Skip to main content

Overview

AI Talking Photo brings static photos to life by animating faces to speak with realistic lip-sync and natural facial movements. The API analyzes facial features and synchronizes mouth movements, head poses, and expressions with the audio file you provide. Typical processing time: ~2m 54s median (see all processing times)

How It Works

  1. Provide a photo - Upload an image with a clear face
  2. Add audio - Provide an audio file (required). To generate speech from text, create the audio first with the AI Voice Generator
  3. API animates - AI creates realistic lip-sync and facial movements
  4. Download video - Retrieve your animated talking photo

Use Cases

  • Marketing videos - Create spokesperson videos from headshots
  • Educational content - Animate historical figures or characters
  • Personalized messages - Send video messages from static photos
  • Social media - Create engaging content from profile pictures
  • Presentations - Add dynamic talking heads to slides

Best Practices

Photo Selection

Use clear, front-facing photos - Best results come from high-quality headshots with visible facial features.
  • Good lighting - Well-lit faces produce better animations
  • Front-facing angles - Avoid extreme profile shots
  • Clear features - Eyes, nose, and mouth should be unobstructed
  • High resolution - At least 512x512 pixels recommended

Audio Guidelines

Code Examples

Basic Talking Photo

start_seconds and end_seconds are required — they control which segment of the audio is used. Video pricing is duration-based, so shorter segments cost less.

Pricing

Talking Photo pricing is based on the duration of the output video (end_seconds minus start_seconds). Credits are only charged for the frames that actually render, and the create response includes credits_charged so you can log the exact cost of every job.

Resolution Limits

Output resolution is capped at 720p (the tool’s hard cap) or your subscription plan’s maximum resolution, whichever is lower. You can also set max_resolution below your plan maximum to reduce cost. See Resolution Limits for tier details.
Try this in our Google Colab Cookbook: Run this API with sample code. Just add your API key.

API Reference

AI Talking Photo API Reference

View full API specification

Lip Sync

Sync audio with existing video lip movements

AI Voice Generator

Generate speech audio for your talking photos