FunSigns — Guide & FAQ

What is FunSigns?

FunSigns is an AI animation platform built for the Deaf community.

You upload a character image. You record yourself signing. FunSigns animates your character — so your character signs your message.

Your signs. Your character. Your story.

Who is it for?

Deaf creators who make content on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram
ASL educators and storytellers
Anyone who wants a signing avatar for social media

Example uses

Create a signing cartoon character for your channel
Make educational ASL videos with a fun avatar
Share signed messages with a consistent character across episodes

Generation time depends on the AI model you choose:

🟢 Seedance 2.0 — 3 to 7 minutes (fastest)
🟡 WAN 2.2 (Move or Replace) — 4 to 9 minutes
🟡 WAN 2.7 — 5 to 10 minutes
🔴 Kling 3.0 Standard — 5 to 12 minutes
🔴 Kling 3.0 Pro — 8 to 20 minutes (highest quality)

Longer duration settings (8s, 10s) and higher quality steps will add time. Keep the tab open while generating — you will see a live progress update.

Not yet — once a job is submitted it runs to completion on the AI server and cannot be cancelled. Credits are charged at submission. If a job fails for any reason, please contact support and we will review credit refunds case by case.

Tip: Start with a shorter duration (5s) and lower quality steps to test your setup before running a full high-quality job.

How to Animate Your Character

Create your accountGo to funsigns.ai/register. You get 10 free credits when you sign up.
Upload or choose a characterGo to the Characters tab. Upload any image — cartoon, illustrated, or realistic. Or browse the Character Gallery for ready-to-use characters.
Record your signing videoUse your phone camera or webcam. Sign your message clearly. See recording tips below.
Open the Animator tabUpload your character image and your signing video. Choose your settings (Server, Style, Resolution).
Hit AnimateFunSigns sends your files to the AI. Processing time varies — a short clip may complete in under a minute, while a longer or more detailed video can take up to 10 minutes. This depends on video length, current server load, and the complexity of your character. You'll see a progress bar throughout. Be patient — the result is worth it.
Download and shareYour animated video is ready. Download it or add captions before sharing.

Recording Tips for Best Results

Lighting

Film in a well-lit room. Natural light from a window works great.
Avoid filming with a window or bright light behind you — it creates a dark silhouette.
Even lighting on your face and hands gives the best results.

Camera position

Hold your phone at chest height or slightly above.
Your hands need to be fully visible in the frame.
Use portrait (vertical) orientation for phone — it matches how most signs are made.

What to wear

Solid colours work best.
Avoid busy patterns or stripes — they can confuse the AI.
Contrasting colour from your background helps.

Hand visibility

Keep both hands in frame at all times.
Don't sign too close to the edges of the frame.
Slow down slightly for fingerspelling — faster is not always better.

ASL tips

Sign at a natural pace, not too fast.
Keep your signing space clear and consistent.
Short clips (under 30 seconds) give the best results.

Phone vs webcam

Phone camera usually gives better quality than a laptop webcam.
Prop your phone up so your hands are steady in frame.

Glasses are not required to remove, but if your character doesn't wear glasses, consider removing them when recording. This helps the AI transfer your eye movements and facial expressions more accurately onto the character.

Stage your scene for best results. Before you record, set up your environment to match the look and feel of your intended output. Choose your background, lighting, and clothing intentionally — the closer your recording matches what you want the final animation to look like, the more accurate and consistent the result will be. This simple step reduces trial and error significantly.

Character Tips

What makes a good character image

Clear, facing forward (front-facing or ¾ angle)
Simple background or no background
Character takes up most of the image
Face and upper body visible

Recommended format

JPG or PNG
At least 512×512 pixels
Under 10MB

What works well

Cartoon characters
Illustrated avatars
Simple realistic portraits
Anime-style characters

What doesn't work well

Very busy or detailed backgrounds
Very small faces in a large image
Side profiles (the AI needs to see the face)
Low-resolution or blurry images

Hand and finger colours: Some characters have patterns, textures, or multiple colours on their hands and fingers. This can confuse the AI and reduce the quality of hand animation. For best results, edit your character image so the hands and fingers are a single, solid colour. Clean hands = cleaner animation.

Character Locking for Series

Save your character in the Characters tab. Any time you make a new video, select the same saved character. This keeps your avatar consistent across all your episodes.

Technical Specifications

Image uploads

Property	Requirement
Formats	JPG, PNG
Minimum size	512×512 pixels
Maximum file size	10MB
Recommended	1024×1024 pixels or larger for best quality

Video uploads (driving video)

Property	Requirement
Formats	MP4, MOV, WebM
Maximum file size	50MB
Maximum length	60 seconds
Recommended resolution	720p or higher
Orientation	Portrait (vertical) recommended for ASL

Transcoding note

Some videos recorded on phones or cameras may need to be converted before uploading. If your video won't upload or produces an error, try converting it to MP4 (H.264) using a free tool like HandBrake or an online converter. This ensures compatibility with our processing pipeline.

Captions / Subtitles

What is the Caption Studio?

After your animation is done, you can add subtitles. This is in the Captions tab.

Manual .srt upload — Free

If you already have a subtitle file (.srt), upload it. No credits needed.

AI Transcription with Scribe V2 — 2 credits

FunSigns can listen to the audio in your video and automatically create subtitles. Uses 2 credits.

Audio Tags

When you use AI transcription, you can turn on audio tags. These add labels like [music] or [laughter] to your subtitles. Useful for Deaf viewers who want full context.

Burn subtitles to video

After editing your subtitles, click "Burn Subtitles." The text gets permanently added to the video. Download the final version.

Credits

What are credits?

Credits are used when you Animate a character or run AI transcription. They keep the platform running.

How many do you get free?

10 credits when you sign up. No credit card needed.

Cost per action

Action	Cost
Animate	5 credits
AI transcription (Scribe V2)	2 credits
Manual .srt upload	Free
Browsing + editing	Free

How to get more

Go to funsigns.ai/#pricing. Credit packs start at $5.

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on several factors: the length of your driving video, current server load, and the level of detail in your character. A short clip may complete in under a minute. A longer or more complex video can take up to 10 minutes. You'll see a progress bar — don't close the page while it's processing.

The AI is transferring motion, not making a perfect copy. Results vary based on your character style and how clearly you sign. Try a simpler character or better lighting for cleaner results.

MP4, MOV, and WebM. Under 50MB. Up to 60 seconds. If your video won't upload, try converting it to MP4 (H.264) first.

Uploads and generated outputs are private by default unless you choose to share them publicly. We use reasonable safeguards and retain files as needed to provide, support, secure, and maintain the service. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

You must have the rights to use the image. Don't upload copyrighted characters without permission. Original characters and self-created avatars are always fine.

Both servers produce the same type of animation using the same AI technology. Server 1 is our primary server — start here. Server 2 is the backup — use it if Server 1 is slow or unavailable. The quality of the output is the same on both.

Common reasons:

Hands went out of frame during signing
Background was too busy or similar colour to hands
Video was too dark
Signing was too fast for the AI to track

Try filming again with the tips above.

Yes. You get 10 free credits when you sign up. That's 2 free animations to start.

A collection of characters shared by FunSigns users and the FunSigns team. All are tested and compatible. You can use any gallery character for your animations.

Go to your Characters tab, open a character, and toggle "Share to Community Gallery." Your character will be reviewed and published if approved.