The Complete Guide to AI Explainer Videos

The complete guide to making explainer videos with AI

An explainer video does one job: it makes something easier to understand than text could. Done well, it shortens onboarding, lifts a landing page, and answers the same question once instead of fifty times.

This guide walks the whole process, from a blank page to a finished, on-brand file, using AI to remove the parts of production that never added clarity in the first place. It is written for teams that need explainers regularly, not once.

What makes a good explainer
Step 1: Start from the right input
Step 2: Write (or generate) the script
Step 3: Choose a voice
Step 4: Build the visuals
Step 5: Edit in the browser
Step 6: Brand it
Step 7: Review and approve
Step 8: Export and deliver
Localize for every market
A reusable checklist

1. What makes a good explainer

Three things separate an explainer that works from one that fills time:

One idea, clearly. A good explainer answers a single question. If you are explaining three things, make three videos.
The right length. Most explainers earn their keep between 60 and 120 seconds. Past that, attention drops fast.
A clear next step. End by telling the viewer what to do: try it, read more, sign up.

Hold these in mind through every step below. Most weak explainers fail not on production value but on focus.

2. Start from the right input

Interlace builds video from three kinds of input: a typed prompt, a pasted script, or an uploaded document (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, TXT, MD, or a URL). Pick the one that matches what you already have.

Have a rough idea? Start from a prompt.
Have approved copy? Paste the script.
Have a document (a one-pager, a spec, a help article)? Upload it and let Interlace structure it.

If you upload a document, decide whether it is the source of truth (stay faithful to the wording) or context (free to rephrase). Marketing explainers usually want context; anything with compliance weight wants source of truth.

3. Write (or generate) the script

Interlace drafts a script from your input: an intro, a logical sequence, and a close. Treat the draft as raw material.

A few rules that hold up every time:

Open with the problem, not the product. Earn the next ten seconds.
One idea per sentence. Short sentences are easier to narrate and easier to follow.
Cut the fine print. If a line reads like a disclaimer, it belongs in text, not narration.
Read it aloud. If you stumble, the narration will too.

This edit pass is the highest-leverage ten minutes in the whole process.

4. Choose a voice

Pick a narration voice from the library. For a polished, studio-like read, use a premium voice (Pro and up). For internal content, the standard voices are usually plenty.

If you produce a series, consider voice cloning: clone one voice and reuse it across every video so your library sounds like a single program rather than a set of unrelated clips.

5. Build the visuals

Interlace generates scene visuals to match the script. You are not stuck with the first result: regenerate a scene, swap an image, or upload your own diagram where a specific visual matters.

If you have defined a style (see step 6), the generated scenes follow it, so the look stays consistent across the whole video.

6. Edit in the browser

Open the in-browser editor. Each scene shows its narration, on-screen text, and visuals. From here you can:

Fix copy and timing.
Swap or regenerate images.
Upload your own assets.
Add background music. Interlace loops it and ducks it under the narration automatically.

Nothing to install, no timeline to fight. You touch only the parts you would actually change.

7. Brand it

Apply a brand kit to lock your logo, colors, and fonts across every scene. Use the style builder to define your visual look once and carry it across all your videos. Set this up early and every future explainer starts on brand instead of starting from scratch.

8. Review and approve

Send the video for review. Stakeholders comment in-app, and version history records every change: publish, revert, or branch as needed. On Agency plans, send a client preview link so a client signs off privately before anything goes public.

This replaces the email-and-attachment review loop with a single source of truth.

9. Export and deliver

Export at the resolution you need: 1080p on Creator, up to 4K on Pro. Paid plans export without a watermark. Browser export is GPU-accelerated and fast; for a large batch, server rendering handles the volume. On Agency plans, white-label share pages deliver the video under your client's brand.

10. Localize for every market

Once the source explainer is finished, generate localized versions (voiceover and on-screen text) in 30+ languages, without re-recording. Get the source right first, since every language inherits its structure. Then prioritize the markets that matter and let the rest follow. (For the full localization workflow, see our post on localizing video into 30+ languages.)

11. A reusable checklist

Before you export, run this:

One clear idea, 60 to 120 seconds.
Script opens with the problem, not the product.
Narration reads cleanly aloud.
Visuals follow your defined style.
Brand kit applied.
Reviewed and approved.
Exported at the right resolution, watermark-free.
Localized versions queued for key markets.

Start your first explainer

You have the process. The fastest way to learn the rest is to make one.

Start for free at Interlace. The trial includes 100 credits, enough for a real explainer.