I was not sure if I was going to get this, because I have a couple of tools I like for AI avatar generation. However, I did a Sumo Day video and said I would try Followr Studio. The logic is that this could centralize the workflow for augmenting content creation with AI since I already have a Followr account.

I was so impressed by the workflow of generating the avatar - being able to use your own picture, upload or generate a background, generate the voice, and then decide for each scene the positioning of the avatar (for example: directly looking at camera, facing right, left, etc.), camera effects (like panning, zooming, etc.), and scene transitions.

Also, when adding the script, you can put descriptors in for how you want the audio to be spoken (whisper, excited, skeptical, etc.).

The output was fantastic - smooth realistic and expressive. The background AI generation in the video needed a little work (several things that defy physics)...but WOW for the AI avatar. I think I will keep the background simple and focus on the AI avatar.

What would make this better is:
1. Voice cloning - it is weird to hear someone else's voice come out of my mouth; I am guessing it would be weird for people who know me or have heard me speak too. Voice cloning is necessary to make an AI clone work well. I could have missed it, but if it exists, it was not obvious. An additional related feature is to be able to upload an audio recording for lip synching - sometimes it is easier than writing a script and inserting the emotions.
2. Ad Hoc Credits - I do not mind paying for credits, that is the world we are in. The issue is that the only way to get more credits is to sign up for a monthly add-on. Please add a way for loyal Sumolings to purchase non-monthly add-on credits like in this AppSumo deal. I would gladly pay. Alternatively, can BYOK be used with Followr Studio functions? If so, how does that work?
3. API Access Add-On: I understand that there are additional costs to add API access. However, $99 per month is the very high end of what many platforms charge monthly. I hope there is a way to make this more financially accessible for Sumolings so we can set up templates and use AI agents to manage our content creation and posting workflows. Otherwise, we are being setup to be left behind with all that is possible with AI and Followr.

All that said, the quality of the avatar is exceptional. When I have more time, I will do a video and share here. Thank you Followr for a great product, I hope you are able to incorporate some of my suggestions or provide alternatives. Good luck Sumolings.