Explainer videos are applicable in many situations, from product overviews to marketing and class lessons. They are an excellent way to elaborate complex concepts quickly but can do the opposite if poorly executed. Dullness and monotony, excess data, generic content, and lengthy explanations cause viewers to get lost or stop watching the video entirely.
In this guide, I’ll explain how to make an explainer video and present crucial steps for creating explainer videos like a pro. I’ll also dive into the best tools for explainer video generation as well as their key features and the steps to use each. Just keep reading!
Basic Steps to Create an Explainer Video
Different creators may carry out the production in different ways. But there are usually some basic yet important steps to create an explainer video. They can be generally summarized into three steps as follows.
Step 1. Define the Goal and Target Audience
Research to understand your target audience. Learning about their problems and what they relate to will help you identify your explainer video’s central content.
Also, picture the goals of your explainer video. What is the knowledge, feeling, or key message you want to relay to viewers? Are you educating, inspiring, or selling to watchers, and what do you want them to do afterward?
Step 2. Develop a Concise Script
The script is the heart of the explainer video creation process. Great visuals won’t work well without a solid script with robust ideas.
Some of the key elements in an action-driving script will be: identifying the viewer’s problems, pitching your offerings as the solution, and including a call-to-action. But remember to produce a short, compelling script to retain viewer attention.
Step 3. Create a Storyboard
Developing the explainer video right from the script will likely result in a clip that looks different from what you envisioned. That’s why it’s crucial to mock up a storyboard to translate ideas into visuals and ensure a logical flow of ideas.
Storyboards show how each shot in the explainer video will appear. While various tools can help you with storyboard creation, simple paper sketches and stick figures should suffice.
How to Make Explainer Videos Online
After introducing the basic steps of creating explainer videos, now I will give you some useful online explainer tools. They allow you to quickly make quality videos without downloading a CPU-intensive editing app.
How to Make Explainer Videos Using Virbo AI Montage Maker
Undoubtedly, Virbo AI Montage Maker is the best AI explainer video maker, thanks to its intelligent pairing and recognition. This feature matches video and image materials with AI script copy, reducing the creation duration.
Moreover, this explainer video creator generates up to 2-minute explainer videos (just the right length to keep viewers adequately informed and engaged). It customizes content to suit various platforms like X, YouTube, TikTok, etc., making it an excellent asset to speak directly to viewers with intriguing personalized material.
Other excellent features of Virbo AI Montage Maker include:
- Provides HD quality (1080P) output for professional results.
- Supports uploading up to 10 media files (e.g., images, videos).
- Offers multilingual support (up to 70 production languages).
- Features aspect ratio customization (16:9, 1:1, 9:16, and 4:3).
- Works online and features a Windows app.
To create explainer videos with Virbo AI Montage Maker online:
STEP 1. Access this Video Montage Creator on your browser. Next, click “Add Media” and upload photo and video elements.
STEP 2. Paste/write a script in the box underneath “Additional info” or click “Create Prompt” for automatic script generation. Also, alter the clip length, type, aspect ratio, and language. Once satisfied, tap “Generate Video”.
STEP 3. After the process is finished, select your favorite clip from the three results. You can adjust the background music and avatar, change the script, etc. by clicking the “Edit” button. Then click “Export Video” to save the video.
How to Make Explainer Videos with Powtoon
Powtoon is an ideal choice for getting started quickly, thanks to ready-made explainer templates suited for different audiences. You can just choose a template you like without needing to start the production from scratch. Moreover, I love its numerous export options, video enhancement assets, and direct YouTube/X/Facebook share buttons.
Below are the basic steps to make explainer videos with Powtoon:
STEP 1. Open Powtoon in your browser and select “Video explainer”.
STEP 2. Screen record, import videos, generate content with AI, or pick another method to start creating explainer videos.
STEP 3. Upload media with the upward-pointing arrow on the right and edit your slides and scripts as desired. You can also adjust backgrounds, text, avatars, shapes, images, props, and videos. After completion, click “Export” to share your video on social media or download it.
How to Make Explainer Videos on Desktop
Do you want more flexibility and speed in explainer video generation through desktop apps? Here are two incredible explainer video makers for Windows and Mac.
How to Make Explainer Videos with Animiz on Windows
Animiz is a great, free app for those looking for elements to get started with. It features 300+ animated templates, 1000+ vector-free photos, 500+ animated roles, and 200+ dynamic animation effects. Its simplistic multi-track timeline supports background customization and offers hundreds of animation effects, voiceovers, and captions.
To create explainer videos with Animiz, follow these steps:
STEP 1. Install Animiz to your device and launch it. Go to “Animation Project” and start a new one by tapping “New Empty Project”.
STEP 2. Click “New Scene” and pick one of the templates, or tap “Add a Blank Scene.”
STEP 3. Add elements by clicking the icons on the right-side menu and dragging and dropping them onto the scene. You can customize animation effects from the timeline controls.
STEP 4. Finally, click “Publish” to export the clip in video or GIF format or upload it to your cloud, then click “Next” in the subsequent window.
STEP 5. Customize your output further by establishing the frame rate, quality, and format, then click “Publish.”
How to Make Explainer Videos with Premiere Pro on Mac
Animiz works only on Windows systems. If you are a Mac user, Premiere Pro can work to help. It is a paid Mac and Windows software that offers elaborate editing features that allow you to do everything from trimming, splitting clips, adding voiceovers/texts, etc.
However, the software requires a relatively high price to access its complete features, making it a costly option for those on a tight budget. Besides, it has a very steep learning curve, which is not friendly to beginners. So if you want an easier tool at a lower price, Virbo can be a better choice.
But if you don’t mind, here’s how to make explainer videos with the tool:
STEP 1. Install Premiere Pro on your Mac and then launch it. Create a new project and drag and drop the folders where your photos and videos are stored in the project.
STEP 2. Before you start editing, you have to first create a sequence. Click on the tiny icon and then select “Sequence”. Then customize the settings according to your needs.
STEP 3. Now you can add media for editing. Just drag and drop the photos or videos into the timeline. You can also add audio files to work as background music or voiceover.
STEP 4. Now you are free to edit all the added media. You can trim the video or audio, add effects and text, adjust the order of different media, etc.
STEP 5. After you finish editing, go to the “Export” tab and set the output parameters. Then click the “Export” button at the bottom-right corner to export your explainer video.
FAQs About Making Explainer Videos
Q1. What Makes a Good Explainer Video?
If you compare the great examples of good explainer videos, you will find that they have several things in common. First, good explainer videos must have a clear and concise script, conveying the key message to the audience. Second, they present more visual elements than narration, which can be much more engaging. Third, a professional and comfortable voiceover is needed to help the audience better grasp the idea of the video.
Q2. What Is the Ideal Length for an Explainer Video?
The most suitable explainer video length is 1-2 minutes, as this range ensures optimal viewer engagement. According to Breadnbeyond’s study, a 60-second explainer clip (or less) has a 77% audience retention rate, 20% more than a 2-minute one. Beyond 180 seconds, only up to 47% of viewers keep watching.
Conclusion
In this blog, I’ve introduced several useful tools for explainer video production. If you don’t want to install any program, online tools like Virbo and Powtoon are your go-to options. If you prioritize stable performance, try desktop software like Animiz and Premiere Pro.
But if you don’t want to spend time adjusting the pictures and video clips, Virbo AI Montage Maker would be your best choice. You don’t have to master any skill on how to make an explainer video. All you need is to upload your media onto its online dashboard. After a few clicks, a high-quality explainer video is finished. So no more hesitation and try it out now!
