This is an ideal 2D animation tutorial for beginners because we used common video tools. Anyone with basic video editing skills can create similar 2D animations — even with zero animation experience. We’ll show you how! 

Use this guide to uncap your creativity and discover the captivating world of 2D animation. 

What Is 2D Animation? 

2D animation is created using images and illustrations that are 2-dimensional. 2D animation is animated frame-by-frame or rigged. 

Frame-by-frame animation can be analog (such as traditional animation) or digital. Our 2D animated video used a combination of analog and digital techniques: the images were hand-drawn, but it was animated digitally by editing the images together in layers.

Rigged animation is entirely digital, utilizing software to animate movement. However, animation software requires a significant learning curve. With this guide, anyone can create a 2D animation using common tools and basic knowledge of video editing software.

Other Types of Animation

There are many other types of animation (see examples in the video above), including

• 3D Animation
• Motion Capture
• Motion Graphics
• Stop-motion Animation

Stop-motion animation is a close cousin of 2D animation. The main difference is that stop-motion uses live-action shots to capture every frame instead of illustrations. 

Past stop-motion animation videos we’ve created include this Valentine’s cupcakes video, Halloween video with stop-motion pumpkin carving, and product update. 

How to Make a 2D Animation in 5 Easy Steps

1. Outline Video with a Storyboard

Brainstorm your concept and sketch a rough storyboard to outline your ideas. For our Earth Day video, we envisioned a sprout growing into a majestic tree, symbolizing the cycle of life.

At this stage, there are three crucial things you need to consider. 

• Motion. Determine what actions the artist needs to draw frame-by-frame and what motions can be animated during the edit. Some motion, like when drawing characters, requires multiple sketches to illustrate the movement. Simple motions, like the falling water drops in our video, can be created by layering images with sound effects to contextualize the movement. 
• The Number of Frames Needed for Action. 2D animations are usually 12 frames per second. When an artist draws the animation, they need the exact number of frames required. To effectively determine the number of frames, consider creating an animatic. 
• Rest. Elements without motion still need to be brought to life. Create variations of elements that aren’t in motion so they don’t appear as still images. In our video, we created multiple frames of trees and edited them together to create a subtle wiggle.  

This planning stage is essential for efficiently communicating with an artist and ensuring all the elements needed have been created before the animation process begins. 

Learn More: 10 Essential Planning Documents for Video Production

 2. Create a Graphics List 

Compile a list of the necessary elements for your animation. Use this list to communicate with your artist; it also doubles as a game plan during the creation process. 

Considering the number of frames per second, we determined how many variations of each element we would need to create the desired animation. We needed a growing sprout, a watering can, raindrops, a tree, the sun, and the Earth for our video. Each element required multiple versions or frames to add dynamic movement and life to the animation. 

3. Collaborate with an Artist

Find a talented artist whose style aligns with your vision. Provide a detailed list of elements and collaborate closely throughout the creation process. Common places to discover artists include Etsy, Fiver, UpWork, and social media platforms like Instagram.

We knew we wanted an organic-feeling art style. We discovered an amazing watercolor artist, Heather Ivins. We sent her our request and graphics list. Ivins did some testing and approval check-ins during the process. When she was done, Ivins shipped us the notebooks. 

4. Digitize & Prepare the Images

With the physical notebooks in hand, it was time to scan each image into the computer. We removed the backgrounds and cleaned them up in Photoshop. Now our graphics are in a digital format that can be easily edited together into a 2D animation.

5. Animate Images in Premiere 

It’s time to animate the images! 

We used Adobe Premiere Pro to animate the images; however, any professional video editing software will also work. We highly recommend using nesting sequences in Premiere — these are sequences within sequences that make it easy to animate elements and movements separately. 

Combine all elements in the main edit, adding background details and sound design to bring it all together. If applicable, incorporate text supers and end card elements to enhance the overall presentation. Export your video, upload to SproutVideo, and share! 

We hope this guide on 2D animated videos will inspire you to bring your vision to life! Check out our related content to learn more about creating videos:

• Video Editing Basics with Adobe Premiere Pro
• How To Get the Best Audio in Any Environment
• How to Find Music and Edit It Into Your Video

The post 2D Animation: How to Easily Create an Animated Video for Beginners appeared first on SproutVideo.

Discover how to use video to achieve your business goals in customer support, learning and development, and more. We’ll also cover the video metrics needed to measure success.

There are countless types of videos a company can produce. Review these video use cases to set clear goals, measure effectiveness, and improve your video strategy. 

Note: The metrics below are common across video hosting platforms. However, we’ll discuss how to effectively improve each metric using the SproutVideo platform. 

1. Sales & Marketing

Goal: Attract new leads, shorten the sales cycle, and increase conversions.

Video was the primary form of content businesses created last year — likely due to the high engagement rate, popularity of video-sharing platforms, and SEO benefits. 

Let’s consider how an e-commerce brand might use video. For its spring clothing line, the company produces videos to target customers at all stages of the buying journey.

These videos might include:

• Product demonstrations 
• Customer testimonials
• Educational content
• About Us/Mission 
• Explainer videos 
• Advertisements 

For example, the e-commerce brand creates a 15-second product demonstration of a sequin-beaded dress sparkling in the sun. 

It’s featured on the product page, across social media, and within segmented marketing emails to one-time dress buyers, new subscribers, and loyal customers. 

Metrics to Evaluate Success

• Play Rate: Measure the effectiveness of video placement, thumbnail, and copy with play rate. A higher play rate increases the likelihood that viewers will absorb the video’s value and fuel their interest in the brand’s offerings. 
• Average Engagement Rate: Determine how much content average users watch to determine the significance of video engagement on purchasing decisions. Use this information to determine highly engaging strategies and recreate them. 
• Domains: Discover which marketing channels drive the most traffic and engagement to your videos. Use this information to optimize the most valuable channels and gain further insight into your audience segments. 
• Conversion Rates: Compare engagement data with your customer relationship manager (CRM) and Google Analytics. Determine the relationship between viewer engagement and increased conversions. Correlate new conversions with a traffic lift from videos. Take this further with individual viewer data: tag users to see how videos influence viewers on the SproutVideo platform. 

2. Employee Onboarding & Training

Goal: Train new hires efficiently and improve employee skills.

Expedite employee training and student education with video-based learning. For example, a national chain of hotels creates training videos for staff in multiple languages and across locations. Onboarding teams and leaders within the organization can share these videos with employees and new hires as needed, in person or virtually. 

