# The person you want isn't found in your video: what to do > Why the AI person search can miss someone in your video, where to look for them first, and how to choose a part or clip where they will be found. Source: https://vswp.app/guides/person-not-found-in-video/ · Updated 2026-10-28 If the person you want to replace has no card in [vswp](/), first look in the background group, then check that they are actually in the part being searched: for an upload, that is the first 30 seconds unless you choose another part. If they are there but still missing, they are probably on screen too briefly or too blurred to be found, so choose a part of up to 30 seconds where they are larger, clearer and visible longer, or pick another clip. ## Why can a person be missing from the cards? When you upload a video, vswp searches it for people automatically. The search covers the first 30 seconds, usually takes a couple of minutes, and is free. Each person found gets a card; the main people come first, and people seen briefly or far away are grouped as the background. People who appear very briefly or are heavily blurred may not be found at all. In practice, the same things that make a person hard for you to see make them hard to find: - **They flash by.** A friend who crosses the frame for a moment. - **They are tiny or far away.** A figure at the back of a room or a stage. - **Their face is hidden or blurred.** Motion blur, a dark room, a face turned away or covered for most of the part. - **They are in a crowd.** One face among many, partly covered by others. The search looks at the video, not at your photos, so a different photo won't make a missing person appear. What helps is a different part of the video or a different clip. ## Where should you look first? Before changing anything, do these quick checks: 1. **Open the background group.** It collects people seen briefly or far away in this part. The person you expected as a main person may be there, and you can give them a photo from that group. 2. **Compare the card pictures.** Each card shows the person as they look in the clip. Someone in a hat or under stage lights can look different from how you picture them, especially if two people wear similar clothes. 3. **Check the timing.** If the person only shows up after the first 30 seconds, the automatic search simply hasn't reached them. If you find them, add their photo to that card and carry on. If not, read on. ## How do you choose a part where they will be found? For a video longer than 30 seconds, you can choose another part of up to 30 seconds, and the cards then follow the people in that part. Pick it with the missing person in mind: 1. **Play the whole clip once** and note the moments when that person is large in the frame with their face visible. 2. **Choose a part that starts near those moments,** so they are on screen for much of it, not just at the edge. 3. **Avoid stretches of fast camera moves,** darkness and crowding if you can; the person should stay sharp for a good while. 4. **Wait for the search to finish** and look over the new cards, including the background group. The same person can be a main person in one part of a video and background in another, so this step often solves the problem on its own. Our guide on [how to pick the best 30 seconds of a long video](/guides/pick-the-best-30-seconds/) goes deeper into choosing the part. ## When is it better to pick another clip? Sometimes no part of the video shows the person well: they only ever pass by, stay far from the camera, or are always behind someone. In that case, another clip will give a better result than fighting this one. Even if the person were found, a face that is tiny or blurred for most of the clip changes very little when it is replaced. Good clips have the people you want to swap large in the frame, in decent light, facing the camera for much of the time. Our guide on [how to choose a video for an AI swap](/guides/choose-a-video-for-ai-swap/) lists what to look for. You can also start from the [Trends](/trend/) library, where popular videos come with the people already found, so you go straight to the photos. ## What shouldn't you do? - **Don't put their photo on someone else's card.** A photo replaces the person whose card it is on, so the wrong person would be swapped, with their moves and position. - **Don't swap someone just because they were found.** If the person you wanted is missing, it is fine to leave every card empty, choose another part and try again. - **Don't rely on a lucky take.** If the person isn't found, a new render won't add them. Change the part or the clip first. ## What happens after the person is found? Add a photo to their card: one person per photo, sharp, in good light, as JPEG, PNG or WebP. Everyone without a photo stays as in the original. With "Keep the original look" on, clothes stay as in the video and only faces and hair change; with it off, the look comes from the photo, and a full-body photo carries clothing, hair and silhouette best. The app shows the estimated time and the price before you start. Prices are in Telegram Stars (⭐) and depend on the length, the quality and the number of people. If you are new, press "Make the free preview" first: about 5 seconds of your video at 480p, taken from where the people with photos are on screen, with a small "vswp.app" mark. More on the cards in [who gets swapped in a video](/guides/who-gets-swapped-in-a-video/). Ask before you use someone's photo, and upload only videos you have the right to use. By pressing "Create video" you confirm you have the right to use the video and the photos. ## FAQ ### Why didn't vswp find my friend in the video? Usually because they are on screen very briefly, far away or heavily blurred in the part that was searched. Check the background group first, then choose a part where your friend is larger and visible longer. ### The person appears after 30 seconds. What should I do? The automatic search covers the first 30 seconds of an upload. Choose another part of up to 30 seconds where that person is on screen, and the cards will follow the people in that part. ### Will a better photo help vswp find the person? No. The search looks at the video, not at your photos. A clearer part of the video or another clip helps; a good photo matters once the person has a card. ### Is the people search free? Yes. It runs automatically on the first 30 seconds of your upload, usually in a couple of minutes, and costs nothing. ### Can I put the photo on a similar-looking card instead? Only if that card really is the same person. A photo replaces whoever is on its card, so on the wrong card it swaps the wrong person.