> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pyne.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choosing a custom avatar and voice

> You can set up your own custom avatar with Pyne and also create a custom voice. This guide will help you get started within a few minutes.

## Free option: Choosing one of HeyGen's stock avatars and voices (in any combinations)

<Info>Choosing a stock avatar is included in any of our plans.</Info>

You can choose one of HeyGen's stock avatars for free. All you have to do is send us the video avatar ID and the voice ID if you want to choose a custom voice for that avatar, and we will set it up for you.

1. You can choose an avatar here: [https://app.heygen.com/avatars](https://app.heygen.com/avatars)
2. And a custom voice: [https://app.heygen.com/voices](https://app.heygen.com/voices) or from [https://elevenlabs.io/app/voice-library](https://elevenlabs.io/app/voice-library)
3. Once you've chosen them, just send them to us and we'll load them into your account

## Paid option: Creating your own avatar and voice from a team member

<Info>
  Please note that creating your custom avatar costs **€300 per year**, which
  are costs we directly pass on from our third-party vendor.
</Info>

## The avatar footage

### **What we need from you:**

* A **2-5 mins** frontal recording; if it’s only 1:58 we will have to redo it
* **Topics to talk about**: talk about something you enjoy and are confident talking about, such as your founding story, your daily job to job, or by explaining a hobby you really like. Ideally, have a slight smile on your face. The topic really doesn’t matter, only the expressions and the way you talk do. For my own avatar, I talked about what our company does, for who we are building, and what we know about these people. Finally, I talked about my favorite hobby and about the last time I did it.

### ✅ **Recommended**

* Use a **high resolution** camera, but not in studio quality (a professional demo-like setup is ideal; alternatively, use the camera of the backside of a new Iphone)
* Record in a **well-lit, quiet** environment
* Look **directly** into the camera
* **Pause** between each sentence with your **mouth closed**
* **Fold hands** in front of body and use some **generic gestures** with them below your chest
* Don’t move **your head** too much. Stay with your body in roughly the same position.
* Talk a little bit **energetically** and in a upbeat tempo. Put a **friendly expression** on your face. This ensures that your users are engaged with the video and like the experience.

### ❌ **Things to avoid**

* Stitched or cut footage
* Talking without pauses
* Talking monotonously
* Changing positions while recording
* Loud background noise
* Shadows on, or overexposure of your face
* Diverting your gaze or looking around
* Hand gestures above the chest
* Use of pointing gestures

💡 **Note**: we don’t look at those videos, so it really doesn’t matter what you talk about. The most important thing is that you adhere to the rules above to make the avatar memorable.

### The confirmation video

### What we need from you:

* A 10 sec video (simple frontal) reading out the following text and send it to us
* We will need this to generate an AI avatar on your behalt
* You just have to do this step once and you’re good to go with your own avatar from thereof

> I, \[YOUR NAME], hereby allow HeyGen to use the footage of me to build a HeyGen Avatar for use on the HeyGen platform.

### Item #3: sharing the videos

Finally, put the two video files into a Drive file and share it with us. We'll then create the avatar, share it with you for feedback, and load it into your account.