How to make an animated explainer video with AI
Written by Omprakash Sah Kanu · October 10, 2026 · 9 min read
To make an animated explainer video with AI, write the idea in plain words with the facts and numbers you have, review the outline of pages the AI plans, then let it design each page and narrate it. In ScreenDub Flow, one typed idea becomes a narrated video with flowcharts, charts, tables, math steps, and real labeled diagrams, in 80+ languages. You approve the plan before anything is drawn, and you can change any page afterwards. This guide covers the workflow, how to write an idea that makes a good video, which kind of page fits which point, and what to check before you share it.
What an animated explainer video is
An explainer video makes one idea easy to understand in a few minutes. It shows the idea as pictures that build up while a voice talks through them: a process drawn step by step, a chart that grows as the numbers are read, a diagram with each part pointed out. It works because people follow a picture and a voice together better than a page of text.
Making one used to take a storyboard, a designer, an animator, and a voice recording. That is why most teams fall back to a slide deck nobody opens. An AI explainer maker does the design, animation, and narration for you, so the only real work left is deciding what you want to say.
When an explainer video helps
- Processes: how a refund, an approval, or an onboarding week works, with every decision drawn out.
- Updates: the month in numbers, with the charts and the story behind them.
- Lessons: a science topic, a history period, or a math problem worked step by step.
- Plans: a roadmap, a budget, or a study plan that people need to follow.
- Products: how something works and who it is for, before anyone opens it.
If you are showing software on a screen, a screen recording is usually better. Read how to make a product demo video for that. If you already have slides, see how to turn a PowerPoint into a narrated video.
How to make an explainer video step by step
- Write the idea. Open Flow and type what you want to explain. Say who it is for and what they should take away. Paste the real facts and numbers as they are; they become the charts.
- Plan the video. Select Plan video. You get an outline of pages, each with a heading and what it explains. A video has up to 20 pages.
- Fix the plan. Edit any heading or description, reorder pages, or ask for changes in your own words, such as “Add a page on risks” or “Make it shorter”. Nothing is drawn yet, so changes here are free and fast.
- Generate the video. Select Generate video. Each page is designed as the kind of infographic that fits it, the narration is written from your plan, and a natural voice reads it.
- Check every page. Watch it through once. Edit text and numbers in place, or use Ask Flow to redo a page from a request, such as “show this as a timeline”. Edit any narration line the same way.
- Choose the voice and language. Pick a voice that suits the audience. To reach another market, switch the language; the narration and the text on screen change together.
- Style it and share. Set the background, music, captions, and your logo, then export an MP4 or share a link.
Write an idea that makes a good video
Name the audience
“For new support agents” and “for the leadership team” lead to very different videos. One line about who is watching changes how much the narration explains and which details it keeps.
Give real facts and numbers
The video can only chart what you give it. “Orders went up” becomes a sentence. “Orders: January 82, February 95, March 120” becomes a line chart. ScreenDub uses your figures and does not invent new ones, so the more concrete the idea, the richer the video.
Keep one promise
A good explainer answers one question. If the idea covers two unrelated topics, make two videos. Each one will be shorter, clearer, and easier to share with the right people.
Put it in the order you would tell it
Write the idea the way you would explain it to a colleague: the situation, what happens, what changed, and what comes next. The plan follows your order, and the narration connects the pages into one story.
Which kind of page fits which point
ScreenDub picks a page type for each point in the plan, and you can ask for a different one. This is how the choice usually works.
| Your point | Page that fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| How something works | Flowchart | Steps and decisions are drawn in order |
| Change over time | Line chart or timeline | The line or rail sweeps forward as it is read |
| Comparing amounts | Bar chart | Bars grow side by side, so the gap is obvious |
| Parts of a whole | Donut chart | Each share fills in with its percentage |
| Drop-off between stages | Funnel | Each stage narrows to show what is lost |
| Two options | Comparison | Two cards with the trade-offs in one view |
| Headline numbers | KPI cards | Big figures that count up |
| Who does what | Org chart | People and reporting lines at a glance |
| A worked problem | Math steps | One line at a time, each step explained |
| A real thing to look at | Diagram | A labeled picture or animation from Wikipedia |
| A to-do list | Checklist | Items tick off as they are said |
Worked examples
- Monthly sales update: “Our sales update for March. 120 orders, up from 95. Orders by month: December 70, January 82, February 95, March 120. Where orders came from: website 60, phone 35, walk-ins 25.” The plan becomes KPI cards, a line chart, a donut chart, and a short list of next steps.
- Refund process: “How we handle refunds. Within 30 days, support refunds the same day. Older orders go to a manager.” The plan becomes a flowchart with the 30-day decision, then a checklist of tips for the team.
- A biology lesson: “Explain how the human heart pumps blood, for high school students.” The plan includes a labeled heart diagram from Wikipedia, and the voice walks through each chamber while it is highlighted on screen.
- A math problem: “Solve: A can finish a job in 10 days and B in 15 days. How long together?” The plan becomes math steps written out one line at a time, each with a short note.
Review checklist before you share
- Does every number on screen match your source?
- Does each page make one point, with a heading that says it?
- Does the narration name things the way your audience does?
- Is each diagram the right picture, and does its credit show?
- Does the opening say what the viewer will learn, and the ending say what to do next?
- In other languages, do product names and key terms stay recognizable?
ScreenDub Flow at a glance
- Input
- An idea in plain words, with any notes and numbers
- Plan
- An editable outline of up to 20 pages, approved before design
- Pages
- Flowcharts, timelines, org charts, comparisons, KPI cards, bar, line, and donut charts, funnels, tables, checklists, code, math, and Wikipedia diagrams
- Motion
- Everything builds in time with the voice; what is said is highlighted
- Languages
- Narration and on-screen text in 80+ languages
- Editing
- Edit any page or line, or ask Flow to redo a page
- Output
- MP4 export up to 2K, or a share link
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to make an explainer video with AI?
Writing the idea and checking the plan takes a few minutes. Designing and narrating the pages then runs on its own, and you can review the video as soon as it is ready.
Do I need design or animation skills?
No. You write the idea and approve the plan. ScreenDub lays out each page, animates it, and times it to the narration.
Will it make up numbers?
No. Charts use the figures you give. If a point has no numbers, it is shown as text, a flowchart, or a list instead of an invented chart. Math steps are the one place where new figures are worked out, because solving the problem is the point.
Where do the diagrams come from?
From English Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. Only freely licensed pictures are used, with the credit shown on screen. If no good picture exists for a page, a regular infographic page is used instead.
Can I make the video in another language?
Yes. Narration and on-screen text can be switched to any of 80+ languages. Diagrams from Wikipedia keep their English labels, while the voice explains them in your language.
Can I add explainer pages to a screen recording?
Yes. When you make a product demo or tutorial from a screen recording, you can add animated explainer pages to it, planned from the same video.
Try it with an idea you explain often. Create a free ScreenDub account, or see what it makes on the explainer video maker page.