How to Swap Faces in Real Time: Browser or Desktop

You can swap faces in real time either in a browser or with LiveFaceSwap Desktop. Use the browser when you want to test the result on the page; use Desktop when another app, such as OBS, needs to receive the processed video through LiveFaceSwap Camera. In both cases, the essential workflow is the same: prepare the camera and reference portrait, start the live AI session, confirm that the output follows your movement, and stop the session when you are finished.

Choose the right path

The browser experience does not record, download, export, or save the transformed stream. If you need another application to receive or record the output, start with Desktop and then configure that application separately.

Before you start

Prepare these basics before opening a live session:

• a working camera with your face clearly visible;
• a stable internet connection;
• a clear reference portrait that you own or have permission to use;
• a LiveFaceSwap AI account with enough credits for the selected model.

Start with a single, near-front-facing portrait. Avoid a very small face, heavy blur, strong shadows, or major obstructions over the eyes, mouth, and face outline.

Before selecting Start Face Swap, confirm that Face Swap is the active effect and check the model and credit rate shown in the interface. The rate can differ by model.

Method 1: Swap faces in real time in your browser

The browser is the shortest path when you want to see whether the effect works for your camera, reference portrait, lighting, and movement.

1. Open the LiveFaceSwap AI workspace.
2. Select Open camera, allow camera access, and confirm that Camera input shows the correct live feed.
3. Keep the Face Swap effect selected. Choose a reference portrait and an available model, then review the displayed credit rate.
4. Select Start Face Swap. If you are signed out, complete sign-in and select the button again.
5. Wait for Live AI output to appear. Move or turn slightly and confirm that the processed video continues to follow the camera input.
6. When the test is complete, select Stop preview and wait for the session to stop before changing the reference, model, or effect.

Opening the camera alone does not start the AI session. Billing begins after the first confirmed AI output frame, not while the camera is merely open or the output is still waiting to start.

For screenshots, camera-permission help, and the full control-by-control walkthrough, use the online real-time face swap guide.

Method 2: Use LiveFaceSwap Desktop

Choose Desktop when you want a Windows workflow or need the processed video to become a selectable camera source in another compatible application.

1. Download and install LiveFaceSwap Desktop from the Desktop page. The current guide and installer workflow target Windows 11.
2. Open LiveFaceSwap and select the physical camera under Input camera.
3. Sign in with your LiveFaceSwap AI account.
4. Under Effect, select Face Swap. Choose a model, check its displayed credit rate, and add a reference portrait under Reference.
5. Select Start Face Swap and wait for the AI output panel to show continuously updating processed video.
6. If you only need the in-app preview, stop here. When finished, select Stop and wait for the live session to end.

The app is LiveFaceSwap Desktop; the installed virtual video device is LiveFaceSwap Camera. They serve different roles: Desktop processes and previews the video, while LiveFaceSwap Camera makes that processed output available to another application.

The LiveFaceSwap Desktop setup guide covers installation, sign-in, camera selection, reference setup, and first-output checks in detail.

Send the Desktop output to OBS

First confirm that the AI output inside LiveFaceSwap Desktop is working. Then open OBS and:

1. Add a Video Capture Device source.
2. Select LiveFaceSwap Camera as the device.
3. Confirm that the OBS preview matches the processed output in LiveFaceSwap Desktop.
4. Add your microphone or other audio sources separately; LiveFaceSwap Camera carries video, not microphone audio.

The complete video path is:

Physical camera → LiveFaceSwap Desktop → LiveFaceSwap Camera → OBS

Do not select the physical camera again in OBS if you want the face-swapped result. For the exact OBS menus, verification checks, recording, streaming, and troubleshooting, follow the LiveFaceSwap OBS guide.

Make the first result easier to evaluate

Change one input at a time so you can see what improves the result:

• Camera framing: keep the full face visible and avoid placing it too close to the edge of the frame.
• Lighting: use even front lighting before trying strong side light or a dark room.
• Movement: begin with normal expressions and small head turns before testing fast motion or extreme angles.
• Network: if startup or motion becomes inconsistent, check the connection before changing several visual settings at once.

Results can vary with the selected model, reference portrait, camera quality, lighting, movement, framing, and network conditions. A stronger local graphics card does not by itself guarantee lower end-to-end latency because LiveFaceSwap AI performs the main inference in the cloud. See Does Real-Time Face Swap Need a GPU? for the hardware and deployment distinction.

If the live output does not appear

Use the failure point to decide what to check:

• No camera input: review browser or Windows camera permission, select the correct physical camera, and close another app that may be using it.
• Camera input works, but AI output does not: select Stop or Stop preview, wait for the session to end, then check sign-in, credits, the selected reference and model, and the network connection before retrying.
• Desktop AI output works, but OBS is blank: confirm that OBS is using LiveFaceSwap Camera, not the physical webcam, then reselect or recreate the Video Capture Device source.