Editing Avatar (computing) (section)

=== Motion capture ===
Another form of use for avatars is for video chats/calls. Some services, such as Skype (through some external plugins) allow users to use [[Interactive online characters|talking avatars]] during video calls, replacing the image from the user's camera with an animated, talking avatar.<ref>[https://extras.skype.com/72/view Skype Extras<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061024194129/https://extras.skype.com/72/view |date=October 24, 2006 }}</ref> Through the use of [[facial motion capture]] and a [[webcam]], an avatar can be configured to mimic the motions and expressions of the user. This can be integrated directly into games, such as ''[[Star Citizen]]'', and via standalone software such as FaceRig.<ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S fund invests USD 2 mln in Romanian animation software developer|url=http://www.romania-insider.com/facerig-usd-2-million-expansion|access-date=2021-09-01|website=Romania Insider|date=8 January 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-07-01|title=This is the easiest way to pretend to be an octopus pretending to be a human|url=https://www.vg247.com/octodad-dadliest-catch-facerig-animation-demo|access-date=2021-09-01|website=VG247|language=en}}</ref>

Both 3D and 2D avatars have been used in [[Training and development|Learning and Development]] content for education, onboarding, employee training and more. Photorealistic 3D AI avatars have been used as stand-ins for real actors via video editing tools like those made by [[Synthesia (company)|Synthesia]] among others.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-10-17|title=Create professional videos with 140+ diverse AI avatars|url=https://www.synthesia.io/features/avatars
|access-date=2023-10-17|language=en}}</ref>

[[Virtual YouTubers]] use animated avatars designed in software such as [[Live2D]], which often resemble [[anime]] characters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nagata|first=Kazuaki|date=2018-07-17|title=Japan's latest big thing: 'virtual YouTubers'|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/17/national/japans-latest-big-thing-virtual-youtubers/|access-date=2020-12-14|website=The Japan Times|language=en-US}}</ref> A whole ecosystem of talent agencies and investors exists to manage these online personalities, which often differ from the creator's real-life persona.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|last=Lufkin|first=Bryan|date=2 October 2018|title=The virtual vloggers taking over YouTube|language=en|work=[[BBC]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20181002-the-virtual-vloggers-taking-over-youtube|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> YouTube's 2020 Culture and Trends report highlighted VTubers as one of the notable trends of that year, with 1.5 billion views per month by October,<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=15 December 2020|title=YouTube Culture & Trends – Data and Cultural Analysis for You|url=https://www.youtube.com/trends/articles/report-sources/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218081931/https://www.youtube.com/trends/articles/report-sources/ |archive-date=2020-12-18 |access-date=2020-12-16|website=YouTube Culture & Trends|language=en}}</ref> and in May 2021, [[Twitch.tv|Twitch]] added a VTuber tag for streams as part of a wider expansion of its tag system.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marshall|first=Cass|date=2021-05-27|title=Twitch introduces more than 350 new streamer tags, including Vtuber, transgender, queer|url=https://www.polygon.com/22456783/twitch-new-streamer-tags-vtuber-transgender-queer-trans-community|access-date=2021-09-01|website=Polygon|language=en}}</ref>