HeyGen AI Tutorial: How to Use AI Avatars & Video Generator

0:00 Do you get burnt out trying to balance

0:02 life with being camera ready all the time?

0:05 Do you struggle with backgrounds, lighting,

0:07 and knowledge of how to put a production together?

0:10 Or maybe you just have a really small recording space.

0:14 If I'm this tired of seeing myself with this background,

0:17 this could cost me viewers who are also tired of it.

0:20 Do you wish you had another you so you could

0:23 have more time to create and spend less time in production?

0:26 Your wish can be granted when you create a HeyGen

0:30 digital twin avatar that looks like you and sounds like you.

0:34 You can place yourself anywhere in any setting in any clothes.

0:38 And with the latest release of Avatar 5 can

0:41 even use your authentic motion for realism that lets

0:45 you maintain your close relationship with your audience

0:48 while focusing all your creative energy on quality content.

0:52 Jess is out of the office, so she sent me her digital avatar.

0:57 In partnership with HeyGen, I'll show you how you can create more content,

1:01 maintain your personal brand, and scale with HeyGen's digital avatar.

1:06 HeyGen requires 15 seconds of video and a brief recording of your voice.

1:12 From there, you can create full length videos using your digital self.

1:16 Create quick, seamless, eyepopping videos by prompt.

1:20 translate your videos and more.

1:22 No more deciding the lighting is bad, my hair is bad,

1:25 I had something in my teeth the whole time

1:28 and didn't realize or had to reshoot for any reason.

1:31 What's more, as a trainer,

1:33 I know that sometimes the technology I'm teaching could

1:35 be out of date before I even publish a video.

1:38 Reshoots are tough.

1:40 I'd have to get the camera, lighting, outfit,

1:43 everything back in place to redo an updated video.

1:47 Now my avatar can wear the same outfit I was wearing the first

1:51 time and I can add a new video or update an existing one.

1:55 If it takes longer to set up the camera than it does to teach something,

2:00 using a digital avatar is a gamechanger.

2:03 Besides, I'm a trainer.

2:05 I know the subject matter of what I'm training.

2:08 I'm not a production expert.

2:10 What does a typical workflow look like?

2:12 To get started, the first thing you need to do is create your digital avatar.

2:17 On the left hand side, click avatar, then avatars,

2:21 and then on the top right hand side, click create avatar.

2:24 You can choose between creating your personal

2:26 digital clone or a virtual character.

2:28 We're going to create a digital clone first, and in a bit,

2:33 I'll explain why you might want a virtual character.

2:36 Do not worry if you don't have

2:38 all the expensive professional gear to record yourself.

2:41 This is the whole point.

2:43 You can use your computer or laptop's webcam

2:46 or even your phone via this QR code.

2:48 You can also upload existing footage that you have.

2:51 You don't even need a clear background.

2:54 And of course, you can change your outfit

2:56 virtually so what you're wearing doesn't matter.

2:58 What you do need is a reasonable light source so the camera can see you.

3:02 You need room to move your arms around

3:05 so your essence and motion can be captured.

3:08 And most important, you need energy and preparedness

3:11 to bring your likeness to the screen.

3:13 Make sure you are your "youiest".

3:15 You want to be the best that you can bring

3:18 in those 15 seconds to get the most realistic AI avatar.

3:22 Once that's done, you can optionally record your voice likeness,

3:26 which is recommended by HeyGen.

3:28 You can always still record your actual voice as a script for your video,

3:32 and your digital avatar will use your real voice.

3:35 There's no right or wrong way to do it.

3:38 You can also upload existing audio.

3:40 And once it's all done, you can listen to it using different voice engines

3:45 to see which one sounds the most like you.

3:49 Once your avatar is created, the next step is to choose some looks.

3:53 You can choose your base look and HeyGen will use

3:56 that to show you additional looks that you can swap to.

4:00 Alternatively, you can describe a look that you need to suit your project.

4:07 You can have up to 300 looks per avatar.

4:12 15 seconds of recording.

4:14 A few prompts later,

4:15 and now we are ready to put our avatar to work in an actual video project.

4:19 Once your avatar is created,

4:21 you can now use your voice and your likeness with all of your content,

4:26 no matter where it comes from.

4:27 If I want to do some of the editing myself,

4:30 I'll start by selecting a look and choose use in video.

4:34 This is going to open up AI Studio, which lets me fine-tune exactly what I want.

