Swap the whole head, hairline included.
A face swap maps features onto a head that stays where it is, which is why the hair never matches. A head swap replaces the whole thing: skull shape, hairline, hairstyle and jaw, joined to the original body at the neck. Upload the source head and the footage or photo it should sit on.
BEFORE
AFTER ✨What it is
The seam is the neck, and everything else follows from it.
Swapping a whole head is more complete than swapping a face and more fragile for exactly that reason. A face swap only has to blend inside the hairline, so it inherits the original hair and gets away with a mismatch. A head swap has to join at the neck, which means three things have to agree: the width of the neck against the collar, the skin tone as it runs down into the shirt, and the angle. Angle is the one that decides most runs. If the source head is turned three quarters and the target body faces the camera, the join will fight you no matter how good either image is, so match the camera angle first and worry about lighting second. Hair is the next problem, and specifically hair against a busy background: strands against a plain wall separate cleanly, strands against foliage or a bookshelf do not, and that edge is where a swap gives itself away. Hats, headphones and heavy glasses in the source constrain the result because they crop the very outline you are trying to transplant. Long hair moving across the shoulders through a clip is the hardest case there is, and profile turns past about forty-five degrees are where likeness starts to slip. The pipeline is shared with character swap, which replaces the whole person, body and clothing included, rather than stopping at the neck. If what you actually want is a different hairstyle on the same head, AI hairstyle changer is a far more direct route, and for blending two faces into one rather than replacing either, face morph does that instead. Use this on footage and photos you own or have permission to use, of adults who agreed to it.
How it works
Swap a head in three steps
Upload the target
The photo or clip whose body, clothing and background you want to keep. Only the head above the neck is going to change.
Add the source head
A head-and-shoulders shot at roughly the same camera angle as the target, evenly lit, against a plain background, with no hat, headphones or heavy glasses.
Render, then check the neck
The head is placed and joined at the collar. Look at the join and the hair edge at full size before you use the result anywhere.
Whole head
Skull, hairline and hairstyle, not just features
Skull shape, hairline, hairstyle and jaw all come from the source, which is what separates this from a face swap. The body, clothing and background stay as they were in the target, so the shot you already have keeps its wardrobe, its lighting and its performance.
- Hairline and hairstyle replaced
- Body and wardrobe untouched
- Joined at the neck, not the hairline
Angle
Match the angle first, the lighting second
A three-quarter source head on a straight-on body is the most common failure and no amount of color matching fixes it. Choose a source photo shot from roughly the same camera position as the target, and the join at the neck stops being the thing you have to argue with.
- Same camera position as the target
- Front-on is the reliable case
- Past forty-five degrees, likeness slips
Hair edges
A plain background beats extra resolution
Strands separate cleanly against a wall or an even sky and badly against foliage, patterned wallpaper or a bookshelf. A simple background behind the source head is worth more than extra megapixels, because the outline of the hair is the part being transplanted and the part a viewer's eye checks first.
- Plain wall or open sky behind the source
- Foliage and bookshelves fray the edge
- No hats, headphones or heavy glasses
Why LazyKiwi
Why this head swap
The hair comes too
The mismatch a face swap always leaves — new features, old hairstyle — is the exact thing this removes.
Your shot keeps its shot
Body, clothing, background and performance stay. Only the head above the collar is regenerated.
Photos and clips
The same pass handles a single frame and a short clip, tracking the head through the movement.
Consent is not optional
Your own or licensed material, adults only, no public figures, and nothing presented as a real statement or event.
A shared pipeline
Built on the same engine as character swap, so a whole-person replacement is one click away when the neck is not the right seam.
The simpler route, when there is one
If you only want different hair on the same head, AI hairstyle changer gets there faster and more reliably.
FAQ
Head swap questions
What is a head swap?+
A head swap replaces the entire head in a photo or clip, including skull shape, hairline, hairstyle and jaw, and joins it to the original body at the neck. A face swap only replaces the features inside the hairline, which is why a face swap keeps the original hair and a head swap does not.
Whose footage and photos can I use?+
Only material you own or have licensed, showing adults who agreed to appear. Public figures are not permitted, and neither is any use that presents the result as a real statement, appearance or event. Impersonation and deceptive political content are outside what this tool is for.
What source photo works best?+
A head-and-shoulders shot at the same camera angle as the target, evenly lit, against a plain background, with no hat, headphones or heavy glasses. Angle first, background second, resolution third: that order reflects which mismatch actually ruins a result.
Why does the neck look wrong in my result?+
Usually because the source and target disagree about neck width, collar line or skin tone at the join. A source photo with visible shoulders in a plain crew neck gives the engine a clean transition, while a tight crop that ends at the chin leaves it inventing the part that has to blend.
Head swap or character swap?+
Use head swap when the body, clothing and performance should stay and only the head changes. Use character swap when the whole person should be replaced, build and outfit included, while keeping the original motion of the shot.
Use cases
Where a head swap is the right tool
Reshooting a scene without the actor
A short film has a usable take with a stand-in and no way to get the performer back for a day. With the performer's agreement, their head is placed onto the take rather than rebuilding the whole shot.
Putting yourself into your own costume shots
A costume or stunt sequence filmed with a helmet or a double, then finished with your own head so the sequence belongs to you. This is the version of the technique that has been used in film for decades.
Team and family photo fixes
One person blinked in the only group shot that worked, and their head from the frame before is dropped in. Small, mundane, and the reason head swapping existed in retouching long before it was automated.
More answers
More on swapping heads
What does it handle badly?+
Long hair moving across the shoulders through a clip, profile turns past about forty-five degrees, low-light footage where the jaw edge disappears, and any source head photographed against a busy background. Plain backgrounds, front-on angles and shorter hair are the reliable cases.
Head swap or face swap?+
Face swap if the hair in the target already suits the person you are putting in — it is the lighter, more forgiving operation and it survives movement better. Head swap when the hairstyle is the thing giving it away. For a short looping reaction where the crop is tight, GIF face swap is usually the better fit.
Does it work on video as well as photos?+
Yes, and the difficulty is different. In a photo you are solving one join; in a clip you are solving it in every frame while the head turns and the hair moves. Short clips, front-on angles and hair that stays off the shoulders are where video results hold up.
Can I swap a head in a group photo?+
Yes — the classic case is one person mid-blink in the only usable frame, fixed with their own head from the frame before. Everyone in the shot still has to have agreed to appear, and the same rule applies whether you are replacing one head or restoring one.
Swap the head, keep the shot
Your own or licensed material, adults only, no public figures.
No credit card · Free to try · Results in seconds