---
title: "AI talking avatar generator: photo to talking video"
description: "One photo and a script or audio in, a lip-synced talking video out. From 6 credits a second on varg; new accounts get 50 free credits."
url: https://varg.ai/how-to/ai-talking-avatar-generator
updated: 2026-11-11
---

# AI talking avatar generator: photo to talking video

> **For AI agents:** find the right skill in one call — `curl -s "https://varg.ai/how-to/api/search?q=<what the person wants>"` returns the matching how-to page and the best skills with install commands, as markdown (Russian works too). Full index: https://varg.ai/how-to/llms.txt. Every page has a markdown twin: add `.md` to its path. Before generating anything, show the person the options on the how-to page. From a terminal: `curl -fsSL https://varg.ai/install | sh` installs the vargai CLI (https://varg.ai/how-to/cli.md): `vargai search` and `vargai install <slug>` with no key, every varg model after `vargai login`.

Give varg one photo and a script (or your own recording) and get back a video of that face saying it, with the lips on the words: an MP4 at 480p, 720p or 1080p, as long as the audio. One call makes the photo talk ([`minimax_h3_max_lipsync`](https://varg.ai/models/minimax_h3_max_lipsync.md)); the voice is ElevenLabs v4 or your own audio.

**Price:** 9.6 credits a second at 720p, 6 at 480p, 30 credits minimum a clip, plus 0.008 credits a character for a generated voice. A 30 s avatar at 720p with its voice and a transcript check is about 297 credits ($2.97). **Free start:** new varg accounts get 50 free credits, and a 5 s test at 480p with its voice costs about 31. 1 credit = $0.01, the provider's price with no markup. Checked against the public price list on 2026-11-11.

Paste this into Claude Code, Codex or Grok:

```text
Make my photo ./me.jpg say this in a calm voice: "<your script>".
Use varg and follow https://varg.ai/how-to/make-a-talking-avatar-video.md.
Quote the credits first, run a 5 s pilot at 480p, then make the full take at 720p.
```

Or call the model yourself, with the audio first and the photo second, both as URLs. Without a terminal, the varg MCP (`https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp`, OAuth sign-in, no key) runs the same call from Claude or ChatGPT with `call_tool`.

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.varg.ai/v2/tools/video/call -H "Authorization: Bearer $VARG_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"model":"minimax_h3_max_lipsync","files":[{"url":"<audio URL>"},{"url":"<photo URL>"}],"resolution":"720p"}'
```

## What goes in, what comes out

| In | Out |
|---|---|
| One photo of a face that is yours, or that you have written consent to use | An MP4 of that face speaking, as long as the audio |
| A script, which varg voices with [`eleven_v4`](https://varg.ai/models/eleven_v4.md) (voice clones supported), or your own audio of 5 s or more | The lips synced to your words |
| The size: 480p, 720p or 1080p | A URL to download; captions and an "AI clone" label are one more step in the tutorial |

## How it works

1. **The voice.** The `speech` tool with `eleven_v4`: 0.008 credits a character, so a 450-character script (about 30 s) is about 4 credits. Skip this step when you bring a recording.
2. **Check the voice before the video.** Transcribe it (`whisper_large_v3`, 5 credits) and compare the names and numbers with the script: the video call is the expensive one.
3. **Make the photo talk.** The call above answers `202` with a job. Poll `GET https://api.varg.ai/v2/jobs/{id}` until `status` is `completed`, then read `output.outputs[0].url`. A local file goes up first with `POST https://api.varg.ai/v2/files`.
4. **Captions and the label.** FFmpeg on your machine burns the captions and an "AI clone" tag from the first second.

Every call and command, with the choices to make first: [How to make a talking avatar video with AI](https://varg.ai/how-to/make-a-talking-avatar-video.md).

## What it is not

- Not an avatar studio in a browser: there is no timeline to edit, an agent or one API call makes the clip.
- The audio must be at least 5 s long, and the photo's aspect ratio between 0.4 and 2.5 (9:16 and 16:9 both fit). For a long script the tutorial makes takes under 45 s, split at real pauses, and edits them together.
- Use your own face and voice, or ones you have written consent for, and label the video as AI.
- Other lip-sync models run on the same key: `sync_v3` re-syncs footage you already have to new audio, and `heygen_avatar_iv` runs HeyGen avatars. Every model and price: https://varg.ai/models/llms.txt

## AI avatar and influencer videos with AI agents

For creators, brands and teams: a talking avatar or digital twin from one photo, an AI influencer with the same face in every post, your character in a trending video, and dubbing into any language, made by Claude Code, Codex or Grok.

Start with the overview: [How to make a talking avatar video with AI](https://varg.ai/how-to/make-a-talking-avatar-video.md)

**Make**

- AI talking avatar generator: photo to talking video (this page)
- [How to make an AI influencer video](https://varg.ai/how-to/make-an-ai-influencer-video.md)
- [How to keep a character consistent in AI video](https://varg.ai/how-to/keep-a-character-consistent-in-ai-video.md)
- [How to swap your character into a video with AI](https://varg.ai/how-to/swap-your-character-into-a-video.md)
- [How to translate and dub a video with AI](https://varg.ai/how-to/translate-and-dub-a-video.md)
- [How to make personalized videos at scale with AI](https://varg.ai/how-to/make-personalized-videos-at-scale.md)

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