To say that artificial intelligence is capable of performing useful tasks in the world of visual content would be an understatement. The truth is that AI tools can produce truly astonishing things, from generating images to restoring old photographs and creating talking photos. Yes, that’s correct. AI is even able to bring life into static images. How is this possible?

AI software leverages advanced technologies like deep learning, computer vision and generative adversarial networks (GANs) to transform still photos into talking photos. The tools analyze the facial features in a picture and use facial animation algorithms to simulate realistic movements, including lip-syncing, blinking and subtle expressions. Voice synthesis technologies, often powered by natural language processing (NLP), are used to generate or sync audio with the animated visuals. By combining these technologies, the software will create the illusion that the person in the photo is speaking naturally.

The use cases of these tools are diverse. In education, they can bring historical figures or fictional characters to life, turning the learning process into a more engaging one. Content creators can use them for storytelling or personalized marketing campaigns, while the entertainment industry can integrate them into visual effects for movies and games. Additionally, these tools are valuable for preserving and animating memories, such as enabling loved ones in old photographs to “speak.”

Here’s a list of the best AI tools to generate talking photos:

Virbo by Wondershare

Virbo by Wondershare provides diverse AI-driven solutions for video generation and editing. You can take advantage of this software to generate clips using text prompts, create avatars and presentations, turn text into speech, translate videos, make montages or create an AI talking photo, which is of course the core of this article. No matter if you’re using it online, on your mobile device or Windows desktop, Virbo will allow you to make any picture move, dance, speak or sing.

The process is super simple and can be done by anyone. Once you’ve signed up, there are 3 main steps you need to follow:

1. Upload a static image.
2. Input your text.
3. Choose a voiceover.

The tool provides various options to build and enhance your animation. In that sense you’ll be able to add your own script or generate one with the aid of AI, translate your text or upload an audio script. You can also choose a voiceover based on specific features, insert background music or replace the image background.

Pros

• It’s really easy to use.
• Lifelike facial expressions and mouth movements.
• The possibility to add background music.
• A good amount of features for video creation.

Cons

• The 720p video resolution and the applied watermark in the free plan.

Price

Virbo by Wondershare offers a free plan, which enables you to access the talking photo feature only in the standard mode. If you want to remove the watermark, export at a high resolution and enjoy additional features, you’ll have to upgrade to the paid subscriptions:

• Starter: $49.9/year
• Creator: $79.9/year
• Advanced: $199.9/year

HeyGen

HeyGen is an AI video generator capable of creating a large variety of materials. These include explainer videos for products/services, training, marketing/sales or customer support tutorials, as well as entertainment content. In this last category we find the talking photo feature. HeyGen offers the opportunity to upload a personal picture or artwork onto the platform and create a virtual talking portrait using AI advanced technology.

The software offers two possibilities when it comes to creating your talking photo clip. You can either choose one of the built-in templates and customize it or start from scratch. The process is not super complicated, but it’s more tedious and requires following more steps in comparison to other tools:

1. Click on Create video from the left-side panel.
2. Select Avatar Video.
3. Select the orientation: portrait or landscape.
4. In the My Avatar section, choose Photo Avatar.
5. Click on Create Photo Avatar and upload your file.
6. Add the requested details about the avatar.
7. In the Script section, enter your script and choose the preferred voice.
8. Hit the Submit button in the top right corner.

It’s worth mentioning that HeyGen offers a plethora of possibilities when it comes to creating your video. You’re free to enter or upload your own script, use the GPT script writer, add a custom voice recording, add pauses at a specific interval, insert titles and bodies of text, add graphic elements and background music.

Pros

• The vast options available to build your animation as desired.
• Human-like AI voices, with various inflections available.
• Perfect lip syncing.
• Support for JPG, PNG and WebP files up to 200 MB.

Cons

• The creation process is not the most straightforward.
• Not all facial expressions seem natural.
• It’s pretty expensive.
• You can export a video in the free version, but only in 720p and with a watermark applied to it.

Price

HeyGen offers a free trial version, which lets you generate a 1-minute, 720p, 25 fps watermarked video. You can choose from 60 base avatars and multiple video templates. There are three other paid plans available:

• Creator: $48/month
• Team: $240/month
• Enterprise: Custom price

Unboring by Reface

Unboring by Reface places at your disposal multiple content creation possibilities. Depending on your necessities, you’ll find AI generative tools to swap faces in photos and videos, to turn pictures into cartoons or sketches, to restyle videos in various ways and, of course, to animate still photos. This website gives you the chance to transform pictures into animated videos in a fun way. Basically you can make any photo, regardless of whether it’s a human or a pet, talk, sing or dance. With just a couple of clicks, you can make Beethoven rock to AC DC’s “Highway to hell”, sing a duet with your cat or turn a static family portrait into a dance show.

Unboring by Reface comes with a modern interface and makes the entire animation process really straightforward. All you have to do is:

• Upload your photo.
• Select the preferred motion from the right-side catalog.
• Click on the Animate button.

The software will then immediately generate your animated clip. You can preview the result and go ahead and download it if you’re satisfied with the outcome.

The talking portrait feature is available in the web platform, as well as on the iPhone and Android apps.

Pros

• It allows you to create really fun animations.
• Simple process.
• The built-in catalog with lots of options for your animated clip.
• It generates results in a timely manner.
• Varied tools for visual content creation.

Cons

• You can’t enter a specific text you want your character to say.
• No customization possibilities.
• No free plan, only a limited demo version.

