What It Does
Face Director is an AI-powered plugin from Baskl.ai that lets you manipulate facial expressions, eye direction, head rotation, and neck height directly on video footage. It works across After Effects, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Nuke, giving editors a way to fix performance issues in post rather than scheduling reshoots.
The core use case is correcting footage where the performance isn’t quite right. An actor’s smirk that doesn’t fit the tone of the scene, a mouth that closes unexpectedly on a cut, or someone breaking character mid-take are all things Face Director can address without returning to set.
Key Features
Facial expression controls. Adjust smile, expression intensity, eye direction, head rotation, and neck height through dedicated controls. Each parameter can be keyframed for animation over time.
Direct drag manipulation. Rather than hunting through sliders, you can drag facial features directly on the preview window to tweak them. This makes rough corrections fast and fairly tactile.
Puppet mode. Use a separate video layer as a driver to retarget facial motion from one source onto another. Useful for motion retargeting or transferring a performance from a reference clip.
Keyframe animation. All facial controls support standard keyframing, so you can animate expressions changing over time, not just set a static correction.
Blooper recovery. Push expressions to extremes or dial them back entirely, which also makes it usable for more stylized or comedic work beyond simple continuity fixes.
Who It’s For
Editors and compositors who work with talking-head footage, interview content, narrative film, or corporate video will find this useful when a performance needs salvaging. It’s also relevant for motion designers creating character-driven content where precise facial control matters. The multi-host support (AE, Premiere, Resolve, Nuke) means it fits into most professional pipelines without requiring a specific app.
Pricing
Face Director is a one-time purchase at $99 (promotional price, regular price $149) through aescripts.com. A free trial is available to test before buying. Floating server and render-only license options are also offered for studio environments.