In recent years, the demand for video content has skyrocketed. However, full-scale video production is a big hurdle for beginners. To create a high-quality video, you need a camera and lighting equipment, as well as video editing skills, and it is not uncommon to spend hundreds of thousands of yen if you outsource it. Many individuals probably feel that "video production is difficult" in terms of time and cost.
One new solution to these issues that is garnering attention is the AI video generation service **Synthesia**. With Synthesia, you can simply input text and the AI will automatically create a video with a speaker. It's just like creating a presentation document, and its biggest appeal is that you can get professional-quality video without having to film or record narration.
In this article, we will provide a detailed explanation of the popular AI video creation tool "Synthesia" in an easy-to-understand manner even for beginners.Synthesia Overview,Instructions for use,Benefits of using itAndPrecautions for useからPrice Plan,Case Studies,Future prospectsIt covers everything from the perspective of individual users who are interested in video production, so if you read to the end, you will surely understand the key points for easily trying your hand at video production with Synthesia.
What is Synthesia?
Synthesia is a revolutionary video production tool that uses AI (artificial intelligence) technology to automatically generate videos from text.When the user inputs a prepared text, a video is created in which a pre-prepared AI avatar (fictional character model) reads the text. There are no complicated operations required, making this a service that allows anyone to easily create videos using AI.
The biggest feature of Synthesia isAI AvatarIt allows you to have speakers appear in your videos using synthetic video characters called "voice actors." They convey the content of the text you enter with realistic video and audio that sounds as if a real person is speaking. It supports over 140 languages, and you can create videos in multiple languages, including Japanese. Even if you don't have difficult technical knowledge, as long as you have the text, you can automatically generate videos that sound like they are performed and narrated by a professional, so it is becoming more and more popular not only for companies but also for individuals.
About the developerSynthesia was developed by a startup company founded in London, UK in 2017. It is a service that incorporates cutting-edge research results in the fields of AI and video synthesis, and its innovativeness has been attracting attention since its development. Since its launch, the service has spread rapidly, being introduced to over 50,000 companies, including global companies such as Amazon and Reuters, and is currentlyOver 100% of Fortune 60 companiesIt is also reported that Synthesia is used by 100,000 people worldwide. These achievements prove that Synthesia is the industry-leading AI video generation platform.
The difference with conventional video editing software is also clear. With a general video editing tool, you need to import the footage and audio you have shot yourself and edit them on a timeline. On the other hand, SynthesiaWhat makes it unique is that "the material itself is created by AI." It eliminates the need for recording with a camera or microphone, and even if you don't have editing skills, you can complete the process by simply selecting a template and entering text. It truly simplifies the video production process from the ground up.It can be said to be a tool that has been used extensively. It is also a powerful tool for those who want to create high-quality video content on their own, as it eliminates the need to arrange for professional performers or narrators, or to record and re-edit the content themselves.
Types of videos you can create with Synthesia and examples of their use
What kind of videos can you create using Synthesia? By taking advantage of the AI avatar that appears and narrates, even individuals can easily create video content for a variety of purposes. Below are some typical examples of how it can be used.
- Presentation Video: You can create presentation videos in which an AI avatar explains the slides. For example, if you turn a research presentation or business report into a video, viewers will be able to understand the content more easily than if they were to just read the materials. Even if you are not good at speaking in front of people, you can rest assured that an avatar will present confidently on your behalf.
- In-house training and educational materials: By importing training materials and manuals into Synthesia, you can quickly turn stiff text materials into easy-to-understand training videos. It can be used for training new employees and videos to share product knowledge. In fact, many companies have introduced Synthesia videos for employee training, and there are reports that comprehension and engagement have improved compared to learning with text alone.
- Product explanation/marketing video: Promotional videos that convey the appeal of products are essential for sole proprietors and online shop operators. With Synthesia, you can create product introduction videos without having to appear in them yourself. By compiling product features and usage into text and having AI read it out loud, you can create a sophisticated marketing video in a short time. It is also suitable for videos for SNS advertisements and service introduction videos to be embedded on homepages.