Types of videos the company creates might include,

• Screencast videos 
• Company culture highlights
• Educational content
• Day-in-the-life reels
• Live stream events

Imagine the hotel chain hosts a monthly “Welcome to the team” live stream for new employees. The video introduces new hires to executive team members, covers company culture and core values, and presents profiles of employees who have enjoyed career advancement. 

During onboarding, new hires receive a “day-in-the-life” video on their position, how-to videos for learning their job, and a screencast video on using the company’s HR software. 

Metrics to Evaluate Success

• Heat Maps: Course completion is important for L&D teams. With heat maps, they can easily determine if individual viewers completed a video. Review all sessions so that the viewer can track completed videos across multiple viewing sessions. 
• Unique Plays: Proprietary and confidential training materials are usually for internal “company eyes” only. Monitor unique plays to ensure video plays don’t exceed the amount of people with access. If you suspect a leak, determine the cause by investigating individual session data. 
• Viewer Name: Utilize tagging on the SproutVideo platform to easily review all session data for individual users. Once tagged, users will appear by name instead of the Viewer ID assigned to them. Click on their name to see all the videos and live streams they have watched.

3. Internal Corporate Communications

Goal: Communicate across departments and enhance culture.

Internal communications must ensure that proprietary information and intellectual property are kept private and secure. Consider a Fortune 500 company with multiple locations, remote workers, and tens of thousands of employees who must communicate securely and effectively. The company uses video metrics to monitor internal content and protect intellectual property, unreleased information, and proprietary knowledge.   

Other types of internal videos a company might create include 

• Strategy or policy change videos
• CEO-led mission statements
• Financial updates for shareholders
• Department-wide communications

In remote workplaces, companies also use video for virtual celebrations, scavenger hunts, and other team-building activities. 

Metrics to Evaluate Success

• Average Engagement Rate: Evaluate how much content viewers watched. Review how people interact with the video, including what parts they watch and rewatch. This information allows you to review how people engage with important communications.
• Geographic Location: Track viewer location to ensure communications only reach intended parties or branch locations. 
• Unique Plays: Ensure communications reach the intended amount of people. Investigate individual session data if the number exceeds the intended audience size. 

4. Customer Support 

Goal: Provide personalized service and create a library of help videos.

Companies use videos in knowledge centers to provide 24/7 customer support and serve as pre-sales tools. Video is also great for personalizing customer support, as Support agents can send short messages or screencasts to customers that demonstrate the solution to their problem. 

For example, a solopreneur selling a video course on investing for beginners doesn’t have the resources to handle many support requests. However, she learns from past customers and generates screencast videos that address common issues and how to solve them. 

Support videos a company might create include:

• Product-based tutorials
• Screencast how-to videos 
• Video library of FAQs

When the solopreneur, from our example above, responds to support requests, she hits record and talks directly to the customer. This approach saves her valuable time and personalizes the support, increasing customer retention. 

Metrics to Evaluate Success

• Average Engagement Rate: Evaluate how much content viewers watched. Use this metric to determine the effectiveness of support videos. Learn what parts of the footage created “ah-ha” moments for customers. 
• Play Rate: Track how often people watch a video to find a solution to their problem versus reviewing the text of a help article or support email. This data validates the use of video for customer support and helps you optimize your knowledge base by highlighting which frequently asked questions need videos.
• Heat Maps: Discover what parts of the video provide the most important information for solving a common customer problem. Determine when a concept needs to be explained more deeply based on the density of rewatches within help videos.  

5. Regulatory Compliance and Continuing Education

Goal: Maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.

Video training is a common aspect of maintaining compliance within regulated industries (i.e., finance, healthcare, legal services.) For example, a personal finance company creates an online training platform to ensure employees comprehensively understand and adhere to standards. It also hosts live stream conferences to facilitate compliance management across a location-independent team. Types of videos the company creates include:

• Tutorials on compliance management
• Live stream workshops 
• Industry rulings and updates 
• Corporate policy videos

The company can use its secure video hosting platform to closely monitor employee engagement with compliance materials to ensure the information is absorbed. 

Metrics to Evaluate Success

• Viewer ID or Name: Track and review engagement data for each viewer to ensure viewer completion of all compliance materials. An easy way to do this is with log-in protection (or Single Sign-On) through the SproutVideo platform. 
• Heat Map: Review visual engagement data for each viewing session. View all sessions for any viewer to determine if the user started and finished a video later. 
• Viewer Minutes Watched: Track viewer time input for compliance regulations that require certification or continuing education hours. View the minutes watched for a single viewer across live streams and videos using individual session data on SproutVideo.

Dive into the world of video engagement and metrics with our series:

• Video Engagement: 10 Strategies to Grab & Hold Viewer Attention
• 15 Live Stream Metrics & How to Measure Success
• Video Metrics to Measure Performance and ROI

The post 5 Use Cases for Business Videos & How to Track Success appeared first on SproutVideo.

People who engage in your live stream are 43% more likely to buy a premium product. Furthermore, research on student learning shows that live streaming is “highly effective” while boosting creativity and cooperation. 

However, businesses with specific goals need live streaming metrics to measure success and inform strategy improvements. Across departments — marketing, learning and development, operations — these analytics help determine ROI, meet compliance standards, and maintain security measures.

Welcome to our walk-through guide on live streaming metrics. Learn what each metric measures, why it’s important, and how to use the information to meet your goals.

Quick Look: Top Metrics to Review Performance

Quickly determine how a live stream performed with your audience. These metrics are helpful for evaluating attendance and engagement across use cases.

• Total Views: total number of viewing sessions during the broadcast
• Unique Visitors: amount of individual viewers
• Average Engagement Rate: percentage of live stream watched

Click on each metric above for in-depth information — or keep reading to find it in the full list of 15 metrics below.

Note: The metrics above are common across live streaming platforms. However, some of the metrics below are SproutVideo-specific.  

15 Live Stream Metrics to Measure Success

Live stream metrics are organized into three categories: 

• During the live stream (real-time analytics)
• After the broadcast ends (post-live stream metrics)
• Data for each viewing session (individual viewer data)

Click on any of the links above to jump to that section.

Real-Time Live Stream Analytics 

When evaluating the metrics below, higher numbers are generally favored and indicate that you successfully promoted the live stream to your audience. Additionally, more viewers equals more opportunities for people to engage and absorb your content. 

Private live streams are the exception. In this situation, use real-time analytics to ensure the audience size doesn’t exceed the intended audience. Monitoring this data helps detect security leaks during a live stream with limited access. 

Note: There is some overlap between the analytics measured in real-time and post-live stream. We discuss each metric in relation to real-time and post-live analytics when applicable below.

