Troublshooting Issues with Eye Contact (beta)

The Eye Contact feature in Descript simulates natural eye contact with your audience. Below are common issues and their resolutions to help you get the best results.

The Eye Contact feature is currently in beta, so it may not work perfectly in all cases. We appreciate your patience as we continue to improve this feature.

Eye Contact doesn’t apply to my video

The Eye Contact feature might not work if your video uses a Variable Frame Rate (VFR), contains multiple people, or the subject's face or eyes are partially visible. Videos with VFR can cause inconsistencies in how the feature processes video, and Eye Contact only works when the subject’s eyes and face are clearly visible in the frame.

You can follow these steps to help resolve related issues:

Re-encode your video to a Constant Frame Rate (CFR) using Handbrake:
1. Open the video in Handbrake.
2. Navigate to the Video tab and select Constant Framerate.
3. Start the re-encoding process by clicking Start.
4. Replace the original file in Descript with the re-encoded version.
Ensure clear visibility of the subject’s face and eyes:
- Re-frame the video so that the subject’s face and eyes are prominent, centered, and fully visible.
Try the steps found in the Additional Tools for Troubleshooting section.

The results look unnatural

If Eye Contact adjustments look unnatural, it’s likely because the subject’s face is too small, poorly lit, or positioned at an extreme angle. Glare or reflections on glasses can also disrupt the feature, causing unrealistic results.

To hopefully improve the results you can:

Try the steps found in the Additional Tools for Troubleshooting section.
Re-frame the subject’s face:
- Ensure the face is large, centered, and fully visible in the frame. A straight-on view works best. Avoid extreme angles that distort the subject’s features.
Optimize lighting:
- Avoid backlighting and uneven lighting. Use soft, even lighting to enhance visibility and reduce shadows.
Reduce reflections on glasses:
- Adjust the position of glasses or the camera to minimize glare and reflections.

Eye Contact takes a long time to process

The time it takes to process Eye Contact adjustments depends on the length and resolution of the video. High-resolution videos and longer duration can slow down processing significantly.

Eye Contact skips sections of the video

The feature may skip parts of your video if the subject moves their head or eyes out of the frame or purposefully looks away from the camera.

To hopefully improve the results you can:

Try the steps found in the Additional Tools for Troubleshooting section.
Minimize head and eye movements:
- Try to avoid large movements away from the camera. Reading from a script or teleprompter positioned near the camera can help maintain consistent eye contact.
Follow our tips and best practices listed below

Tips and Best Practices for Optimal Results

To ensure the best experience with Eye Contact, follow these tips:

Single-person focus: Ensure only one person appears in the video.
Face framing: Keep the face large and centered in the frame.
Lighting: Use soft, even lighting, and avoid backlighting.
Minimize movement: Avoid large head or eye movements.
Reduce reflections: Adjust glasses to reduce glare or reflections.

Learn more about Eye Contact best practices.

Additional Tools for Troubleshooting

Use Preview or the web version of Descript:
- For faster processing, try the Preview or web version of Descript. It uses an instant pipeline that avoids some common desktop processing challenges.
Repair Video Timestamps:
- If there are playback or timestamp issues, use the Repair Video Timestamps feature within Descript.
Convert any variable frame rate (VFR) files to a consistent frame rate (CFR)
- Follow the VFR to CFR Handbrake Instructions detailed in the Eye Contact doesn’t apply to my video section above for guidance on re-encoding and replacing files.