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Set Per-Scene Actor Appearance

Goal: Override a character's default actor for a specific scene — useful for showing them at a different age, in disguise, or with a different physical state.

By default, a character uses the same digital actor in every scene of your project. Per-scene overrides let you break that rule intentionally: show a character as a child in a flashback, aged in a flash-forward, in disguise during a thriller sequence, or visibly injured after a story event. The override only affects the scenes you specify — the rest of the project keeps the original casting intact.

Steps​

  1. Navigate to the scene you want to override. In the left sidebar, open the Scenes panel and click the target scene. The scene opens in the main editor with its shots visible in the timeline.

  2. Open Scene Settings. Click the Settings gear icon in the scene header bar (top of the timeline area). The Scene Settings drawer slides open on the right.

  3. Find the Characters section. Scroll down in Scene Settings to the Characters section. Every character who appears in this scene is listed, each showing their currently assigned actor thumbnail.

  4. Click Override Actor next to the character name. An Override button appears on hover for each character row. Click it to open the override selector for that character in this scene.

  5. Choose a different actor from the library. The Actor Library drawer opens. Browse or search for the replacement actor — for example, an older or younger variant of your lead character. Click the actor's thumbnail to select them.

  6. Set the override scope. Before confirming, choose the scope from the dropdown:

    • This scene only — only this scene uses the replacement actor.
    • This scene and all following scenes — the replacement actor takes over from this scene forward, while earlier scenes keep the original.

  7. Preview how the character looks in the scene context. Click Preview in Scene. ACT3 AI generates a low-resolution preview frame showing the override actor placed in the scene's set and lighting. Compare it against the default to confirm the substitution looks right.

  8. Confirm the override. Click Apply Override. The character row in Scene Settings now shows the override actor thumbnail with an orange Override badge, distinguishing it from the project default.

  9. Clear the override to restore the default actor. To undo the override at any time, return to Scene Settings → Characters, find the character, and click the × on the Override badge. The character immediately reverts to their project-level casting.

Tips​

  • Use per-scene overrides for flashback scenes, dream sequences, or to show characters aging across a story timeline without changing the core casting for the rest of the project.
  • If you need a very subtle change — same actor but with a scar or different hairstyle — consider using the Costume settings instead of a full actor override. Costume changes are less expensive in credits.
  • Override actors must already exist in your Actor Library. If you need a new variant (for example, an elderly version of your lead), create the digital actor first, then come back to apply the override here.

Next steps​