The AI builds each face in the video from your photo. Whatever the photo doesn't show, the AI has to guess, and guesses are why a video can look "almost" like someone. These rules apply to rap videos, trend templates and one-photo effects alike.
What works
| Photo | Why |
|---|---|
| Face toward the camera | The video shows the face from the front most of the time |
| Even, soft light (daylight from a window) | Both sides of the face are visible |
| Head and shoulders, face large in the frame | More detail for the AI to copy |
| Eyes open, mouth visible | Eyes are how people recognise a face; the mouth drives the lip-sync |
| A natural smile | Performances have a lot of grinning, and a smiling photo carries over |
| One person per photo | No confusion over whose face to use |
What fails
- Sunglasses, caps, masks, hands over the face. They hide the features people recognise.
- Profile or strong three-quarter angles. Half the face is missing.
- Small faces in group or full-body shots. Too few pixels to work with.
- Beauty filters and cartoon filters. They change the face shape the AI copies.
- Harsh backlight or dark rooms. Half the face is in shadow.
- Blurry or heavily compressed photos. Screenshots of screenshots lose detail.
Clear prescription glasses usually work. Sunglasses don't.
Two people: two photos or one?
- Two photos (one person each) give the best result. The two people don't need to be in the same place.
- One photo of both works when both faces are clear and similar in size. If one person is turned away or much smaller, use two photos instead.
Pets
For a pet, the same rules apply: face toward the camera, eyes open, good light. Use the pages built for animals, such as Pet Rap Video; a human template like Hotel Lobby turns a pet into a person. See the Hotel Lobby trend with your dog.
Consent
Only upload photos of people who agreed to be in the video, and don't use photos of children in videos meant for public posting. Photos are used only to render your own videos, never published, sold or used to train models.
Checklist before you upload
- One person per photo, face toward the camera.
- Face fills at least a quarter of the frame.
- No sunglasses, cap or filter.
- Even light, ideally daylight.
- Sharp, not a screenshot.
- Everyone in the photo agreed.
Questions
Does the outfit in my photo matter? Usually not. Trend templates dress you for the scene, and rap videos focus on the face.
Can I use an old or scanned photo? Yes, if the face is clear. Very small or damaged photos give weaker results.
My video doesn't look like me. What now? See Hotel Lobby AI doesn't look like me for the fixes, most of which come down to the photo.