Monitor the following metrics during the live broadcast. These metrics are displayed directly below the live stream, so it’s easy to glance at the numbers while hosting live. 

1. Currently Watching

The number of viewers currently watching your live stream (AKA concurrent viewers). 

This metric monitors live viewing engagement. It lets you quickly see how many people are tuned in and engaging with your live stream. 

This information is most helpful when starting a live stream. It is common to begin a broadcast and wait until a minimum number of viewers have joined before launching into the prepared material. This metric helps you determine when you’ve reached that minimum.

If this number suddenly drops to zero, an issue likely occurred during the broadcast.

2. Peak Views

The highest number of concurrent viewers who join during the live stream. 

Peak views represent the highest number of viewers who simultaneously watched the live stream up to the current point in the broadcast . After your broadcast concludes, it represents the highest number of people who watched your live stream at any time.

Peak views help you measure audience engagement during the broadcast. As this number updates, it indicates whether or not your viewing audience is still growing. 

A high peak views count post-live stream suggests your content was engaging and attracted significant viewers. On the SproutVideo platform, you can use the analytics graph (pictured below) to quickly determine what part of the live stream attracted the most viewers.

Across multiple live streams, this information can guide you in tailoring your content to match the interests of your viewers better.

Note: Currently Watching viewers and Peak Views measure non-unique viewers, meaning if a user plays the live stream in two browser windows simultaneously, it will count as two viewers or views. 

3. Unique Visitors

The total unique viewers who watched your live stream during the broadcast. 

Like peak views, this information helps you compare live streams and determine what topics perform best with your audience. 

For example, a company is promoting a product launch, and 8,000 people register for the event. If 3,500 unique visitors attend (44%), it suggests significant interest in the product and successful marketing of the launch event. 

For private live streams, monitor unique visitors during the broadcast to ensure your security measures work as intended. 

4. Average Time Watched

The average amount of time viewers watch your live stream. 

This metric tracks how long viewers watch the live stream and displays the average time watched in hours, minutes, and seconds. 

If you notice the average time watched is low during the broadcast, you can employ more interactive techniques to reengage viewers and encourage longer viewing times. 

You can also use this information to create more engaging live streams: determine if new engagement strategies are effective across multiple live streams.

5. Live Chat Participation

Unlike the rest of the metrics on our list, chat participation is qualitative data. Therefore, you base your insights on audience feedback rather than objective data. 

Live chat creates a direct line of communication between you and the viewer during live streams. Direct interaction encourages audience participation and provides insights into their frequently asked questions. 

Use this information to align your content strategy with your most engaged audience. 

How to Add Chat to Your Live Stream

Post-Live Stream Analytics & Engagement Metrics

On the SproutVideo platform, post-live stream metrics are organized into two dashboards: Analytics and Engagement.

The Analytics dashboard provides an overview of how many people watched the live stream.

Analytics Dashboard on the SproutVideo Platform

The dashboard also includes graphs on the domains people watched from, what devices they used, and where in the world they tuned in from.

The Engagement dashboard features metrics on how many people engaged with your live stream and for how long; it also includes individual viewer data (more on this later).

Engagement Dashboard on the SproutVideo platform

Some overlap exists between real-time and post-live analytics. These are Peak Views, Unique Visitors, and Average Time Watched. Click on any of the metrics to review them above. We’ll discuss the other available metrics and how to use them below. 

6. Total Views

The total number of live stream views accumulated during the broadcast.

This information gives you a broad understanding of your audience’s interest in the live stream topic. A high view count suggests you successfully promoted the live stream to your audience, and it garnered enough interest for viewers to join live.

In this way, total views and unique visitors provide similar information. However, unique visitors will never exceed the total views (though they could be equal).  

When there is a significant difference between these numbers, it might suggest that a substantial portion of viewers left and returned to the live stream during the broadcast. 

However, it could also signal buffering or disconnection issues, a viewer switching devices, among other possibilities. Review individual session data by studying viewer behavior to create a more complete picture. 

7. Total Hours Watched

The total amount of time all viewers spent watching the live stream.

Higher total hours watched are generally associated with greater engagement. This information is better contextualized as the average engagement rate (discussed next). 

However, you can combine this information with individual session data to discover highly engaged audience members who spend more time watching your live stream than average. Heat maps make it easy to identify these viewers.  

8. Average Engagement Rate

The average percentage of the live stream viewers watched. 

The average engagement rate showcases the amount of your live stream that a single viewer generally watches. It’s one of the best metrics for determining audience engagement. 

The SproutVideo platform provides a graph that displays the average engagement rate at every point of your live stream. This graph is a hugely useful tool for determining what parts of your live stream are most interesting to viewers. 

Use this metric to determine what aspects of your live stream would benefit from additional engagement strategies and again to evaluate the success of those strategies.

9. Geographic Location

A map of every country where your live stream played. 

You can click each country from the world map on the SproutVideo platform to see specific regions where viewers watched your live stream.

Local businesses that market within a specific region and multi-branch companies that must communicate internally and privately often use this metric.

Geographic location is also a helpful metric when gathering customer insights for tailoring marketing campaigns and understanding your audience. 

Finally, geographic location is necessary to comply with state or federal regulations within relevant industries. Tracking geographic location is generally needed when ensuring your live stream reaches the correct audience.

10. Domains Where Viewed

Domains identify where your live stream was played on the internet. 

If you embed your live stream in multiple places, this metric is ideal for determining what channels generate views. 

Data on domains is also helpful when auditing security for private live streams: you can easily ensure only viewers from intended domains watched the live stream.

11. Device Type

Determine the device, browser, and operating system used to watch your live stream. 

This information provides insight into your audience’s viewing behavior and preferences, which is helpful when creating a marketing strategy. It can also inform how to optimize your live stream’s landing page.

On the SproutVideo platform, click on each device type to view more in-depth information.

Individual Viewer Engagement Data

Post-live stream analytics provides a bird’s-eye view of metrics for a specific live stream. Individual session data, on the other hand, provides data view-by-view.

There is some overlap between post-live analytics and individual session data. The difference between the data is whether the information pertains to the entire live stream or a single view. 

This overlapping information includes geographic location, domains where viewed, and the device type. Click on each metric to return to its section above. Check out the other available individual session metrics below.

12. Date Viewed & Time Stamp

The day the viewer watched your live stream and at what time (in your time zone).

This metric conveys when each viewer tuned into your live stream. The dates will be the same for any single live stream. 

This information is helpful for diligent record-keeping, especially in regulated industries.

13. Viewer Name with Total Live Streams Viewed (When Captured)

The names of viewers whose contact information has been tagged.

