Using text to speech for YouTube videos is an easy way to create video narrations. While it won’t suit every video creator, text to speech platforms are useful if you don’t want to hire a “real” narrator.
In this article, you’ll learn how to use text to speech YouTube services to create video narrations.
What is Text to Speech?
Text to speech is a service that converts a text document into spoken audio. Typically, services use AI and voice synthesis to create the audio, although some will simply hire a person to speak it. Synthetic voices can be surprisingly realistic, and, with the variety of accents available, it can be difficult to tell the difference.
Why Use Text to Speech for YouTube?
If you’re a video creator, particularly for a business that has a range of marketing avenues, text to speech services can benefit you. Specifically, text to speech allows you to use other content to create speech for your video. This could include:
- A blog post
- A podcast script
- Company documents (whitepapers, eBooks, etc.)
While you could get someone to narrate this content, a text to speech service will typically be cheaper (and quicker). This is because an AI platform doesn’t necessarily create the speech in real-time. Rather, it can generate an entire audio file in minutes.
How to Use Text to Speech for YouTube?
The specific steps will vary based on the service you use, but the general process will be the same. Below are the steps for how to use a text to speech service.
- Upload your text file. It should already be edited into the finalized script based on how you want it spoken in the video.
- Have the file converted. Depending on the service you use, the file conversion time could only be a few minutes. It ultimately depends on the quality of the AI platform.
- Listen to your file. After it’s converted, you should listen to your file to make sure you’re happy with the pace. If the service offers it, you can also change the speaking voice at this stage.
- Download the audio file. The file will likely download in MP3 format.
- Add it to your video. Once you have the file, use your chosen video editing platform to add it to your video. It might help to cut it into smaller sections depending on how you want it spoken in the video.
What Should You Do When Using Text to Speech for Videos
- Choose simple words. Aim to write for a non-native-speaking audience, as this will keep your language simple.
- Choose a proper voice. For example, it might be more familiar for your audience if you have a female voice narrating a makeup tutorial or a British accent narrating a British history video.
- Use TTS to increase accessibility. if your video is entirely visual (such as a makeup tutorial), you could create an audio track to explain what’s actually happening in the video. This can help people with visual impairments to understand what’s going on.
Text to Speech vs. Human Narration: Which is Better?
Your first thought for video audio might be to hire a narrator (or read it yourself), but this isn’t always the best solution. Here are some reasons why text to speech for YouTube videos can be the preferable option.
1. Text to Speech is cheaper than Human Narration
Unless you choose a really expensive service, an automatic text to speech service will always be cheaper. This is because you’re not paying someone for their time but are using an automatic, AI-driven platform.
2. Text to Speech is quicker than Human Narration
Similarly, text to speech services will be quicker than hiring a person to read your script. It’s because they generate the audio rather than reading it. A good working point is that the service will produce your audio in half the time it takes to be spoken.
3. You have more flexibility in TTS than Human Narration
If you hire a narrator, you only have access to their voice. While they might be able to do accents, it’s still their voice. However, using text to speech for YouTube platform gives you greater flexibility over gender and accent, allowing you to have different sounding audio every time.
Frequently Asked Questions about Text to Speech for Youtube
The best text to speech software for YouTube is one that gives you options for voices and accents. Also, it should be cost-effective and quick. Look around for a service that offers all this and is also easy to use.
The easiest way to make YouTube text to speech is to use an automatic platform. These generate the audio content for you, which can help save a lot of time and money compared to having someone read it.
Once you have your audio file, adding it to your YouTube video is easy. The exact steps will depend on the editing platform you use, but it’s a case of adding an audio layer over the video. Cutting your voiceover into sections can make this easier.
