Explainer video software comes in four kinds: avatar presenters, character animation, whiteboard drawing and motion graphics built from text. Pick by the job: characters and whiteboard suit concepts and classrooms, avatars suit training with a face, and motion graphics suit many explainers from documents you already keep. Videngine makes the last kind: narrated, captioned motion-graphics explainers from help articles, release notes and guides, many at a time.
Explainers at a glance
Each part of making an explainer video has its own guide.
| If you want to | Read |
|---|---|
| Turn your writing into explainers | Explainer video maker |
| Know what AI can and can't do in an explainer | AI explainer video maker |
| Choose an animation style | Animated explainer videos |
| Decide whether whiteboard suits you | Whiteboard video maker |
| Write the script | Explainer video script |
| Make a tutorial for every help article | How-to videos from help articles |
| Set the length and the budget | Explainer length and cost |
Four kinds of explainer video
"Explainer video" covers four different styles, and each suits a different job.
| Kind | What's on screen | Best for | How it scales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar presenter | A synthetic person speaking | Training and messages that need a face | Well, per script |
| Character animation | Animated people and scenes | Stories and concepts | Slowly: each scene is built |
| Whiteboard | Images drawn by a hand | Processes and classroom topics | Slowly: each drawing is timed |
| Motion graphics from text | Title cards, information cards, comparisons and your own images | Help articles, releases, guides, products | Well: one template, many videos |
Animated explainer videos compares the animated styles in detail.
Explainer video software by job
The right explainer video software follows the style and the number of videos you need.
| You need | Kind of tool | Compared here |
|---|---|---|
| Animated characters or presentations | Animation editor | Videngine vs Powtoon, Videngine vs Animaker |
| A hand-drawn whiteboard look | Whiteboard software | Videngine vs VideoScribe |
| A presenter on screen | Avatar video platform | Videngine vs Synthesia, Videngine vs Colossyan |
| Many explainers from documents | Programmatic video engine | Videngine |
Making one well
Whatever the style, a good explainer answers one question, in a script written for the ear, at a length that fits where it will be watched.
- Pick one question the viewer already has, such as "how do I export my invoices?"
- Write the script before choosing visuals: problem, answer, how it works, proof, next step. See how to write an explainer video script.
- Set the length by the job: shorter for ads and homepages, longer for how-to and training. See explainer video length and cost.
- Check the explanation is right, especially where AI drafted the script. See AI explainer video maker.
- Caption it, and put the transcript on the page where the video lives.
How Videngine makes explainers
Videngine turns written material into narrated, captioned motion-graphics explainers.
From a help article, a release note, a guide or a block of text, it writes a script you can accept, edit or replace word for word, then builds scenes from coded templates in your brand: chapter title cards, information cards, side-by-side comparison scenes and narration over your own screenshots, images or footage. The voice is a house voice, another synthetic voice or your own recording, captions are transcribed from the finished audio, and each source gives a landscape and a vertical cut. A help centre can become a tutorial for every article, re-rendered when the interface changes. Plans are priced per finished video: see pricing.
When Videngine is the wrong tool
Videngine makes motion-graphics explainers only, so other styles belong in other tools.
- Animated characters: an animation editor such as Powtoon or Animaker.
- Whiteboard and doodle videos: whiteboard software such as VideoScribe; see the whiteboard guide.
- A presenter on camera: an avatar platform, or a real person filmed.
- Narration in other languages: Videngine narrates in English only.
Questions about explainer videos
What is the best explainer video software?
It depends on the style and the number of videos. Animation editors suit characters and presentations, whiteboard software suits a hand-drawn look, avatar platforms suit a presenter, and a programmatic engine such as Videngine suits many motion-graphics explainers made from documents.
How do I create an explainer video?
Pick one question the viewer has, write a script that answers it for the ear, choose a style, build the scenes, add narration and captions, and check the explanation is right before publishing. The guides on this page cover each step.
Can AI make an explainer video?
AI can draft the script, record a synthetic voice, write captions and plan scenes. A person still needs to make sure the explanation is correct, which is why every Videngine video is reviewed before it goes out.
Does Videngine make animated explainer videos?
It makes motion-graphics explainers: title cards, information cards, comparisons and narration over your own images. It does not make character animation, whiteboard videos or avatar presenters.
How long should an explainer video be?
It depends on the job. Ads and homepage videos are short, while how-to and training videos run longer; the explainer length and cost guide gives a starting length for each.
Choose your next step
Start with the script, or go straight to making explainers from your own writing.
Bring one article.
Choose one help article, release note or guide you would like as a video. That is enough to agree a template for the rest.
Join the waitlist ↗Published by Videngine, a video rendering product built and run by Wall & Fifth. Examples are illustrative unless stated otherwise.