Face Swap vs Talking Actors: Which to Use?

Use Talking Actors when you have a script and no footage — it generates a brand-new clip of a character speaking your words from a single still image. Use Face Swap when you already have a video (or photo) and just want a different face in it — it keeps the original performance, lip movement, and audio exactly as they are. They solve opposite problems: one invents a performance, the other re-skins one you already recorded.

The core difference: new performance vs existing footage

Talking Actors starts from nothing but a still photo and a script. OmniHuman 1.5 animates that character's reference image directly from a voiceover track it generates from your script — mouth movement, head tilts, blinks, and small gestures included. There is no video input anywhere in the pipeline; the entire performance is synthesised.

Face Swapworks the opposite way. You upload footage you already own — a photo or a video up to 60 seconds — and Flovaly replaces the face in it with one of your characters. Everything else in the source stays untouched: the original lip movement, the audio, the action, the timing. Face Swap can't invent a new line of dialogue or a new performance, because it isn't generating one — it's re-skinning what was already filmed.

What each one actually needs from you

What each one costs

Talking Actors bills by duration plus a flat voiceover surcharge: base cost for a 5/10/15-second clip, plus 2 credits for the voiceover, with 1080p applying a 1.5× multiplier on top. Face Swap is flat regardless of your source clip's actual length — video swap is always priced as if it were a 5-second base clip plus a 3-credit surcharge, whether your upload is 4 seconds or 55.

Figures are Starter-plan pricing ($29/month, 150 credits, ≈$0.1933 per credit) — see the full cost breakdown across every generation type for how these sit against Video, UGC, and Re-voice.

When to reach for Talking Actors

Pick Talking Actors whenever the script is the whole point: a hook, a product pitch, a customer testimonial, an announcement. You're writing new words for a character who has never said them, and you need a face and a voice to deliver them convincingly. It's also the only option here that works with zero footage on hand — a premade or custom character and a script are enough to start.

When to reach for Face Swap

Pick Face Swap when the performance already exists and you just want a different face carrying it — a reaction video, a demo, or a recreation of a trending clip format like the startled mirror trend. It's also the right call for genuinely reusing footage: an old ad where the original presenter isn't available, or testing three different faces on the same take without reshooting anything. What it can never do is give that footage new dialogue — if the source doesn't already say what you need, Face Swap won't make it.

The one they both get confused with: Re-voice

A third mode sits between the two and is worth ruling out before you pick: Re-voice also starts from existing footage like Face Swap, but instead of swapping the face it replaces the audio and mouth movement with a new script — same face, new words. If you have footage and need it to say something different, that's Re-voice, not Face Swap or Talking Actors.

Can you combine them?

Yes, in sequence rather than in one generation. A common pattern is generating a base performance with Talking Actors, then using Face Swap on the result later if you want to reuse that exact take with a different character's face. There's no single mode that does both at once — each generation is either a new performance (Talking Actors) or a face applied to an existing one (Face Swap), never both in the same run.

In short: no footage and a script to deliver → Talking Actors. Footage you already have and a different face to put on it → Face Swap. Both are available from the $1 trial, which comes with enough credits to try either one before committing to a plan.

FAQ

What's the difference between Face Swap and Talking Actors on Flovaly?

Talking Actors generates a brand-new clip from a still photo and a script — the character has never said those words before. Face Swap takes footage you already have and replaces the face in it, keeping the original lip movement, audio, and action unchanged. One invents a performance; the other re-skins an existing one.

Can Face Swap make a character say something new?

No. Face Swap follows the source video's existing lip movement and audio exactly — it changes who appears to be speaking, not what's said. For a new script on a new face, use Talking Actors instead.

Does Talking Actors need any of my own footage?

No. It only needs a character's still reference image (stock or custom) and a script — there's no source video anywhere in the pipeline. That also makes it the option to reach for when you don't have footage on hand at all.

Which one is cheaper?

Face Swap, in almost every case. Photo swap is a flat 2 credits and video swap a flat 8 credits regardless of length, while a Talking Actors clip starts at 7 credits for 5 seconds and rises with duration and resolution. They're not really substitutes for the same job though — the cheaper option only makes sense if it can actually do what you need.

Can I use a cloned voice or my own face with either feature?

Not currently. Talking Actors picks from 8 curated stock voices, American or British accents, with no voice cloning. Face Swap uses your character's saved reference photo, not a live likeness capture — and either mode requires you to confirm you have the right to use any real face involved before it can run.

FAQ