Editing

April 7, 2026 · Last updated on May 15, 2026

How to use Avatar Shots with Seedance in HeyGen to create cinematic AI videos

# Editing

# Seedance

# Avatar Shots

Create cinematic AI videos using Seedance Avatar Shots in HeyGen

In this guide, we'll show you how to create cinematic AI videos using Avatar Shots, HeyGen's most expressive video generation feature, built in collaboration with Seedance.

Whether you're creating scroll-stopping social content, cinematic B-roll, or multi-person scenes, Avatar Shots lets you describe a scene in natural language and brings it to life with camera movement, dynamic backgrounds, and AI-generated audio. For the first time ever, you can even place up to 3 avatars in the same video simultaneously. Let's dive in!

Avatar Shots is still limited in some regions. If you see a message saying the feature isn't available in your region, join the waitlist as we continue rolling it out.

What's covered in this guide

How to access Avatar Shots

How to create a video step by step

Credit costs

Current limitations

Avatar Shots vs. Avatar IV, which one to use

Recap

How to access Avatar Shots

From the HeyGen home screen, click the Avatar tab in the top left corner, then select Avatar Shots from the menu, look for the 🆕 badge.

All of your completed Avatar Shots videos will be saved in the Avatar Shots section, not in the main Projects page, for easy access.

How to create a video step by step

Your avatar thumbnail will appear in the prompt area. You can add up to 3 avatars to a single video. To add more avatars, click the + button in the prompt area. To remove one, click the small grey X on the top right corner of the avatar thumbnail.

Currently, only Digital Twins with uploaded consent are supported. You can use your own avatar or another person's avatar if they have uploaded their consent inside your HeyGen profile. Learn how to create a Digital Twin here.

Describe the scene you want to create. Think of it like giving a director's brief, the more vivid and specific, the better the result.

A strong prompt includes the setting and mood (e.g. "neon-lit Tokyo street at night, rain, cinematic"), what the avatar(s) are doing (e.g. "two presenters facing each other in a debate"), camera movement (e.g. "slow push-in to close-up"), and audio, since you can't upload audio separately, describe the sound you want directly in the prompt (e.g. "epic orchestral score" or "ambient city sounds").

For a full breakdown of how to write prompts that get the best results, check out our Avatar Shots Prompting Best Practices guide.

You can upload up to 3 images or videos to guide the visual style or include specific elements in your generated video. References can come from your previously generated HeyGen assets or files uploaded directly from your device.

Use references when you want a specific background or environment, a product your avatar should hold or interact with, a particular outfit, or a color palette carried through the video. Note that elements cannot include a human face, supported types are products, environments, clothing, and similar non-human assets.

Use the controls at the bottom of the prompt panel to set your duration (anywhere from 4 to 15 seconds), your orientation (portrait or landscape), and whether to turn on Enhance, which automatically optimizes your prompt if HeyGen detects room for improvement.

When you're happy with your prompt and settings, click the ↑ arrow to generate.

Once you click generate, the video is final. Credits are used immediately and you cannot make changes to the output, even small ones. If the result isn't what you were looking for, you'll need to start a new generation with an updated prompt. If you need precise, scene-by-scene control, consider using HeyGen AI Studio instead to avoid spending credits on multiple attempts.

How much does Avatar Shots cost?

Avatar Shots uses credits at a rate of 4 credits per second of generated video. A 5-second video costs 20 credits, a 10-second video costs 40 credits, and a 15-second video costs 60 credits. Avatar Shots is available on all paid HeyGen plans. You can learn more about plans and pricing here.

Creating videos longer than 15 seconds

Avatar Shots uses credits at a rate of 4 credits per second of generated video.

Duration	Credits
5 seconds	20 credits
8 seconds	32 credits
10 seconds	40 credits
12 seconds	48 credits
15 seconds	60 credits

Avatar Shots is available on all paid HeyGen plans. Learn more about HeyGen plans and pricing.

Current limitations

Maximum 15 seconds per generation

Maximum 3 avatars per scene

Maximum 3 reference elements per generation (no human faces)

Audio upload is not supported, describe audio in your prompt instead

Videos cannot be edited after generation, a new prompt is required for any changes

Videos are saved in Avatar Shots, not the main Projects page

Only Digital Clone avatars with uploaded consent are currently supported

No negative prompts

Supported languages: English, Mandarin Chinese (including Cantonese), Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese. Other languages may work but results may not be consistent.

Tip: If your language isn't supported, create the video in English first and use HeyGen's Translate feature to convert it.

Avatar Shots vs. Avatar IV, which should you use?

	Avatar Shots (Seedance)	Avatar IV
Best for	Cinematic clips, B-roll, ads, social content	Long talking-head videos, e-learning, explainers
Max duration	15 seconds per shot	Up to 180 seconds
Multiple avatars	Up to 3 in one scene	1 avatar only
Motion	Full-body dynamic, physics-based	Head, shoulders, micro-expressions
Emotions	Full range — screaming, laughing, reacting	Subtle — micro-expressions and gestures only
Languages	8 supported languages	175+ languages
Beginner friendly	Requires scene prompting skills	Simple script to video

The best approach is to combine both. Use Avatar IV for your main A-roll, long talking segments, direct delivery, multilingual content. Use Avatar Shots for everything around it, cinematic B-roll, emotional moments, product interactions, and multi-avatar sequences. Together, they give you a complete AI video production workflow. Learn more about Avatar IV.

Recap

And that's it! You're ready to start creating cinematic AI videos with Avatar Shots. With the ability to place multiple avatars in one scene, describe any camera movement, and generate dynamic environments from a single prompt, the creative possibilities are wide open.

In this guide, you learned: