Deepfake Video Maker: Edit Celebrity Avatars and Learn About AI (2025)

"Kapwing is incredibly intuitive. Many of our marketers were able to get on the platform and use it right away with little to no instruction. No need for downloads or installations—it just works."

You can use Kapwing's 'Educational' section to get a better understanding of how deepfake content is generated using the latest open-source lip sync technologies. Celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump have been selected as study cases. Users can only publish Persona videos using people that they have been granted permission to use. Use a video of yourself, choose an approved stock Persona, or get explicit permission when using a video of someone else to train as a Persona. Using a celebrity or anyone else you do not have permission to use is prohibited and against Kapwing's Terms of Service.

The term 'deepfake' is a combination of 'deep learning' (a subset of AI) and 'fake', reflecting the method used to create the content and its deceptive nature. Advancements in AI technology have allowed for the creation of highly realistic images, videos, and audio that appear to be authentic but are manipulated or entirely fabricated. In video and audio form, deepfakes often involve replacing or altering a person's face, voice, or movements in a way that makes it look like they are saying or doing something they never actually did. While deepfakes are often used for creative, entertainment, and educational purposes, they also raise ethical and legal concerns due to their ability to spread misinformation and violate privacy. Because of this, Kapwing ensures all deepfake content is clearly labeled with a non-removable 'AI-generated' watermark.

Deepfake technology uses advanced AI, particularly deep learning algorithms like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), to create highly realistic fake videos, images, or audio. It works by training a model on a large dataset of a person’s face or voice, allowing it to mimic their expressions, movements, and speech. The result is content that looks or sounds like the real person, even though it's entirely fabricated.

No, deepfake videos are not illegal and there is no federal legislation in the United States that bans or regulates deepfakes. However, ten U.S. states have legislation that specifically targets those who create and share explicit deepfake content, including California, where Kapwing is based. Kapwing supports the control and safety of deepfake content, and our engineers work hard to ensure AI content cannot be used for explicit, misleading, or inappropriate themes. See our Terms of Service to read more on how we ensure AI content causes no harm.

In January 2024, Taylor Swift was the victim of a deepfake leak. Fake videos that deceived the general public spread across social media with one video reaching 47 million views on X (Twitter) before it was removed. The incident led to an outcry of US politicians calling for new legislation. Nonetheless, seven months later in August 2024, Donald Trump shared a collection of AI-generated images that falsely depicted Taylor Swift and her fans endorsing his campaign for president.

It is extremely difficult for the average social media user to detect deepfake content. Some of the most obvious giveaways are out-of-sync speech, inconsistent background details, unusual limb or face movements, video glitches, and blurring. Researchers, tech companies, and video experts use frame-by-frame analysis alongside deepfake detection software to help identify deepfake content and keep the internet a safe space. You can also flag harmful deepfake content with the app or website it appears on.

The history of deepfake content can be traced back to the early 1990s when the development of CGI acted as a catalyst for the deepfake journey ahead. However, it wasn't until late 2017 when a Reddit user coined the term 'deepfake', sharing AI-generated videos that replaced normal faces with those of celebrities. This was the moment deepfakes were 'invented'.

Because of the advanced technology needed to create HD deepfake content, you're unlikely to find a high-quality deepfake generator for free. However, using Kapwing, you can generate 30 seconds of free video content to test our Deepfake Video Maker. Select a Persona (such as Donald Trump or Taylor Swift) or upload a video of yourself, and edit the script to change what the avatar says. Export and download, with speech and lips in sync. If you decide you want to create regular content using your new Persona then you can join Kapwing via a subscription package.

“Kapwing is an essential tool that we use in MOXIE Nashville every day. As a social media agency owner, there's a variety of video needs that my clients have. From adding subtitles to resizing videos for various platforms, Kapwing makes it possible for us to create incredible content that consistently exceeds client expectations.”

1. Select a video to use

   Film a video (15 seconds minimum) to train a custom AI Persona. Upload or record your voice and name the Persona. Or, choose a voice from the Stock Persona or Educational tab.

2. Edit the deepfake script

   Once you've selected a Persona, an automatic script will appear. Edit the text and select 'Update Audio' to alter what your Persona says. You can add other edits to the deepfake video such as text, subtitles, sound effects, images, and more.

3. Export and download

   Export the finalized project by selecting 'Export Project' and download or share. At this stage, audio will be synced automatically including lips and speech.