Creating Videos with HeyGen API

This guide covers:

• Photo Avatars (Custom images)
• Public Avatars (HeyGen studio avatars)
• Instant Avatars / Digital Twin (Your own generated avatar)

You can choose which engine to use (avatar III or avatar IV) depending on your needs.

1. Photo Avatars

Photo Avatars let you generate videos from a static image.

Step 1: Get Photo Avatar ID

If you already have a Photo Avatar ID, skip this step. Otherwise:

1. Avatar Group: Call List All Avatar Groups to retrieve avatar groups.
2. Avatar Look: Call List All Avatars in One Avatar Group to choose a look.
   • Each look has a unique id, used as talking_photo_id.

Step 2: Create Video

Call Video Generation API:

• Set character.type to talking_photo.
• Provide talking_photo_id.

You can use either the avatar III or avatar IV engine depending on desired quality or features.

2. Public Avatars

Public Avatars are HeyGen’s prebuilt avatars.

Step 1: List Avatars and Voices

1. Avatars: Call List All Avatars (V2) and choose a avatar_id.
2. Voices: Call List All Voices (V2) and choose a voice_id.

Step 2: Create Video

You can proceed from this point by following the instructions on the Video Generation page or Create a WebM Video Page. The process remains the same - just ensure that you update the avatar_id and voice_id fields with the values you've obtained.

3. Instant Avatars / Digital Twin

Instant Avatars are custom avatars you generate through HeyGen. They are sometimes referred to as Digital Twin because they are fully animated.

Step 1: Generate an Instant Avatar

• Create your avatar on the Create Instant Avatar page.
• Assign a name during creation.

Step 2: Generate a Custom Voice (Optional)

• Go to the Voices page.
• Options:
  • Instant Voice Cloning – clone an existing voice from an audio file.
  • Generate Voice – create a new voice from text.

Step 3: Get IDs

• Use List All Avatars (V2) to find your Instant Avatar avatar_id.
• Use List All Voices (V2) to get your custom voice_id.

Step 4: Create Video

You can proceed from this point by following the instructions on the Video Generation page or Create a WebM Video Page. The process remains the same - just ensure that you update the avatar_id and voice_id fields with the values you've obtained.

4. Choosing an Engine