A short explainer video, such as a product walkthrough, an onboarding clip or a one-minute "how this works" for a landing page, used to need a presenter, a microphone, a camera and an editor. AI tools can now take on most of those roles, but no single product covers every step. This guide sets out a practical sequence, names the tool types that fit each step, and flags the licensing and watermark limits that matter before you publish.
How we put this together
This is an evidence-based guide, not a hands-on review. Every product fact below comes from that tool's listing in our directory, which is compiled from the vendor's own website and pricing page. Each listing names its sources and the date we read each one. We don't rank tools and nobody paid to be included. Some outbound links may be affiliate links; see our disclosure. Plans, prices and usage rights change often, so read the current terms before you publish anything commercial.
Step 1: choose the format
The format decides which tools you need, so pick it first.
- Presenter-led. An on-screen presenter speaks to camera. AI avatar platforms such as Synthesia and HeyGen generate the presenter from a script.
- Voiceover with visuals. A narrator over slides, graphics or generated footage. You need a voice tool, a visuals tool and an editor.
- Screen recording. For software, showing the real interface is usually clearer than any generated image. Record the screen, then tidy the recording.
Step 2: write and time the script
Use a general assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT to turn your notes into an outline and a first draft, but supply the facts yourself and check every claim. The assistant knows only what you give it, plus whatever it gets wrong. Keep one idea per sentence, write for the ear rather than the page, and read the draft aloud with a timer. If it runs long, cut content rather than speeding up the voice. Our Writing category lists more drafting and editing tools.
Step 3: create the voice
You have three options:
- Synthetic voice. ElevenLabs offers text-to-speech in many languages, voice cloning and voice design from a text prompt. Murf AI lists 200+ voices in 35+ languages.
- Your own cloned voice. Both ElevenLabs and Descript list voice cloning. Clone only your own voice, or a voice whose owner has agreed in writing.
- A real recording. Record yourself and clean the audio afterwards. Descript lists Studio Sound audio enhancement and filler-word removal.
Check the licence before you publish. ElevenLabs' free plan has no commercial license. Murf's free plan has no commercial license and no downloads, and is limited to 10 minutes of voice generation.
Step 4: produce the visuals
Avatar presenter. Synthesia offers stock avatars and personal avatars made from a photo, videos in 140+ languages and SCORM export for learning platforms. HeyGen offers stock presenters and a custom avatar of yourself, can turn slides or PDFs into presenter videos, and says custom avatars require on-camera identity verification.
Generated footage. Runway generates video from text or images and includes AI editing models. Adobe Firefly generates images and video and connects to Premiere and Photoshop; Adobe says its own Firefly models are trained on licensed and public-domain content, which matters if your legal team asks where the training data came from.
Graphics and slides. Canva provides templates for presentations and social formats and supports short video editing, which is often enough for title cards, diagrams and end screens.
Step 5: add music
Suno generates full songs, including instrumentals for backgrounds, from a text prompt. Its free plan doesn't include commercial use rights or monthly downloads, so a published business video needs a paid plan or another music source with clear rights. Keep music well below the narration.
Step 6: assemble, edit and caption
Descript lets you edit video by editing its transcript, so deleting a sentence removes that section of the media. It also adds automatic captions. Captions matter: many people watch with the sound off, and captions make the video accessible to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Read every caption, especially product names.
Step 7: repurpose and localize (optional)
- Vertical cut-downs. OpusClip reframes video for vertical formats with subject tracking and adds editable captions. It is designed mainly to find highlights in long videos.
- Other languages. HeyGen lists video translation into 175+ languages with voice cloning and lip-sync. Synthesia lists AI dubbing with lip-sync. ElevenLabs and Murf also list dubbing. Have a fluent speaker review every translation before it ships.
Free-plan limits that affect publishing
| Tool | Role in this workflow | Pricing | Stated free-plan limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthesia | Avatar presenter | Freemium, paid from $29/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026) | Watermarked, can't be downloaded, about 10 minutes of video a month |
| HeyGen | Avatar presenter, translation | Freemium, paid from $29/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026) | 3 watermarked videos a month, up to 1 minute each |
| ElevenLabs | Voice | Freemium, paid from $6/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026) | No commercial license |
| Murf AI | Voice | Freemium, paid from $0.01, usage-based (checked 24 Oct 2026) | 10 minutes of generation; no commercial license; no downloads |
| Runway | Generated footage | Freemium, paid from $12/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026) | 125 one-time credits |
| Suno | Music | Freemium, paid from $10/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026) | No commercial use rights; no monthly song downloads |
| Descript | Editing and captions | Freemium, paid from $16/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026) | 720p exports with a watermark; 60 media minutes a month |
| OpusClip | Vertical cut-downs | Freemium, paid from $15/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026) | Watermarked exports that expire after 3 days |
Starting prices are the lowest paid price recorded in each listing on the date shown. Check billing periods and tax before you compare, and remember that one finished video may need paid plans for several tools.
When an AI-made explainer is the wrong choice
- When trust depends on a real person, such as an apology, a leadership announcement or a customer story. An avatar can undermine the message.
- When you can't confirm the rights to every voice, face, track and clip in the final cut.
- For software walkthroughs, where a real screen recording is more accurate than generated visuals.
- When the script isn't settled. Regenerating avatars and voiceovers after every edit costs credits. Lock the script first.
Pre-publish checklist
- Every factual claim in the script checked by a person.
- Commercial-use rights confirmed for voice, music, avatar and footage on the plans you used.
- Written consent on file for any cloned voice or personal avatar.
- Watermarks gone and export resolution correct.
- Captions proofread; translations reviewed by a fluent speaker.
- AI-generated presenter or voice disclosed where your platform or policy requires it.
Related pages
- Browse Video tools, Audio and voice tools and Writing tools.
- Search the directory for AI avatar or text to speech.
