Text-to-speech, or TTS, is a type of technology that reads text aloud. It can take written words and turn them into a voice that sounds like a person talking. Over the years, TTS technology has improved a lot. What used to sound robotic and unnatural now sounds much more like a real person. This has made TTS popular in many areas, including animation and video dubbing.
In animation and dubbing, voices play a huge role. The voice of a character can make them feel real and bring their personality to life. However, hiring voice actors and recording voices can be expensive and time-consuming. That’s why more creators are using TTS. In this post, we’ll look at how TTS is changing animation and dubbing, making it easier, faster, and more affordable to create voices for characters in videos.
How TTS is Used in Animation
Text-to-speech is especially useful in animation, where creators often need voices for many characters. Here are some ways TTS helps with animation:
Voice Acting Support
TTS can be used as a temporary voice for characters during the early stages of creating an animated project. This helps animators and writers hear how a scene will sound without having to record real voice actors yet. It can also be helpful for background characters or minor roles where hiring a voice actor may not be necessary.
Faster Production
One big advantage of TTS in animation is speed. Recording with real voice actors can take a lot of time. There may be scheduling conflicts, re-recordings, or other delays. With TTS, creators can get the voice they need instantly. This can speed up the animation process, allowing teams to work faster and produce more content.
Testing Different Voice Styles
TTS allows creators to experiment with different voices before deciding on the final one. They can try out different tones, accents, or styles to see which fits the character best. This helps animators save time and money since they don’t have to record multiple real voices before choosing the final one.
How TTS is Used in Dubbing
Dubbing is the process of changing a video’s voice track to another language or to match different voices. Text to speech is making a big impact in this area as well, especially for global audiences.
Multilingual Dubbing
One of the biggest challenges in dubbing is creating versions of the same video in different languages. This usually involves hiring multiple voice actors who speak those languages.
However, with TTS, creators can easily translate and create voiceovers in many languages without hiring actors for each one. This makes it easier to reach audiences worldwide.
Consistency Across Series
For long-running series, TTS can keep the same voice across multiple episodes or seasons. Sometimes, when actors aren’t available, a new actor might take over, and the voice might sound different. But with TTS, the voice remains the same, keeping consistency for the character.
Quick Updates and Edits
If a creator wants to make small changes or add new lines to a video, TTS makes it easy. They don’t have to call back the voice actor or set up another recording session. Instead, they can simply type out the new line and let TTS read it. This is also useful for making special versions of videos for different regions or audiences.
Adding Text To Speech in Your Videos
Here’s how you can convert text to speech using free video editing software, like the CapCut desktop video editor:
Step 1: Import Your Video
Open the CapCut desktop video editor and click Import to bring your video into the project. Drag it onto the timeline to start editing.
Step 2: Add Text-to-Speech (TTS)
Select Text > Add Text, type the text you want to convert to speech, then select Text-to-Speech. Choose a voice from the available options like Elfy, Mad Penguin, etc, adjust the pitch or speed if needed, and apply.
Step 3: Export the Video
Once you’re satisfied, click Export in the top right corner. Choose the desired video quality, and the CapCut desktop video editor will process and save the video with your TTS narration.
Benefits of TTS in Animation and Dubbing
Text-to-speech technology offers many benefits for animation and dubbing. Here are a few:
Cost-Effective
Hiring multiple voice actors and setting up recording sessions can be expensive. TTS can help save money by providing voices without needing a full studio or actor. This is especially helpful for smaller studios or independent creators who may not have a large budget.
Fast and Efficient
TTS allows creators to work faster. They can get a voice immediately by typing out the script. This means they can create more content in less time. In a world where content is in high demand, TTS can help meet those demands.
Accessibility and Inclusivity
TTS makes videos more accessible to people with disabilities, especially those who are visually impaired. By providing clear narration, TTS allows more people to enjoy the content. It also helps create content in multiple languages, reaching a wider and more diverse audience.
Moreover, using caption generators to add captions to your videos will make them more inclusive and accessible.
Scalability
For creators who want to make a lot of content, TTS makes it easier to scale. They can quickly create voices for many characters, languages, and versions, reaching more viewers without spending too much time on voice production.
Conclusion
Text-to-speech is changing animation and dubbing by making it easier, faster, and more affordable to create character voices. While there are still some limitations, TTS technology is getting better all the time. As it continues to improve, TTS will play an even bigger role in video production, helping creators reach global audiences with engaging, accessible, and diverse content.
In the future, we may see even more creative uses of TTS, from interactive media to real-time translation. For now, TTS is already transforming animation and dubbing, making it a powerful tool for creators everywhere.