Price

Unboring by Reface offers a demo version, which lets you use only content provided by the platform. You can’t upload your own files! To animate personal photos and enjoy other features, you’ll have to upgrade to one of the two paid subscriptions:

• Basic: $12.99/month
• Premium: $29.99/month

Synthesis

Synthesis makes it possible to generate photos, videos, voiceovers, video and audio translations and many other types of visual content. The platform allows you to convert a static image into a talking person, to transform video characters or perform face swaps. You can also replicate media: the tool lets you create new, copyright-free content from existing stock footage.

The user interface is clearly structured in three main parts: from left to right, you’ll see the sections to upload your still photo, add your text/audio file and visualize the generated video. Creating a talking avatar is easy to accomplish and doesn’t require any technical expertise. All you have to do is add your picture and then choose how you wish to make your character speak. For that purpose, you can either generate a voiceover by adding your own script and selecting the adequate AI voice from the vast library or simply import an existing audio file.

Pros

• The lip sync technology works well.
• The numerous tools to generate and edit video content.
• No watermark applied to the exported video in the free plan.
• You can generate talking photos without creating an account.

Cons

• Some motions, particularly head movements, don’t feel truly natural.
• Rendering is slow in the free plan.

Price

Synthesis is offered with a free edition, which provides access to all features, including the one to generate AI talking photos. Of course, there are limitations which you can remove by choosing one of the paid plans:

• Personal: $20/month
• Creator: $41/month
• Business Unlimited: $69 month

VidnozAI

VidnozAI is an all-round platform developed to help you create and edit photo, video and audio content. The website places at your disposal diverse AI-powered tools to generate images, videos, music and speech, to remove image background, upscale or compress videos, as well as create avatars and talking photos. No matter if you’re looking to transform an old family memory or up your social media game, this website will help you make your images come alive easily and quickly.

The process centers around three main stages:

1. Select a picture.
2. Add your speech.
3. Listen to the speech (if necessary) and generate the video.

Vidnoz allows you to pick an avatar from the built-in examples or upload your own portrait image. You can then add the desired words, record your voice or upload an audio file. The platform offers the possibility to choose from numerous languages and accents and select the voice gender. An interesting feature is the fact that you can pick your voice based on emotions (angry, calm, happy, sad etc.) or on the type of content created (ads, customer service, documentary, newscast).

Pros

• The clear, easy-to-follow interface.
• It is capable of generating realistic results.
• The possibility to choose a voice based on multiple criteria.
• Over 140 languages available for your talking photo.

Cons

• Not so many customization options.
• The Vidnoz watermark and the low resolution of the video in the free plan.

Price

Vidnoz offers this feature free of charge. Once you create your account, you’ll be able to generate, download or share your animated portrait. But if you want to remove the watermark, enjoy priority processing, FHD videos and other premium features, you’ll have to upgrade to one of the paid plans:

• Starter: $19.99
• Business: $56.99
• Enterprise: Custom price

DreamFace

DreamFace is an AI-powered solution that provides multiple opportunities to create animated content. Users can leverage its AI tools to generate various forms of videos, from professional news and e-commerce materials, to fun talking photo, kiss and hug clips. The website, mobile app and desktop software enable you to quickly convert still images into dynamic talking heads, no matter if we’re talking about a selfie, an old photo or a portrait of the family pet.

The process is intuitive and shouldn’t raise any problems. Simply upload a still photo or pick one from the built-in templates, insert your text and select a matching voice. Afterwards the software will generate a narrative video with realistic lip-sync effects.

If you’re not feeling inspired, DreamFace allows you to create an AI-based script. Just describe in a few words the topic you have in mind, choose the preferred output language and the tone (formal, humorous, narrative and more). At the same time, you’re free to add an audio/video file or record your own voice. It’s also possible to replace the original background of the uploaded picture.

Pros

• User-friendly interface.
• When it comes to rendering, it’s considerably faster than some of its rivals.
• The lip movements and facial expressions are pretty natural.

Cons

• Some of the AI voices sound too robotic.
• In general, the generation seems realistic, but some of the head turns don’t feel 100% natural.
• The 480p video resolution + the centrally-applied watermark in the free version.

Price

DreamFace comes with a free edition, which allows you to create up to 10 videos from still images. To enjoy unlimited creations and remove all the limitations, you’ll have to choose one of the three paid subscriptions:

• Pro: $29.99/year
• Premium: $89.99/year
• 3-year Pro: $59.99/3 years

Mango AI

Mango AI is another tool that allows you to make your photos talk. The platform is equipped with a series of AI tools designed to generate both talking and singing photos, talking cartoons and animals, to turn static portraits into animated clips and more. Breathing new life into your pictures is far from complicated. All that’s required to do is:

1. Upload a frontal face image.
2. Enter what you want your character to say.
3. Choose your video settings.
4. Generate the video.

Mango AI lets you input the desired text and select from a vast library of built-in voices from Microsoft Azure, Amazon Polly or Eleven Labs. You can add pauses and select the preferred accent and setting for the facial pose. If you don’t want to use AI voices, you can add your own audio file.

Pros

• The ease of use.
• The multitude of AI voices to choose from.

Cons

• The lip-sync effect doesn’t work well, leading to unsatisfactory results.
• The SD video resolution + the tiled watermark in the free version make the material impossible to use.

Price

Mango AI comes with a free version, which allows you to make your pictures speak free of charge. To remove the watermark, enjoy a high-definition video and other features, you’ll have to choose one of the paid plans:

• Starter: $5.9/month
• Pro: $10.9/month
• Enterprise: $49.9/month