Synthesia AI Review 2022: The Best AI Video Generator?

In this Synthesia AI review, I’ll look at how this one-of-a-kind AI video generator works, what the implications are for the rest of the world, and what we can learn about AI and automation in general from Synthesia as an example.
For some time, there has been technology on the market that can manipulate or generate video frames.

While videos are increasingly important in marketing, producing a high-quality video takes a significant amount of time, effort, and money. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) tools can assist content creators in quickly creating compelling videos from text. Synthesia is a popular tool for creating audiovisual content.

Synthesia places AI-powered video production in the hands of creators. This user-friendly software uses AI to revolutionise video creation while drastically lowering video production costs.

If you want to make high-quality videos for your website or YouTube channel, keep reading for an in-depth Synthesia review in which I’ll go over how it works, as well as its key features, pricing, pros and cons, and more.

You may have come across some websites or apps that allow you to take a photo of your own face and insert it into scenes from popular Hollywood films.

There’s also the whole issue of deep fakes on the internet, which appear to show world leaders and celebrities making statements they never made.

This is the same underlying technique, but it’s being used in a more positive way, and I believe there’s a lesson in that, as well as a broader lesson in what Synthesia AI does in terms of the entire creative end-to-end process.

I’ve recently tested a number of AI-powered video editing software, but after using Synthesia AI to create one of my clients’ intro videos, I was simply blown away by what it was capable of.

What is Synthesia AI? Let’s find in this Synthesia AI Review

Synthesia AI video creator was founded in 2017 by UCL, TUM, Stanford, Foundry, and Cambridge researchers and entrepreneurs. This revolutionary synthetic media software is an AI video generator that generates videos from text prompts.

It is already a global leader in synthetic media, working with some of the world’s most recognisable media brands, including the BBC, McDonald’s, Reuters, Accenture, WPP, and Ernst & Young.

It allows you to make engaging videos for e-learning, customer onboarding, YouTube channels, websites, advertisements, and other marketing materials. You don’t need a studio, actors, video recording equipment, or audio equipment to create a high-quality video with this AI video generator.

Synthesia is a company that assists people in creating professional AI-generated videos from text in more than 50 languages. “It saves time, money, and nerves,” according to the website.

They’re making it possible for anyone who can send an email or create a PowerPoint slide to create a really high-quality video.

How Does Synthesia AI Work?

It’s easy to make a video with Synthesia. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps, and the tool will do the rest. Here is a step-by-step tutorial for making a video with Synthesia:

1. Select a presenter or make your own.

There are over 40 presenters to choose from in the Synthesia panel. If you have a premium membership, you can also create and customise your own avatar. You can modify the following aspects of the avatar after selecting or creating it:

2. Write Down a Script

Before you begin the video creation process, you must first write a script for your video. You can also upload an existing video from your library so that Synthesia can create a duplicate video in a different language. Simply select the target language, accent, and voice, and Synthesia will create the video in minutes.

3. Let Synthesia Create a Video from the Script.

If you’re starting from scratch, the AI tool will use your script as the foundation for your video. After you’ve finished writing the script and chosen your preferred language, the AI tool will begin creating the video.

4. Download the Video

This is typically the final step after Synthesia has finished processing your video. When it’s finished, you’ll be asked whether you want to save, stream, or share your video.

Synthesia’s Most Popular Use Cases

You can use your Synthesia-created videos for almost anything, but here are a few of the most common:

Tutorials for e-commerce videos
Instructional videos
E-learning
Communications in the workplace
Chatbots with visual interfaces

Synthesia AI Features

Some of the most notable features of the Synthesia video creator are as follows:

Within minutes, the AI video generator tool converts plain text into a professional video. It can produce high-quality videos of up to 30 minutes in length.

You can create your own deep fake avatar if you don’t want to use one of the built-in presenters. It only takes about five minutes to create a personalized avatar.

Upload an image of yourself and then let the AI tool create an avatar for you.

It should be noted that this avatar creation feature is not free. This add-on will set you back around $1,000.

If you go this route, here’s how to make a personalised avatar with Synthesia:

Make your own video.
Submit the video to Synthesia.
Pay for the optional feature.
Wait for the processing to complete, which can take up to ten days.
Navigate to the avatar in the Synthesia studio application.

It should be noted that in order to prevent system abuse, Synthesia requires permission from anyone who wishes to create a custom avatar. You must record a video and read a consent script provided by Synthesia. Then you’ll include it in your footage.

Approximately 40 languages are currently supported by Synthesia. You can choose your preferred language, voice, and accent when creating the video.

