Guide / 7 steps / checked Sep 2026

Create an AI clone of yourself that records your videos for you

All it needs is a 2-minute phone clip. Below: the exact HeyGen workflow, what each step costs in credits, and where the clone still gives itself away.

Start your clone free See the 7 steps

Affiliate link: we earn 20% of what you pay HeyGen in your first 12 months. The free plan costs nothing and includes one custom avatar.

Step 01 / Film the training clip

Record two minutes of you, talking

One uninterrupted take. HeyGen's filming guide asks for:

At least 2 minutes of continuous speech. Avatar V can start from 15 seconds, but more footage gives it more of your motion to learn.
1080p minimum. 4K at 60 fps is better.
A quiet room, good even light, and clothes without busy patterns or large logos.
Eye contact with the lens, head turns under 30 degrees, hands below chest level.
A 2 to 3 second pause at the start, and 1 to 2 second pauses between longer sentences, lips closed.
On a phone, press and hold your face on screen until the lock icon appears. That locks focus and exposure.

Step 02 / Record the consent clip

Prove the face is yours

Before it trains anything, HeyGen asks for a short consent video, and it must show the same person as the training footage. It does not accept someone else's video without permission, or footage generated by other AI tools.

That rule is the safeguard against anyone cloning a person from public videos. It also means a team member's clone needs that team member in front of the camera.

Same person / on camera / every time

Step 03 / Train with Avatar V

Pick the model that learns your motion

Choose Avatar V, HeyGen's newest model. HeyGen says it conditions on your whole video rather than a single frame, which is how it keeps your gestures and expressions consistent across scenes.

Two catches: it is HeyGen's most expensive model to render, and each Avatar V video is capped at 3 minutes.

48 credits per minute / 3 min per video

Step 04 / Clone your voice

A real face with a stock voice looks fake

The mismatch is the first thing viewers notice. The Creator plan includes one voice clone and Pro expands voice usage. Give it clean audio: a quiet room and a microphone close to your mouth matter more than the camera does.

Creator: 1 voice clone

Step 05 / Write for the ear

The script is now the whole production

Your twin reads exactly what you type, so the writing does the work a camera crew used to.

About 150 spoken words is roughly one minute.
Short sentences, one idea each. Read it aloud once before you paste it.
Spell numbers, brands and acronyms the way you say them.
Keep Avatar V pieces under 3 minutes and split longer scripts into chapters.

Step 06 / Render and check

Watch one take at full size, with sound

Credits are spent when you render, so check one before you batch ten. Look for:

Lip-sync on fast consonants (p, b, m) and on names.
Hands and gestures near the edge of the frame.
The eye line: does it hold the lens the way you did?
Brand names. Fix mispronunciations with phonetic spelling in the script.

Step 07 / Translate

Multiply one good video into 175+ languages

Translation is the cheapest multiplier HeyGen has: 6 credits a minute with lip-sync, 10 in precision mode, 4 without lip-sync. That is an eighth of the cost of rendering new Avatar V footage.

Have a native speaker watch the first one. Some reviewers say translations are not always smooth.

6 credits per minute / 175+ languages

Know what you are building

Three kinds of AI avatar. Only one is you.

Type 01

Stock avatar

A presenter HeyGen licenses to everyone. Fastest to start, but it is not you, and the same face turns up in other people's videos.

Type 02

Photo avatar

One still image animated into a talking head. Cheaper to render (Avatar IV photo look costs 16 credits a minute), but a single frame limits how naturally it moves.

Type 03 / this guide

Digital twin

Trained on video of you. The only type that carries your real gestures and expressions, and the only one worth building if the videos are meant to be you.

Free template

A 60-second script built for an avatar

Avatars hold attention best when every sentence earns its place. This structure comes to about 150 words, one minute of speech.

Beat	Time	Words	What goes here
Hook	0 to 5 s	~15	The one-line promise. Say the outcome first, not your name.
Point	5 to 35 s	~75	Three short beats, one idea each. This is where a twin shines: no retakes.
Proof	35 to 50 s	~35	One number, example or on-screen demo that backs the point.
Ask	50 to 60 s	~25	One action only. Two asks get neither.

The honest part

Where the clone still gives itself away

HeyGen's own marketing covers the strengths. These are the limits, taken from its pricing page, its help centre and its public reviews.

Limit 01

You buy minutes, not videos

The $29 Creator plan's 600 credits come to about 12.5 minutes of Avatar V a month. Creator cannot buy top-up credits: running out means upgrading to Pro. Unused credits roll over for one extra billing cycle, then expire.

Limit 02

Three minutes per Avatar V video

Plans allow videos up to 30 minutes, but the flagship model caps each video at 3. Long courses mean chapters, or a cheaper, less realistic model.

Limit 03

Support draws the complaints

HeyGen scores 4.8 on G2 but 4.0 on Trustpilot, where 16% of 3,751 reviews are one-star. Credits and billing come up again and again in those reviews.

Limit 04

Your audience will know

Platforms label AI video and expect disclosure. Use the twin where that is fine: tutorials, updates, translations, FAQs. Keep personal stories on real camera.

Cost check before you commit: the credit calculator shows how many minutes each plan buys for every avatar model, and what a minute really costs.

Quick answers

AI clone questions

Do I need a paid plan to make a clone?

No. HeyGen's free plan includes one custom avatar and 3 videos a month, up to 1 minute each, with a watermark. Paid plans remove the watermark and add minutes, starting at $29 a month.

Can I use my phone, or do I need a camera?

A phone is fine. HeyGen's filming guide says phones and webcams work. Shoot in 1080p or better, lock focus and exposure on your face, and use a steady stand.

Can I clone my voice as well as my face?

Yes. The Creator plan includes one voice clone; Pro expands voice usage. The free plan does not include voice clones.

Can I make a clone of someone else?

Only if that person records the consent video themselves. HeyGen requires the consent clip to show the same person as the training footage.

How realistic is it, honestly?

HeyGen is rated #1 for most realistic avatars on G2, and Avatar V is its most realistic model. Realistic is not undetectable, though: plan for viewers to know, and label it as the platforms require.

Your twin, this afternoon

Film two minutes. Let the clone do the rest.

Start on the free plan, build your twin, render one test video, and only pay once you know how many minutes a month you actually need.

Start your clone free Is it worth paying for?

Affiliate link. We earn 20% of what you pay HeyGen in your first 12 months.