How to Do a Face Swap

It's a fun feature to use with friends and family

By
Tricia Goss
Tricia Goss
Tricia Goss
Writer
  • Pima College
Tricia Goss has been a writer and editor for 10+ years. She's written tips and tutorials for Microsoft Office applications and other sites.
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Updated on February 21, 2021
Reviewed by
Christine Baker
Reviewed by Christine Baker
    Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design.
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    Snapchat

    What to Know

    • In Selfie mode, tap and hold your face image until you see the mesh map.
    • Swipe through lenses and tap the yellow icon with two smiley faces.
    • Align the second face in the screen and tap the shutter button.

    This article shows how to create a snap of two swapped faces on Snapchat.

    Doing a Snapchat Face Swap

    Let's start your first face swap.

    1. Open Snapchat and make sure it is in Selfie mode. Tap and hold on your face (not the shutter button) until you see the white mesh face map. This will activate the lenses.

    2. Swipe through the lenses until you find the Face Swap lens effect, which is a yellow icon with two smiley faces. 

    3. Two smiley faces should now appear on the screen. Get close to the person (or animal or inanimate object that happens to have some sort of face—think statue, doll, or painting) with whom you want to swap faces.

    4. Move yourselves and/or your device until you have aligned both faces with the smiley faces on the screen. The faces will turn yellow when your faces are properly aligned.

      If you are having trouble getting the Snapchat faces to lock in, make sure you are facing the camera directly and remove glasses if you are wearing them.

    5. Once your faces are lined up correctly, Snapchat will swap faces automatically. Whatever expressions or movements you make will occur on the other face. If you smile, laugh, talk or stick out your tongue, it will appear on the simulated face. 

    Saving a Swap

    You can capture the Snapchat funny faces by tapping the shutter button (the circular button at the bottom center of the screen). If you press and hold the button, you can record a video. 

    Once you have saved your Snapchat faces, you can have even more fun with them. You can add text, stickers or text to your pic using the Pencil, Sticker or Text buttons. Share the picture by tapping Send and selecting friends you want to send it to. Tapping Add to My Story lets you share the snap for 24 hours. You can also tap Download to save the image to your device. 

    How to Face Swap With Your Camera Roll

    Nobody around for you to swap faces with? No problem! You can use this feature with pictures saved on your device, although the steps are slightly different. 

    After starting Snapchat and mapping your face, swipe to and select the purple face swap lens effect showing a camera and a smiley face. Tap Allow or OK if prompted that Snapchat needs access to your camera for photos you have stored. 

    Snapchat will scan your camera roll for faces and present you with the options it finds. Swipe through the images and tap on the one you want to use. Snapchat will then swap your face with the one in the photo.

    As with a two-person face swap, you can snap, record, edit, share or save the swap to enjoy the next time you need a good chuckle.

    Having Troubles? Get Up to Date

    Make sure you have the most recent Snapchat updates installed. 

    On an Android device, go to Google Play and select My Apps & Games from the ☰ menu. If Snapchat is listed in the Updates section, tap Update.

    On iOS, go to the App Store and tap the Updates tab. If Snapchat is listed in the Updates section, tap Update.

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