How to Make an Animated Explainer Video (2026)

Animated explainer videos convert better than almost any other content format. Wyzowl reports that 91% of businesses used video as a marketing tool in 2024, and short explainer clips consistently rank among the highest-performing formats for landing pages, product launches, and onboarding flows.

The good news: you no longer need a production studio or a five-figure budget. With the right workflow and a few accessible resources, you can go from a blank page to a finished animated explainer video in a single afternoon. This guide walks you through every step.

What You Need

• A clear message. One core idea your video will explain.
• A script. 150 to 300 words for a 1 to 2 minute video.
• Storyboarding method. Paper sketches, slides, or a digital whiteboard.
• Animation software or AI video platform. Options range from free (Canva, Adobe Express) to AI-powered (Animaker, Pexo).
• Voiceover. Your own recording or an AI-generated narration.
• Background music and sound effects. Royalty-free libraries work for most projects.
• Export settings. 1080p MP4 is the standard delivery format.

What Is an Animated Explainer Video?

An animated explainer video is a short video, typically 60 to 120 seconds, that uses animation to break down a concept, product, or process. Instead of live-action footage, it relies on illustrated characters, icons, text overlays, and motion graphics to tell a story.

The most common styles include:

1. 2D character animation. Illustrated characters act out scenarios. Popular for SaaS walkthroughs and app demos.
2. Whiteboard animation. A hand "draws" visuals on a white background. Works well for educational content.
3. Motion graphics. Abstract shapes, data visualizations, and kinetic typography. Ideal for B2B and technical topics.
4. Doodle-style animation. Casual, hand-drawn look. Great for social media and informal brand storytelling.

The best explainer videos follow a simple arc: present the problem, introduce the solution, and end with a clear call to action. According to TechSmith's research on video length, viewer engagement drops sharply after the two-minute mark, so brevity is your friend.

Step-by-Step: How to Make an Animated Explainer Video

Step 1: How Do You Define Your Goal and Audience?

Start by answering three questions before you open any software:

• What is the one thing viewers should understand after watching? Narrow it to a single takeaway. "Our app saves freelancers 5 hours a week on invoicing" beats "our app does a lot of things."
• Who is the viewer? A technical audience tolerates jargon. A general audience needs plain language and relatable scenarios.
• Where will the video live? A homepage hero video has different pacing than a YouTube pre-roll ad or an Instagram Reel.

Write your answers down. They become the guardrails for every decision that follows.

Step 2: How Do You Write the Script?

The script is the backbone. A weak script cannot be rescued by beautiful animation.

Structure your script in three acts:

1. Problem (15-20% of runtime). Name the pain point your audience recognizes. Be specific.
2. Solution (60-70% of runtime). Walk through how the product, service, or concept solves the problem. Use concrete examples rather than abstract claims.
3. Call to action (10-15% of runtime). Tell the viewer exactly what to do next: sign up, visit a page, download an app.

Practical rules:

• Aim for roughly 150 words per minute of finished video. A 90-second explainer needs about 225 words.
• Write for the ear, not the eye. Read every line aloud. If a sentence trips you up, rewrite it.
• Avoid filler phrases like "it is important to note that." Cut straight to the point.
• Use second person ("you") to keep the tone conversational.

Step 3: How Do You Create a Storyboard?

A storyboard is a scene-by-scene visual plan that maps your script to on-screen action. It prevents expensive rework during the animation phase.

For each scene, sketch or describe:

1. The visual. What appears on screen (character, icon, text, background).
2. The narration. Which script lines play during this scene.
3. The transition. How the scene moves to the next (cut, dissolve, slide).
4. The timing. Approximate duration in seconds.

You do not need drawing skills. Stick figures and labeled boxes work. Tools like Google Slides, Figma, or even pen and paper are perfectly fine at this stage. The goal is alignment between visuals and narration before you invest time animating.

Step 4: How Do You Choose an Animation Style?

Your animation style should match your brand and audience expectations. Here is a quick decision framework:

Traditional tools like Animaker, Powtoon, and Renderforest offer drag-and-drop editors with pre-built character libraries and scene templates. These work well if you want full manual control over every element.

AI-powered approaches are changing the landscape. Platforms like Pexo let you describe scenes in plain language and generate animated sequences using models like Seedance 2.0, Kling AI, and more. This is especially useful when you need to iterate quickly or lack design resources. For a broader look at what is available, check out this roundup of AI video generation tools.

Step 5: How Do You Design Characters and Assets?

If you are going the traditional route, you need to build your visual toolkit:

• Characters. Keep them simple and consistent. Define a character sheet with front, side, and back views. Limit body proportions to 4-6 heads tall for a friendly, approachable look.
• Color palette. Stick to 3-5 brand colors. High contrast between foreground elements and backgrounds improves readability.
• Icons and props. Use a consistent line weight and style. Mixing flat icons with 3D renders looks jarring.
• Typography. One headline font and one body font. Anything on screen should be legible at mobile sizes.

Many animation platforms include asset libraries, so you may not need to design from scratch. If you are looking for inspiration, browse these 25 explainer video examples to see how top brands handle character design and visual hierarchy.

