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画外音是一种视频制作技术，你会听到说话者的声音，但不会在屏幕上看到他们。它常用于电影、电视、广告和社交媒体，为视频中正在发生的事情提供更多背景信息。 

你并不一定需要成为专业配音演员才能为视频制作高质量的画外音。借助合适的技术，你可以在家中录制自己的声音，或使用 AI 创建适合你需求的定制声音。 

在本文中，我们将探讨画外音的工作原理、如何制作自己的画外音，以及现代 AI 模型如何让专业画外音比以往任何时候都更容易获得。 

摘要

  • 画外音是指将某人说话的音频轨道叠加在视频上播放。 
  • 画外音最常用于解说或播报屏幕上正在发生的内容。在虚构作品中，它们也用于分享角色的内心独白。 
  • 画外音出现在许多不同类型的媒体中，包括电影、电视、电子游戏、广告、社交媒体和教育内容。 
  • 借助 AI，你可以为你的创意项目创建和自定义画外音。 

什么是画外音？定义、用途和关键特征

画外音是一段不见说话者的音频轨道，叠加在视频上播放。画外音可以包含预先录制的人类表演或 AI 生成的语音。 

你可能会看到这个术语有三种写法：voice over、voiceover 和 voice-over。这三种写法都很常用，其中“voiceover”在制作行业中较为典型，而词典则倾向于使用带连字符的“voice-over”。 

画外音有多种用途，包括： 

  • 旁白：画外音讲述屏幕上正在发生的事情。它用于虚构和非虚构内容，包括电影、电视节目和纪录片。
  • 角色内心独白：在虚构内容中，画外音常用于分享角色在屏幕上时的想法。  
  • 播报：商业广告和营销视频常使用画外音来宣布新产品和优惠。 
  • 教育：培训视频常将视觉演示与提供分步说明的画外音相结合。 

在画外音中，说话者的语调、节奏和表达方式与屏幕上的视觉内容相匹配，使整个视频流畅自然。无论画外音是由人类还是 AI 模型创建，这些关键特征都存在。 

Infographic explaining voice-over uses: narration, inner monologues, announcements, and education.

画外音与配音表演、旁白和译制配音的区别

“画外音”这一术语常与其他音频和视频制作技术混淆，包括配音表演、旁白和译制配音。虽然这些概念之间存在一些重叠，但它们都有不同的定义。 

Voice acting is a specific type of voice over where the speaker is playing a distinct character or using an extensive range of emotions. Voice acting is most common in animated movies, TV shows, and video games, where the voice over is a key component of the story. 

Narration is another type of voice over where the off-screen voice tells the story of what’s happening on screen, or provides more context for the plot. However, the speaker isn’t usually a specific character. Narration is a common storytelling technique in documentary-style videos. 

Dubbing is when a new audio track replaces the existing audio in a video. For example, you might dub a TV show in a different language to make it accessible to international audiences, or dub in re-recorded dialogue if the existing audio quality is poor. 

Many video production teams use a combination of different voice over techniques and dubbing to achieve the final product. The table below puts the four techniques side by side:

Technique

What it is

Does the speaker play a character?

Does it replace existing audio?

Common uses

Voice over

An unseen speaker’s voice plays over a video

Sometimes

No, it is added to the video

Ads, explainers, documentaries, social media, training

Voice acting

A performance in a character’s voice, often with a wide emotional range

Yes

No

Animation, video games, audio dramas

Narration

An off-screen voice that tells the story or adds context

Usually not

No

Documentaries, audiobooks, explainer videos

Dubbing

A new audio track replaces the original audio

Often, to match the original speakers

Yes

Translating films and TV, replacing poor-quality audio

Comparison of voice over, voice acting, narration, and dubbing; only dubbing replaces audio.

