Model usage rights expired? Keep the photo, change the face
When a model's usage window ends, you can keep the photo and put a different approved person into it. Headloom swaps the face and rebuilds the hair, while the garment, pose and light stay exactly as shot. It takes about a minute per photo, so a campaign can keep running without a reshoot.
The problem: the photo is fine, the licence isn't
A face swap can keep an approved photo running after the model's licence ends. Talent contracts give a brand a usage window: where the photos can run, and for how long. Campaigns that perform get extended, and the window quietly runs out. One content lead at a small brand described finding out two months late and having to pull ads that were still running. The renewal quote was 1.4 times the original shoot fee.
The photo itself is still right. The garment, the set, the light and the crop are all approved. Only the person in it has a licence that ended. The swap keeps that photo and puts a different approved person into it.
Your four options
| Option | Cost | Time | What you keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renew the licence | A new fee, often higher than the first | Days to weeks of negotiation | Everything |
| Stop using the photos | Lost performance on ads that work | Immediate | Nothing |
| Reshoot | Model, studio, crew, samples | Weeks | The concept only |
| Swap in an approved person | A swap per photo | About a minute per photo | Garment, pose, set and light |
Renewing is the right call when the model is part of the brand. The swap fits when the photo matters more than who is in it.
What changes and what must not
The identity changes. Face, hairline and hair are rebuilt together, and the skin is matched where the new head meets the neck. It does not keep the original hair.
The product must not move: garment, print, colour, fit, hands, background and light. Results come back in high resolution, with no pixel shift, so the new photo lines up with the one you approved. Static ads, catalogue images and thumbnails are the fit. Video is not supported yet.
Who the new person can be
The replacement must be someone who has agreed to be used: a model you have booked and released, a person on your team who has consented, or a licensed likeness. The swap must not recreate the former model. Their licence ended, and their likeness goes with it.
Some places now require labels on realistic people made or changed with AI in ads, and some marketplaces ask sellers to tag them. Check the rules where each ad runs. This is general information, not legal advice. Headloom adds an "AI-edited" marker to the file's metadata.
Steps
- The approved photo. Upload the ad or catalogue image you want to keep running.
- The new head. Upload a clear, front-facing photo of the person who has agreed. Reuse the same file across the whole campaign so every ad shows one person.
- Download and replace. About a minute later you get the same photo with the new person. Swap the files in your ad manager and keep the campaign live.
For a whole set, reuse one approved head file on every photo. Louis Philippe uses Headloom for its shirt catalogue, with one approved face across every shirt. Read how to change the model in product photos for the catalogue version.
Plan the next shoot around it
Write the usage window into your campaign calendar the day the contract is signed, with a reminder a month before it ends. Keep the original files from the shoot, so a swap starts from a clean, high-quality frame rather than an ad export. When a campaign is likely to run long, compare the renewal fee with a swap before the window ends, not after.
Files and privacy
Uploads are deleted within 24 hours of upload and results within 24 hours of being made. We never use photos or results to train AI models. The details are on the responsible use page.
A few photos fit the free start: 5 free swaps when you sign up, during beta. See pricing for monthly plans and pay as you go. For a large campaign, talk to us.
Questions
What can I do when a model's usage rights expire?
Renew the licence, stop using the photos, reshoot, or put a different approved person into the same photos. Headloom handles the last option.
Can I keep using the old model's face?
No. Once the licence ends, the swap must replace that person with someone who has agreed. It must not recreate the former model.
Does the garment or pose change?
No. Only the head region changes. The garment, pose, hands, background and light stay as shot, in high resolution, with no pixel shift.
Does the swap change the hair too?
Yes. The face and hair are rebuilt together, so the new person looks natural. It does not keep the original hair.
Does this work on video ads?
Not yet. Headloom works on photos.
Do I need to disclose the edit?
Check the rules where the ad runs. Some places require a label on realistic AI-edited people. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is there a free trial?
5 free swaps when you sign up, during beta. No card.