Interest Groups

A group for builders and developers using the HeyGen API. Find technical resources on https://docs.heygen.com. 

HeyGen

Speaker

Content

Enterprise Product Manager @ HeyGen

API Builders

API & Integrations

<p>HeyGen’s API empowers you to automate video creation, personalize content at scale, and integrate avatars into your projects. In this guide, we’ll demonstrate two examples based on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJGwWwPd-qA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alec’s webinar</a>:</p><p><strong>1) Creating Personalized Birthday Videos Using Templates</strong></p><p><strong>2) Integrating OpenAI to Generate Dynamic Scripts</strong></p><div><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yJGwWwPd-qA?rel=0&amp;start=1733984239317" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"></iframe></div></div><p><br></p><p>Let’s get started!</p><h2><strong>Step 1: Access the HeyGen API Documentation</strong></h2><p>Visit<a href="https://docs.heygen.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a><strong><u><a href="https://docs.heygen.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">docs.heygen.com</a></u></strong> to access HeyGen’s official API documentation. This contains:</p><ol><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span>Setup guides for beginners.</li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span>Detailed API references for developers.</li></ol><p>If you’re unfamiliar with APIs, don’t worry—this guide will walk you through the essentials.</p><h2><strong>Step 2: Create a Video Template</strong></h2><p>Templates allow you to design reusable videos with customizable elements (variables). These templates are central to automating video creation.</p><h3><strong>How to Create a Template:</strong></h3><ol><li data-list="ordered"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><strong>Log into HeyGen</strong> and navigate to the <strong>Templates</strong> section.</li><li data-list="ordered"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span>Click <strong>Create Template</strong> and design your video:</li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span>Add your <strong>avatar</strong>, <strong>background</strong>, and any static elements (e.g., text, images).</li><li data-list="ordered"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><strong>Define Variables</strong> for dynamic content:</li><li data-list="bullet" class="ql-indent-1"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span>Select an element (e.g., text or image).</li><li data-list="bullet" class="ql-indent-1"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span>Click the <strong>API</strong> button to assign a variable name (e.g., name, message, background).</li><li data-list="ordered"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span>Save the template and copy its <strong>Template ID</strong> by clicking the three dots next to the template.</li></ol><h2><strong>Step 3: Generate Videos Using the Template API</strong></h2><h3><strong>Python Example:</strong></h3><p>Below is a corrected script to dynamically generate a personalized birthday video:</p><div class="ql-code-block-container" spellcheck="false"><select class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"><option value="plain">Plain</option><option value="bash">Bash</option><option value="cpp">C++</option><option value="cs">C#</option><option value="css">CSS</option><option value="diff">Diff</option><option value="xml">HTML/XML</option><option value="java">Java</option><option value="javascript">JavaScript</option><option value="markdown">Markdown</option><option value="php">PHP</option><option value="python">Python</option><option value="ruby">Ruby</option><option value="sql">SQL</option></select><div class="ql-code-block">import requests</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># API and Template Information</div><div class="ql-code-block">api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"</div><div class="ql-code-block">template_id = "YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID"</div><div class="ql-code-block">generate_url = f"https://api.heygen.com/v2/template/{template_id}/generate"</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># Request Headers</div><div class="ql-code-block">headers = {"Accept": "application/json", "X-API-KEY": api_key}</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># Payload with Dynamic Variables</div><div class="ql-code-block">payload = {</div><div class="ql-code-block">    "title": "Birthday Greeting for Alec",</div><div class="ql-code-block">    "variables": {</div><div class="ql-code-block">        "name": {"name": "name", "type": "text", "properties": {"content": "Alec"}},</div><div class="ql-code-block">        "message": {</div><div class="ql-code-block">            "name": "message",</div><div class="ql-code-block">            "type": "text",</div><div class="ql-code-block">            "properties": {"content": "Happy birthday, Alec! Wishing you a fantastic day."},</div><div class="ql-code-block">        },</div><div class="ql-code-block">    },</div><div class="ql-code-block">}</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># API Request</div><div class="ql-code-block">response = requests.post(generate_url, json=payload, headers=headers)</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># Handle Response</div><div class="ql-code-block">if response.status_code == 200:</div><div class="ql-code-block">    video_data = response.json()</div><div class="ql-code-block">    print("Video URL:", video_data["video_url"])</div><div class="ql-code-block">else:</div><div class="ql-code-block">    print("Error:", response.json())</div></div><p><br></p><p>&nbsp;<strong>Steps to Follow:</strong></p><p>1.Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your API key (found under <strong>Settings &gt; API</strong> in your HeyGen account).</p><p>2.Replace YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID with your Template ID from Step 2.</p><p>3.Customize the name and message fields in the payload.</p><p>4.Run the script to generate the video. The video URL will appear in the response.</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Step 4: Add OpenAI for Dynamic Script Creation</strong></h2><p>Integrating OpenAI allows you to generate unique scripts for each video, making the content even more personalized.