If you don’t want to create your own AI presenter, Synthesia allows you to select a built-in AI presenter of your choice. There are currently over 40 presenters to choose from.

When making a video with Synthesia, you can add a background of your choice by simply uploading any image with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 or higher.

If you don’t want to use a custom background, you can use one of Synthesia’s free slide templates.

It allows you to upload and sync your own recorded voice clips with your video. However, this feature is only available in the tool’s enterprise edition.

Music Synthesia has its own playlists from which you can select any song and add it as background music to your video.

After you’ve finished editing your video in Synthesia, you can download the finished product in Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080).

If you want to share your video on social media platforms, Synthesia has a dedicated video sharing page.

It supports over 40 languages and allows users to convert the same video into multiple languages. In fact, you can use up to five different languages in a single video.

This tool supports a variety of languages, including Mandarin, Arabic, Bulgarian, Danish, and English.

Within the app, you can update previous videos. You can, for example, change the text or video background.

Multi-clip functionality allows users to combine multiple Synthesia videos into a single video without the need for third-party software.

The Synthesia video creator app includes an advanced API for creating engaging and powerful videos.

Synthesia AI Pros & Cons

Who Is Synthesia AI Designed For?

So, what are the implications of this technology, and what does it say about the broader AI space?

First and foremost, this will have an impact on those whose job it is to create this video footage in the first place, whether they are presenters, actors, or people who create YouTube content.

We discuss AI copywriting tools, video creators, and automation as liberating people from the mundane and repetitive.

Is that what’s going on here, or is AI taking over?

As a result, I was forced to try to break down the process of making video into a few different chunks.

And I realised that the creative element is the scriptwriting, the producing, understanding what you want to convey, and putting it all together.

Actually, recording someone talking to the camera and speaking and having the right lighting and things like that is the mundane and repetitive part for that section of just you speaking.

And if I can automate that, generate it in multiple languages, create different permutations and adjustments, and personalise it in a really fast, automated way, I’ll be able to focus on the creative side and generate more content faster.

And that’s what we’re always talking about in the world of automation: freeing people from the repetitive aspects of their jobs so they can focus on the creative aspects.

Synthesia Pricing

Synthesia offers a free trial, but the first video is limited to 200 words. You can choose a video style, write a script, and then let Synthesia create the video during the free trial.

You’ll also need to enter your email address to receive a link to the video, which should arrive in about two minutes after the video has been processed.

Synthesia offers two paid plans after your free trial: Personal and Corporate.

Synthesia Personal Plan

The Personal plan costs $30 per month. Some of its features include: 

• Up to 50 different languages
• MP4 downloads
• Pre-built templates
• Video sharing pages
• Text to video support
• 10 video credits each month (each credit is equivalent to 1 minute of video)

Limitations of the Personal Plan

While the personal plan may be a good fit, it does have some limitations, which are explained below.

Limited Monthly Credits

If you exhaust your allocated monthly credits, you’ll need to buy 10 extra credits for $30. That means you can’t exceed a total video length of 10 minutes per month unless you spend more money.

Limited Video Length

No matter how many credits you have, the Personal plan limits you to a video length of 10 minutes. This means that you’ll need to upgrade to the Corporate plan if you want to make longer videos.

Limited Amount of the Number of Videos You Can Merge

The number of videos that can be combined into one is limited to six. As a result, you’ll need to plan ahead of time how you’ll use the multi-slide feature.

Paid Advertising Campaigns Restrictions

Synthesia does not allow its videos with built-in avatars to be used in social media paid advertising campaigns, such as Facebook or Instagram ads. However, as long as you do not promote the videos, you can still embed them on your website or post them on your social media page.

If you want to use Synthesia-created videos with built-in avatars in paid advertising, you must upgrade to the Corporate plan or pay $1,000 for the custom avatar feature.

Lack of Custom Avatars

A personal plan user will need to upgrade to the corporate plan to access custom avatars. 

Lacks API Access

If you want to use the Synthesia API to create custom videos with a few lines of code, you’ll need to upgrade to the Corporate plan.

Corporate Plan

The pricing for the Corporate plan is determined by your needs and use cases. Users must contact support to obtain exact pricing.

Synthesia’s corporate strategy includes:

• All personal plan features
• Up to 50 slides for a single video
• Audio uploads
• Custom fonts and avatars
• API access
• Priority support
• Access to premium services

Before purchasing the Corporate plan, you can request a demo. To do so, go to Synthesia.io’s pricing page and click on Book a Demo. Fill out and submit your personal information in the contact form that appears after that.

Users who want to create short videos or promotions will most likely benefit from the Personal plan. The Corporate plan, on the other hand, is probably a better option if you want advanced features like API access and long-length videos.