You can track specific viewers if their information has been captured or tagged. 

Log-in protection is a common way to do this. When the viewer watches a live stream after logging into their account, their name appears instead of “Unknown Viewer.”

Tagged viewers will also include a small box next to the name that indicates the total number of live streams the user has watched. 

Click on any individual session, including “Unknown Viewers,” to view all of the viewing sessions (across live streams and videos) recorded for that user, as well as their total time watched. 

The practical applications for this information are abundant. 

• Monitor participation in employee training and educational lectures. 
• Use the information to tailor or segment marketing campaigns. 
• Track individual viewers to ensure compliance in regulated industries. 

Note: When a live stream is viewed internally by a logged-in SproutVideo account user, the viewer session data will feature a small box that reads, “Internal.”

14. IP Address

The IP Address associated with each view of the live stream. 

IP addresses are collected to identify viewers and their location.

Track this information to audit the security of live streams while employing IP address whitelisting, which is a security measure that makes streaming content available only to viewers with approved IP addresses. 

15. Heat Map

A cool-to-warm visualization for individual viewer engagement data. 

At a glance, “heat spots” indicate where the viewer rewatched content. Rewatches indicate areas of greater interest or sections of information that are too dense to absorb the first watch. Portions of the live stream the viewer didn’t watch are white space.

This map also includes the percentage of the total live stream the viewer watched. This information allows you to determine how much of the live stream a viewer completed during any one session. 

Note: Download live stream data as a CSV for offline viewing and easy record management with the SproutVideo Forest plan — built for businesses and institutions. These downloadable reports are Live Stream Event Analytics, Engagement Data, and an Access Log (for log-in-protected live streams). 

5 Live Streaming Use Cases for Business + Metrics to Track

Effective live streaming starts with clear goals. Here are some common ways businesses use live streaming, alongside example goals and the metrics needed to evaluate success. 

Note: Click on each of the “Metrics to Evaluate Success” to learn more about it. 

1. Optimize customer journey & tailor marketing efforts

Goal: Create highly engaging live streams to encourage loyalty and interaction with the brand. Employ insights gained from highly engaged viewers in the brand’s overall marketing strategy.

Metrics to Evaluate Success: 

• Average engagement rate: Evaluate overall success by how much content viewers watched. Additionally, compare the engagement graph with the live stream’s content to identify successful aspects and areas for improvement. 
• Qualitative engagement data (i.e., live chat participation): Review participation to discover highly engaged individuals likely to build emotional investment with your brand.  
• Heat maps. Track individual viewer engagement to tailor marketing efforts or segment your audience based on topics of interest. 
• Domains Where Viewed: Determine what channels most effectively drive viewership to the live stream based on where viewers tune in. 

2. Influence purchasing decisions & increase activations

Goal: Engage leads by solving product-related problems to drive interest in company products or services. Track attendees’ post-live stream engagement with your website (i.e., shopping cart checkout, requesting a demo, subscribing to free resources, repeat purchase) to measure success.

Metrics to Evaluate Success: 

• Average Engagement Rate: Determine how much content average users watch to determine the significance of live stream engagement on purchasing decisions.
• Heat Maps: Discover highly invested contacts and gain insights into viewer content expectations; use this insight to improve future live stream engagement. 
• Viewer Name: Review engagement data for each session to see how the live stream influenced individual viewers. Tag users and compare these insights with your customer relationship manager (CRM). For unknown viewers, track the Viewer ID given (each viewer receives a unique Viewer ID).

3. Maintain compliance with regulatory requirements

Goal: Ensure compliance with regulations and data privacy standards in relevant industries (i.e., finance, healthcare, legal services.) Maintain records of compliance for specific users.

Metrics to Evaluate Success: 

• Viewer ID or Name: Track and review engagement data for each viewer to ensure all compliance materials are watched. Log-in protection (or Single Sign-On) through the SproutVideo platform is an easy way to do this. 
• Heat Maps: View engagement data for each viewing session visually. View all sessions for any single viewer to determine if the user started a live stream and finished it later. 
• Total Minutes Watched for an Individual Viewer: Track time input for compliance regulations that require certification or continuing education hours. Within individual viewer engagement data on the SproutVideo platform, click on the viewer to see the total minutes watched across both live streams and videos.

4. Onboard new hires and improve employee skills

Goal: Track employee or student engagement with educational materials to ensure proper training. Easily gain insights into participation and engagement for future improvements.

Metrics to Evaluate Success:  

• Viewer Name and Total Live Streams Viewed: Utilize tagging to assign viewer names to their Viewer ID (used to track sessions). Then, review session data for individual users to track engagement with live streams and completion rates. 
• Heat Maps: Use this information to determine if the user started and finished a live stream later and how much of the live stream they completed.
• Unique Visitors: Audit live stream security measures by reviewing the unique visitor metric. If this number exceeds the limited audience for a private live stream, investigate individual session data to determine the cause. 

5. Communicate across company teams privately and efficiently

Goal: Host secure live streams to communicate effectively across teams and multiple branches, inform shareholders, and collaborate on pre-launch content and marketing materials.

Metrics to Evaluate Success:  

• Unique Visitors: Ensure communications reach the intended amount of people. Investigate individual session data if the number exceeds the intended audience size for a private live stream. The SproutVideo platform identifies account users as “Internal,” making it easier to separate internal and external security breaches. 
• Average Engagement Rate: Evaluate how much live stream content viewers watched. This metric is essential for determining whether the audience received the knowledge and information from the live stream. 
• Geographic Location: Track viewer location to ensure communications reach all intended parties or branch locations. 

Note: SproutVideo accounts include security tools like password protection, login protection (including single sign-on), and whitelisting for domains, IP addresses, and geographic locations.

Ready to launch your live stream? Grab our 30-day truly free trial. Or learn more about live streaming with our other content:

• How to Build Your Own Live Streaming Website
• Private Live Stream: How to Host Exclusive Events Online
• Live Streams VS Webinars: 8 Key Differences

The post 15 Live Stream Metrics & How to Measure Success appeared first on SproutVideo.

It showcases the likeliness of videos increasing awareness, sales, and retention. Additionally, 98% of enterprise organizations credit video for better and faster employee training and improved internal communications.

However, video production is a scalability challenge for many companies and organizations because of their required resources. To address this challenge, optimize each video for viewer engagement and get the most out of your video budget.

We’ll cover ten strategies for increasing video engagement — try incorporating one or two of these ideas into your next video!

What is Video Engagement & Why Should I Measure It?

Video engagement measures how people interact with your videos. It’s one of the best ways to determine whether or not the intended audience is receiving your message. 

