Synthesia needs a live consent clip: what do Sume photo avatars need?

Short answer

Synthesia's avatar page says a personal avatar requires a live on-camera consent recording that cannot be uploaded or bypassed. Sume's Avatar 1.0 docs describe a photo avatar differently: you send a fetchable public HTTPS image URL, and Sume checks the URL before it submits the job. The docs do not describe a consent recording step. If you build an avatar of a real person on Sume, the consent record is yours to collect and keep.

What each side documents

The table keeps to what each page says. Synthesia and HeyGen describe consent as part of making a digital version of a person. Sume's docs describe input validation for the image URL, which is a different thing from verifying who is in the picture.

Three kinds of Sume avatar and the consent question

Sume lets you create an avatar three ways. Only one is built from a real photograph. The others start from text or structured traits, so they have no real person behind them. That changes your consent work a great deal.

A release you can write yourself

For a photo avatar of a real person, collect a signed release before you upload. Say who the person is, that they agree to a synthetic video version of themselves, what scripts and channels it covers, how long the permission lasts, and how to withdraw it. Store it with the avatar handle. A written release does not replace a live check the way Synthesia's does, so confirm identity yourself, for example on a call, and make sure the person in the photo is the person who signed.

• Name the avatar handle in the release.
• State the channels and the end date.
• Keep a way to retire the handle when consent ends.
• Do not use a photo of someone else without their agreement.

Why it matters now

Platform rules ask creators to disclose realistic content that makes a real person appear to say something they did not. A consent record and a script approved by the person are your evidence that the words were theirs. If you cannot show that, use a prompt or profile avatar instead and avoid the question.

Keep the paperwork proportional. For a founder who wants a presenter built from their own photo for their own company channel, a one-page release signed by that founder is enough to start. For an actor, an employee or a customer, add the limits of use and an end date. For a minor, do not use a photo avatar without a parent or guardian, and check the rules of the platform where the video will run.