How to Install and Use FaceSwap AI

Faceswap is the leading free and Open Source multi-platform Deepfakes software. FaceSwap is an excellent tool that utilizes deep learning to recognize and swap faces in pictures and videos. It's powered by Tensorflow, Keras and Python. Faceswap will run on Windows, macOS and Linux.

For guides on using FaceSwap to create deepfakes, refer to the links below.

Official Website: https://faceswap.dev/

Official Github Repo: https://github.com/deepfakes/faceswap/

Windows Install Guide: https://faceswap.dev/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20

Linux Install Guide: https://forum.faceswap.dev/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=68

FaceSwap AI raises significant ethical and legal concerns, particularly regarding privacy, consent, and potential misuse:

1. Deepfakes: One of the primary concerns is the creation of deepfakes, where people's faces are swapped without consent to create misleading or harmful content.

2. Privacy Violations: Using someone's likeness without permission can lead to privacy infringements.

3. Trust and Authenticity: It can undermine trust in media and communications, as it becomes harder to distinguish between real and manipulated content.

Nvidia GPUs, VRAM 8GB+, CUDA Compute Capability 3.5+.

Windows 10/11 (Windows 7 and 8 might work for Nvidia).

Most Ubuntu/Debian or CentOS based Linux distributions are supported.

Simply download the file faceswap_setup_x64.sh and run it as a normal user:

bash ./faceswap_setup_x64.sh

Then follow the prompts. Below is a screenshot of the rough process of installing FaceSwap on Ubuntu 22.04.

========================= Review install options =========================
INFO    Please review the selected installation options before proceeding:

        - MiniConda3 will be installed in '/home/administrator/miniconda3'
        - MiniConda3 will be added to your PATH
        - Conda Environment 'faceswap' will be created.
        - Faceswap will be installed in '/home/administrator/faceswap'
        - Installing for 'nvidia'
Do you wish to continue? [yes/NO]:

Go have a cup of coffee and wait patiently. It will take about a quarter of an hour and the following prompt will appear after the installation is complete.

INFO     All python3 dependencies are met.
         You are good to go.

         Enter:  'python faceswap.py -h' to see the options
                 'python faceswap.py gui' to launch the GUI
INFO    Faceswap installation is complete!
INFO    You should close the terminal and re-open to activate Conda before
INFO    proceeding

Installing FaceSwap on Windows is straightforward. The installer handles everything except for your graphics drivers. You only need to download the file faceswap_setup_x64.exe from this page. You should not run the installer as an Administrator.

NB: It may, at times, look like the installer has hung. It hasn't. The installer has to download and install a lot of prerequisites, and it is impossible to retrieve a live update of the output into the Details window. Please be patient.

Run the Faceswap Installer that you just downloaded. Select the location on your hard disk where you want Faceswap installed and press "Next". On the next page we will customize our install.

The points to note and the main steps during the installation process are as follows:

1. The top box will tell you what applications will be installed. MiniConda3 will be installed in addition to Faceswap if it has not been detected on your system.

2. If you want to run Faceswap with an Nvidia Graphics card select "Setup for NVIDIA GPU". If you want to run Faceswap with an AMD or Intel Graphics Card select "Setup for DirectML". If you do not have a graphics card, or you wish to run Faceswap on CPU (not recommended) select "Setup for CPU"

3. "Environment Name" is the name of the Conda Environment that will be used to run Faceswap. In most cases this will make no difference to you and should be left at default. Be aware that any existing Conda Environments with this name will be deleted.

4. Click Install to start the installation. The process will take a while and requires no further user input, so go grab a coffee.

5. The install process will take you through some or all of the following pages, depending on how many other applications it needs to install. Note you can click "Show Details" at any point to see how the process is progressing. Be aware that the details window does not update in realtime (this is a limitation of the installer), so do not assume it has hung. Generally it will update when each section has been completed.

6. Done! You are now good to go and can hit "Close". If the installer failed for any reason, then the most likely cause will be an internet dropout. If this happens, try to run the installer again before reporting any issues.

7. The installer will have put a shortcut on your desktop which will allow you to launch straight into the Faceswap GUI:

And now your journey begins. Next, let's explore how to use FaceSwap to replace faces in a video.

As shown in the figure below, first import video A and click Extract. Video A is exported as a frame-by-frame picture of the face of the person.

Repeat the operation, import video B, and click Extract.

Note: The export speed depends on the size of the video and your computer configuration, mainly the GPU and CPU.

If there are multiple people in the video, after exporting, just go into the folder and delete the unwanted faces.

Train a model on extracted original (A) and swap (B) faces. This step can take some time depending on your hardware. The training process is very long, and the duration mainly depends on the video size and computer hardware configuration (GPU).

If you need to stop training midway, you can click the Save button in the lower right corner to pause and exit the training, and you can continue training next time you re-enter the software. The more training data and the longer the time, the higher the matching degree, that is, the better the finished product effect.

When the training time is almost the same, you can open the output directory (T folder), open it to find the last picture, look at the third and sixth rows, if the face inside is very clear, and the facial features are highly matched with the left one, then the training is basically OK, and you can pause the training.

Once trained, use the model to swap the faces. Swap the original faces in a source video/images to your final faces.

Click Convert, set the parameters such as "Input Dir, Output Dir, Model Dir" as shown in the figure, and then click Start face swapping. The speed is very fast and it will be done in a few minutes.

While you are impressed by the powerful AI face swapping technology, please do not use AI technology to do anything illegal or against the law.

FaceSwap AI opens up a world of creative possibilities, from fun social media posts to professional video editing. By following this guide, you can install and use FaceSwap AI to create impressive face swaps. Always remember to use this technology ethically and responsibly.

By mastering FaceSwap AI, you can enhance your digital content creation skills and explore the fascinating realm of AI-powered image manipulation. Happy face swapping!