How to swap a character in a video with AI and keep every move

In the bar scene above, the new man bites into the skewer at the same frame as the original actor, under the same amber light. The tool does the frame-by-frame work that used to take a green screen and an editor. You bring two things: a clip that suits a swap and a photo that shows the new person clearly. Here is how to choose both, with real results from Distribea Motion Control.

Character swap, face swap, head swap: what each one changes

These names get mixed up in search results, and they don't change the same amount.

If you want to look like yourself from head to toe in someone else's clip, the last line is the one you want. That is what motion control does.

Two ways to swap on Distribea

Distribea's Motion Control has two modes, and you switch between them at the top of the tool.

"Copy the motion" replaces the people. Your photos take the place of the people in the video and every move stays. You add one photo per person, up to four.

"Change one thing" replaces a single element and keeps the rest of the video as it is. The element can be a product, an outfit or one person. Distribea's own example is a car swapped for a helicopter. You can add up to eight photos of what goes in.

Use Copy the motion when the people are the point: a dance trend or a film scene with you in the lead. Use Change one thing when the scene must stay identical except for one detail, like the product in an ad or the dress in a try-on.

The steps

1. Open Motion Control and choose the mode at the top: Copy the motion for people, Change one thing for a single element.
2. Add the video, from the Motion Library or from your own files (4 to 30 seconds, MP4 or MOV).
3. Add the photos: one per person you replace, or the photos of what goes in.
4. Use the optional instructions box if a detail needs pointing out.
5. Look at the price under the Generate button, then press it. The video takes about 15 minutes and you can leave the page meanwhile.

Picking a clip that swaps cleanly

The How it works page sums up the ideal source as one clear person with the body in view, in one scene without fast cuts. In practice, this is what to check.

The person you replace stays in the frame from start to finish. Every second they spend off screen, or hidden behind someone, is a second the model has to invent.

A trailer cuts from shot to shot, and each cut is a chance for the new face to change, so pick a scene shot in one take.

A tiny figure in a wide shot leaves the model too little face to work with, and the likeness suffers. Closer framing helps.

Filming the clip yourself? Hold the phone steady, keep the whole body in the frame, and upload it like any library clip.

Preparing the photo of the new person

Use a sharp photo of the face, looking at the camera, in good light. Skip filters and sunglasses. Clothes come from your photos as well: to wear your own outfit in the swap, add a photo of it next to the face photo.

If the person in the clip turns around, make a character sheet first. One face photo is enough: about 2 minutes later you get your face from four sides and your body from three, in one image. Add that image as your photo and your face holds when you look away or turn your back.

A cartoon figure or a pet follows the same rule: one clear, well-lit image where the whole character is visible. For a product in Change one thing, photograph it on a plain background, from the angle it has in the video.

Swapping more than one person

Kling Motion Control works on one character at a time. Put several people in the reference and it goes for whoever fills the most screen.

On Distribea, Copy the motion takes up to four photos, one for each person in the clip, and swaps each person for their photo. Our guide to making an AI dance video of yourself shows a couple and a group of friends swapped this way.

When a swap goes wrong

Most failed swaps come from the clip or the photo, and both are easy to change.

Using someone else's face

Only use your own face or the face of someone who said yes, and leave children out. When you post the result, say it is a remake.

Your photos go into your own panel and to the engine that makes your video. They don't show up anywhere else on the site, and you can have them deleted by writing to [email protected].

Posting a swapped trend? The rules for the sound and for crediting the trend's creator are in our dance video guide.

Cost

The price of each swap appears under the Generate button before you commit, and a failed video gives your credits back. On Starter, 3,000 credits a month buy up to 6 Motion Control videos, and Pro's 15,000 stretch to 33. There is no trial or intro offer to start with. Plans are on the pricing page, and if you are still comparing tools, our Viggle AI alternatives guide puts five of them side by side.