- Multilingual video content: Synthesia supports multiple languages, so it's easy to recreate videos with the same content in a different language. For example, if you translate a product introduction video made in Japanese into English, Chinese, etc. and have an AI avatar speak in each language, you can quickly prepare content for a global audience. Another strength of Synthesia is that it can be used beyond language barriers, such as sending messages to potential customers overseas and creating educational videos for foreign language learning.
As mentioned above, the appeal of Synthesia is that even individuals can easily create a wide variety of videos, from presentations to education and promotions. It meets the needs of "I want to make an explanatory video without appearing in the video myself" and "I want to create visually appealing teaching materials", so the range of uses will be endless depending on how you use it.
A detailed explanation of how to use Synthesia
Now let's take a step-by-step look at how to create a video using Synthesia. We'll explain the basic steps of video creation in detail so that even beginners won't get lost.
- Creating a new project and selecting a template
First, go to the official Synthesia website, create an account, and log in. Click the "New Video" button on the dashboard screen to select a template and layout for your video. Once you select a template that suits your needs, your project will start with the background and text placement already set (of course, you can also create a blank project). - Choose and customize your AI avatar
Next, select an AI avatar to appear as the speaker in the video. Synthesia has over 100 diverse avatars, ranging from male and female to age groups and moods. Select a human model that suits your purpose and audience. Once you have selected an avatar, you can adjust its position and display style. You can freely customize where it stands on the screen, whether to display it bust-up or full body, and the balance of the size of the person and the background. If necessary, you can use multiple avatars for different scenes. - Text input and voice settings
Next, enter the text that you want your avatar to speak. Paste the script text into the text input field on the screen, or type it directly. Once you've entered it, set the voice that will read the text. There are multiple voices (languages and tones) available for each avatar, and for Japanese you can choose natural synthetic voices for both men and women. You can also adjust the speaking speed and pitch, and adjust the pronunciation of technical terms by rewriting them in katakana. If you are creating a multi-language video, you can simply switch the text and language at this stage and add scenes. - Additional background and material selection
Once the content of the video (text and speaker) has been decided, you can adjust the appearance of the video. You can set the background to a solid color or gradient, or use prepared images and video materials. For example, if you use an office scene as the background, it will look as if your avatar is giving a presentation in an office. You can also display subtitles (text) to highlight points you want to emphasize, or insert images and graphs and display them on the screen. The library in Synthesia also contains a lot of free materials, so it is a good idea to make effective use of them. - Preview and export your video
Once you've completed the settings, try generating a video. Use the preview function to quickly check the finished image in low resolution. Check for errors or unnatural parts in the text, and if necessary, correct the text or fine-tune the audio settings. If there are no problems, export. The AI will render the video on the cloud, and after a few minutes the video file will be completed at the specified resolution. The created video can be downloaded in MP4 format. You can then save it on your PC or upload it to YouTube, etc.
That's the basic flow of how to use it. At first, you can make a simple video according to a template, but as you get used to it, you can combine multiple scenes and add detailed effects to create more elaborate content. The operation itself is intuitive and simple, so even those who are new to video editing can get started with confidence.
Benefits of using Synthesia
Next, we will summarize the advantages of using Synthesia for personal use. Compared to traditional video production, Synthesia has the following advantages:
- Easy and fast video productionThe biggest benefit is that it dramatically lowers the hurdle of video production. A video can be completed in a few minutes to 10 minutes just by preparing the text, significantly shortening the video production process that previously took days. Since you can immediately visualize any idea that comes to mind, the speed of information dissemination will increase dramatically. There is no need for complicated editing work, and even those who are not good at operating a PC can create videos in the same way as creating slide presentations.
