Live action to 3D animation with AI Recast

Morphic Recast swaps the actors in finished footage while keeping the original performance, camera and timing, so the scene can be recast without a reshoot. Give it a 3D character design for each actor and the whole shot is rendered in that animated style, with every laugh and gesture on the same beat.

Try Morphic Recast
  • 30-second clips
  • One photo per person
  • Paid plans
Original
Morphic Recast
  • Morphic Recast character design: a stylised 3D animated woman with a high ponytail in a yellow t-shirt
  • Morphic Recast character design: a stylised 3D animated bearded man in a red flannel shirt

A kitchen scene, now 3D animated. Two designs, one animated scene. The pour, the laugh and the kitchen are rendered in the same 3D style, and every beat lands on the same frame; play with sound.

  • Morphic Recast character design: a stylised 3D animated woman with a high ponytail in a yellow t-shirtThe woman in the yellow t-shirtHer 3D animated version
  • Morphic Recast character design: a stylised 3D animated bearded man in a red flannel shirtThe man in the red flannel shirtHis 3D animated version

What changes and what stays

ChangesStays as shot
The two leads, as your 3D charactersEvery laugh, gesture and the pour
The kitchen, rendered in the same styleThe layout of the room and the blocking
The look, taken from your designsThe framing, the camera and the sound

Example setups

  • Performance to animation

    Let actors give the performance on set, then render it in your 3D style so the acting and timing carry over.

  • Animated pilot from footage

    Turn a short live-action test into an animated pilot to pitch the show before a full production.

  • Test the character design

    Try two or three designs of the same lead on one take and see which one reads best in motion.

How do I turn live-action actors into 3d animation characters with AI?

  1. 01

    Upload the live-action shot

    Add one clip up to 30 seconds. For a longer sequence, recast it shot by shot and cut the shots together on the Compose timeline.

  2. 02

    Add a design per character

    One 3D character design for each actor you convert, outfit included. Anyone you give no design stays as shot.

  3. 03

    Name each swap and run it

    Ask Copilot to render the whole shot in the style of your designs, naming each person by clothing so each becomes the right character.

Swapping one person? The shared workflow needs only the clip and one photo.

Open the workflow

Production notes

  • Consent and releases

    Recast only footage you hold releases for, and use photos of people who agreed to appear. Every example here uses generated people, not real actors.

  • When to also dub

    The recast keeps the original soundtrack. For new lines or another language, run Morphic Dub on the recast shot so the voices and lips match.

  • Recast or reshoot

    Recasting a scene skips a new shoot day and calling the cast back, and one take can carry a cast per market. Reshoot only when the action must change.

  • Review it as a team

    Keep the source shot, the cast photos and every take in one project, where teammates in your workspace open the same versions and comment on each.

Try Morphic Recast

FAQs

Can I recast an actor after filming?
Yes. Morphic Recast swaps the people in finished footage and keeps their performance: motion, expressions, lip movement, the camera, the cuts and the soundtrack stay as shot.
Does the background turn 3D too?
It can go either way. Ask for the whole shot in the style of your designs, as in the example here, or name only the people and say the room stays photographic for a mixed look.
What consent do I need?
Releases from everyone in the original footage, and permission from anyone whose photo you use for the new cast. For pitches and tests before casting, use people you generate in Morphic.
How do I turn live-action actors into 3d animation characters with AI?
Upload the shot, add a 3D character design for each actor, and ask Morphic Recast to render the shot in that style, naming each swap. The actors become the animated characters with their performance, camera and timing kept.

More scenes to recast

All Recast examples