Extending the Lifetime of UGC Footage with Akool

This week’s newsletter was written by AppAgent Motion Designer, Adnan Hatic.

Akool is an AI tool suite designed to "enable personal and immersive brand experiences through the power of generative AI."

The platform currently offers five distinct AI products: Face Swap, Realistic Avatar, Talking Photo, Image Generator, Background Change, and Video Translate.

We recently tested the Face Swap tool, aiming to potentially leverage it for creating UGC-style ads for mobile games. If the tool delivers realistic results, it could allow the work of a single actor to be repurposed for numerous ads–think of the amount of time and money saved!

Let’s delve into our testing process.

Creating a Face Swap Video: Step-by-Step Guide

Step #1: Record the Video

We started by recording various videos against a green screen. Our actress delivered generic lines typical in mobile game ads, executed simple head and body movements, and alternated between different facial expressions.

Step #2: Upload to Akool

After gathering a few minutes of suitable footage, I uploaded the video to Akool.

Step #3: Select a New Face

The next step involved choosing a new face for the swap. Options include uploading a custom face or selecting from the tool’s demo faces. The platform also supports AI-generated human faces (Note: AI-generated characters or animal faces are not recognized). Available adjustments include 're-age' for aging or rejuvenating the face and 'face enhancement' for minor tweaks.

Step #4: Render the Video

After selecting the desired face, I set the video for rendering.

Step #5: Download the Video

Upon completion of rendering, I downloaded the final product.

The Results

Let’s take a look at how the tool did. For reference, here is the raw video that I uploaded:

And here you can see the face swap in action:

The Pros?

• Ease of use: Right out of the box, Akool impressed me with its user-friendly interface, making it accessible for even beginners.
• Compatibility with external images: The platform supports the use of external images, enhancing its versatility.
• Efficient performance: It handles various facial expressions and head movements with ease.
• Cost-effectiveness: At a price of $0.035 USD per credit, the basic plan starts at $21 per month. To render one face swap video, you need just 10 credits.

The Limitations?

• Rendering time: Video rendering on Akool, particularly for video translation, can be quite time-consuming depending on how busy the server is. For example, one video translation took a full day to render, while another was finished in 20 minutes or so.
• Sample face preparation: Users must follow specific instructions to prepare sample faces; failing to do so can result in distortions.
• Limitations in recognition: The platform currently struggles to recognize character or animal faces.

Today's Insights ??

AI companion apps like Paradot and Replika might be threatening the concept of human relationships as we know it.

Dorothy Leidner, professor of business ethics at the University of Virginia, says these programs are leading users to have unrealistic expectations:

“You, as the individual, aren’t learning to deal with basic things that humans need to learn to deal with since our inception: How to deal with conflict, how to get along with people that are different from us. And so, all these aspects of what it means to grow as a person, and what it means to learn in a relationship, you’re missing.”

Mind-Blowing News ??

• OpenAI has announced its new text-to-video model Sora , which by the looks of it, is already giving Runway a run for its money.

• The EU is on track to enact the first major AI regulation , targeting high-risk models to ensure they are “safe and respect fundamental rights and EU values.”
• AI hiring tools may be accidentally filtering out some of the most qualified candidates …oops!

Let’s see what next week will bring, stay tuned (and subscribe)!