Commonly, video engagement is a key performance indicator (KPI) used by professionals to evaluate, measure, and improve the performance of video content. 

Here are four video engagement metrics to measure and what they reveal.

• Play Rate: how likely someone is to play your video. A high play rate percentage suggests the video grabs enough attention to encourage views. When low, consider optimizing your title, thumbnail, and whether the video aligns with the page topic.
• Average Engagement Rate: how much of the video engaged viewers. Along with its accompanying graph, this metric is useful for determining the percentage of video content watched and where viewers lose interest. 
• Heat Mapping: viewer engagement habits expressed on a cool-to-warm color scale. It visually represents what parts of the video a user watched, rewatched, and skipped over. 
• Individual Session Data: data on who viewed the video, from what device, and where. Every viewing session collects data. Use this data to tailor marketing efforts, audit secure video access, track user completion rates, and more.

For example, Learning & Development professionals will likely optimize videos for optimal information absorption and track individual completion rates. On the other hand, marketers might track the average engagement rate and incorporate CTAs to move leads down the funnel.

 Video Metrics: How to Measure, Evaluate, and Increase Engagement

10 Strategies for Improving Video Engagement

1. Understand Your Viewer’s Motivation

Viewer motivation has a measurable impact on video engagement. Internally motivated viewers produce higher engagement rates than those motivated by external rewards or consequences. 

• Internal motivation is when a viewer watches a video for enjoyment or to satisfy their curiosity.
• External motivation means the viewer is watching to gain something, such as impressing their new boss by seamlessly onboarding. 

For example, Notion is a fun productivity app built for individual customization. If a viewer is excited to learn how to use it, a 30-minute video on Setting Up Notion Step-by-Step is worth the time in the viewer’s mind. The inherent satisfaction they expect to receive will increase their engagement in the video when the value is delivered.

On the other hand, new hires engage with training videos to maintain employment and showcase their value to employers. They aren’t engaging with the video from an internal drive but rather an external desire to maintain good standing at work. 

For example, a video on Everything a New Employee Needs to Learn on Day One will be more engaging when split into six shorter five-minute videos rather than one long 30-minute segment.

Consider your audience and balance the length of your videos with

• the value of the information provided
• the viewer’s intrinsic motivation

In other words, you can inspire viewer engagement by appreciating what your audience finds valuable, insightful, and enjoyable.

2. Connect Emotionally with Viewers 

An emotionally connected audience generates 52% more value than a highly satisfied one. Empathize with your viewers to identify how to incorporate emotion into your videos. Consider the viewer’s pain points, questions, and knowledge gaps. Then, prepare viewers for the emotional ups and downs while providing calls to action.

For broad appeal, many brands use light-hearted emotions, such as surprise (like the Generic Brand Video by Dissolve) and humor (or this TrueCar welcome video).

However, incorporating heavier emotional tones like grief, loneliness, and struggle (such as LifeStraw’s thank you video) can be especially powerful when the emotion is transformed in the video. 

Here are examples of how you might use emotion and storytelling to drive engagement:

• Highlight or emphasize an external or internal conflict and showcase the resolution
• Use The Hero’s Journey to inform story beats and create a satisfying story
• Give the video (or main character) a goal: follow the journey to reward and share it
• Align video topic (or the character’s fears and desires) with those of your audience

You can incorporate storytelling elements in every type of business video to contextualize the content and build emotional investment in a product or service.

3. Add Subtitles or Captions

Viewers are 80% more likely to finish a video with subtitles. They also increase information absorption by enabling people to watch and read the content. Finally, subtitles are important for viewer accessibility.

 How to Add Subtitles to Your Videos Easily

4. Hook Viewers in the Opening or Introduction

Encourage engagement for the entire length of a video — whether it’s 15 seconds or 30 minutes — by centering, teasing, or jumping directly to the core valuable idea. 

Consider, “What about this topic is enticing, valuable, or entertaining?” Use the introduction to explain or illustrate the core idea helpfully or satisfactorily to the viewer. 

A video’s introduction should be concise and relative to the video’s length. Here are some examples of how to use the introduction to keep viewers watching:

• Discuss what they will learn and how it will unfold (i.e., a brief table of contents)
• Open with an engaging shot or sequence that teases or encompasses the core idea
• Expand on the title’s hook and contextualize the pay-off 
• Create a short skit that is relevant to the core idea of the video

Deliver on the promises of the video’s introduction to create viewer satisfaction.

5. Expand Video Reach with SEO 

When a viewer is looking for specific information and finds your video, they are more likely to engage actively. Organic discovery puts your content in front of people who are directly seeking it.

Learn how to rank in search with these video SEO best practices, then use this guide on video metadata to get started.

6. Use Sound, Visuals, and CTAs to Hold the Viewer’s Attention

Elevate your video with thoughtful sound design, cinematography, and actionable takeaways. Think of it this way: every movie and television show builds an emotional atmosphere to create an experience. Everything from the casting, script, and storyboard to the location, camera angles, and color grading focuses on building the right vibe. 

You may not have the resources or budget to mimic movie studios, but you can refine how you use sound, visual cues, and calls to action to bring dynamism to your videos.

Video creators commonly add onomatopoeia (i.e., “boing” or “ding”), b-roll video or gifs, background music, and on-screen text to maintain viewer attention. Utilize these ideas if they align with your brand and audience. Here are some other ideas for how you can use sound, visuals, and CTAs to engage and maintain viewer attention:

• Create effective calls to action by providing a resource or solving a problem
• Use sound and music to set pacing expectations for the viewer intentionally 
• Add supplemental visuals wherever relevant to stoke interest and expand learning
• Include on-screen presentation slides, whiteboard sketches, or screencasts
• Combine these elements into a consistent tone to build audience trust

Much like a stage play in a black box theatre, the possibilities are endless. It’s about what you do with the tools and skills you have while being open to trying new things.

7. Create Effective Thumbnails

Effective thumbnails increase the likelihood that a user will click on a video. Thumbnails can be a still image from the video, an eye-catching custom image with subtitle text, or even an 8-second animated gif pulled directly from the video (available on SproutVideo). 

Certain thumbnail elements, like faces and bright colors, lend to views. The end goal is to establish a brand-aligned look that consistently encourages clicks.

8. Optimize Videos for the Intended Distribution Channels

Where you embed or share a video greatly influences how you optimize it for engagement. A recruiting video, for example, will be different from a product demonstration, which is different from a social short (which also varies by platform). 

Yet you could repurpose elements of a recruiting video or product demonstration to share on Instagram or TikTok, lending to diverse content and added value. In other words, consider tailoring your videos to match each intended distribution channel. 

