Avatars
January 8, 2025 · Last updated on April 23, 2025
Best practices for creating your AI avatar
# Video Avatars
# Voices
# Photo Avatars
Avatar & Voice shooting tips and tricks
Jay Richardson
Want to create a professional and engaging avatar? These simple steps will ensure your avatars look authentic, making them perfect for presentations, marketing, and more. To take it even further, pair your avatar with a voice that sounds just like you—check out our Best practices for cloning your voice guide to complete the experience.
This guide was written by HeyGen customer and creative technologist Jay Richardson to help you achieve the best results for video recordings. In case you missed it, check out the recap of Jay's presentation and demonstration on this topic at Visionary Voices, HeyGen's first ever community event.
Did you know learners retain up to 80% more information from videos compared to text? Dive into HeyGen Academy: 101, our self-paced course that covers all the HeyGen essentials.
What’s covered in this guide
- Video recording guidelines for avatars
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Additional resources for perfecting your avatar
Creating high-quality avatar footage
Follow these steps for optimized video recording:
🎥 Camera: Use a 4K camera or a modern smartphone with good resolution. If you are using a smartphone, you’ll get best results using cinematic mode in 4K.
Maintain a natural line of sight by positioning the camera at eye level. Disable auto-focus and use manual focus instead. On most smartphones, you can tap and hold on your face to lock focus.
Disable auto-exposure in order to maintain consistent exposure. On most smartphones, you can lock exposure by tapping and holding on your face until a lock icon appears.
Before recording, check for consistency by recording a short video with movement to determine whether the brightness or focus changes during the recording. If so, try locking focus and exposure.
💡 Lighting: Utilize natural lighting for the best video quality by positioning yourself facing a window with soft, indirect sunlight. Sit or stand with the window directly in front of you, avoiding direct sunlight to prevent harsh shadows and overexposure. Ensure your background is evenly lit, simple, and free of shadows to maintain focus and enhance overall video quality.
🎬 Background: Opt for a clean and simple background, especially if you intend to remove your avatar’s original background in future videos. Avoid backgrounds with excessive detail or motion to ensure the focus remains on you.
📏 Stability: Consider using a tripod or stabilize your phone or camera.
🧍🏾 Movement: Avoid quick movements, intricate hand movements and limit head turns to 30 degrees. For videos taken while walking, try to stabilize the phone by gripping it tightly. For best results, keep your hand movements subtle and generic.
⏺️ Recording: Position yourself at the center of the frame, ensuring your head and shoulders are clearly visible.
Keep a slight distance from the camera (2-3 feet) to avoid distortion and maintain a balanced perspective.
Sit or stand with good posture, avoiding slouching, and make steady eye contact with the camera to create a sense of connection.
The first 15 seconds of your video are critical—minimize blinking and excessive movement to maintain focus and clarity when speaking. Afterward, feel free to incorporate natural movements and gestures.
Aim to record for 2.5 to 3 minutes for the best results. Speak clearly at a moderate pace, using natural facial expressions and gestures, just as you would in a face-to-face conversation. Once you’ve created and uploaded your video, follow the consent prompts to give HeyGen clearance to create your avatar!
Common mistakes to avoid
Avoid these common pitfalls to ensure high-quality results:
- Fast movements: Avoid quick, jerky actions.
- Complex hand movements: Keep hand movements subtle and generic.
- Poor lighting: Steer clear of backlighting or harsh shadows.
- Camera angle: Keep the camera level; avoid tilting.
- Background noise: Record in a quiet space to prevent disturbances.
Unnatural hand and body movements
Ensure natural and subtle movements throughout the recording. Avoid excessive body, head or hand movements. For best results, keep your hands closed with subtle, generic gestures.
Want specific expressions or hand movements
If you want your avatar to make specific hand movements (i.e., thumbs up, pointing) or specific expressions, try creating different Avatar Looks for each.
Recap
By following these guidelines, you can create high-quality avatars with visual fidelity. Have questions or more tips and tricks to share? Join the discussion in this forum post.
This guide covered:
- Video recording guidelines for avatars
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Additional resources for perfecting your avatar
Now that you’ve learned the most important aspects of avatar creation, check out these detailed guides to help you create your personal avatar:
About Jay Richardson
Jay Richardson is a leader in AI-driven media and immersive content creation, blending technology with storytelling to elevate brand experiences globally. He has been featured on ABC Nightline News for travel content and was the executive producer of several Vogue covers around the world. His company AskMeAi.co has been leading AI technology for cutting-edge AI assistants in the hospitality sector, working with renowned hotels like St. Regis Resorts and 5-star resorts such as Sripanwa. Additionally, they have produced over 1,000 innovative avatars using HeyGen technology for training, social media, and data for top tech companies like ClickUp. Richardson is also the founder of LiveRichTravel, a team of high-profile content creators and influencers whose work showcases luxury travel destinations with the aim of boosting tourism and celebrating the beauty and diversity of the world. LiveRichTravel’s partners and clients include Netflix, Hulu, Maldives Tourism Board, and more.
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