The future of AI dubbing

Video dubbing is a crucial aspect of accessibility, yet the dubbing process itself can often be costly and tedious. Thankfully, with the rise of AI dubbing tools like ElevenLabs, creators can dub all types of videos in just a few clicks.

• Dubbing is the process of replacing the original dialogue in video content with new audio. It is usually done for translation purposes. 
• Dubbing films, series, documentaries, and other visual content manually can often be time-consuming and stressful on your wallet and schedule.
• AI dubbing tools like ElevenLabs enable creators to dub all types of video files into 29 commonly spoken languages worldwide in just a few minutes. 

What is language dubbing?

Language dubbing refers to the process of replacing the original dialogue of a motion picture or video with new audio. In filmmaking and video creation, dubbing is usually implemented for translation purposes, such as translating a film or TV series into the intended audience’s native language. 

Many people become familiar with the concept of dubbing through Anime (Japanese animated films), as most popular Anime series are often dubbed into English and other widely spoken languages. There’s frequently a debate between Anime fans over which is better - “subs” (original Japanese audio with subtitles) or “dubs” (English-dubbed versions of a series). 

Nonetheless, dubbing extends beyond Japanese animated films and series and is very commonly applied to films, TV series, documentaries, and, in our current digital world, even YouTube videos. 

Although dubbing visual content was once tedious and meticulous, advancements in AI technology (specifically voice generation tools) have allowed creators to bypass many of the time-consuming and costly steps and generate high-quality dubs in minutes.

That said, let’s explore the applications of artificial intelligence in dubbing and what this means for content creators in the near future.

How is AI transforming the dubbing process? 

Prior to the use (and wide accessibility) of AI technology, dubbing was considered a relatively long and costly process. Producers and creators would need to find voice actors, host auditions, hire the best fit for the roles, and work with said voiceover artists to create dubbed audio from scratch. 

This process included long periods of sitting through auditions, careful decision-making, meticulous script translation work, and lengthy voice recording sessions. 

Now picture this same process for every voice actor hired to provide a dub for a specific character—that’s a lot of time, money, and energy! 

Thankfully, advancements in AI allow producers and creators to bypass most of these challenges by enabling them to generate high-quality audio for dubbing purposes in significantly shorter periods. 

But how does this process actually work? 

Advanced AI-powered voice generation and TTS tools like ElevenLabs provide producers and creators with an abundance of useful tools and features. 

Such features include extensive voice libraries with different narration options, tweakable parameters (e.g., speed, accent, inflection), voice cloning opportunities, and, most importantly, final audio that is indistinguishable from authentic human speech. 

Likewise, many such platforms also include an abundance of multilingual speech generation and dubbing opportunities, allowing creators to streamline the dubbing process instead of spending time, money, and other resources on it.

The benefits of using AI to dub content

Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly on the rise, especially regarding TTS and voice-generation tools like ElevenLabs. Powered by in-depth machine learning and natural language processing, these tools can now recognize, process, and replicate human speech that is indistinguishable from the real deal. 

That said, let’s explore some of these benefits in more detail.

AI tools are cost-effective

Picture this: you’re paying one or more voiceover artists to dub a whole series manually while also paying for studio space (if the work is non-remote), reimbursing said voiceover artists for their time even when retakes are required, and potentially searching for replacements if someone cannot continue with the project. And those are just the main expenses. 

AI-powered dubbing tools eliminate all these costs, leaving you with only a (comparably smaller) subscription fee.

AI tools help conserve time 

Aside from being costly, manual dubbing is also time-consuming. You need to organize a team, find and hire voice actors, carry out auditions, translate scripts, work on retakes, potentially hire new actors or narrators if somebody leaves the project, and then align the dubbed audio files with the initial content. 

In other words - that’s a lot of work!

Thankfully, AI-powered tools like ElevenLabs do all of that for you. All you need to do is provide the content you would like to be dubbed, choose the language, set your preferences, and voila! Minimal hassle, maximum efficiency.

AI tools provide creative freedom

When producing dubs, the original voice should always be accounted for. People don’t just become fans of movies, series, video games, or any other visual content by themselves. They also develop strong connections with the characters or narrators, and distinctive voices play a major role in this. 

Needless to say, not all dubs are successful, leading fans to become disappointed with the final result and sometimes even boycotting content for not living up to their expectations, voiceover-wise. 

Fortunately, AI solves this problem by allowing producers and creators to create AI voices from scratch or implement voice cloning technology to keep the original voice while changing the language. 

Regarding the ElevenLabs Dubbing Studio, you only need to upload 30 minutes of clear audio, and the advanced algorithm will create a replica of the original voice that can be used for further audio production or dubbing.

How to dub any video with ElevenLabs 

Before we wrap up, let’s take a quick look at how you can dub virtually any video using ElevenLabs: 

1. Create an account with ElevenLabs and select a pricing tier. If you require longer dubs (5+ minutes), consider signing up for the starter plan or above. 
2. Navigate to the Dubbing studio and select “Create new dub.”
3. Link your desired video from YouTube, X/Twitter, TikTok, Vimeo, or another URL. Likewise, you can also upload the video file directly to the platform.
4. Select the source language or allow the algorithm to detect it for you. 
5. Choose from 29 commonly spoken languages for your new dub. 
6. Specify parameters like number of speakers, resolution, and dubbing portion (if you don’t need the entire video dubbed). 
7. Preview your content, and hit “Download” if no adjustments are required. Likewise, you can make any necessary adjustments and download your video afterward. 

If that sounds good, keep in mind that our AI dubbing tool also keeps the original speaker’s voice and style consistent across all languages, analyzes your video automatically to recognize when someone speaks and match the voice, intonation, and speech duration, and allows you to manually edit transcripts and translations to ensure your content is appropriately synced. 

Final thoughts 

Translation options are a huge factor in accessibility and content expansion, yet video dubbing can be costly, tedious, and limited when performed manually. 

Thankfully, advanced AI-based TTS and voice generation tools like ElevenLabs are helping entertainment companies, producers, and content creators worldwide effectively dub their visual content while bypassing additional expenses and streamlining the dubbing process. 

That said, AI continues to advance rapidly as we speak, so stay on the lookout for exciting future updates in the field of AI audio production.