Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger, Louis Walsh and Tulisa Contostavlos each selected three finalists from the six acts they had brought through to the judges' houses stage of auditions.
Early favourites include 16-year-old Ella Henderson and Jahmene Douglas, 22.
Each judge also selected one 'wildcard' act, with viewers now voting to put their favourite through.
Barlow, who is mentoring the older contestants this year, selected Glasgow mum of two Melanie Masson and singer-songwriter Kye Sones, 30, who has been working as a chimney sweep.
Carolynne Poole, 32, who failed to make it through judges' houses last year, has also been chosen has a finalist.
Assisted by US star Ne-Yo, Scherzinger selected Douglas, James Arthur, 23, and controversial Essex clubber Rylan Clark, who has been criticised for lacking a strong singing voice.
This year's groups category consists of boybands GMD3 from Windsor and Union J - who started the competition as a trio, but were made into a foursome by mentor Walsh, with the addition of George Shelley.
They are joined by London duo MK1 - Charlotte Rundle and Simeon Dixon, who originally auditioned as a trio.
Along with Henderson, who bookmakers William Hill have already named as their favourite to win, Contostavlos' girls category includes 24-year-old mum Jade Ellis and Lucy Spraggan, who impressed judges with her own tracks in the first auditions.
Changes to this year's X Factor rules mean acts will be able to perform their own songs in the live shows for the first time, and those with management deals have also been allowed to enter.
Two years after she left The X Factor, after a short-lived spell on the US version, former judge Cheryl Cole returned during Saturday night's episode as a guest mentor, to help Barlow select his three acts.
The episode, which also featured Tinie Tempah and another former judge Sharon Osbourne, drew an average of 8.7 million viewers, up by nearly half a million from last weekend.
It achieved a peak audience of 9.7 million but ratings are still down from the 2011 series, which attracted an average of 11.1 million viewers before the live shows.
However ITV1 said the show was the most watched on Saturday night by nearly three million.
Battling it out to become Saturday night's thirteenth finalist are Christopher Maloney, 34, from Liverpool, saved by Barlow, and 16-year old Essex student Amy Mottram, who Contostavlos had been close to tears after rejecting.
Also facing the public vote are 24-year-old Adam Burridge, given a lifeline by the boys' mentor Scherzinger, and from the groups category, Times Red.
Barlow said he thought the standard of talent this year was the "best ever", with the finalists "the cream of the crop".
He added: "The live shows will feel very different this year as contestants can sing their own songs and play guitar - I can't wait for Saturday."
The show will face a new ratings battle this weekend as Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One.
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