Overview
Face Swap lets you replace faces in a video with a face from a photo. Upload a clear photo of your face and select a video — the AI detects and swaps the faces, creating a realistic result. You'll have a ready-to-download video in minutes.
Face Swap vs. Talking Photo: Face Swap replaces faces in existing videos. Talking Photo animates a single photo to speak. If you want your face to appear in a video, use Face Swap. If you want a photo to speak, use Talking Photo.
Prerequisites
A Magic Hour account (create a free account or sign in)
A clear photo of the face you want to swap in (JPG, PNG, WEBP, or other supported image format — front-facing and well-lit)
A video where you want to swap faces (MP4, MOV, WEBM, or M4V format)
Credits available (free plan: 400 signup credits + 100/day; paid plans have more)
Compatibility
Face Swap is available on all Magic Hour plans.
Supported video formats: MP4, M4V, MOV, WEBM
Supported image formats: PNG, JPG, JPEG, WEBP, HEIC, AVIF, JP2, TIFF, BMP
Maximum output resolution by plan:
Basic (Free): 576px
Creator: 1024px
Pro: 1472px
Business: 4K
Before You Begin
Quality matters: The source photo (the one with the face to swap in) must be clear, well-lit, and front-facing. Blurry, angled, or poorly lit photos result in unrealistic swaps.
Steps
Sign in or create an account. Go to Magic Hour and click Sign Up (if new) or Sign In. You'll receive 400 free credits immediately.
Navigate to Face Swap Video. From your dashboard, click Face Swap Video under Tools or Create.
Choose your swap mode. Select one of two options:
Single Face Swap (default): Best for videos with just one face — quickly swaps it with your source photo.
Multi Face Swap: Best for videos with multiple faces — lets you assign a different source photo to each individual face.
Upload your source photo. In the source section, click Upload or drag-and-drop a photo. This is the face you want to appear in your video. The file must be a clear, front-facing image.
Upload your target video. In the target section, choose one of two options:
Upload: Drag-and-drop your video file (MP4, MOV, WEBM, or M4V — check your plan's file size limit).
YouTube: Paste a public YouTube link instead of uploading.
Adjust advanced settings (optional). Expand Advanced Settings to select the Face Swap version or review resolution settings. These are pre-optimized; most users can skip this step.
Generate the face swap. Click Create Face Swap. The page shows "Rendering..." while the AI processes. Processing time varies by video length.
Preview and download. Once complete, you'll see a preview of your face-swapped video. Click Download to save the MP4 to your computer.
Free plan: Videos have a watermark and are limited to 576px resolution.
Paid plans: No watermark and higher resolution.
Verify the Setup
Check for these signs of success:
The preview shows your face appearing in the video
The face blends naturally with the video's lighting and angles
The download button is available and the file saves without errors
If the swap looks unrealistic, the source photo may not be ideal. Try uploading a clearer, more front-facing photo and generate again.
Troubleshooting
Problem | Likely Cause | Solution |
"Out of credits" | Free daily limit reached or plan exhausted | Wait until tomorrow for 100 more free credits, or upgrade to a paid plan. |
"Invalid file type" | Photo or video in unsupported format (e.g., GIF for images, AVI for video) | Use a supported image format (JPG, PNG, WEBP, etc.) or video format (MP4, MOV, WEBM, M4V) and re-upload. |
"File too large" | Video exceeds your plan's file size limit | Compress your video or split into shorter clips. Limits: 200MB (Basic), 2GB (Creator), 5GB (Pro), 10GB (Business). |
Blurry or unrealistic swap | Source photo is not front-facing, well-lit, or clear | Replace with a clearer, front-facing photo. Ensure good lighting and open eyes. |
No faces detected | Video contains no visible faces, or faces are too small/obscured | Use a video with clear, visible faces. Avoid frames where faces are hidden or at extreme angles. |
"Invalid YouTube URL" | Video is private, age-restricted, or URL is incorrect | Ensure the video is public and the link is correct. Or download the video and upload it as a file instead. |
Long wait times ("Rendering...") | Free plan queue or very long video | Longer videos naturally take more time. Paid plans have priority queue. Try shorter clips or upgrade for faster processing. |
Limitations
Resolution: Free plan outputs at 576px max. Creator: 1024px. Pro: 1472px. Business: 4K.
File size upload limits: 200MB (Basic/Free), 2GB (Creator), 5GB (Pro), 10GB (Business).
Multi-face swaps: Require manual selection and individual source photos for each face.
Processing queue: Free users may experience delays during peak times. Paid plans have priority.
No undo: Re-renders are new jobs that consume additional credits.
Credits never expire: Unused credits carry over indefinitely and never reset — free users receive 100 new credits each day, but existing credits do not disappear.
Pro Tips
Get the best swaps: Use a close-up photo where your face fills most of the frame, eyes are open, and lighting is even. Avoid sunglasses, hats, or shadows.
Multi-face swaps: If your video has multiple people, use Multi Face Swap mode and assign a separate source photo to each face for full control.
Save credits with shorter clips: Face Swap costs credits per frame. Test with a short clip before committing to longer renders.
What's Next
Explore other Magic Hour tools like Lip Sync or Video-to-Video for more creative options.
Learn about the credit system and subscription plans to choose the best option for your needs.
Share your face swap video on social media or edit it further with other tools.
Getting Help
If you run into issues, gather these details and contact support:
The exact error message you received
Your file formats (photo format, video format)
Your subscription plan
A screenshot or description of the problem
Reach out to [email protected] or join our Discord community.