Animated explainer videos

An animated explainer video shows how a product works through changes on screen. The viewer follows a request through the actions that produce its result. Narration explains the choices behind those actions while the product shows their effect.

These guides cover planning the story, building the visuals, writing narration, and reviewing the finished video. Our production order is concept, visuals, narration, then audio. Seeing the scenes first gives the narration something specific to explain.

The approved 20cuts reel moves through a Gmail message to its Storyboard.pdf attachment, then opens the next animated section from that card. The visible object gives the scene change a clear origin.Film excerpt · staged exampleOpen 6-second excerpt ↗Silent excerpt

Guides

AI startup explainer videos: show the product behaviorExplain an AI product through a checked example, visible source material, and a clear account of what the demonstration establishes.
API explainer videos: demonstrate a request and its resultBuild an API video from a reproducible request, a readable response, and the application behavior those values produce.
How to build a product tutorial series people can followPlan a product academy around learner outcomes, worked examples and shared visual assets. Includes a lesson map, maintenance checklist and pilot exercise.
How to make accurate captions for product videosCreate captions from the approved audio, derive cue offsets from the current edit, review product terminology, and deliver the right caption files.
Developer-tool videos: explain a working taskPlan a developer-tool demonstration with reproducible commands, retained output, and a clear account of what the tool changes.
Documentation videos: teach a task and maintain the lessonDevelop a documentation lesson with explicit prerequisites, a reproducible example, a learner check, and references for future updates.
Explain complex software with one worked exampleTurn a feature-heavy software explanation into a concrete task viewers can follow, from starting conditions to a visible result.
Explainer video: agency, freelancer, or DIY?Compare production options by the work you need, the responsibilities your team keeps, and a small scene you can assess before committing.
An explainer video brief template that starts with the proofWrite a production brief around an audience, a specific misunderstanding and a visible result. Includes a completed example and a free Markdown template.
What does an explainer video cost?Compare video quotes using a defined workflow, an explicit delivery list, and a budget that includes your team's review time.
How long should an explainer video be?How the audience, scene plan, reading time, and narration determine a useful video length.
Explainer video mistakes: diagnose the scene before revising itFind unclear claims, invented product behavior, missing comparisons, and timing problems using a concrete scene-level review.
Explainer video styles: match the visuals to the taskCompare recordings, diagrams, character animation, 3D, and typography by what each can show in a product explanation.
Feature release videos: explain the changed behaviorTurn a release into a worked lesson with a before-and-after example, verified product states, and reusable production assets.
How long does an explainer video take to make?Build a realistic production schedule from product access, visual reviews, audio work, and the dates your team can provide feedback.
How to review an explainer video and give useful feedbackReview product accuracy, story, timing and visual finish in separate passes. Includes a timestamped feedback template and release checklist.
How to storyboard an explainer videoBuild a storyboard around visible changes, one continuing example, and a clear result. Includes a worked board and a reusable scene template.
Launch videos: demonstrate the product and prepare the releasePlan a launch film around a verified workflow, a clear availability statement, and review dates that fit the release.
Onboarding videos: help a new user complete a taskBuild onboarding lessons around a first successful task, visible results, useful prerequisites, and product-specific troubleshooting.
One idea per explainer scene: a practical editing methodFind overloaded scenes, separate actions from ideas, and build clear visual beats without turning your video into a slow slide deck.
Open-source project videos: show a reproducible first resultMake a project introduction from a small example repository, a real run, and written instructions a new user can verify.
Product demo vs. explainer video: choose by the viewer taskCompare a recorded procedure with a conceptual explanation, and combine them when a viewer needs both to understand a workflow.
Product Hunt launch videos: prepare a readable product demonstrationBuild a gallery video around a worked task, check it without sound, and verify the actual launch preview before publishing.
Product truth before animation: keep an explainer accurateBuild an evidence table for product-video labels, actions and results. Catch invented interfaces, misleading outcomes and continuity errors before production.
Product video story structure: show a task becoming possibleChoose a story structure for your product video using before-and-after, guided construction or a useful failure. Includes a worked outline.
SaaS explainer videos: demonstrate a customer workflowPlan a SaaS video around a viewer task, accurate product screens, and a worked example that connects actions to results.
Storyboard prompts for product videos that show cause and effectPrompt for buildable scenes using product evidence, entry and exit states, and a worked example. Learn how to compare treatments and audit a generated storyboard.
How to sync narration to animation, phrase by phraseBuild a phrase-to-action map, distinguish scene length from synchronization, and repair an explainer whose words and picture drift apart.
How we make a product videoFrom a product request and preview to an agreed scope, production, review, and delivery.
How to time an animated product demoBudget time for orientation, action, and reading; keep cursor movement natural; and adapt a scene when the final narration runs longer.
VO sync: a practical workflow for explainer narrationMeasure scene audio, derive animation durations, preserve approved takes, and keep narration changes from breaking the rest of your explainer.
How to write narration for a product videoTurn an approved visual sequence into clear spoken explanation, with worked rewrites, pronunciation notes, and a reusable narration prompt.
How to choose tools for animated product videosTest animation tools with a real scene and a likely revision, then compare production effort, fidelity, exports, and delivery scope.
Animation timing and easing: why your video feels offChoose movement windows and easing curves that make product actions clear, preserve reading time, and survive narration changes.
Camera moves in product videos: when to move, when to cut, when to hold stillPlan readable camera views, preserve product context across moves and cuts, and review framing against the final narration.
How should an explainer video end? The CTA and the last ten secondsWrite a supported closing line, preserve a readable final state, and adapt the next step to the page or placement.
Explainer video hooks: the first five secondsPlan an opening around a visible product action or a concrete problem, then test its wording and timing against the first scene.
Music for explainer videos: what the soundtrack is actually forChoose and mix an explainer soundtrack around the actual narration, use effects deliberately, and agree the music deliverables.
How to make an animated explainer videoPlan a clear visual explanation, verify the product, review stills and motion, then write and synchronize narration to the actual action.
How to make animated videosChoose an animation workflow from the scenes you need to make, then complete a first exercise with a visible action and checkable result.
How to show the real product in an explainer videoChoose captures, accurate reconstructions, or labeled diagrams. Build an evidence table and verify the controls and results in each scene.
What makes a good explainer video?A practical review of clarity, product accuracy, visual focus, narration, timing, and useful reading holds, with interactive examples.
Why do explainer videos look cheap?Diagnose unreadable results, mismatched narration, unsupported interfaces, and continuity errors. Includes a practical repair exercise.

Extreme close view of an agent-chat interface. A blue message bubble reads Can you re-run the export?, with a 9:41 AM timestamp and the Write a message composer beneath it. — The close view gives “Can you re-run the export?” most of the screen. In this staged product example, the readable question supplies context before the film shows the response.Film still · staged exampleView full size ↗Full source film ↗

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