4:41 I'll select the engine to Avatar 5

4:44 to get that authentic motion that makes me me.

4:47 On the left hand side,

4:49 I have the option to let HeyGen do the script writing for me.

4:53 I can also upload existing audio that I have.

4:56 This is a great way to reuse existing content such as a webinar you did.

5:00 You can click down below to add continuous scenes

5:03 and you can change your avatars along the way.

5:06 I can also type a forward slash on the keyboard and record my own audio.

5:11 When you're all done with your video on the top right hand side of the screen,

5:18 click generate to create it.

5:22 But as a creator, you don't always have time for a full-bodied editor.

5:27 For that, you can use Video Agent.

5:29 Video Agent lets you create long- form video by prompt.

5:33 Select Video Agent on the left.

5:36 Select an avatar, and you can also choose from these pre-built

5:41 styles from the community to match what you're thinking for your video.

5:46 Now you can create your video just by a prompt.

5:50 You can click the plus sign and attach

5:53 any additional knowledge to create your video from.

5:56 You can also click options and choose the duration of your video.

6:00 You can decide whether it's portrait or landscape.

6:03 And you can make your prompt as short or as long as it needs to be.

6:09 Both of these methods get the same result.

6:12 It just depends on your personal preference and time.

6:15 Maybe you want to create a complete video based on an agent.

6:19 Or if you'd rather fine-tune it, you can use the full editor instead.

6:23 And what about promoting your video across social media?

6:26 Or if you need to get your message across in a way that will

6:30 captivate and keep your audience's attention

6:32 when you need something not only fast, but also incredibly ambitious.

6:36 For that, there's avatar shots.

6:39 I'll click avatar and go to avatar shots here on the lefth hand side.

6:45 Avatar Shots uses Seedance 2.0 to let

6:49 you create highly cinematic shots complete with scene

6:52 and wardrobe changes all with seamless transitions

6:55 for an eyepopping video up to 15 seconds long.

6:59 So this is amazing for trailers, promos, social media shorts and advertisements.

7:04 I used avatar shots to create that video you saw earlier

7:08 when I introduced that I have been using my video avatar.

7:13 That whole 15-second shot was done by one

7:16 very descriptive prompt that you can see here.

7:19 As content creators, we may not have the camera gear and ideal recording space,

7:24 and maybe we don't have the editing skills either,

7:27 but we do have vision and great script writing skills.

7:30 You are still in control of that vision.

7:33 You can chat your way through changes.

7:36 You can even decide if it's portrait or landscape.

7:39 In fact, if you have content already, you can create a video with it.

7:44 You can reuse existing PDFs and PowerPoint

7:47 presentations to make full length video productions.

7:51 You've created your digital self.

7:53 You've created videos, shorts, and promos.

7:56 Now that you've got all that free time,

7:59 it's time to think bigger and concentrate on scaling your business.

8:02 You may have an idea or new channel subject matter you want to try.

8:06 But as a content creator,

8:08 you know that your brand trust and recognition is built on consistency.

8:12 So to test out new content areas, channels,

8:14 or even if you just want to dive right in with it,

8:17 you can also create a virtual character avatar.

8:22 This way, your explainers and knowledge can be brought to a new

8:31 audience without confusing them in regards to your existing content.

8:38 Finally, scale your content to other countries

8:41 by translating the videos you've already created.

8:44 Click translate on the left hand side and you

8:47 can choose a video that you already have.

8:50 This can help you reach an audience

8:53 that was previously completely out of your grasp.

8:56 Keep brand presence without the burnout.

8:58 I can now create and post my content in short bursts as a reminder

9:03 that I'm here and I'm going to keep creating value for you.

9:07 But I'm just one person.

9:08 I'm going to get sick.

9:10 I'm not going to look like this every day.

9:13 My digital avatar, however, as you can see, does not have these problems.

9:17 So, as content creation becomes a business for you,

9:21 you will realize that your digital avatar can help

9:24 you grow without risking your sanity or your health.

9:28 To sum up, why should creators seriously consider using a HeyGen digital avatar?

9:34 Using an AI version of myself lets me scale while continuing to build trust

9:41 and maintain brand recognition without burnout so I

9:44 can focus on content that's quality for you.

9:48 Once again, this is Jess Stratton's digital avatar reminding you that if

9:53 you like this video that I made in partnership with HeyGen,

9:56 be sure to subscribe to both this channel

9:59 and newsletter so you don't miss a thing.