Our first episode in a three-part series on color grading.

If you plan to share a video across multiple platforms, consider creating separate versions of the same content to optimize engagement for each channel.

Making multiple marketing assets from a single video is not a new concept. Just like B2B video marketing has different best practices than video marketing for e-commerce, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to effectively repurpose content. In other words, don’t compare your audience to another. Find out what your audience values.

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A post shared by SproutVideo (@sproutvideo)

The condensed social media version of the long-form episode above.

Here are some examples of producing multiple versions of a video to tailor it for specific distribution channels:

• Share compelling 30-second or less clips from a longer-form video (i.e., promote a podcast episode by making several shorts from the most watched moments).
• Create a 2-minute, 1-minute, 30-second, and 15-second version of an advertisement and A/B test to determine what performs best in different situations. 
• Provide part of a paid online video course for free to generate interest in the course and build trust in the level of information provided.

 Four Secrets to Optimizing Video for Social Sharing

9. Include Interactive Elements for Deeper Learning

Quizzes, checklists, and discussion questions are examples of interactive elements that lead to improved information retention. Quizzes, for instance, improve information retention by 25%. 

Interestingly, interactive elements increase engagement in B2B and B2C scenarios. Lead generation, web traffic, sales, and referrals all increase alongside overall video engagement. 

Create interactive elements by considering the next steps your viewer needs to take. Provide solutions for the viewer with supplemental resources (such as a downloadable PDF summary) or tools for applying the knowledge learned (like a step-by-step checklist on what to do). 

You can also use interactive elements to direct viewer attention during or after a video with in-player CTAs and post-play screens.

10. Edit, Refine, and Replace Videos Based on Engagement Data

So, you published a video on your website that didn’t perform as desired. Instead of returning to the drawing board, use video engagement metrics to determine what parts of the video aren’t resonating with viewers or where they lose interest. 

On the SproutVideo platform, the Engagement dashboard features a graph showing the percentage of viewers engaged with your video throughout its duration. The graph lets you pinpoint the parts of the video that people engage with most and where you’re losing them.

You can view the average engagement rate to determine how much of your video people watch. A low overall engagement rate suggests that viewers aren’t receiving the value intended from the content. 

Here are some ideas for evaluating the data to improve engagement:

• Look for spikes, which highlight areas with increased audience engagement or rewatches. Drop-offs highlight a significant decline in engagement or parts of the video viewers skipped. 
• Engagement above 100% indicate video rewatches. Rewatches highlight heightened interest or information too complex to absorb on the first watch.
• Play rate (impressions/views) tells how likely people are to click on your video. A new thumbnail, title, or video placement can improve a low play rate.

You can also review heat mapping data collected for every individual view session on the SproutVideo platform. Heat maps visually display what parts of your videos individual viewers watched and rewatched. This data is ideal for reviewing student or employee engagement and spotting sessions from viewers who shouldn’t have access. 

Once you’ve determined how to improve the video for increased engagement, you can easily replace the old version with the new one. SproutVideo preserves all historical analytics data.

Dissecting a Video That Nails Engagement

Content creators rely on engagement to generate income. While a business’s applications and goals may differ, organizations can incorporate engagement strategies from highly successful videos to elevate brand content. 

Take this video by YouTube creator Phil Edwards, for example. Phil combines many of the strategies above in his video production, resulting in a video that’s hard to stop watching.

Here are three ways the video above successfully employs engagement strategies:

1. The video opens with a skit related to the core idea.

2. Phil hooks the viewer by relating the trend to world history. He teases this information and circles back later.

3. Sound, visuals, and editing create dramatic effects throughout the video.

Any of these elements can be strategically incorporated into business videos. Consider your goals, review the data, and make informed choices to improve video engagement.

Video best practices, like trends, are in a constant state of change. Fight the urge to follow fluctuating advice.

Focus on what your audience craves from you. Doing so won’t just increase your video engagement — it’ll increase viewer satisfaction and your bottom line.

The post Video Engagement: 10 Strategies to Grab & Hold Viewer Attention appeared first on SproutVideo.

But if someone steals your content, “brand awareness” isn’t a worthy consolation prize. 

What if you could proactively protect your content from being stolen? Better still, what if you could determine who stole your content thanks to its video watermark? 

Enter dynamic watermarking. An alternative video watermarking solution, dynamic watermarks change based on the viewer, generally displaying personal information as a theft deterrent while moving intermittently around the screen. The regular movement of the watermark makes it nearly impossible to remove. 

No matter what solution is ideal for your content, this guide on video watermarking will help. Discover how to watermark videos and why it’s important, plus check out examples to decide which type of watermark is best for your business. 

What is a Watermark for Video & What Does It Mean?

Companies and creators add watermarks to online intellectual property — such as videos, photos, and documents like PDFs — that need to be protected.

Generally speaking, a video watermark is either a:

• Static brand logo indicating the content owner, or
• Dynamic semi-transparent text identifying the viewer’s email and IP address

Static watermarks indicate ownership and establish brand authority. Dynamic watermarks help prevent content from being stolen and misappropriated. 

For these reasons, video watermarks act as a security measure. You can add watermarks to videos during editing, post-production, or after uploading your asset to a video hosting platform. 

We’ll discuss the use cases for each type of video watermark in more detail later. 

Do Watermarks Indicate Copyright?

Watermarking a video does not copyright the content. But it doesn’t need to! You gain copyright in a creative work when it is written or recorded. Register creative works through the U.S. Copyright Office if you might need to defend your property in court. The most proactive way to protect your video assets is to prevent the content from being stolen in the first place. 

What is the Purpose of a Video Watermark? 

Brand awareness and theft prevention are the main reasons to add a watermark to your videos. The level of security a watermark provides depends on the type of watermark used. 

Static watermarks (i.e., brand logos) are less secure than dynamic watermarks, which intermittently display viewer information on-screen. However, businesses and creators need different levels of protection. Let’s consider the two major use cases for video watermarks. 

Watermarking for Brand Awareness & Content Reach

The most basic watermark is a static image in the form of a brand logo or creator name. Static watermarks are the same for every viewer. This watermark ensures your business receives credit, helping to build topic authority and brand awareness when your content is shared.

Static Logo Watermark

Static watermarks are generally placed in the bottom left or right corner of the video. However, this placement makes static watermarks fairly easy to remove or crop out if a thief wants to pass the content off as their own. New AI tools to remove watermarks only make this easier. 

One solution to discourage unauthorized use is covering the center or entire video with a semi-transparent watermark. Stock image and video libraries commonly use this method.

