IEEE Access (Jan 2024)

Privacy-Preserving Face and Hair Swapping in Real-Time With a GAN-Generated Face Image

  • Dinh Tuan Tran,
  • Duc Tung Phung,
  • Duc Manh Duong,
  • Katsumi Inoue,
  • Joo-Ho Lee,
  • Anh Quang Nguyen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3420452
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12
pp. 179265 – 179280

Abstract

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In contemporary scenarios, privacy is paramount, especially in applications such as video interviews. This study introduces a privacy-focused real-time face and hair swapping method designed to conceal identity while retaining essential facial attributes of the original subject. Unlike conventional face swapping methods that rely on a reference image of a realistic person, our proposed method eliminates this need for enhanced privacy. Instead, this work introduces the use of a synthetic face image generated by a Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), offering a secure solution that addresses the heightened importance of privacy in face and hair swapping applications, particularly in sensitive contexts like interviews. The proposed method in this study is an efficient 3-phase pipeline capable of performing these operations in real-time from a standard camera. This novel approach ensures a seamless integration of anonymity and attribute preservation, paving the way for more discreet and privacy-centric real-time face and hair swapping technologies, not only in video interviews but also in entertainment and communication applications such as video teleconferencing and streaming media.

Keywords