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Updated for 2026

To make an explainer video with MakeThisVid: write a one-sentence prompt covering subject, setting, lighting, and motion (or drop a photo + motion prompt), pick 720p (1 credit) or 1080p (2 credits), and click Generate. The MP4 with audio lands in your account in 45–90 seconds, with commercial use already licensed.

How to Make an Explainer Video with AI

By MakeThisVid Editorial Updated Methodology

Making an explainer video with AI is one of the highest-leverage moves right now — short, specific, and shippable on the same day you decide to make it. The walkthrough below covers the prompt formula, the credit math, and the small calibration moves that take the output from generic to genuinely good.

How to Use MakeThisVid

From prompt to downloadable MP4, ready to deploy.

  1. Write the prompt

    Use the five-element formula: subject + setting + lighting + camera movement + emotional tone. Lead with the pain, then the relief.

  2. Pick resolution

    720p (1 credit, ~45s render) for testing and feed video. 1080p (2 credits, fixed 8s, ~90s render) for premium placements and any surface larger than feed.

  3. Generate the clip

    Click Generate. The render runs on GPU; expect 45–90 seconds for the MP4 to land in your account. If it fails for any reason, the credit is refunded automatically.

  4. Iterate fast

    Bad first generation? Edit one variable — usually lighting or camera move — and re-generate. One concept per clip — chain multiple for longer

  5. Download and ship

    Save the MP4 — audio is already baked in, no watermark, commercial use licensed. Drop it straight into your ad manager, social schedule, or content brief.

Who Uses MakeThisVid for This

Same-day creative

When the brief lands at 9am and the ad needs to ship by 5pm. Skip the production timeline entirely.

Multivariate testing

Generate 4–8 variants on different lighting / camera / mood. Pick the winner from real performance data instead of an internal review.

Inspiration to brief

Use a fast generation to communicate a visual direction to a designer or stakeholder before committing to a full production.

Frequently Asked Questions

45–90 seconds per render on MakeThisVid. The whole loop from idea to downloaded MP4 — write prompt, pick resolution, generate, download — typically lands in under three minutes.
Subject + setting + lighting + camera movement + tone. Specific concrete details outperform abstract emotion words: "golden-hour backlight, slow dolly forward, warm" beats "cinematic and beautiful".
From $1.33 per 720p clip on the Pro plan ($79.99/mo, 60 credits) to $2.00 on Lite ($19.99/mo, 10 credits). 1080p costs 2 credits per clip. The cheapest entry is the $2.99 one-time pack: one full 1080p video with commercial use included.
Yes. Every plan and credit pack — even the $2.99 starter — includes a commercial use license. Run it as a paid ad, ship it to a client, post it anywhere. No watermark.
Yes. Switch to Photo → Video on the create page, drop a JPG/PNG/WebP, and add a prompt that describes the motion you want ("camera slowly zooms in", "hair blowing in the wind"). Same credit cost as text-to-video.
The credit is refunded automatically — no support ticket needed. Most failures are content-policy related; rephrase the prompt and try again.

Make your first explainer video

Type a prompt or drop a photo. 45 seconds to a downloadable MP4 — commercial use included.

Try MakeThisVid