Instagram has added text-to-speech and voice effects to its TikTok competitor Reels, two features TikTok has had for some time. The robotic voice-overs used as narration for videos grew so ubiquitous on TikTok in fact, that voice actor Bev Standing sued the company in May, saying it didn’t have permission to use her voice. In September, TikTok then reached a settlement with Standing that included a licensing agreement.
While it’s popular among TikTok creators, more importantly, text-to-speech is a widely used accessibility feature that allows blind people and those with low vision to hear spoken versions of written text.
To use text-to-speech in Reels, open the Instagram app and go to the Reels camera, record or upload a video, and add text to the video using its text tool. Tap the text bubble to get to the three-dot menu, and select “text-to-speech,” then choose which voice option you want. Then post the Reel as usual.
If you want to add voice effects to your Reel, which lets you modify audio including a voice-over, after recording a Reel, tap the music note to open the audio mixer, tap “effects” and choose the voice effect you want. Options include “helium,” “giant,” and “robot.”
How to use Text to Speech on Instagram
To add the new text to the speech option on Instagram,
- Open Reels Camera in the Instagram app.
- Record a video or upload via the gallery.
- Tap on the Text tool to add text.
- Tap on the text bubble and select Text to Speech from the three dots menu.
- Users will get two options to select from — Voice 1 and Voice 2. Select and tap on Post.
The Voice Effect feature allows modifying the audio or the voiceover in your Reels. At present Instagram offers five-voice effect options —announcer, helium, giant, robot, and vocalist to make funny videos with different voices.
How to use Voice Effects on Instagram
- Record a Reel and tap music note to open the audio mixer.
- From the Effects menu select a voice effect to modify your reel or voiceover.
Meanwhile, TikTok has evolved its text-to-speech feature with specialized character voices; on Friday it introduced text-to-speech voices from Disney characters including Stitch, Chewbacca, Rocket Raccoon, and others.
The new Instagram features are now being rolled out to users on both iOS and Android.
