Shots vs
HeyGen & Synthesia
HeyGen and Synthesia make talking-head videos with AI presenters, translated into many languages, which is great for training and updates. Shots edits real footage: it finds the moments, cuts by transcript and fills gaps with generated shots.
Presenter videos without a camera. Avatars, voice clones and translation for training, sales and updates.
Real footage, edited fast. Cut by asking or by transcript, then caption and export.
The short version.
They make a presenter. Shots edits the one you filmed.
Delete a word, and the clip is cut. Ums and pauses go in one go.
Need B-roll behind the talking? Generate it to match, labelled as generated.
Side by side.
An honest look at what each tool is built to do. Plenty of people use both.
Where HeyGen & Synthesia are great.
A presenter video from a script, with nobody on set.
One video in dozens of languages, with the mouth matched.
Brand controls and admin made for training teams.
Use them together.
Make the avatar explainer there. When you film the real thing, bring it to Shots for the edit, the B-roll and the captions.
Drop in your clips and say what you want. Get a first cut with captions and music.
Export the project with clips and captions, and fine-tune anywhere you like.
Post it wherever your people are.
Questions.
Does Shots make AI avatars?
No. Shots edits footage of real people and generates shots around them, labelled as generated.
Can I add an avatar video to a Shots edit?
Yes. Export it as an MP4 and drop it in like any other clip.
Is Shots free?
Yes. The editor is free with no watermark. Pro is $29 a month with 2,500 credits for generating, and Team is $99 a month for up to five people.
Skip the empty timeline.
Drop in your clips. Get a first cut in about a minute.
Comparison based on publicly available information. Features change, so tell us if something’s out of date. Product names are trademarks of their owners.