Step 6: How Do You Animate Scenes and Transitions?

This is where your storyboard comes to life. Work scene by scene:

1. Set up the background and layout for each scene according to your storyboard.
2. Add characters and elements to their starting positions.
3. Apply motion. Use keyframe animation to move elements across the screen, fade them in, or scale them. Keep movements smooth and purposeful.
4. Time to narration. Preview each scene with the voiceover track (or a placeholder) and adjust animation timing so visuals land on the right words.
5. Add transitions. Simple cuts and slides work for most explainer videos. Avoid flashy transitions that distract from the message.

If you prefer an AI-assisted workflow, you can generate individual animated scenes with Pexo by feeding in scene descriptions from your storyboard. This can cut production time significantly, especially for teams without dedicated animators. Learn the basics in this AI video generation tutorial.

Step 7: How Do You Record or Generate Voiceover?

Good voiceover elevates an explainer video from "informative" to "engaging."

Recording yourself:

• Use a USB condenser microphone ($50-100 range). Avoid laptop built-in mics.
• Record in a quiet room. Closets full of clothes make excellent makeshift sound booths.
• Speak at a natural, slightly upbeat pace. Aim for 150 words per minute.
• Record the full script in one session to maintain consistent tone.

Using AI voiceover:

• Text-to-speech quality has improved dramatically. Services like ElevenLabs and PlayHT produce natural-sounding narration.
• Generate multiple takes and pick the best one. Adjust speed and emphasis as needed.

Step 8: How Do You Add Music and Sound Effects?

Music and sound effects add emotional depth and keep attention:

• Background music. Choose a track that matches the mood (upbeat for a product launch, calm for a tutorial). Keep it at 10-20% of the voiceover volume so narration stays clear.
• Sound effects. Subtle whooshes on transitions, clicks on button highlights, or pops on text reveals. Less is more.
• Royalty-free sources. Artlist, Epidemic Sound, and YouTube Audio Library offer tracks you can use commercially.

Mix audio levels so the voiceover is always the loudest element. Export a preview and listen on phone speakers, earbuds, and laptop speakers to catch balance issues.

Step 9: How Do You Review, Iterate, and Export?

Before exporting your final video:

1. Watch the full video at least three times. Once for visual errors, once for audio timing, once as a casual viewer.
2. Get feedback from someone who has not seen the script. Ask them to summarize the video in one sentence. If they cannot, the message needs sharpening.
3. Check text on screen at mobile resolution. If any text is unreadable on a phone, increase size or simplify.
4. Export settings. 1080p (1920x1080), 30fps, MP4 (H.264 codec). Bitrate of 8-12 Mbps balances quality and file size.

For platform-specific versions (vertical for Reels/TikTok, square for LinkedIn), create separate exports rather than cropping the same file.

Common Mistakes

1. Cramming too much into the script. One video, one message. If you have three features to explain, make three videos.
2. Skipping the storyboard. Jumping straight to animation leads to misaligned visuals and costly revisions halfway through production.
3. Using generic stock characters. Characters that look like every other explainer video make your brand forgettable. Customize colors, clothing, or proportions to match your identity.
4. Ignoring mobile viewers. More than half of video views happen on phones. Small text, thin lines, and cluttered frames fail on small screens.
5. Overloading transitions. Flashy transitions between every scene feel amateurish. Simple cuts and slides keep the focus on your message.

Pro Tips

1. Front-load the hook. You have about 5 seconds to earn the viewer's attention. Open with the problem, not your logo.
2. Use the "pause test." Pause the video at any random frame. Can a new viewer understand what is on screen? If not, simplify the visual.
3. Match scene length to script pacing. Scenes with complex narration need more time. Scenes with simple statements can be shorter. Uneven pacing kills engagement.
4. Add captions. 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. Burned-in captions make your explainer accessible everywhere.
5. Version your files. Save each major revision as a separate file (v1, v2, v3). You will thank yourself when a stakeholder wants to revert a change.

What Else Can You Use

If you want to explore more options for creating animated explainer videos, here are some starting points:

• Best AI explainer video makers. A comparison of platforms purpose-built for explainer content.
• Canva. Free tier includes basic animation templates. Good for quick social media explainers.
• Adobe Express. Free animated video templates with brand kit integration.
• Powtoon. Focuses on business and training videos with a large template library.
• Wideo. Drag-and-drop editor with pre-animated objects designed for marketing teams.
• Renderforest. Cloud-based with hundreds of explainer templates and a built-in voiceover recorder.

Conclusion

Making an animated explainer video comes down to nine clear steps: define your goal, write a tight script, storyboard every scene, pick an animation style, build your assets, animate, add voiceover and music, then review and export.

The process is the same whether you use traditional tools or an AI-powered approach. What matters most is a sharp script and a visual plan that serves the message.

If you want to skip the manual animation work, Pexo lets you describe scenes in natural language and generate polished video with AI models like Seedance 2.0 and Kling AI. It is the fastest way to go from idea to finished explainer without a design team.

Start with your script. The rest follows.