Text2Video: text-driven facial animation using MPEG-4

We present a complete system for the automatic creation of talking head video sequences from text messages. Our system converts the text into MPEG-4 Facial Animation Parameters and synthetic voice. A user selected 3D character will perform lip movements synchronized to the speech data. The 3D models created from a single image vary from realistic people to cartoon characters. A voice selection for different languages and gender as well as a pitch shift component enables a personalization of the animation. The animation can be shown on different displays and devices ranging from 3GPP players on mobile phones to real-time 3D render engines. Therefore, our system can be used in mobile communication for the conversion of regular SMS messages to MMS animations.