Synthesia (Product Review)
My summary of Synthesia before using it — Using generative AI to convert text or voice into video, similar to tools like Captions and Veed.
How does Synthesia explain itself in the first minute? “Turn text to video, in minutes.” So Synthesia isn’t converting voice (yet), but will use text to “create studio-quality videos with AI avatars and voiceovers in 140+ languages.” There’s a clear call to action to create a free video through Synthesia.
How does Synthesia work? Users need to complete two steps to generate their video: selecting an avatar and creating a prompt.
For this trial, I could choose from three avatars: Synthesia demo, Compliment and Sales Pitch. I selected the Sales Pitch avatar, which generated a prompt for me to edit my video script.
I opt to tweak the script and see if I can generate a video in Dutch:
The generated short video is okay. The Dutch that my avatar speaks has a heavy accent, but probably wouldn’t be noticed by non-native Dutch speakers. More concerning is that my avatar is pretty expressionless, possibly the least engaging salesperson I’ve come across in a long time!
Your AI video
Click to watch the AI video "Your AI video" generated with Synthesia.
share.synthesia.io
I wonder if this blandness could be solved by highlighting a certain level of presence or communication style in my prompt. Judging by the sample videos included on the Synthesia site, it’s clearly possible to create more engaging avatars.
Synthesia’s platform offers a range of capabilities around video creation, collaboration and localisation. I’m curious where Synthesia will invest in the coming years. Will they double down on video creation features (e.g. things like eye contact correct to increase control over AI content or blending real with AI-generated content)? Or will they make significant investments in localisation of content (e.g. caption technologies that work seamlessly across different languages)? Workflow integration capability feels like another likely areas of investment, enabling customers to easily integrate Synthesia with their other content creation tools.
Did Synthesia deliver on my expectations? Yes, Synthesia offers an all-in-one video creation and management platform, with the safety and security compliance that customers would expect.
Main learning point: Synthesia offers a glimpse into the future of content creation where language barriers are no longer an issue and video production timelines and costs shrink dramatically. It feels easy to use, although I clearly need some guidance and experience in making my avatars looking more natural!