- Reducing production costs and labor: Since you don't need to appear or film yourself, there is no cost to purchase equipment such as cameras and lighting. In addition, labor costs are zero compared to using professional models or voice actors. Since you can create high-quality videos yourself without outsourcing, it is a great advantage for individuals to be able to significantly save on the budget. Even if you want to make corrections, you just need to rewrite the text and re-render, so the effort involved in reshooting and re-editing is minimal. Even if you are working on a small project or making videos as a side job, Synthesia makes it possible to mass-produce content efficiently.
- Multilingual support for global reach: Synthesia supports a wide range of major languages around the world, including not only Japanese but also English. Therefore, a major advantage is that videos created once can be easily expanded into multiple languages. For example, after creating an explanatory video in Japanese, you can immediately generate a video in another language by replacing the text with English or Chinese in the same project and changing the audio language. Even if you cannot speak a foreign language yourself, the AI will speak fluently, so it is no longer a dream to run a personal YouTube channel for overseas users or promote international products. Synthesia will be a powerful weapon in disseminating global-oriented information.
- Even beginners can achieve professional quality: Even beginners with no experience in filming or editing can produce videos of very high quality. The AI avatar's facial expressions and mouth movements are natural, making it seem like a real person is speaking at first glance. The lighting and camera angles are optimized to avoid rough footage. The narration is also read with clear pronunciation like a professional narrator. When speaking in front of a video camera, you may worry about getting nervous and stumbling over your words or your voice becoming quieter, but Synthesia always speaks with stable quality. For individuals who are not good at appearing in front of people but want to create high-quality explanatory videos, it is reassuring to have AI act as a professional speaker instead.
- Easily create videos for updates and different versions: (Additional Benefits) It is also important to note that it is easy to create a different version of the video with different content. For example, if some data in a presentation document is updated, you can simply edit the text and regenerate the video to create a new one. For marketing videos where you want to try out multiple message patterns, you can easily create different versions and compare them. This is the flexibility that only AI generation can provide, and Synthesia allows you to smoothly replace parts that would have been difficult to join or re-shot with conventional live-action videos.
In this way, by using SynthesiaEasy to use, low cost, high qualityThis will enable you to create videos that meet all three of these criteria. If you are an individual who wants to disseminate information or create video content as a side job, you can expect to see a significant reduction in time and improvement in quality.
Precautions and disadvantages when using Synthesia
Although Synthesia is useful, it is not a perfect tool. There are some points to be aware of when using it, and some disadvantages to be aware of.
- Limited expressiveness (emotional expression and intonation): Although the AI avatar and voice are very sophisticated, they are still limited in terms of subtle emotional expression and intonation compared to real humans. Compared to a video of a presenter who speaks with emotion using smiles and gestures, the movements of the AI avatar and the tone of voice may seem somewhat mechanical. In particular, in videos with content that appeals strongly to emotions (such as moving story introductions or passionate speeches), AI may not be able to fully convey the passion. In situations where the impression given to the viewer is important, it will be necessary to devise ways to devise the AI avatar's facial expressions and tone of voice, and to combine live-action footage if necessary.
- Consideration of ethical issues: AI video generation technology like Synthesia's is so powerful that ethical issues have been raised. For example, if an avatar resembling a third party is used to send a message that the person never said, this becomes a so-called deepfake video and could be misused to spread false information or impersonate others. In fact, there have been reported cases overseas where videos in which an AI avatar posed as a news anchor delivering fake news have been problematic. Synthesia has also set guidelines to prohibit inappropriate use, and prohibits its use for political propaganda or misleading content. As a user,Use for the purpose of deceiving others is strictly prohibitedTherefore, it is necessary to operate honestly, for example by clearly indicating that the video was generated by AI, so as not to mislead viewers.
- Notice regarding copyright and portrait rightsDepending on the content of the video, you may need to consider copyright and portrait rights. The avatars and audio provided by Synthesia are licensed materials, but if you upload images, videos, music, etc. yourself, make sure they are commercially available. If you accidentally use someone else's copyrighted material as a background without permission, it may be a copyright infringement when you publish it. Also, if you create a custom avatar based on a company logo or someone else's face photo, you should get permission before doing so. If you plan to use it commercially, it is a good idea to read Synthesia's terms of use and check in advance the scope of use of the generated video (whether it can be used for commercial purposes and whether credit is required, etc.).
