How to put yourself in any TikTok or Instagram video

You are scrolling, a video stops you, and the thought is always the same: I want to be in that. A few years ago that meant learning the dance, finding the location and filming it yourself. Today an AI model can take the original video and one photo of you, and render the same video with you as the person in it.

This guide shows how to do it on an iPhone with SynthGen AI, what to expect, and how to avoid the mistakes that waste a try.

What “putting yourself in a video” means

There are two different things people mean by it, and they give very different results.

• Face swap replaces only the face. The body, the hair and the clothes still belong to the original person. It is fast and works on any video, but it rarely looks like you once you see the whole frame.
• Full character replacement rebuilds the whole person from your photo: face, hair, body shape and outfit. The AI tracks how the original person moves, frame by frame, and redraws that motion as you. This is what SynthGen AI does.

Full replacement is newer and slower to compute, but it is the only approach where the result reads as you doing the dance rather than your face pasted onto someone else.

What you need

• An iPhone with iOS 18 or later
• SynthGen AI from the App Store and a SynthGen Pro plan
• One clear photo of yourself
• The video you want to be in, as a link or a saved file

Step by step

1. Find the video

Any short video works as a starting point: a dance, a trend, a meme format, a funny moment. For the best result, look for one person, fully in view, in a single continuous shot. We cover this in detail in how to pick the right video and photo.

2. Share it to SynthGen

In TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, tap the share button. The first panel you see belongs to that app, so tap More or Share to to open the iPhone share sheet, then tap SynthGen.

If SynthGen is not in the row of apps, scroll the row to the end, tap More, and add SynthGen to your favorites. You only do this once.

Two other ways in:

• Tap Copy link in the other app, open SynthGen, paste it on the Create tab and tap Go.
• Tap From Photos in SynthGen and pick a video you have saved, for example one you filmed yourself.

3. Add your photo

Take a selfie or pick a photo from your library. SynthGen keeps it for next time, and you can swap in a different photo for any single video. A sharp, well lit photo with your face clearly visible makes the biggest difference to how much the result looks like you.

4. Choose a mode

SynthGen offers two ways to remake a video:

• Swap me in keeps the original scene, the lighting and the camera, and replaces the person with you.
• Copy the moves keeps your photo as the scene and makes you perform the same moves.

If you are unsure, start with Swap me in. Our side by side guide to the two modes explains when each one wins.

5. Tap Make it me

The cost in credits is shown before you start. Tap Make it me, then close the app if you like. Rendering usually takes 3 to 6 minutes, and a notification tells you when your video is ready. If a video fails, the credits come back to your balance automatically.

6. Save it or post it

The finished video plays in a loop. Save it to Photos or post it straight to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or any other app. SynthGen does not add a watermark, and the original sound is kept.

When you post, turn on the platform’s AI label. It keeps you within the platform rules, and audiences respond better to a clearly labeled remake than to one that looks like it is hiding something. More on that in our guide to posting AI remakes the right way.

When it does not work, and what to do

What you see	Why it happens	What to do
The video ends early	The original cuts to a new shot	Pick a clip filmed in one take
It does not look much like you	The photo is dark, blurry or turned away	Use a sharp, front facing photo in good light
Arms or legs look smeared	They leave the frame or hide behind something	Pick a clip where the whole body stays in view
The link will not load	The post is private or limited to certain audiences	Use a public post, or a file you have the right to use

Can you do it for free?

Not with SynthGen AI: every video runs on paid GPU time, so the app works with a SynthGen Pro plan that adds credits every month. Some other apps offer a limited free tier, usually with a watermark and a daily cap. We compare them honestly in the best apps to put yourself in a video.