Edge-to-Edge Static Logo Watermark

However, this doesn’t prevent AI from removing the watermark. Plus, videos covered with a semi-transparent watermark are difficult or unpleasant to watch. 

Therefore, static watermarks are useful for brand awareness and content reach, as most people won’t remove a watermark before sharing your content. However, static watermarks aren’t sufficient for protecting intellectual property.

Watermarking for Copyright and Intellectual Property Protection

The risks associated with misappropriated intellectual property, proprietary information, and corporate data can affect a business’s bottom line. Leaked internal videos, for example, risk exposing private information or unrevealed products. 

Likewise, e-learning course creators must protect their intellectual property from being screencast and shared without permission. To this end, dynamic watermarking is a secure solution to prevent viewers from leaking your content or passing it off as their own. 

Dynamic Watermark on SproutVideo

A dynamic watermark displays different content based on predefined criteria about the viewer; it moves intermittently around the screen to prevent unauthorized use. 

Dynamic watermarks on the SproutVideo platform display the viewer’s personal information (email address, IP address, and session ID) on the screen. Viewers are dissuaded from stealing video content because it would require them to publicly share their personal information as well. 

Additionally, dynamic watermarking creates a trail of breadcrumbs, allowing you to identify the culprit and prevent future access.

Across options, dynamic watermarks strike a balance to provide optimal security while maintaining a high-quality viewer experience. You can even customize dynamic watermarks with SproutVideo: choose a more transparent watermark, prevent it from sticking to the center of the screen, adjust the intermittent pattern, and more.  

Read More: 4 Ways to Customize Dynamic Watermarking on a Video

When Should I Add a Watermark to My Videos?

Consider the security you need across internal and external channels when determining what type of watermark to add to your videos. For each channel below, consider the risks of video asset distribution without your permission.

• Social Media: sometimes necessary. Some platforms (Instagram and TikTok) automatically add a watermark to videos. Therefore, adding your own is unnecessary. An exception is long-form YouTube videos, where it is standard to include a small watermark in the lower corner.
• Marketing Website: unnecessary. Marketing and product-focused videos generally don’t need a watermark. Often, the company is directly mentioned in the video, meaning brand recognition is built-in. These videos build awareness even if stolen and shared. 
• Educational Content: sometimes necessary. Educational videos are a great way for brands to provide value to relevant audiences. As public-facing videos, a static watermark is sufficient for building brand awareness and topic authority. However, private content, such as login-protected videos, gain added protection with dynamic watermarks.
• Paywalled Videos: always necessary. Dynamic watermarks are the most secure way to protect paywalled video guides, e-learning courses, and other privately available content. Dynamic watermarks discourage screencasting theft by displaying the viewer’s personal information. Additionally, it creates a breadcrumb trail, allowing you to block an individual viewer’s access if necessary.
• Internal Corporate Communications: always necessary. Highly sensitive and confidential quarterly data reports, pre-released product demonstrations, and company meetings represent the internal communications that require safeguarding. Internal communications are vulnerable to internal leaks, just as paywalled content is vulnerable to external ones. For the same reasons, dynamic watermarking is ideal for securing this private information.
• Film, Television, and Advertisement Screening: always necessary. Confidential prelease information is shared with popular media outlets, journalists, and content creators before debuting a new product, commercial, or television show. Dynamic watermarking ensures external collaboration and screenings are private and secure. 

Read More: Best Practices for Securely Sharing Corporate Videos

3 Ways to Add Watermarks to Videos

Add static watermarks to videos during editing or with a third-party tool. Adding dynamic watermarks requires a video hosting service because the watermark must be encoded in real-time to display the viewer’s information. 

1. Dynamic Watermarking with SproutVideo

Dynamic watermarking can be turned on account-wide or on a video-to-video basis. 

However, dynamic watermarks require real-time encoding and processing to display the viewer’s information as a watermark. For this reason, viewer information must be captured or applied in one of the following ways to enable dynamic watermarking:  

• Login Protection: Perfect for securing one-off videos and hosted video websites
• Lead Capture: Ideal for gating promotional marketing and educational assets
• Embed Code Parameters: Necessary for membership websites and advanced viewer tracking

The method of implementation you choose will depend on how you share your videos and when you need dynamic watermarking to appear, as outlined by the use cases listed above. 

Lead capture is the least secure of these options because users can enter false information, meaning the dynamic watermark would display the false information entered.

Note: For added security, consider using signed embed codes to prevent embed code tampering and reuse. 

That’s it! Once you’ve enabled one of these three methods for capturing or applying viewer information, enabling Dynamic Watermark is a simple click of the toggle button. 

Read More: How to Enable Dynamic Watermarking

2. Static Watermark in Post-Production

Ensure your static watermark cannot be removed by adding it in post-production while editing. The watermark will become part of the video file when you export your video. Keep in mind that cropping a video or using AI tools can remove a static watermark.

Here are the general steps:

1. Create your static watermark image with a transparent background (PNG).
2. Import the image into your video editor. 
3. Add the image to your video timeline, then adjust the logo’s size, placement, and opacity. 
4. When your video is complete, export and share!

This method is the easiest way to add a static watermark to your videos if you created the video or are familiar with editing software. However, you may prefer a watermarking tool for existing videos. We’ll cover these next. 

3. Static Watermark with Third-Party Application

Third-party applications allow you to add a watermark to existing videos. However, the video must be uploaded to the third-party platform to add the watermark. 

Many applications allow you to add a watermark for free but restrict the upload size, video resolution, and overlay the tool’s branded watermark. Compare the best apps for watermarking videos based on each platform’s free plan. 

• Descript: Viable free option if you need to add a static watermark to a single video. 
• Canva: Free tool for adding watermarks to images and documents, but not ideal for larger videos due to the limited upload size (1GB). 
• Kapwing: You can get started without creating an account; however, the free plan limits video quality, size, and length.

Note: Some video hosts can add a watermark to the video player. However, without additional security measures, thieves can still fetch and download the content. Worse, there’s no watermark on the downloaded file since it was part of the video player instead of the video file. Therefore, choose a tool that adds the static watermark to your video file. That way, your watermark will follow no matter where your content goes.

Fighting copyright and intellectual property infringement is a long and costly endeavor best avoided with prevention. While video watermarking serves multiple purposes, the end goal for most users is to protect their content from unwanted distribution. Check out our library of helpful content to make a plan for keeping your videos protected:

• Determine the Level of Privacy Your Videos Require
• 8 Powerful Reasons to Use Viewer Logins For Your Videos
• What To Do If Someone Steals Your Videos Online

The post What is a Watermark for Video? Automatic Theft Prevention for Videos appeared first on SproutVideo.

