How to create your first project

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create your very first project in HeyGen and get oriented with the key tools you’ll use throughout the platform.

Whether you’re brand new or already familiar with video creation, this guide will help you confidently find everything you need to get started.

Start from the dashboard

After logging into HeyGen, you’ll land on the dashboard. This is where all your past projects live. On the left side of the screen, you’ll find the main navigation panel with access to all of HeyGen’s tools.

To begin a new video, click Create Video.

You’ll see several options. To build a custom avatar video, select Start from Scratch. You may also notice the Interactivity option, which opens Learning & Development templates, this will be covered in a separate lesson.

Next, choose your video orientation: portrait or landscape. You can change this later if needed.

Once selected, you’ll be taken directly into AI Studio.

Get oriented in AI Studio

Inside AI Studio, you can start by naming your project. Below that, you’ll find the script editor, where you write, edit, and manage your scenes. This is where you add your script and structure your video.

Below the script editor, you’ll find options to add new scenes, record or upload audio, or insert pauses between lines. You can also use Voice Director (the megaphone icon) to control tone, pacing, and emotional delivery.

Clicking the three dots next to a scene reveals more actions, such as regenerating audio, rendering the scene to sync lip movements, converting to voice mirroring, translating the scene, or deleting it. From the script editor, you can also swap avatars, change voices, or switch between Avatar Unlimited and Avatar IV Motion engines.

Work with the timeline

The timeline editor lets you review your video from start to finish. You can drag the playhead to preview specific moments, see the total video length, and rearrange scenes by dragging them left or right.

You can also add scenes from templates, insert video scenes or premium slides, and create smooth transitions between scenes using the arrow icon between clips.

Choose and customize your avatar

Above the video canvas, click Avatars to select the avatar you want to use. You can choose from your own avatars or browse HeyGen’s public library.

Clicking on the avatar inside the canvas opens customization options. From here, you can switch looks, adjust framing, remove the background, add corner radius, or apply animations.

Enhance visuals and design

Next to the Avatars tab, you’ll find creative tools to enhance your video. These allow you to add text, upload media, insert elements, generate AI images, manage captions, or adjust background colors.

Above the script editor, open the hamburger menu to access additional tools. From here, you can save your video as a template, upload or download scripts, review version history, contact support, open tutorials, or change your theme.

In the options next to the hamburger menu, you can adjust video orientation, select a brand kit, or send feedback directly to the HeyGen team.

Collaboration and project management

Your work saves automatically, but you can also click Save manually at any time.

To collaborate, select Invite Members to bring teammates into the project. Notifications and comments appear in the top panel, making it easy to review feedback.

If your project includes multiple layers, open the Layers panel to rearrange elements by dragging them above or below one another.

Preview and generate your video

When your script and visuals are ready, click Preview to watch your project. If the avatar appears still or blurred, it means the video hasn’t been rendered yet, lip-syncing is applied during rendering.

When you’re satisfied, click Generate. You can rename your video, choose a destination folder, and select the output resolution up to 4K. If you’re using Avatar IV, HeyGen will automatically calculate usage.

HeyGen will process your video, and once complete, it will appear in your Projects tab, ready to review, share, or download.