- Fine adjustment of nuances: It's not really a disadvantage, but it does take skill to make fine adjustments. For example, if the intonation of the AI voice is different from what you expected, you may need to make fine adjustments such as adding more punctuation or re-entering words in English. Also, there are limits to the situations that can be acted out with a standard avatar. If you want a more diverse performance, you should consider supplementing it with subtitles and illustrations, or even inserting some footage that you've recorded yourself. In short,Because it is not omnipotent, there is room for humans to be creative with the production.It is important to understand this point.
If you keep the above points in mind, Synthesia is a very useful tool, but if you use it incorrectly, it can lead to unexpected trouble. Use it safely and effectively by combining the strengths of AI with human ingenuity while adhering to ethical and rights rules.
Synthesia pricing plans and how to choose
When using Synthesia, one thing to consider is the pricing structure. Let's take a look at what plans are available for individual users, whether there is a way to try it for free, and so on.
1. Free trial (free plan)
First, if you are using it for the first timeFree trialIt is recommended to start with the free trial version. The official Synthesia website has a trial function that allows you to create one short AI video for free without a credit card. After registering, you can choose a template from the "Create free AI video" menu and try everything from entering text to exporting the video. However, the free version has restrictions such as a limited number of avatars and templates that can be used, and the output video has a Synthesia logo (watermark). To make full use of the service, you will need to sign up for a paid plan, but it is a good idea to first take advantage of the free trial to get a feel for how it works.
2. Personal Plan (paid plan for individuals)
For individuals or small teamsPersonal planYou sign up for a paid plan called "Personal Video Creation." The monthly fee is about 20 to 30 dollars (a few thousand yen in Japanese yen depending on the exchange rate), and discounts are applied for annual contracts. With the Personal plan, you can generate about 10 minutes of video every month, and there are more than 60 AI avatars available, including all supported languages. In addition, you can remove the Synthesia logo from the video you created and export it, so you can use it freely as your own content. If you are creating a few videos a month as an individual, this Personal plan will be sufficient. Since you can create professional quality videos at any time at low cost, this plan is very cost-effective for those who want to use videos for side jobs or small projects.
3. Enterprise Plan (for businesses and advanced users)
If you want to create a large number of videos or require more advanced featuresEnterprise PlanThe Enterprise plan offers unlimited video generation time per month and full access to the full range of AI avatars (over 200). It also includes advanced options for businesses, such as the ability to create your own custom avatars (add avatars for yourself or your company's characters), one-click multilingual translation generation, and the ability to connect Synthesia to other systems via API. Enterprise plans are priced according to the scale of use.Custom quotesYou can install it by inquiring through the official website. It is rare for an individual to need all these features, but it may be worth considering if you have needs such as "I want to create an AI avatar using my face" or "I want to manage projects together with my team members."
4. Points to consider when choosing a plan
If you are an individual user of Synthesia, you can first check the usability with a free trial, and thenPersonal plan as a baseIt is reasonable to think of it this way. Check whether the length of the video you can create within a month (equivalent to 10 minutes) fits your needs. For example, if you create one 5-minute video every week, the Personal plan is sufficient, but if you want to publish longer content or videos more frequently, you may need a higher-level plan.I want to make more videos,I want to use my own avatar,Want to automate things with API integration?If you have advanced requirements such as the above, consider upgrading to the Enterprise plan or the mid-level Creator plan (if there is a personal plan higher than Personal). The cost will go up, but it is still much cheaper than traditional video production, which is an attractive point.
Either way, you have the flexibility to start small and change your plan as needed, so choose a plan that suits your purpose and budget. The official website has a detailed comparison table of features for each plan, so please refer to it if you are unsure.
