How to Create a Metahuman from an iPhone video

Requirements:
— iPhone 12 or later
— Live Link Face app.
— Unreal Engine 5.2 or higher

Requirements for the person in the footage:
— The person must not wear glasses, a hat, or anything covering the face. Avoid makeup and piercings. Minimal stubble (1–2 days) is acceptable.
— The face should be lit evenly and mainly from the front; avoid shadows.
— Use a solid background that contrasts with the skin colour.
— While recording: Sit up straight and look directly into the phone's camera. Slowly turn your head to the left, then to the right. Finally, look straight ahead and show your teeth.

My Experience

I used this tutorial to make a Metahuman of myself, and it came out looking pretty much like me. However, I needed a Granny-Metahuman for a project, so I put on a Halloween mask and followed the tutorial. Here's the result:

This MetaHuman was created from footage

Step 1: Device Setup

Install the Live Link Face app on your iPhone and select MetaHuman Animator as the capture mode. You can change this mode in the app settings.

Select MetaHuman Animator in Live Link Face app

Step 2: Activate the MetaHuman plugin

Open Unreal Engine. Go to Edit > Plugins and search for "MetaHuman". Check the box to activate the MetaHuman plugin. Restart your project.

Activating the MetaHuman plugin in Unreal Engine

Step 3: Capture and Transfer Footage

There are two ways to do this:
1. Archive: Record the video on your phone and transfer it to Unreal Engine via device storage, cloud storage, etc.
2. Connected: Stream the video directly from your phone to Unreal Engine via Wi-Fi.

Files are automatically converted into a format compatible with Unreal Engine and saved in the project.

Archive Method

Tap the red button (🔴) in the Live Link Face app to start recording a video. When finished, tap the gallery icon (bottom left corner) to access your footage. Select the video and tap "Share". For example, I uploaded the video to iCloud and then transferred it to my desktop.

2. In Unreal Engine, create a Capture Source: Add > MetaHuman Animator > Capture Source. I named the created asset "Granny".

Open "Granny" and configure the following parameters:
— Capture Source Type: LiveLink Face Archives,
— Storage Path: enter the path to the folder where the clip is located (for example, on the desktop).

Click Save.

3. Open Capture Manager: Tools > Capture Manager, locate the asset (in my case, it's called "Granny"). Select the clip, click Add to Queue, and then click Import All. Wait for the import to complete, then go to step 4.

Connected Method

1. Create a Capture Source in Unreal Engine: Add > MetaHuman Animator > Capture Source. Open the created asset and set the following parameters:
— Capture Source Type: LiveLink Face Connection;
— Device Address: IP address of the iPhone (Settings > Wi-Fi > ⓘ > IP address);
— Device Control Port: 14785

2. Open Capture Manager (Tools > Capture Manager), find the capture source you created, and launch the Live Link Face. A green circle will light up to indicate a connection between Unreal Engine and the app. Name the slate and click Start Capture. Record a video in the app and when you are done, click Stop Capture. Select the clip, click Add to Queue, and then click Import All. Then go to step 4.

Step 4: Create a MetaHuman from Footage

Now that you have the footage imported into UE, let's create a MetaHuman.

4.1. Create a MetaHuman Identity Asset (Add > MetaHuman Animator > Capture Source) and name it. This is also the name of your MetaHuman. For example, I named it Grandma.

4.2 Open Grandma, click Create Components, and select From Footage. In the dropdown menu, find and select your footage.

4.3 Capture the face from different angles: Click Neutral Pose, find a frame on the timeline where the participant is looking straight ahead, eyes open, lips closed, and save it by clicking Promote Frame (or "+" at the bottom of the panel). Click Free Roaming Camera Mode and repeat for the right and left sides of the face. You can rename frames by clicking on them.

4.4 Click MetaHuman Identity Solve, then add a body and click Skeletal Mesh + Full MetaHuman. Your MetaHuman is ready! For more customization, visit metahuman.unrealengine.com.

4.5 (Optional) To make the final MetaHuman look high quality, add a Teeth Pose. This step is available after adding a body and creating a skeleton (Mesh to MetaHuman > Skeletal Mesh Only). Go to Pose > Add > Add Pose > Add Teeth Pose, find frames showing teeth on the timeline, and click Promote Frame. Then select Skeletal Mesh + Full MetaHuman. Customize further at metahuman.unrealengine.com.

Step 5: Customize Your MetaHuman

Log in to MetaHuman Creator with your Epic Games account. Customize the face, hair, skin, and clothing of your MetaHuman, then import the finalized version into Unreal Engine.