draws the effect on them live, up to two hands at a time.
- Tap record. The effect is already in the clip, so you can save it or share it right away.
Gestures change the look while you film: depending on the effect, a pinch, palms pressed together, a fist or an open hand switches styles or triggers the effect. There is no timeline, keyframing or green screen.
Is Mote free?
| Free | Mote Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Effects | Bubble (iPhone), Light Trails, Web | Every effect and look |
| Clip length | Up to 15 seconds | Up to 60 seconds |
| Watermark | Small MOTE watermark | None |
| Plans | No account, no payment | Weekly (3-day free trial if eligible), annual, or one-time lifetime. Prices shown in the app. |
Screens from the store
Questions
What is Mote?
Mote (Mote: Live Camera Effects) is a camera app for iPhone and Android that puts visual effects on your hands in real time. It tracks your hands with the phone camera, so lightning, portals, bubbles and stars follow your fingers while you film, with nothing to edit afterwards. Mote is made by Second Earth, an app studio in Seoul.
Is Mote free?
Mote is free to download. Bubble (iPhone), Light Trails and Web are free, with clips up to 15 seconds and a small MOTE watermark. Mote Pro unlocks every effect, 60-second clips and no watermark. It is a weekly subscription with a 3-day free trial for eligible new subscribers, an annual plan, or a one-time lifetime purchase; prices are shown in the app.
How do I get the magic hands effect without editing?
Open Mote, pick an effect and hold your hands up to the camera. The effect is drawn on the live camera from real-time hand tracking, so the clip you record already has it. There is no timeline, keyframing or green screen.
Which phones does Mote work on?
iPhone with iOS 16 or later, and Android 7.0 or later. Bubble is on iPhone only for now. On a phone where live hand tracking cannot start, Mote falls back to the Web effect.
Does Mote upload my camera?
No. Hand and body tracking run on the phone, camera frames are not uploaded, and you never need an account.
Can I post Mote clips to Instagram, TikTok or YouTube Shorts?
Yes. Clips save to Photos in vertical video, ready for Reels, TikTok or Shorts. From Mote 1.3.0 a Share to Story button sends a clip straight to Instagram Stories.
Get Mote
Free on the App Store and Google Play. Questions or press: sunwoo@secondearth.io.