Voice over examples: Film, ads, games, and explainers

Voice overs exist in many different types of media, including: 

  • Film and television: Voice overs are necessary to create animated movies and TV shows. They’re also used in live-action film for narration and storytelling that doesn’t fit into on-screen dialogue. 
  • Non-fictional entertainment: Voice over narration is common in reality TV, documentaries, and online explainer videos. The voice over guides the plot and provides additional context for what’s happening on screen. 
  • Video games: Video games use voice overs for both interactive in-game dialogue and cutscenes. High-quality voice overs make video games feel more immersive and engaging. 
  • Advertising: Voice overs are used in both online and TV ads to grab the viewer’s attention, reinforce brand messaging, and announce specific products, services, and promotions. 
  • Instructional videos: Voice overs are used in corporate training videos, online courses, and how-to videos to provide step-by-step instruction and guidance. 

Today’s AI models can create voice overs for all of these media categories. AI voice overs are a helpful solution when budgets or production timelines are tight. They also work well for testing different voices and styles before making a final commitment. 

What does a human voice over artist do? 

Human voice over artists provide audio for many different types of video projects, including film, television, video games, ads, and educational content. They can act out dialogue, provide narration, and read scripts. 

Recording the audio is just one part of a voice over artist’s job. Many of these artists have acting backgrounds, which they use to create a character or persona that’s appropriate for the project and aligns with the director’s vision. They adjust their pacing, tone, volume, and even their accent as they record to bring this character to life. 

Some voice over artists also have technical audio skills, which they use to configure their microphones or even edit their own recordings. However, not all voice over artists offer these services. 

How to create a voice over with AI, step by step

With modern AI models, you don’t need a human voice over artist for every project. AI helps you create realistic, high-quality voice overs without a lengthy casting or production process. 

Five-step guide to creating an AI voice-over in ElevenCreative Studio.

Here’s a step by step breakdown of how to create a voice over with AI using ElevenCreative Studio:

  1. Describe your project or upload a script: Describe the type of project you want to create to the AI model. Specify the medium, such as an audiobook, podcast, or YouTube video. Then, provide details about the type of voice you want, such as the speaker’s accent, gender, and tone. If you have a script already written, you can upload it here, or AI can help you write one. 
  2. Let Studio Agent draft a first cut: The Studio Agent will create a first draft based on your prompts. From there, provide feedback to refine the voice over so it fits your needs. 
  3. Pick or adjust a voice from the Voice Library: The Voice Library includes Iconic Voices from renowned human voice actors, alongside a huge range of other styles, accents, and languages. Test out different voices to see which one works best for your project, or customize a voice by adjusting the emotion and delivery. 
  4. Refine the script with the text-based editor: After you’ve generated your first draft, make adjustments to the script until you’re happy with the result. The text-based editor makes it easy to edit the script, no technical skills required. 
  5. Export the final product: Once you’re happy with the voice over, export the audio file so you can use it in your video editing software of choice. You can also make basic video edits directly in ElevenCreative Studio. Upload MP4 or MOV files and add your voice over, background music, sound effects, and captions directly to the video. 

How to write a voice over script

The best voice overs are those supported by a quality script that’s written for the ear. 

These tips will help you write a script that sounds natural when read aloud:

  • Write the way you speak: Use short sentences, everyday words, and contractions. Read each line aloud, and rewrite anything that makes you stumble. Watch out for cacophony that muddles a line.
  • Match the script to the visuals: Plan each line around what is on screen so the words and images reinforce each other. Leave short gaps where the visuals can speak for themselves.
  • Keep one idea per sentence: Listeners can’t reread a line, so avoid long, nested sentences.
  • Mark pauses and emphasis: Add notes for where the speaker should slow down, pause, or stress a word. For hard-to-pronounce names or terms, add a phonetic spelling.
  • Check the length: Most narration runs at a comfortable pace of roughly 150 words per minute, so use that as a starting point to estimate how long your script will run.

With a finished script in hand, you’re ready to record or generate it in a few minutes with AI.

Infographic: five tips for writing a voice-over script, from natural speech to timing.

Choosing a voice: Voice Library, Voice Design, or creating your own

To create your voice over, choose from pre-made AI voices or create your own. 

The ElevenCreative Voice Library features over 17,500 distinct AI voices. This includes a variety of languages and accents from all over the world, as well as a wide range of styles and tones. 

