Create Free Talking Avatars With Sadtalker
Talking avatars have become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly for those who want to add a unique touch to their personal or professional projects.
However, many of the web-based tools available for creating these avatars come with a steep price tag, making them inaccessible for those on a tight budget.
Fortunately, a free tool called Sadtalker has emerged as a viable alternative to paid options like D-id and Heygen. In this article, we will guide you through the installation process for Sadtalker and provide a side-by-side comparison of default and preferred settings.
By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of how to use Sadtalker to create high-quality talking avatars without breaking the bank. Whether you are a content creator, educator, or simply someone who wants to add a personal touch to your online presence, Sadtalker is a tool that you will want to explore.
Key Takeaways
- Sadtalker is a free and easy-to-use tool for creating talking avatars.
- It produces results comparable to paid tools like D-id and offers customizable settings for enhanced results.
- The installation process requires downloading Python 3.10.6, Git, and ffmpeg, and following a step-by-step guide provided in a video tutorial.
- Sadtalker is the personal favorite tool for creating talking avatars and is a great option for personal use.
Installation Process
This blog post will guide you through the process of installing SadTalker locally to create free talking avatars.
If you want to follow along with the video:
Step 1: Install Python 3.10.6
- Download and Install Python 3.10.6, selecting the Windows installer (64-bit) and ensuring the option “Add Python to PATH” is checked.
Step 2: Install Git
- Download and install Git by downloading the 64-bit Git for Windows Setup and following the installation instructions.
Step 3: Install ffmpeg
- Install ffmpeg by using the chocolatey package manager. Follow these steps:
- Go to the chocolatey website.
- Scroll down until you see the command: “Now run the following command:”
- Copy the command.
- Open PowerShell as an administrator by searching for “powershell” in the Windows search box and selecting “Run as administrator.”
- Right-click inside the PowerShell window to paste the command.
- Press enter and let the installation complete.
- Test the installation by typing “choco” in the PowerShell window.
- Install ffmpeg by typing “choco install ffmpeg-full” in the PowerShell window and pressing enter.
- When prompted, press “A” to accept all and complete the installation.
- Test the ffmpeg installation by typing “ffmpeg” in the PowerShell window.
Step 4: Download and Install SadTalker
- Open File Explorer and navigate to the drive where you want to install SadTalker.
- In the address bar, type “cmd” and press enter to open the command prompt for that drive.
- Type “git clone https://github.com/Winfredy/SadTalker.git” and press enter to download and install SadTalker.
Step 5: Download and Install Checkpoints
- Go into your SadTalker folder and create a new folder named “Checkpoints” in the root directory.
- Visit the SadTalker GitHub page and search for “Download Trained Models.”
- Open the main checkpoints link in a new tab and download the zip file into your checkpoints folder.
- Open the G.F.P Gan offline patch link in a new tab and download the zip file into your checkpoints folder.
- Extract the files from both zip files into the checkpoints folder.
- Rename the extracted folder paths by removing the last instance of “sadtalker” and “GFP gan” respectively.
- Delete the two zip files.
Step 6: Run SadTalker
- Go into your SadTalker folder and double click on “webui.bat” to run the program.
- Wait for the installation to complete. Once it’s done, a web browser window should open.
- Visit http://127.0.0.1:7860 in your web browser. To change the theme to dark mode, add “?__theme=dark” at the end of the URL.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed SadTalker locally.
Now you can use SadTalker to create talking avatars. Simply follow these steps:
- Click on “Click here to add your source image” to select your avatar image.
- Click on “Click here to add your audio” to upload your audio file.
- Click on “Generate” to create your talking avatar video.
You can choose the default settings or customize the output by selecting the following options:
- Resolution: 512
- Mode: Full
- Animation: Still Mode
- Face Enhancer: GFPGAN face enhancer
Click on “Generate” again to create your customized talking avatar video.
Compare the results with the default settings and the custom settings to see the difference.
Enjoy creating your own talking avatars with SadTalker!
Note: All necessary links and resources mentioned in this blog post can be found in the video description.
Adjusting Settings
To adjust the settings for generating a talking photo with the web-based tool, the user can modify the parameters such as the image size, mode, and face enhancer method.
The default settings for Sadtalker are 256 for the image size, Still Mode for the mode, and no face enhancer method.
However, the user can customize the appearance of the talking avatar by adjusting the image size to 512, using Full or Animated Mode, and selecting the GFPGAN face enhancer method.
The GFPGAN face enhancer method enhances the facial features and produces a more realistic talking avatar.
Troubleshooting
If you’re having problems with python here are some troubleshooting steps:
Check if Python is installed: Open the command prompt by typing cmd in the search bar and hit enter.
Type
python --version
and hit enter. If Python is installed, you should see a response like Python 3.x.x.
If Python isn’t recognized, continue to the next step.
Install Python (if not installed): Download the latest version of Python from the official site (https://www.python.org/downloads/) and install it.
During the installation process, make sure you tick the box that says:
“Add Python to PATH”
before you hit install.
Add Python to PATH manually (if already installed): If Python is installed but not recognized, you’ll need to add it to the PATH manually. Here’s how:
Locate your Python installation directory. It’s typically in “C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python3X” (where X represents the version number). Alternatively, it might be in “C:\Python3X”.
Copy the path to this directory.
Search for “Environment Variables” in your computer’s search bar and click on “Edit the system environment variables.”
In the System Properties window that pops up, click on “Environment Variables…”
In the Environment Variables window, under “System variables”, find and select “Path”, then click on “Edit…”
In the Edit Environment Variable window, click on “New” and paste the path to your Python directory that you copied earlier. Then click “OK” on each open window to close them.
Re-run the webui.bat file: Now that Python is added to the PATH, you should be able to run the webui.bat file without issues. If you’re still encountering issues, there might be other problems unrelated to the Python PATH.
The path to your Python installation does not necessarily need to be on the same drive that you choose for your other actions, but the Python executable does need to be in a location that your system can find (i.e., in your PATH). If you’re still having trouble after following these steps, please let me know and we can troubleshoot further!