Who Is Synthesia Best For?

Synthesia is designed for video content creators. It’s best for:

• Small businesses: Small business owners can use Synthesia to make high-quality marketing videos in minutes to promote their products and services.
• Marketers: Online marketers use Synthesia to create marketing videos for better sales and conversion.
• Freelancers: Synthesia doesn’t require any prior video production or video editing skills when it comes to creating professional videos. For this reason, freelancers can utilize its power to create real human-made videos and earn more.
• Online Trainers: Online Trainers can use Synthesia to make video presentations and tutorials for an audience sitting anywhere in the world.
• Corporations: Major corporations can use Synthesia AI to create professional videos without needing a large studio or expensive equipment. All they need is a script and a laptop.

Final Words

Given the positive results of a quick test, I’ve signed up for the personal plan and will be using it in my future videos.

I hope you found this review interesting.

Please let me know what you think of this artificial intelligence video editing software.

Are there any negative aspects that I haven’t considered?

What are your thoughts, and will you use Synthesia for your content?

How To Sign Up For Synthesia 

It’s easy to sign up for Synthesia. Here’s all you need to do: 

• Click here to head to the official Synthesia website
• Click on Create Account
• Fill in your personal details in the form and click on Continue
• On the next page, fill in additional information such as your use case and company details
• After that, you’ll be redirected to a payment page
• Add your payment information and confirm your subscription

Once you receive your confirmation email, simply click on the confirmation link and access your account.  

The creation of a video in Synthesia in detail:

Select an AI Presenter

To do so, you can either select from a database of presenters or create your own. There are currently over 40 avatars to choose from.

It takes longer to create your own avatar. You must create your own video, submit it, and then wait for Synthesia to review it.

After that, you can type a few words to select the voice of your presenter. Synthesia will detect the language of the text automatically.

There may be a wide range of different voices to choose from depending on the language. This allows you to select a video that is appropriate for your brand.

A significant advantage is that you can quickly create your video in multiple languages: simply translate what your avatar says, and the video will be adjusted to a different language.

Customize the look of your video

After you’ve decided on your presenter, you can start planning the look of your future video. You can choose how big and where the presenter should be, whether or not the presenter should be visible in the video, and whether or not the presenter should be heard only. The avatar can also only be seen in a small circle, which is useful for presentation-style videos.

It is also possible to create an audio-only video without the presence of the avatar on the screen; this feature is known as “voice only.” This is useful for videos where the presence of a person is not required or may distract from the main content.

You can also change the background. Anything goes here: a plain background, a photo, or a video. Synthesia AI is linked to Unsplash and Pexels, so you can simply select from the available media or upload your own.

It is also possible to add images and text for better visualisation. At this point, you can also upload your PowerPoint slides or a video.

You can also loop the background video or match its duration to the script when you add it to your Synthesia project. This means that the video you upload will be the same length as the video you work on in Synthesia. The AI will automatically accelerate or decelerate it.

To do so, go to “Edit Background” and then “Match to Script.”

You can also crop and trim the background video to use only the parts that are required. There are no additional programmes required.

Finally, if you want, you can add music to your video. Once again, you can select from a database or upload something of your own (but be careful when choosing audio and do not upload copyrighted material).

Add your script

Simply enter or paste the text that you want to hear in your video. Examine the suggestions for making the audio sound more “livable.” For example, commas result in shorter audio breaks and periods in longer pauses, whereas quote marks emphasise a specific word or part of a sentence.

Synthesia AI also supports the SSML markup language, allowing you to customise the length of the breaks.
If you want the avatar to speak with your voice, you can also upload your audio.

Wait for Synthesia to finish creating your video.

After you’ve completed all of the steps, simply click “Generate video,” and AI will begin processing it. It will be ready in a few minutes.

Download the video

Once the video has been generated, you can save and download it or return to the previous step and make changes. The video is downloaded automatically in MP4 format and in full HD resolution.

Synthesia also instantly generates a shareable link for your video, making it easier to distribute.

And now you’re ready to share the video!

You can also download the subtitles in.srt format, which is a nice extra.

Developers Can Use the Synthesia API

Developers can use Synthesia Studio to mass-create customised videos when working with the API. Consider greeting your top 100 customers with a personalised AI video during a marketing campaign. The API enables hundreds of use-cases for making your marketing communication stand out.

However, non-developers can use the API through Zapier. All you have to do is connect your customer data to Synthesia Studio and you’ll have your first personalised video in minutes.

Synthesia FAQ

Do you have any more questions about the Synthesia AI video generator? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and their answers.