Ever wonder what you would look like as a woman?
(Or as a man, if you are a woman)?
Ever wonder what you would look like as a celebrity?
Social media platforms such as TikTok have already incorporated AI face-swapping technology, bringing gender-bending image alteration into the mainstream. If you haven’t tried it already, aren't you a little ... curious?
There are many platforms available for gender-swapping your photos.
One of these is AKOOL, a popular AI platform best known for realistic talking avatar videos. AKOOL also has a face-swap feature... Let's take a look.
Using AKOOL for Gender Swapping: a Step-by-Step Guide
AKOOL gives you a very simple process for gender swaps.
From the Platform menu at the top of this page, choose "Face Swap."
Check out the animation of the long-haired female demo image, as she runs through several swaps. The faces being swapped are shown below.
To try it yourself, drag one of the female thumbnails into the box on the right.
After a quick facial analysis, the low-res demo image appears in the workspace. She also appears on the right in the Detected face box.
For the replacement face, choose the male demo image under "Choose face." His face now appears to the right in the "Detected face" box. The face on the right will replace the face on the left, leaving intact the rest of the photo on the left.
To see the swap results, click "High Quality Face Swap."
The job is sent to the queue, and when the image is ready, you’ll see a red dot above the "Results" link at the top right. Click this link.
On the "Results" page, here is the gender-swapped image. Each result has a Delete and Download button. If you hover over the result, you’ll also see a Share icon, for posting the image to various social media platforms.
Because we started with a low-res image, the results are also low-res. In the next section, let’s try this out with some real photos.
Try Gender Swapping Your Own Photos
To try out gender swapping yourself, first find or download two images: one male and one female. On the Face Swap page, click "Tips" for some guidance on the photos to use.
To bring in the first photo, click "Choose files" or just drag and drop the image file from your browser.
In this example, we’re starting with a male who’s facing the camera head-on. This is the ideal camera view, as it provides the AI engine with the clearest data for facial analysis.
After the face is analyzed, it appears on the left side of the Detected face box.
To bring in the female photo, click the Add icon under Choose face.
The imported photo appears under Choose face. Click that thumbnail to add it to the Detected faces box, in the slot to the right.
Before generating the image, try out the Re-age and Face enhance options. In this example, we’re adding 22 years of age.
Generate the image, and find it in the Results page.
For a larger view of the result, click the result thumbnail. Same facial shape, hair, and clothing, but with a female face plus a few extra years.
That’s all there is to it!
Try These Creative Ideas
We’ve seen how easy it is to do a simple swap with standard, head-on photos. But there is much more you can do with AKOOL’s face-swap feature.
Though it’s preferable to use a head-on image, face-swapping will work in subjects facing off to the side (as long as all features are still visible). In this example, the bearded, male replacement face is facing forward.
AKOOL’s AI facial recognition is able to place the man’s features correctly, even though the two subjects are facing different directions. Here is the result with no age changes:
Subtracting 20 years produces a teenage-looking face swap. The image on the right has about 30 years added on.
You’re not limited to single-face photos. AKOOL can identify each face in a photo, and list them all under Detected face. For the face to swap, bring in a single image and use that face for all swaps. This is a fun way to see what your friends would look like if you were siblings, or were related to the same celebrity.
Or try swapping faces in a couple’s photo. In this example, the same photo is used for Detected face and Choose face. Be sure to make the correct swap!
Try Face-Swapping Genders Yourself
AI tools that facilitate gender swapping in photos offer a fascinating glimpse into the capabilities of modern artificial intelligence in image manipulation and digital creativity.
Gender-swap tools leverage deep learning and neural networks to transform facial features, which means you can experiment with different gender expressions and explore identity in a virtual space. While they present exciting opportunities for personal exploration and artistic expression, they also raise important ethical considerations around privacy, consent, and the potential for misuse. As these technologies become more sophisticated and accessible, it is essential to balance their innovative potential with a mindful approach to their application, ensuring they are used responsibly and respectfully.
Ultimately, AI-driven gender-swapping tools highlight both the creative possibilities and the ethical challenges of our increasingly digital world, prompting ongoing dialogue about the role of AI in society.
Gather some photos and give AKOOL’s Face Swap feature a try. Become a celebrity, historical figure, another gender, or a cartoon character.
It’s so easy to do, and the creative possibilities are endless.