# Machine Learning: Creating an animated avatar that reacts to your voice When you hear Machine Learning, then things always seem a little abstract right? How can machine learning be used practical in your life? This week I created an animated avatar based on my photo that was turned into an digital avatar with an amazing Python tool. How can we use a Python Machine Learning Tool to create an animated PNG-Tuber avatar. > A PNG-Tuber is a sub-form of a V-Tuber using an animated 2D image in opposite to a 3D model as their virtual counterfeit. The avatar is then used instead of a webcam. V-Tubing originated in Japan in 2010 but grew popularity in the western world in 2020. PNG-Tubing is a quick and easy entrance into V-Tubing. ![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1652235644041/LwAGnkVCs.png align="center") ## Tools I used: - To turn my photo into an comic avatar, I used AnimeGANv2. You can check it out on [Huggingface.co](https://huggingface.co/spaces/akhaliq/AnimeGANv2) - The program used to animate your character and let's your voice control it, is [Gazo Tuber](https://ai-risun.itch.io/gazo-tuber) - To create the different "Scenes" of the animation, I used [Krita](https://krita.org/en/) and [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org/) with my graphic tablet. # How to get started! ![Untitled (200 × 200px) (1).png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1652234910599/x0kApxYSS.png align="left") This is the picture I started with. It is a portrait of myself. I went to AnimeGANv2 and used the tool over there to create a comic version of this image. The reason why I didn't use my photo is, that it might make viewers and also me quite uneasy to look at an animated version of my own face. ## This is the result I got ![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1652235055804/YVcMp8Heo.png align="left") Not terrible at all if you ask me Not only does it look like an actual comic face but it also fits the vibe i would like to go for with my animated avatar. ## Setting up Gazo Tuber Gazo Tuber requires you to have at least 2 images - one with an open and one with a closed mouth - to indicate if you are speaking or not. If you want your avatar to look a little bit more alive, you should also upload a version with closed eyes for both, so the program can let your avatar close its eyes for blinking. I used Krita and my Graphic Tablet for this work. Since I already worked on photo editing and did my fair share of digital painting, this was quite a quick task for me. ![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1652236133342/g1DP8n3zK.png align="left") To get a more lively animation when you avatar is talking, you can add several different pngs with different shaped and opened mouth per drag and drop onto the importer ![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1652236273749/FGAVEx0YW.png align="left") I created eight images in total that build the animation. I used reference templates for the different mouth shapes so I could create them from scratch and also made sure the jaw would move for the right vowels. ![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1652236307639/B9N9dYA4I.png align="left") Once you have set up Gazo Tuber correctly and also connected your microphone, you can implement the avatar in your screen recording or streaming software as a new scene. ![obs64_9zoXSvIALc.gif](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1652236524200/q7xwJfC6k.gif align="left") What I love about tech is that different skills combined can lead to the most creative solutions out there. I also think that art tools powered by AI don't replace artists but they will support artists in the future. When I learned to create references for artwork by printing images and then cut them and glue them together as a collage, artists in the future will have a tool to which they describe what the reference will look like. If you want to create your own animated speaking avatar, just follow the links on top of the description!