Make a talking character clip from one written line

Some videos need a person talking straight to the camera, and you do not always have one on hand. The Video tab includes a set of talking characters. You choose a person, write the line, and DepCut renders a handheld, phone-style clip of them saying it.

Pick a character

1. Open the left panel, choose AI Gen, then Video.
2. Scroll below the generate form to the Talking Characters section. It shows a handful of tiles. Click View all for the full set and a Search characters… box.
3. Hover a tile to play it with sound. Click the expand button to see the full-size clip and the prompt behind it, which includes the sample line the character speaks.
4. Click the tile you want. The composer switches into character mode. The person's thumbnail and name appear at the top of the prompt box, with an X button titled Leave character mode.

Write the line

In character mode the prompt box reads What should they say?. Type only the spoken words. DepCut adds the character's look and the casual selfie framing for you, so a description of the room or the outfit has no place in the box.

Write for the ear:

• Keep it to one idea per clip.
• Use contractions and short sentences, the way people talk.
• Read the line aloud once. If you run out of breath, cut it.
• Match the length to the Duration setting, so the whole line fits inside the clip.

Set the clip and render

1. Choose Aspect ratio to match your project, 9:16 for vertical or 16:9 for widescreen.
2. Check Model, Resolution and Duration in the row under the prompt.
3. Notice that How references are used is greyed out and set to Frames. In character mode the character's picture is always the opening frame.
4. Click Generate video.

The job appears below the button with Rendering… and a running clock, and you can keep editing while it works. If you are not sure which delivery will land, set Number of takes to x2 or x3 and compare how each one handles the line.

Place it and build a sequence

When the render finishes, hover the tile to preview it with sound. Click + (Add to timeline) to add it, or drag the tile where you want it. The speech is part of the clip's audio, so you can run Subtitles to caption it the same way you would any spoken clip.

One character can carry a whole message if you split it into short clips:

1. Generate a hook line, then a point, then a closing line, each as its own clip with the same character.
2. Put them on the main track in order and trim the gaps between lines.
3. Cover the cuts with b-roll or a title so the changes between clips feel intentional.

Ask the Agent

You can request the same thing in the chat: "Have a talking character say 'I tested this for a month, and here is what changed.'" The Agent picks a character, renders the clip as a card in the chat, and adds it to the timeline when you ask it to.

Give a character a line

Open DepCut, choose Talking Characters in the Video tab and write one line that sounds like you.