Synthesia Case Study
Finally, we will introduce some examples of companies that have actually used Synthesia to achieve results. Although this article focuses on individual use, by looking at examples of companies that have implemented it on a large scale, you can get a more concrete idea of its effectiveness and potential.
- Improving the efficiency of in-house training (Bosch Group): The Bosch Group, a global multinational corporation, has introduced Synthesia to its employee training. By replacing text-based training content with videos featuring AI avatars, it has been reported that employee comprehension and engagement improved by approximately 30% and training production costs were reduced by 70%. Synthesia has become a groundbreaking solution for companies that need to provide unified training in various languages to a large number of employees.
- Used by global companies (Amazon, Reuters, etc.): Major companiesAmazonuses Synthesia to create in-house training videos and product manuals, and quickly develops multilingual content.Reutershave adopted Synthesia to create videos for external customer communication. Not only have these companies been able to shorten the lead time and reduce costs for video production, but they have also been able to standardize the content and unify the quality by having the person in charge not have to appear in the video. Although the scale of use is different from that of individual users, the fact that Synthesia is being adopted by world-leading companies is proof of Synthesia's reliability and capabilities.
- Use in the education field (online courses and teaching materials)Synthesia is also being introduced in the education industry. For example, there is a case where a private tutor who provides online education services used Synthesia to create his own lecture videos. Even tutors who are not used to speaking in front of a camera were able to mass-produce video materials smoothly because an AI avatar spoke the lecture content on their behalf. Creators are applying Synthesia to a variety of educational content, such as creating language learning materials in multiple languages for pronunciation practice and featuring friendly character avatars in educational videos for children. As it becomes easier for individuals to distribute knowledge and skills as video teaching materials, it is expected that more people will use Synthesia to create educational content in the future.
- Utilizing individual creators (SNS/side jobs)Synthesia is being used by not only companies but also individual content creators. For example, some people are running channels on YouTube and TikTok where AI avatars read the news or give product reviews. Since you can disseminate information without showing your face, it is also useful for disseminating business information as a side job where you cannot show your face. There is also an example of a startup founder using Synthesia to create a video introducing his company's services and preparing a presentation video for investors in three languages: English, Japanese, and Spanish. It is clear that the value of being able to create multilingual video content in a short period of time is being recognized even at the individual level.
From these examples, we hope you can get a concrete idea of the benefits of introducing Synthesia (time saving, cost reduction, improved understanding, etc.). Synthesia's strength is that it is used in a variety of situations, regardless of purpose or scale, from large companies to individual creators. Please try experiencing its power in your own projects.
What's next for Synthesia?
Finally, let's consider the future prospects of Synthesia, an AI video generation technology. Here are some predictions about how the nature of video content will change in the future with the ever-evolving AI technology.
- More natural and expressive AI avatars: With technological advances, AI avatars with more natural expressions and intonations will appear in the future. Synthesia also announced an "expressive avatar" with enhanced emotional expression in 2024, which will enable subtle changes in facial expressions such as smiles and surprise. In the future, virtual actors that are so detailed that they can realistically reproduce emotions such as anger and sadness and viewers do not realize that they are AI may become available to the general public. If that happens, individuals will be able to create videos that encourage greater empathy, such as corporate PR videos and drama-style educational content.
- Democratization of video content creation: As services like Synthesia become more widespread, the hurdle of "text to video" will be lowered even further, and we will enter an era where content that has been provided as text information can be easily made into videos. For example, blog articles can be directly converted into AI videos and distributed, or instruction manuals can be read aloud to create videos.Turn any text content into videoIf video production becomes an everyday task that anyone can do, rather than a special skill, the form of information dissemination on the Internet may shift from text-based to video-based. Even when disseminating information as an individual, we can see a future in which the option of "making a video for now" becomes as easy as "writing a sentence for now" becomes the norm.
