Custom avatars let you bring your own face, or someone else’s, into Descript videos. By uploading a headshot photo, you can generate a visual avatar that syncs with your script and speaker’s voice. It’s a powerful way to personalize your content while maintaining the flexibility of Descript’s text-based editing.

Upload and assign a custom avatar

1. Assign a speaker to your script. This can be a stock AI voice or a human-recorded track.
2. Click the speaker label and choose Assign avatar.
   
3. Click Upload photo and select a supported image file (.jpeg, .png, or .webp).
4. Preview your image and click Assign avatar to apply it.
   
5. Once your script is finalized, click Generate avatar to animate your image and sync it with the speaker.
   

If your photo doesn’t meet formatting or safety standards, Descript will prompt you to upload a different one.

Generation workflow and timing

• Avatar generation uses avatar minutes, not AI voice minutes.
• The amount of avatar minutes used is calculated based on the total time of the spoken audio, not just a selected portion.
• You’ll see a modal displaying your remaining avatar minutes and estimated usage before confirming generation.
• At this time, the max length of an avatar generation is 12 minutes.
  
• Avatars continue generating in the background if you close the project. You’ll receive an email when it’s complete.

Managing and updating custom avatars

To update a custom avatar, click the speaker label and choose Update speaker’s avatar. This updates the avatar across your entire project while maintaining its visibility, size, and position on the scene editor.

If your avatar doesn’t appear in the scene, open the Scene panel and click the “show layer” icon to make it visible. If needed, drag the avatar layer above other visual layers.

or use Replace media in the scene editor toolbar to swap it into view.

Avatar layers are not visible in the timeline but can be repositioned, cropped, or styled directly in the scene editor using standard tools. You can also apply effects like greenscreen to avatar layers.

Best practices for using custom avatars

To ensure your custom avatar generates properly and performs well in video, follow these guidelines when uploading your photo. These tips help Descript animate your avatar with more accurate mouth, eye, and head movements. Along with these suggestions, use a natural, relaxed expression rather than an exaggerated one. For best results, upload a clear image of a human face; we do not recommend using images of animals or objects.

Head Position & Framing

Glasses, Mouth, and Eyes

Background, Foreground, and Lighting

File Upload Requirements