# How to put yourself into an old family video with AI > How to digitize an old home video or VHS tape, pick the right moment and swap yourself into it with AI, plus what to expect from blurry, faded footage. Source: https://vswp.app/guides/old-family-video-ai-swap/ · Updated 2026-11-02 To put yourself into an old family video, first turn the tape or film into a digital file, then cut a short, bright moment where the person whose place you take is clearly visible. Upload it to [vswp](/), add your photo to that person's card, and AI makes a new video with you in their place, while the moves, camera, lighting and sound stay as in the original. It swaps people who are already in the frame; it can't add someone new. ## What can you do with an old home video? Old camcorder footage is full of moments people love to rewatch: a wedding, a first birthday, a summer at the lake. A swap lets you play with them in a few ways: | Old video | Idea | Whose place you take | |---|---|---| | Your parents' wedding | You "attend" the wedding you weren't born for | A guest on the dance floor | | Your own childhood birthday | Grown-up you blows out the candles | The child, that is, little you | | A family holiday | Your partner joins the family history | A cousin or an uncle | | Grandpa dancing at a party | The grandchild who looks like him takes over | Grandpa | For ideas built around older relatives, see [a video for grandma and grandpa](/guides/video-for-grandparents-with-ai/). ## How do you get the old video into a file? vswp needs an ordinary video file. If your family's memories are still on VHS, camcorder cassettes or film, you have a few options: 1. **A digitizing service.** Many photo shops and online services transfer tapes and film to files. This usually gives the cleanest result. 2. **A player and a capture device.** If you still have a working VCR or camcorder, a USB video capture adapter lets a computer record the playback. 3. **Filming the TV with your phone.** A last resort: it works, but you lose sharpness. Turn off the room lights, hold the phone steady and square to the screen, and avoid glare. Keep that digitized original safe; the swap makes a new MP4 and doesn't replace it. ## How do you pick the right moment? An upload can be 1 to 120 seconds long and up to 150 MB, in any common format. A whole tape is far longer, so trim a clip in your phone's or computer's video editor first. The person search runs automatically on the first 30 seconds, usually in a couple of minutes, and it's free. In a longer clip you can choose another part of up to 30 seconds. [How to pick the best 30 seconds](/guides/pick-the-best-30-seconds/) goes into more detail. Old footage is harder for AI than a modern phone video, so look for: - **Light.** A bright room or daylight beats a dim evening party. - **A large, visible face.** The person you replace should face the camera at least part of the time, not stand far away in a crowd. - **A steady camera.** Old camcorders zoom and swing a lot; skip the seconds where the picture is a blur. People who appear very briefly or are heavily blurred may not be found at all. If that happens, [the person you want isn't found](/guides/person-not-found-in-video/) explains what to try. Step-by-step help for the upload itself is in [how to upload your own video](/guides/upload-your-own-video-for-ai-swap/). ## Which photo and which look should you choose? Use one sharp, evenly lit photo of yourself alone with the whole face visible, as JPEG, PNG or WebP. One video can use up to 6 different photos, so several family members can step in at once. Everyone without a photo stays as in the original. Then decide on **Keep the original look**: - **On:** the clothes from the video stay, and only faces and hair change. This usually suits old footage best, because the outfits of that time are half the charm. - **Off:** your look (clothes, hair) comes from the photo. That can make a funny contrast, today's hoodie at a decades-old wedding. Use a full-body photo of yourself alone, since a portrait cannot show clothing it doesn't contain. ## What should you expect from old footage? vswp is generative AI, not a restoration tool and not frame-exact editing. Don't expect it to remove the noise, the faded colors or the blur of the tape. The result is an MP4 of the processed part, up to 30 seconds, with the original audio, at 480p or 720p; the frame rate follows the source, up to about 30 fps. Likeness, hands, things covering faces, fast camera moves and crowded scenes can need another take. Start with the free preview: if you haven't used it yet, "Make the free preview" shows about 5 seconds where the people with photos are on screen, at 480p, with a small "vswp.app" mark. If the full video doesn't look right, try a sharper photo or a clearer moment, then press "Create video" again; that makes a new take, which is a new render. ## What about the people in the video? Old family videos show real relatives, some of whom may no longer be with you. Be gentle: ask the family before you replace someone, especially a person who has passed away, and keep the video private unless everyone in it is happy to share it. Ask before using anyone else's photo too. Pressing "Create video" confirms you have the right to use the video and the photos. If you post it, say it's made with AI. Rules differ by country, and this is not legal advice; in the EU, the AI Act's disclosure rule for deepfakes applies from August 2026. ## How much does it cost? The free preview costs nothing; the number of free previews per day is limited, and the app says when the next one frees up. The full video is paid in Telegram Stars (⭐) through the bot @vswpapp_bot. The price depends on the length, the quality and the number of people you replace, and the exact price is shown before you start. Stars are taken when a render starts and returned automatically if it fails or is canceled. ## FAQ ### Can I add myself to an old video I wasn't in? Only by taking someone's place. vswp swaps people who are already in the frame, so pick a guest, a cousin or a passer-by and give their card your photo. ### Will AI make my old VHS video sharper? No. vswp isn't a restoration tool, so noise, blur and faded colors aren't fixed. Blurry faces are also harder to swap, so choose the clearest moment you have. ### Can I put a child into a video in place of a grandparent? Yes, if the grandparent is clearly visible in the scene. Ask the family first, and use a sharp photo of the child with the whole face visible.