The new Editing Studio in HeyGen’s Studio makes it easier than ever to write, edit, and customize your avatar’s script. In this guide, we’ll walk you through each step—from writing your script to adjusting voice settings—so you can get the most out of your video creation process.
👋 Need a quick overview first? Check out our Introduction to the New Editing Studio article for a high-level look at what’s new and what’s possible.
Choose Your Avatar
It’s time to pick your first avatar! Our default avatar, Annie, will appear automatically—but you can change her anytime for another public avatar or a custom avatar of your choosing.
👋 Need guidance? Check out our How to Create your First Video Avatar article to get started with Custom Avatars.
To switch avatars, hover over the current avatar’s name and click the down arrow next to it. From there, you can:
Select a different version of the same avatar
Replace the avatar with a new one
Delete the avatar entirely if you don’t want one in your video
Choose Your Voice
Select the voice that best fits your message. You can customize accent, tone, speed, and even the voice model to match the style you’re going for.
👋 Need guidance? Check out our article on How to Get Started with Voices.
Click the Play ▶︎ button next to your selected voice to hear your script read aloud before generating the video—so you can make sure it sounds just right.
Once you’ve finished entering your scripts, you can navigate to the voice again, then click Apply Voice to All to use the same voice across your entire presentation.
Scenes
A scene is a section of your video that includes a script, avatar, and visual elements like text or images. Think of it like a slide in a presentation—each one represents a specific part of your message.
How to Create a Scene
When you open the Editing Studio, it will automatically create your first scene, linked to a script section on the left hand side of the screen.
Begin by typing the first part of your script in the text field—we recommend keeping each script section under 2,000 characters for the best results.
👋 Need guidance? Check out our Script Tips article for helpful writing suggestions.
Once you’ve entered your first scene’s script, click the + Scene button below your script. Choose + Blank Scene to add a new empty scene, or select Add from Template to build from a pre-designed layout.
If you’d like to duplicate the content and script from an existing scene, navigate to the timeline below your work board. Click the three dots (⋯) in the top-right corner of the scene you want to copy, then select Duplicate Scene.
💡 Pro Tip: You can also add a transition effect between scenes here to enhance your video’s flow and presentation.
Script Pause
To make your script sound more natural, you can add pauses between sentences. Simply place your cursor where you’d like the pause, then click the Pause button. Use the + or – icons to adjust the pause length in 0.5-second intervals.
Custom Audio
Want to use your own voice instead of a custom one? You can insert your own audio file into your video presentation. There are two ways to do this:
Upload Audio – Import a pre-recorded audio file directly into your scene.
Record Audio – Use the built-in recorder to capture your voice on the spot.
Screen Recordings
Inside the Studio, click the Screen Record button to get started. You’ll see the option to:
Record your entire screen, a specific window, or a single Chrome tab
Toggle your microphone on or off (it’s on by default)
When you begin recording, you’ll hear a chime to confirm that your session has started. You can walk through a presentation, demo a product, or narrate anything on your screen — then click Stop Recording when you’re done. Then Preview, restart, or keep going.
After stopping, you’ll get a preview of your video and audio. From there, you can either:
Click Add New Scene to drop it directly into your project
Or hit Restart to re-record — perfect if you chose the wrong tab or want a second take
You’ll see a timer on-screen when a new recording begins, so you’ll always know what’s live.
When you add your screen recording as a new scene:
The video and audio files are both captured
The audio is automatically transcribed in your script panel
You can apply voice mirroring and other Studio tools to your recorded voice
Why Do I Receive a Warning Pop Up When Submitting?
These alerts are designed to help with the video creation process and ensure you're not missing any steps before submission.
Alert: No Avatar in Video
This means the final video generated will not include an Avatar speaking the script. If you intended to create a video without an Avatar or with varying scene and script lengths, feel free to submit your video for processing!
🛎️ Note: When using Photo Avatar to create a video, please make sure to upload a photo to the Avatar section on your dashboard to create a photo avatar. If you upload your photo to the Assets section and add it to the canvas instead, your final video will not contain a lip-synced Avatar.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why cant I preview my avatar video?
Full video previews aren’t available while editing, as generating the animated avatar takes time. However, you can still preview audio—like voices and scripts—before submitting. To view the final video with your avatar, simply submit your project for generation.
Where do I add music to my avatar video?
This feature is coming very soon to our new Editing Studio - stay tuned!
What happened to the original AI Studio Editor? Can I still use it?
Yes, you can still access this tool! The version is now in Legacy status, which means it will no longer receive feature updates. Our support team is still here to help with any questions you have while using it. If you'd like to keep using the past version, please use this link to access the original AI Studio.