</p><h3><strong>Python Example with OpenAI:</strong></h3><div class="ql-code-block-container" spellcheck="false"><select class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"><option value="plain">Plain</option><option value="bash">Bash</option><option value="cpp">C++</option><option value="cs">C#</option><option value="css">CSS</option><option value="diff">Diff</option><option value="xml">HTML/XML</option><option value="java">Java</option><option value="javascript">JavaScript</option><option value="markdown">Markdown</option><option value="php">PHP</option><option value="python">Python</option><option value="ruby">Ruby</option><option value="sql">SQL</option></select><div class="ql-code-block">import requests</div><div class="ql-code-block">import openai</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># OpenAI API Key</div><div class="ql-code-block">openai.api_key = "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY"</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># Generate Dynamic Script with OpenAI</div><div class="ql-code-block">response = openai.Completion.create(</div><div class="ql-code-block">    engine="text-davinci-003",</div><div class="ql-code-block">    prompt="Write a funny birthday message for Alec.",</div><div class="ql-code-block">    max_tokens=50,</div><div class="ql-code-block">)</div><div class="ql-code-block">dynamic_message = response.choices[0].text.strip()</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># HeyGen API Details</div><div class="ql-code-block">api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"</div><div class="ql-code-block">template_id = "YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID"</div><div class="ql-code-block">generate_url = f"https://api.heygen.com/v2/template/{template_id}/generate"</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># Request Headers</div><div class="ql-code-block">headers = {"Accept": "application/json", "X-API-KEY": api_key}</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># Payload with OpenAI-Generated Script</div><div class="ql-code-block">payload = {</div><div class="ql-code-block">    "title": "Dynamic Birthday Greeting",</div><div class="ql-code-block">    "variables": {</div><div class="ql-code-block">        "name": {"name": "name", "type": "text", "properties": {"content": "Alec"}},</div><div class="ql-code-block">        "message": {</div><div class="ql-code-block">            "name": "message",</div><div class="ql-code-block">            "type": "text",</div><div class="ql-code-block">            "properties": {"content": dynamic_message},</div><div class="ql-code-block">        },</div><div class="ql-code-block">    },</div><div class="ql-code-block">}</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># API Request</div><div class="ql-code-block">response = requests.post(generate_url, json=payload, headers=headers)</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># Handle Response</div><div class="ql-code-block">if response.status_code == 200:</div><div class="ql-code-block">    video_data = response.json()</div><div class="ql-code-block">    print("Video URL:", video_data["video_url"])</div><div class="ql-code-block">else:</div><div class="ql-code-block">    print("Error:", response.json())</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div></div><p><br></p><h3><strong>Steps to Follow:</strong></h3><p>1.Replace YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY and YOUR_API_KEY with your respective API keys.</p><p>2.Update the OpenAI prompt for the type of message you’d like (e.g., professional, humorous).</p><p>3.Run the script to dynamically generate and personalize the video.</p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Step 5: Check Video Status and Download</strong></h2><p>After generating the video, you can check its status and download it.</p><h3><strong>Code Snippet:</strong></h3><div class="ql-code-block-container" spellcheck="false"><select class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"><option value="plain">Plain</option><option value="bash">Bash</option><option value="cpp">C++</option><option value="cs">C#</option><option value="css">CSS</option><option value="diff">Diff</option><option value="xml">HTML/XML</option><option value="java">Java</option><option value="javascript">JavaScript</option><option value="markdown">Markdown</option><option value="php">PHP</option><option value="python">Python</option><option value="ruby">Ruby</option><option value="sql">SQL</option></select><div class="ql-code-block">import time</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block"># Video Status Check</div><div class="ql-code-block">video_status_url = f"https://api.heygen.com/v1/video_status.get?video_id={video_id}"</div><div class="ql-code-block"><br></div><div class="ql-code-block">while True:</div><div class="ql-code-block">    response = requests.get(video_status_url, headers=headers)</div><div class="ql-code-block">    status = response.json()["data"]["status"]</div><div class="ql-code-block">    if status == "completed":</div><div class="ql-code-block">        video_url = response.json()["data"]["video_url"]</div><div class="ql-code-block">        print("Video Completed! URL:", video_url)</div><div class="ql-code-block">        break</div><div class="ql-code-block">    elif status in ["processing", "pending"]:</div><div class="ql-code-block">        print("Video is still processing...")</div><div class="ql-code-block">        time.sleep(5)  # Wait for 5 seconds before checking again</div><div class="ql-code-block">    elif status == "failed":</div><div class="ql-code-block">        print("Video generation failed.")</div><div class="ql-code-block">        break</div><div class="ql-code-block" data-language="plain"><br></div></div><h2><strong>Resources and Support</strong></h2><ol><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><strong>API Documentation:</strong><a href="https://docs.heygen.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a><u><a href="https://docs.heygen.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HeyGen API Docs</a></u></li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><strong>Community Hub:</strong> Join our community to ask questions, share ideas, and get inspired.</li><li data-list="bullet"><span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"></span><strong>Contact Support:</strong> Email us at <strong>support@heygen.com</strong> for technical assistance.</li></ol><p>We hope this walkthrough empowers you to explore HeyGen’s API capabilities. Happy creating! 🎉</p>

Creating personalized birthday videos using templates and integrating OpenAI to generate dynamic scripts

Send personalized messages using HeyGen’s API: a step-by-step walkthrough

Connect with the community, find inspiration, and learn how to make your best videos. 

HeyGen Hub

Job Title

HeyGen Community

Login to the HeyGen Hub community to connect with others, attend community events, and more!

Login or Sign Up for even more

To unlock all parts of the community and get the best experience, complete your profile.

Send personalized messages using HeyGen’s API: a step-by-step walkthrough

Creating personalized birthday videos using templates and integrating OpenAI to generate dynamic scripts

Related