You can use the Eleven v4 emotion wheel to see a voice come to life.

See Eleven v4 in action

You’ll also find licensed voices of famous actors and characters. Human voice actors can clone their voices and earn cash rewards when paid subscribers use their voice.

You can also create your own voice using the Voice Design feature. With this feature, you’ll describe the type of voice you’re looking for in a text prompt. The Eleven v4 model uses that prompt to create a unique voice. From there, you can adjust features like the speaker’s accent, pacing, tone, pitch, and emotion. This is an easy way to test out different voices and find the best fit for your project. 

Another option is Voice Cloning, which creates a replica of your voice based on a short audio sample. Once you’ve cloned your voice, use text to speech to create a script and then adjust the emotion and pacing of the delivery. This is a great option if you want to use your own voice, but don’t have professional recording equipment. 

Three voice options—library, design, or cloning—plus payouts for voice actors.

AI voice over vs human voice over

There’s absolutely a place for both human and AI voice overs in creative industries. Voice actors are the backbone of video production, with studies suggesting the industry is valued at around $5.8 billion.

Many voice actors have even combined their skills with AI, creating replicas of their voices to use on platforms like ElevenLabs. Doing so allows them to generate income when people use their voice, without the need to individually record each of these projects on their own schedule.

The right choice between hiring an actor for a voice over and using AI comes down to your budget, timeline, performance needs, and the scope of your project. Here’s a reference to get started with:

Factor

AI voice over

Human voice over

Cost

Typically lower, often a subscription or per-use fee, with no per-session booking. See ElevenCreative’s pricing page for more details

Usually priced per project or per hour, and costs rise with studio time, usage rights, and revisions

Speed

Minutes to generate, with instant regeneration after script changes

Requires casting, scheduling, recording, and often a rebooking for script changes

Languages

One voice can speak dozens of languages, so you can localize quickly

Each language usually needs a separate native-speaking artist

Control

Edit the text, then adjust tone, pacing, and emotion yourself

Direction happens through takes and feedback, which gives nuanced results but takes more time

Performance

Highly realistic and expressive for most narration, explainer, and social content

Best for projects that need deep acting range or a very distinctive character performance

Best for

Tight timelines, frequent updates, multilingual content, and testing voices

Flagship brand campaigns, feature film, and character-driven performances

Create professional voice overs with ElevenCreative

Create a custom voice over for your next project with ElevenCreative’s Studio 4.0. Whether you choose from our Voice Library, use Voice Design, or even clone your own voice, you can adjust every detail of the voice over until it’s the perfect fit. 

The Voice Library has over 17,500 voices to choose from for your next project. Sign up for ElevenCreative or learn more about Eleven v4 to see what’s possible with AI voice overs. 

What is a voice over FAQ

You may be able to use an AI-generated voice over for commercial projects as long as you have a paid subscription to an AI voice platform and do not replicate the voices of real, identifiable people. 

Today’s AI models are highly realistic and can deliver engaging, nuanced performances. n many cases, AI voice overs deliver the quality and nuance needed for professional projects, especially when efficiency is a top priority. However, you may prefer to use a human voice actor for projects that require very strong acting skills. 

Yes, AI voice overs can sound very emotional and expressive. When creating an AI voice over, you can adjust the tone and emotion the speaker is using so it sounds realistic. 

Voice over adds an audio track with a new speaker to an existing video. It’s used to narrate or provide more context for what’s happening on screen. Dubbing replaces the existing audio in a video with a new audio track. It’s used to fix poor audio quality or translate videos into different languages. 

VoiceOver is an iPhone accessibility feature that helps blind or visually impaired users navigate their phone. When you tap a button or piece of text on screen, VoiceOver reads it out loud. 

Written by

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Jack Limebear

Growth Marketing

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Jack Limebear is on the Growth team, acting as a content writer and strategist across the blog and insights pages. Before ElevenLabs, he spent over a decade leading content strategy for organizations ranging from fast-growing SaaS startups to Fortune 500 companies. He holds a Master's degree in English Literature from the University of Cambridge.

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