Avatar Studio
Avatar Studio generates lip-synced talking-head presenter videos from a photo or script — no camera, no shoot, no scheduling required.
Avatar Studio generates video, not still images. Each generation produces a finished, lip-synced clip ready to drop directly onto your Premiere Pro timeline. There is no frame-by-frame editing inside Avatar Studio — it is a one-take generation workflow.
When to Use Avatar Studio
Avatar Studio is the right tool any time you need a presenter on screen without booking a shoot.
UGC-style social ads — produce authentic-looking spokesperson clips at scale for Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts
Product walkthroughs and explainers — walk viewers through features with a talking presenter in the frame without scheduling talent
Title-card and overlay presenters — generate a transparent-background spokesperson and composite them over any footage in Premiere Pro
Rapid ad variant testing — change the script, change the voice, generate again without re-booking anyone
Any project where you need a talking head in five minutes — if you have a script and an avatar, you have a clip
Getting Started
Step 1: Open Avatar Studio
Open Chat Video Pro (Window → Extensions → Chat Video Pro)
Click the Studio button in the sidebar to open the Launchpad
In the Production department, click the Avatar Studio card
Step 2: Choose Your Avatar
Avatar Studio gives you two ways to pick who appears on screen.
Preset Avatars
Browse the built-in gallery and select any presenter. Each card shows the presenter's name and a preview thumbnail. Preset avatars support the full range of background controls — including transparent output — and include a background-capable indicator when those controls are available.
Your Photo
Select Your photo and upload a portrait (JPEG, PNG, or WebP; at least 256 × 256 px; up to 15 MB). The face should be clearly visible, well-lit, forward-facing, and unobstructed. Your photo mode has its own resolution range and always renders on the default background.
Toggle between Preset and Your photo at any time before generating. Background color and transparent settings are only active in preset avatar mode — switching to Your photo automatically resets to the default background.
Step 3: Set Up Your Voice and Script
Two paths determine what the avatar says and how it sounds.
Script + Voice
Type or paste your script into the text box — up to 5,000 characters per generation. Pick a voice from the curated voice chips, or use the search field to browse additional voices. Click the play icon on any voice chip to hear a preview before committing.
Write the way you speak, not the way you write. Short sentences, natural pauses (add a comma or period where you would breathe), and conversational language produce more natural-sounding delivery. Read the script aloud before generating — if it sounds stiff when you read it, it will sound stiff from the avatar. For longer content, split the script into multiple generations and assemble the clips on the Premiere timeline.
My Audio
Upload an audio file (MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, or OGG — up to 120 seconds). Avatar Studio drives the lip-sync directly from your recording. No voice selection is required. Your exact inflections, pacing, and pauses are preserved.
Use My Audio when the delivery must match a specific performance — a particular accent, emotional tone, or reading cadence that a preset voice cannot replicate.
Step 4: Output Settings
Before generating, configure the output to match your platform and use case.
Aspect Ratio
Six options: 16:9 (landscape/widescreen), 9:16 (vertical — Stories, Reels, Shorts), 4:5 (portrait feed), 5:4, 1:1 (square), and Auto (the engine selects based on the avatar source). Pick the ratio that matches your target platform before generating — it cannot be changed after.
TikTok / Instagram Reels / YouTube Shorts
9:16
Instagram feed / Facebook
4:5 or 1:1
YouTube / website / horizontal ad
16:9
Resolution
Available resolutions depend on your avatar source:
Preset avatar — 720p, 1080p, or 4K. For most social content, 1080p is the sweet spot.
Your photo — 360p, 480p, 540p, 720p, or 1080p. Higher resolutions produce sharper output but take longer to render.
Background (preset avatars with background support only)
Background controls appear for preset avatars that include background compositing support. Three options:
Default — the avatar renders on its natural built-in scene.
Color — choose any solid color. Quick-access swatches include green screen, white, black, studio blue, and charcoal; a full color picker lets you dial in any hex value.
Transparent — the avatar renders with a transparent background, encoded as ProRes 4444. Premiere Pro reads the alpha channel natively — no keying or matte step required. Use this for title overlays, lower-thirds, or compositing the presenter over your own footage.
Talking Style (Your photo only)
Stable — consistent, measured facial movement. Best for product explainers and professional content.
Expressive — more animated facial expression. Better for social ads and casual-tone content.
Generate SRT Captions
When this toggle is on, Avatar Studio downloads a synchronized SRT captions file alongside the video. Import it into Premiere Pro as a subtitle track to caption the presenter with no manual transcription.
Step 5: Add to Your Timeline
Click Generate. A progress indicator shows while the video renders — typically about a minute. When the preview appears, watch it to confirm the result, then click Add to chat to attach it as a chat message asset.
From there, drag the clip directly onto your Premiere Pro timeline the same way you would any other generated video in Chat Video Pro. If you generated a transparent-background ProRes 4444 clip, place it on a track above your main footage — the alpha channel is preserved automatically, with no keying step required.
Pro Tips
Use a clear, well-lit, forward-facing photo for best results
The face should fill a good portion of the frame with no sunglasses, masks, or heavy shadows. Avatar Studio processes and crops the background automatically — the photo doesn't need a clean backdrop, but the face does.
Transparent background lets you composite over anything in Premiere
Choose a background-capable preset avatar, set the background to Transparent, and generate. Because the result is ProRes 4444, Premiere Pro reads the alpha channel natively — no keying step required. Drop the clip onto a track above your footage and it sits cleanly over any background you have.
Use My Audio when the performance matters
If you've already recorded a line with a specific delivery, pacing, or accent that a preset voice can't replicate, My Audio preserves it exactly. It's also the fastest path when you have a polished voice-over recording already in your project.
Preview voices before committing
The play icon on each voice chip plays a short sample before you select. Running through a few options takes less than a minute and is faster than committing, generating, and discovering the wrong voice afterward.
Generate multiple variations to find the best take
Change the voice, talking style, or script and generate again — each result is independent. Collect the clips you want in chat, then compare them on the timeline before picking your final version.
Split long scripts into segments
Avatar Studio supports up to 5,000 characters per generation. For longer content, break the script at natural pause points, generate each segment separately, and assemble the clips in order on the Premiere timeline.
Troubleshooting
The Generate button is disabled Avatar Studio requires an API key configured in Settings. If it is missing or invalid, generation will not start. Go to Settings → API Keys, confirm the key is entered, and check that it is funded.
Lip-sync looks off or the face is stiff For Your photo mode, use a higher-resolution source with a clear, unobstructed face. For Script + Voice, try shortening sentences and adding punctuation at natural pause points — it improves cadence and can noticeably smooth the delivery.
The transparent background option is grayed out Transparent output is only available for preset avatars that include background compositing support. Switch to a background-capable preset avatar to unlock the option. Your photo mode does not support transparent backgrounds.
The output uses a background I didn't expect Background controls only appear for preset avatars with background support. If you chose Your photo or a preset without background capability, the avatar always renders on its default scene.
The SRT captions file didn't appear The Generate SRT Captions toggle must be on before clicking Generate — the captions file generates alongside the video and cannot be added retroactively. Turn on the toggle and generate again.
The video has the wrong aspect ratio Aspect ratio cannot be changed after generation. If the result is the wrong shape, adjust the ratio setting and generate again.
Generation failed or timed out Try again — video generation can occasionally fail under high load. If failures continue, check your API key status in Settings and confirm the key is funded.
Next: Layer a transparent-background Avatar Studio presenter over any scene in Premiere Pro, or use Relight Scene to match the lighting of an AI-generated background to your presenter clip.
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