- Use of personal avatars and voicesCurrently, as an Enterprise feature, it is possible to take a picture of your face and turn it into an AI avatar, or clone your voice and use it for AI narration. In the future, it is expected that these features will be made available to general users at a lower cost. If that happens, it will be possible to make videos without the person appearing at all.A video of your identical self talkingIt will be possible to mass-produce content. For example, it will become realistic to have your avatar create YouTube instructional videos on your behalf, or to have an AI that sounds just like you narrate when you are busy. The prospect of content creation at the individual level becoming increasingly automated and sophisticated is opening up.
- Real-time generation and interactive videoIn the not-too-distant future, instead of typing and waiting,Video with AI response in real timeIt may also become a reality. If a system could be developed that instantly responds to conversations with expressive avatar videos like a chatbot, it would change the way online customer service and remote education are conducted. In addition, new forms of entertainment such as interactive AI video content whose content branches depending on the viewer's choices could also be considered. It would be a good idea to keep an eye on how platforms such as Synthesia will expand their functions in the future.
As such, the field of AI video generation is expected to continue to develop rapidly in the future. Synthesia itself is regularly updated, with improvements to the user interface and the addition of new functions. The methods of creating and using video content will become even more diverse as AI technology evolves, and the expressiveness of the information that individuals can convey will become even greater.
Summary (closing)
Synthesia dramatically lowers the barrier to video production and is an innovative AI video creation tool that beginners should definitely try. In this article, we have provided a wide range of information, from an overview of Synthesia to how to use it, its advantages and disadvantages, pricing plans, use cases, and future prospects. Finally, let's look back on the key points.
- Synthesia is a service that uses AI to generate videos simply by entering text.This makes it easy for individuals to create professional quality videos.
- No need to shoot or edit,Significant time and cost savingsIt is also attractive that it has the flexibility to freely create videos for various purposes, thanks to its multilingual support and abundant templates.
- On the other hand, there are limitations to expressing emotions and ethical considerations to be aware of.It is important to understand that it is an AI video and to use it while following the rules..
- Reasonable paid plans are available for individuals, so start withFree trialFeel free to try it out. Select the plan that best suits your needs.
- Many companies and creators have already introduced Synthesia to help with content production. Its effectiveness has been proven, and its use will likely continue to expand as technology advances.
Information and ideas that cannot be conveyed through text alone can be intuitively conveyed by turning them into videos. Please try out Synthesia's official website and experience its ease of use. Even if you are a beginner, you should be able to create a video in just a few minutes. Why not try Synthesia, which allows you to easily try video production, and convey your message to more people? You will surely find new possibilities for expression.
Official Website
Synthesis:https://www.synthesia.io/
Related link: Future Frontiers
Future Frontier Post List
- AI, Metadata, MLOps: A thorough explanation of the latest technologies that will dramatically change AI development!The road to becoming an AI creator | Article introduction: Still developing AI manually? Learn the full story of "Metadata-driven MLOps" that dramatically improves development speed through automation! #AIdevelopment #MLOps #Metadata
- AI accelerates software development! A comprehensive guide to AI test automation and CI/CDThe road to becoming an AI creator | Article introduction | Is test automation already outdated? AI is revolutionizing development! We explain the latest technology that balances speed and quality with CI/CD and AI testing. #AITesting #TestAutomation #CICD
- AI coding revolution: Windsurf and the impact of Agent IDEThe road to becoming an AI creator | Article introduction A thorough explanation of the behind-the-scenes story of the "Windsurf" acquisition! How to boost your development efficiency with AI coding? #AICoding #AgentIDE #Windsurf
- Artlist's AI tools explained in detail! The future of creativity, even for beginnersThe road to becoming an AI creator | Article introduction "Will AI take away your job?" Artlist's AI tools are a powerful ally for creators! Dissecting the future of creativity! #ArtlistAI #AIcreativity #videoediting
- AI programming revolution: Dramatically change coding with VS Code + Copilot Chat!The road to becoming an AI creator | Article introduction: Don't be afraid of programming anymore! With VS Code + Copilot Chat, AI will turn you into a super-competent developer! 🚀#AICoding #VSCoder #GitHubCopilot