How to Swap Faces Between Two Photos

Which photo is the face and which is the target?

The face photo gives the eyes, nose, mouth, skin and jaw shape. The target photo gives everything else: hair, ears, neck, body, clothes, background and lighting.

If you mix them up, you'll get the other person's face on your outfit. It's a common first-try mistake, and the fix is just running the swap again with the photos the other way round.

Match these three things for a clean face swap

• Head angle. Both faces should point roughly the same way. Front to front is easiest. A three-quarter turn in one and a straight-on face in the other is where seams appear.
• Light direction. If the target photo is lit from the left, a face photo lit from the left will sit in it naturally. Flat, even light in the face photo is the safest compromise.
• Face size. The face in the face photo should be at least as large as the one in the target. Blowing up a tiny face makes it soft.

Your photo

+

Template

=

Result

Good uses for a two-photo face swap

• Fixing a shot where you blinked, using a better expression from another photo taken the same day.
• Seeing a haircut or outfit on yourself by using a photo of it as the target.
• Trading faces with a friend for a laugh. Run it twice to swap both ways.
• Putting yourself into a holiday photo where you were the one holding the camera.

Swap faces with consent

Only use faces of people who have agreed to it, and don't pass a swapped photo off as a real event. That covers friends, family and especially public figures. Our face swap safety guide goes into what that means in practice.

Questions