Splat transforms your pictures into coloring pages, and it indicates a larger trend.

      The team behind the close-friends photo-sharing app Retro has developed a side project named Splat, which transforms your photos into AI-generated coloring pages for children. You can start with a new image or one from your Camera Roll, select a visual style, and then create a clean line-art page that your child can color either on-screen or by printing it out.

      While parents can already find countless printable pages online, the search is often the frustrating part. Many websites are overloaded with ads, cluttered, or require small fees when you're simply looking for a quick printable for a restless child.

      Splat's process focuses on quick selections. You choose a photo, select a style like anime, manga, cartoon, comic, or a 3D movie look, and the app transforms it into an outline suitable for coloring.

      If you don't have an appropriate image available, Splat provides its own child-friendly categories, including animals, space, flowers, fairy tales, robots, and cars. In brief trials, the generation process was swift, which minimizes the time between the idea and printing.

      Splat makes onboarding easy. The first time you create a page, the app prompts you to choose an icon and select categories that interest your child. You can generate one page for free, after which there is a charge of $4.99 per week for up to 25 pages or $49.99 per year for a maximum of 500 pages. Settings and purchases are protected behind a birth-year gate designed to prevent children from bypassing them. If you're concerned that your child might find a way around these security measures, consider exploring the best parental control apps currently available.

      Splat is part of a burgeoning trend of child-friendly AI tools. The aim is to encourage physical, low-stakes creativity, resulting in something tangible that children can color, cut out, or use for crafts. However, if you prefer a more eco-friendly option, the best tablets can effectively fulfill this role.

      This trend is also emerging in other AI products aimed at children. Miko 3 features an AI companion within a friendly robot. Curio's Springer incorporates conversational AI into a plush toy. Poe the AI Story Bear focuses on storytelling, crafting personalized tales from prompts. Different formats, yet a common reliance on AI to inspire play.

      What to consider next

      Splat is up against free printables that are only a click away, even if the navigation is cumbersome, and subscriptions may deter parents who print infrequently.

      Splat is accessible on iOS and Android. If you’re interested, the best approach is to utilize the free generation option with a photo your child already enjoys, then determine if the weekly or annual plan suits how often you'll create new pages.