MetaHuman Identity — Empty viewport and red/inactive playback bar when using "From Footage" option (UE 5.8)

Development Character & Animation
,
1

Hi everyone,

I am trying to use the MetaHuman Identity capture workflow from footage recorded with the Live Link Face app on iPhone, but I am running into an issue and hoping someone has encountered this before.

Environment:

  • Unreal Engine: 5.8
  • Live Link Hub: 5.8
  • Live Link Face app: iPhone (latest available version)
  • OS: Windows 11

Description of the issue:
When attempting to create a new MetaHuman Identity asset using the From Footage workflow, the video viewport inside the MetaHuman Identity Editor remains completely empty and the playback bar is red and inactive — the footage does not load or play.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Record facial performance footage using the Live Link Face app on iPhone.
  2. Transfer and process the footage through Live Link Hub 5.8 — this step completes successfully.
  3. A capture folder is automatically created inside the Unreal Engine project Content Browser — this also appears correct.
  4. Open MetaHuman Identity Editor → create a new Identity asset → select From Footage.
  5. Select the capture folder/footage from the Content Browser.
  6. Result: The video viewport is empty, the playback scrubber is red and non-interactive — footage does not display or play.

Expected result:
The recorded footage should appear in the MetaHuman Identity viewport, allowing facial tracking and identity solving to proceed.

What has been tested:

  • Multiple video lengths and quality settings recorded via Live Link Face app on iPhone
  • The capture folder is created successfully by Live Link Hub — the issue occurs specifically inside the MetaHuman Identity Editor
  • The workflow matches official tutorial videos and documentation steps exactly

Additional notes:
I have watched multiple official and community tutorial videos where this workflow functions correctly. All steps have been followed as documented. The issue appears to be either a compatibility problem in UE 5.8, a video codec/format issue introduced by the Live Link Face app, or a bug in how the MetaHuman Identity Editor reads the capture asset.

Any guidance or workaround would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!