# Pose-preserving head swap > A pose-preserving head swap changes only the head. Pose, clothes, hands, background and light stay unchanged. Try SwapShoot free with 5 swaps in your browser. - **URL**: https://swapshoot.com/pose-preserving-head-swap - **Last Updated**: 2026-10-29 --- A pose-preserving head swap changes the head in a photo and leaves the rest of the shot alone. In SwapShoot, the pose, clothes, hands, background and light come back as photographed, while the new head and its hair are rebuilt to fit. A swap takes about a minute. [Try it free](https://swapshoot.com/app) ## What does pose-preserving mean? Many image tools regenerate the whole picture when they change a person. The body can shift, hands can change shape and the background can drift. A pose-preserving head swap works the other way round: the photograph you upload is the fixed reference, and only the head is replaced. The body position, the outfit, what the hands are holding and the setting are the parts you chose the photo for, so they stay. The new head comes from a second photo. Its face and hair are rebuilt inside the original shot, with the skin matched to the light that is already there. Read the [face swap vs head swap comparison](https://swapshoot.com/face-swap-vs-head-swap) if you want to see why the hair matters as much as the face. ## What does it look like? Each row is one swap: the original photo, the head photo used, and the result. Look at what stays the same between the first and last picture: the pose, the hands, the clothes, the background and the light. ### Rooftop sunset - Original: ![Original: woman with loose curly hair in a blue striped bikini top, hand at her chin, on a rooftop at sunset](https://swapshoot.com/img/rooftop-sunset-target.jpg) - New head: ![New head: woman with long black box braids on a plain grey background](https://swapshoot.com/img/rooftop-sunset-head.jpg) - Swapped: ![Swapped: the same rooftop sunset shot with long box braids; the pose, hand, bikini top and backlight are unchanged](https://swapshoot.com/img/rooftop-sunset-result.jpg) The curls become long box braids. The hand at the chin, the striped bikini top, the railing and the sun behind the head stay unchanged. ### Skateboard sunset - Original: ![Original: woman with long brown hair holding a red skateboard behind her shoulders in low sun with lens flare](https://swapshoot.com/img/skateboard-sunset-target.jpg) - New head: ![New head: woman with straight black hair and bangs on a plain grey background](https://swapshoot.com/img/skateboard-sunset-head.jpg) - Swapped: ![Swapped: the same skateboard shot with straight black hair and bangs; the skateboard, black top, pose and sun flare are unchanged](https://swapshoot.com/img/skateboard-sunset-result.jpg) Long brown hair becomes straight black hair with bangs. The skateboard across the shoulders, the black top and the low sun and lens flare stay unchanged. ### Shore at dusk - Original: ![Original: woman with shoulder-length auburn hair in a black turtleneck by the sea at dusk, eyes lowered](https://swapshoot.com/img/shore-flare-target.jpg) - New head: ![New head: woman with straight ash-blonde hair facing the camera on a plain grey background](https://swapshoot.com/img/shore-flare-head.jpg) - Swapped: ![Swapped: the same dusk shoreline shot with straight ash-blonde hair; the turtleneck, sea and warm light are unchanged](https://swapshoot.com/img/shore-flare-result.jpg) Shoulder-length auburn hair becomes straight ash-blonde hair. The black turtleneck, the sea at dusk and the warm light at the bottom of the frame stay unchanged. [Try it free](https://swapshoot.com/app) ## When is keeping the pose useful? Keeping the pose matters whenever the shot itself took effort. A creator may have a photo with the right outfit, framing and light, and want a different head in it. A cosplayer may like the costume shot but not the expression. A group photo may be perfect apart from one person who blinked, and another frame of that same person has open eyes; the closed-eyes guide listed below covers that case. In each case, regenerating the whole picture would throw away the part that was already right. It is also useful for AI-model photos and thumbnails, where a consistent pose and composition need to be kept across several images while the head changes. The guide to [keeping an AI influencer's face the same](https://swapshoot.com/ai-influencer-face-swap) shows that workflow. Use it only with photos of people who have agreed to it and are 18 or older. ## How do you swap a head and keep the pose? Open SwapShoot in your browser. Upload the photo you want to keep as step one; this supplies the pose, clothes, hands, background and light. Upload a clear photo of the new head as step two. Tick the box confirming you have permission from the people in both photos, then press Swap head. You can add both photos before signing in; sign in with Google or any email address when you press Swap. About a minute later the result appears next to the original so you can drag to compare them. Check the head first, then the hair line, then the edges where the neck meets the clothes. Download the result you want to keep. Results are kept in your Library for 24 hours, and uploads are not kept. ## Which photos keep the pose best? Start with one person and a clearly visible face in both photos. A head that faces roughly the same way in both pictures is easier to place than one turned the opposite way. Hair across the face, a hand over the eyes or an object in front of the head can need another try, and so can extreme angles. If a result does not look right, try a different photo of the new head before changing the shot you want to keep. The tool works with still photos only, not video. It handles one face per swap, so in a group photo choose the person you want to change and use a head photo of just that person. ## How much does it cost to try? Each account gets 5 free swaps: the first result is clean, and the next four carry a small SwapShoot watermark. You do not pay anything for the free swaps. After that, see [plans and prices](https://swapshoot.com/#pricing): as low as $0.09 a swap on a plan, with no watermark. ## Questions ### Does the body or background change? No. Only the head is replaced. The pose, clothes, hands, background and light come back unchanged. ### Is the hair changed too? Yes. The hair is rebuilt with the new head, and the skin is matched to the light in the original photo. ### How long does a pose-preserving head swap take? About a minute from pressing Swap head to the result. ### Whose photos can I use? Only photos of people who have agreed to it and are 18 or older. You confirm that once, before your first swap, and it covers every photo you upload. ### Is it free? Each account gets 5 free swaps. The first is clean and the next four carry a small watermark. After that, swaps are paid, from as low as $0.09 a swap on a plan. ## Related guides - [Fix closed eyes in a photo](https://swapshoot.com/fix-closed-eyes-in-photo) - [Keep an AI influencer's face the same](https://swapshoot.com/ai-influencer-face-swap) - [Head swap online](https://swapshoot.com/head-swap) [Try it free](https://swapshoot.com/app) Read the [Terms](https://swapshoot.com/terms), [Privacy Policy](https://swapshoot.com/privacy) and [Responsible use policy](https://swapshoot.com/responsible-use) before uploading photos.