Prerequisites
An image of a person (PNG or JPEG) — accessible via a public URL or uploaded as an asset
A voice_id for the voice you want. Use GET /v3/voices to browse options.
Step 1 — Generate the video
Use POST /v3/videos with image_url or image_asset_id instead of avatar_id:
From image URL
From uploaded asset
curl -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v3/videos" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"image_url": "https://example.com/person.jpg",
"script": "Hello! This video was generated directly from a photo, with no avatar setup needed.",
"voice_id": "YOUR_VOICE_ID",
"title": "Image to Video Demo",
"resolution": "1080p",
"aspect_ratio": "16:9"
}'
First upload via POST /v3/assets, then reference the returned asset_id:# Upload the image
curl -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v3/assets" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-F "[email protected]"
# Generate the video
curl -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v3/videos" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"image_asset_id": "RETURNED_ASSET_ID",
"script": "This video was created from an uploaded image asset.",
"voice_id": "YOUR_VOICE_ID",
"title": "Image to Video Demo"
}'
image_url, image_asset_id, and avatar_id are mutually exclusive. Use exactly one.
Step 2 — Poll for completion
Video generation is asynchronous. Poll GET /v3/videos/{video_id} until the status reaches completed:
curl -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v3/videos/YOUR_VIDEO_ID" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
| Status | Meaning |
|---|
pending | Queued for processing |
processing | Video is being generated |
completed | Ready — video_url is available |
failed | Something went wrong |
Full example
import requests
import time
API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE = "https://api.heygen.com"
HEADERS = {"x-api-key": API_KEY, "Content-Type": "application/json"}
# 1. Generate video from an image URL
resp = requests.post(f"{BASE}/v3/videos", headers=HEADERS, json={
"image_url": "https://example.com/person.jpg",
"script": "Welcome! This entire video was created from a single photograph.",
"voice_id": "YOUR_VOICE_ID",
"title": "Image-to-Video Example",
"resolution": "1080p",
"aspect_ratio": "16:9"
})
video_id = resp.json()["data"]["video_id"]
print(f"Video created: {video_id}")
# 2. Poll until done
while True:
status_resp = requests.get(f"{BASE}/v3/videos/{video_id}", headers=HEADERS)
data = status_resp.json()["data"]
print(f"Status: {data['status']}")
if data["status"] == "completed":
print(f"Download: {data['video_url']}")
break
elif data["status"] == "failed":
print(f"Error: {data.get('failure_message')}")
break
time.sleep(10)
Using audio instead of a script
You can lip-sync to a custom audio file instead of generating speech from text. Pass audio_url or audio_asset_id instead of script + voice_id:
{
"image_url": "https://example.com/person.jpg",
"audio_url": "https://example.com/narration.mp3",
"title": "Image-to-Video with custom audio"
}
script and audio_url/audio_asset_id are mutually exclusive. If you provide a script, you must also provide a voice_id.
Optional parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|
title | string | Display name in the HeyGen dashboard |
resolution | string | 1080p or 720p |
aspect_ratio | string | 16:9 or 9:16 |
remove_background | boolean | Remove the image background from the video |
background | object | Set a solid color or image background |
voice_settings | object | Adjust speed (0.5–1.5), pitch (-50 to +50), locale |
callback_url | string | Webhook URL for completion notification |
callback_id | string | Your own ID echoed back in the webhook payload |
Image-to-video vs. Photo Avatar
| Criteria | Image-to-Video | Photo Avatar |
|---|
| Setup | None — pass an image and go | Requires POST /v3/avatars first |
| Reusability | One-off per image URL | Reusable across many videos |
| Motion prompt | Not supported | Supported |
| Expressiveness | Not supported | high / medium / low |
| Best for | Quick tests, one-off content | Recurring brand content |
If you plan to generate multiple videos with the same person, create a Photo Avatar once and reuse its avatar_id. This saves processing time and unlocks motion and expressiveness controls.
