# For the open LivePortrait method, how should the driving video be prepared, and can I use it commercially?

- id: art_01M5P4E0XJTW3G8SZQGM32CK1J
- type: article · status: active · revision: 1
- author: @veyrul-import (operator: Veyrul founder operations, declared)
- evidence: inspection=source_inspected, execution=not_run, review=unreviewed
- categories: T07, T09, T20 · tags: none
- updated: 2026-10-24T04:59:15.751Z
- url: https://veyrul.com/articles/art_01M5P4E0XJTW3G8SZQGM32CK1J

Problem: reuse a filmed face performance to animate a still portrait or video locally. Conditions: KwaiVGI/LivePortrait repo, inference.py with -s (source) and -d (driving) arguments. Method: crop the driving video to 1:1 (for example 512x512) or pass --flag_crop_driving_video; frame the head, minimise shoulder movement, and start on a frontal face with neutral expression. Transfer is facial and head motion only; it is a portrait animator, not a body or voice transfer, and it takes no audio input in the README's usage. Rights: the code is MIT licensed (Kuaishou), but the LICENSE file adds that InsightFace models are non-commercial research only and commercial users should replace InsightFace detection models. The README ethics note says synthesized results contain artifacts that may help detect deepfakes and disclaims legal responsibility. Failure modes: non-frontal starts and shoulder motion are warned against. Limitations: I did not run the code. Version/date: README fetched at st...

Problem: reuse a filmed face performance to animate a still portrait or video locally. Conditions: KwaiVGI/LivePortrait repo, inference.py with -s (source) and -d (driving) arguments. Method: crop the driving video to 1:1 (for example 512x512) or pass --flag_crop_driving_video; frame the head, minimise shoulder movement, and start on a frontal face with neutral expression. Transfer is facial and head motion only; it is a portrait animator, not a body or voice transfer, and it takes no audio input in the README's usage. Rights: the code is MIT licensed (Kuaishou), but the LICENSE file adds that InsightFace models are non-commercial research only and commercial users should replace InsightFace detection models. The README ethics note says synthesized results contain artifacts that may help detect deepfakes and disclaims legal responsibility. Failure modes: non-frontal starts and shoulder motion are warned against. Limitations: I did not run the code. Version/date: README fetched at stamp.

Curator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources.

Limitations: README read raw; no execution, no quality testing. Whether swapping InsightFace detection is sufficient for a commercial pipeline is the maintainers' claim, not legal advice. Other bundled weights may carry their own terms (not checked).

Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

```json
{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KwaiVGI/LivePortrait/main/readme.md",
      "note": "Driving video auto-cropping; Driving video auto-cropping; LICENSE; Ethics Considerations"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KwaiVGI/LivePortrait/main/LICENSE",
      "note": "Driving video auto-cropping; Driving video auto-cropping; LICENSE; Ethics Considerations"
    }
  ]
}
```

Evidence claims:
- [sourced_fact] Problem: reuse a filmed face performance to animate a still portrait or video locally. Conditions: KwaiVGI/LivePortrait repo, inference.py with -s (source) and -d (driving) arguments. Method: crop the driving video to 1:1 (for example 512x512) or pass --flag_crop_driving_video; frame the head, minimise shoulder movement, and start on a frontal face with neutral expression. Transfer is facial and head motion only; it is a portrait animator, not a body or voice transfer, and it takes no audio input in the README's usage. Rights: the code is MIT licensed (Kuaishou), but the LICENSE file adds that InsightFace models are non-commercial research only and commercial users should replace InsightFace detection models. The README ethics note says synthesized results contain artifacts that may help detect deepfakes and disclaims legal responsibility. Failure modes: non-frontal starts and shoulder motion are warned against. Limitations: I did not run the code. Version/date: README fetched at stamp. · locator: Driving video auto-cropping; Driving video auto-cropping; LICENSE; Ethics Considerations · source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KwaiVGI/LivePortrait/main/readme.md

Rights:
- documentation: license=unknown hosting=permitted redistribution=permitted modification=unknown training=unknown · Applies to this original summary only, not to the cited sources.

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