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 personal 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 or PNG, front-facing and well-lit)
A video where you want to swap faces (MP4 or MOV format)
Credits available (free plan: 400 signup credits + 100/day; paid plans have more)
Compatibility
Face Swap is available on all Magic Hour plans. Video formats supported: MP4, MOV. Maximum video length is 20,000 frames in your video.
Before you begin
Quality matters: The source photo (the one with your face) must be clear, well-lit, and front-facing. Blurry, angled, or poorly lit photos result in unrealistic swaps. Take a moment to choose a good photo before uploading.
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. You'll land on the create page.
Upload or select your source photo. In the Source section, click Upload or drag-and-drop a photo (JPG or PNG). This is the face you want to appear in your video. The file must be a clear, front-facing image. You'll see tips like "Eyes Open, Facing Camera" as a reminder.
Upload your target video. In the Target section, choose one of two options:
Upload: Click and drag-and-drop your MP4 or MOV video file (check your plan's file size limit).
YouTube: Paste a public YouTube link instead of uploading.
Choose a swap mode (optional). Select one of two options:
Single Face Swap (default): Swaps all detected faces in the video with your source photo.
Multi Face Swap: Allows you to manually assign your source photo to specific faces in the video. Use this if the video has multiple people and you want to swap only one.
Adjust advanced settings (optional). Expand Advanced Settings to:
Select the Face Swap version (if available)
Check resolution and frame limits for your plan
These settings 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—short clips take seconds, longer ones take a few minutes.
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 512x512 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.
A toast notification shows "created face swap video with id [ID], spent [X] credits."
If the swap looks unrealistic (blurry, distorted, or poorly aligned), the source photo may not be ideal. Try uploading a clearer, more front-facing photo and generate again. You'll be charged credits for the second attempt, but the result will be worth it.
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 for more credits. |
"Invalid file type" | Photo or video in unsupported format (e.g., GIF, WEBP) | Convert your file to JPG/PNG (photo) or MP4/MOV (video) and re-upload. |
"File too large" | Video exceeds your plan's file size limit | Compress your video or split it into shorter clips. Free plan: Smaller files; Pro/Business: Up to 3GB. |
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, far away, or at extreme angles. |
"Invalid YouTube URL" | Video is private, age-restricted, or URL is incorrect | Ensure the video is public and link is correct. Or, download the video and upload it as an MP4/MOV file instead. |
Long wait times ("Rendering...") | Free plan in queue or video is very long | Longer videos naturally take more time. Paid plans have priority queue. For free users, try shorter clips or upgrade for faster processing. |
Limitations
Video length: Capped by your plan. Free: ~6,000 frames; Pro/Business: up to 20,000 frames. Exceeding the limit triggers an error.
Resolution: Free plan: 512x512; Pro/Business: Higher resolution available (no watermark on paid).
Multi-face swaps: Require manual selection of faces; automatic detection isn't available.
Processing queue: During peak times, free users may experience delays. Paid plans have priority.
No undo: Regenerations are new jobs; full re-renders are needed for adjustments.
Daily credit reset: Free plan credits reset daily; unused credits do not roll over to the next day.
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 select each face manually. This gives you fine control over who gets swapped.
Save credits with shorter clips: Face Swap costs credits per frame. Use shorter videos (10–15 seconds) to test your idea 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 visit the Magic Hour Help Center.