Check out four new features to help you manage your video assets, easily market video content, and customize the viewer experience. 

Customizable Dynamic Watermarks

Dynamic watermarks protect your content from theft, piracy, and unauthorized distribution by displaying the viewer’s information on-screen. This type of video watermark continuously moves on a timed interval, making it nearly impossible to crop out. You can set this watermark to appear on some or all of your videos. 

With our latest updates to dynamic watermarks, you have even more control of your video security. Adjust the background transparency, how frequently the watermark changes positions, restrict placement to avoid the video’s center, or even hide the watermark intermittently to limit any potential interference with your content.

Read More: 4 Ways to Customize Dynamic Watermarks

Improved Workflow for Downloading Video Assets

Introducing a redesigned download workflow to help manage your video assets. You can access the improved workflow from any uploaded video in your account.

Now, you can: 

• View and download all resolutions of an uploaded video 
• See the file size of downloadable assets before downloading them 
• Download video poster frames — both static and animated 

Flexible download options offer several benefits, including:

• Improve your archival workflow
• Share assets between team members for fast collaboration
• Download recorded live streams for editing, then replace the original file
• Reuse assets, such as animated poster frames, in marketing campaigns

Read More: How to Download Video Assets

Easy Access to Direct Video Links & m3u8 for HLS Streaming

Along with easier access to your downloadable video assets, this product update makes it easy to get direct access to video file URLs, like mp4 and m3u8 for HLS streaming.

Direct video links are sometimes necessary for third-party platforms, application building, and website plugins. Specific examples include WordPress themes that require an m3u8 link and businesses that need a white-label player for selling subscription-based content through a private app. 

Read More: Get Direct Video File Access

Import Videos Directly from Third-Party Storage Accounts

The SproutVideo platform has always made it easy to quickly upload your video files. This update adds the ability to directly import videos to your account from third-party storage services: Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and One Drive.

Import videos from third-party services directly from the Upload page within your SproutVideo account. We hope this ease-of-use feature will help make your workflow more seamless than ever before. 

Read More: How to Import Videos from Third-Party Storage Accounts

We love hearing your feedback! This product update includes lots more changes that were requested by you: added control over SEO and search engine indexing, easier account management, new player color customizations for video websites, and more.

Read More: 25 More New Additions from This Product Release

We are constantly improving and want to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Support with your own requests and feedback.

As always, we’re here to help! Get the most out of your SproutVideo experience with our knowledge base of help articles, how-to guides, and a human-powered support team. 

The post Product Update: Watermark Customizations, Direct Video Links, and Cloud Storage Importing appeared first on SproutVideo.

Companies typically create “thank you” videos to highlight milestones (such as celebrating 13 years in business), honor employees, or show appreciation during the holiday season. Nonprofit organizations, on the other hand, create “thank you” videos to stay connected with donors. 

If your organization has recently received funding or your customers have enabled you to reach a significant goal, why not express gratitude with a short video? In this article, we’ll look at the best “thank you” video examples and share tips for making your own. 

Thank You Video Examples

“Thank you” videos brighten someone’s day, adding heart and personability to marketing campaigns. Often, the goal of a “thank you” video is simply a positive impact through employee, donor, or customer appreciation. Every video on our list accomplishes that and more. 

TD Bank

TD Bank created a mega-viral “thank you” video that gave back in a big way. The Canadian company turned an ordinary day into a magical experience by providing unique gifts for a few long-time customers. In doing so, the company generated immense awareness for the brand (25 million views) by successfully integrating multiple feel-good elements into its video.

For example, TD Bank provided plane tickets to a mom with a daughter undergoing cancer treatments in Trinidad. TD Bank gifted another customer tickets to see his favorite sports team and even brought his favorite player to the bank for introductions. 

By making the video, the company expressed its appreciation and created an opportunity for joy that anyone, whether a potential customer or not, can delight in. The video inspires joy in anyone who comes across it and creates a positive and compassionate image of TD Bank. 

LifeStraw

LifeStraw is a mission-based company that uses each purchase to provide clean water to school children. The company doesn’t just drop off products. Its Give Back program contributes year-round support to build relationships with schools. Every school receives a five-year commitment from the company, which hires local staff to ensure transparency and quality. 

To highlight the accomplishments of this program, LifeStraw’s customer appreciation video mimics donor-gratitude videos usually created by nonprofit organizations. It focuses on the ways LifeStraw has been able to positively affect communities thanks to purchases from customers. In doing so, it showcases that LifeStraw’s Give Back program isn’t a PR stunt; it’s why the company exists. 

Nordstrom

Nordstrom employees shared their appreciation and talents during the 2016 holiday season with this short commercial. As individuals, the employees sing the classic Golden Girls theme song, “Thank You for Being a Friend.” Then, with editing magic, the video combines their voices into a symphony of song and sign language. 

This is the most corporate “thank you” video on our list. It showcases what can be done with a larger budget while radiating warmth and personability. This short holiday ad calls on nostalgia and encourages a smile, making it an ideal example of a holiday “thank you” video. 

Summit Utilities

Summit Utilities is a United States-based natural gas company. For Thanksgiving a few years ago, the company created this customer appreciation video that captured a short montage of employees expressing their appreciation. The resulting video is a great example of a low-cost production that directly thanks the customer base for their business. And the comment section suggests it was appreciated, “That was awesome! Thank you!” 

The feeling of community stands out in this video. It wasn’t made for a large audience. It was simply made to show appreciation. There’s also nothing particularly clever here. It isn’t optimized for engagement, doesn’t have a script, and no cinematography tricks were used to get the perfect shot. Yet it accomplishes its goal by leading with sincerity. 

Charity Water

On its fifth anniversary, Charity Water — a nonprofit organization on a mission to make clean water accessible globally — created 250 personal videos to thank donors for their support. The company even created a dedicated YouTube channel to showcase the best videos. One example from the 250 videos they created is featured above. 

In the video above, team members share their gratitude for a company that has consistently offered their time and resources to Charity Water. The team members highlight how the company’s contributions have made a difference and even thank specific people who helped to support the charity’s mission. 

Air Canada

For last year’s holiday season, Air Canada wanted to thank its employees for the many ways they go above and beyond for customers. They brought together employees to watch personal “thank you” videos from customers particularly impacted by their service. As the viewer, we get to watch the employees react to the heartfelt words of those who appreciate them. 

This “thank you” video captures the power of connection and showcases the exceptional people who work for Air Canada. In an industry that has forgotten the customer, Air Canada positions itself as the exception — both for customers and employees — with this video. 

5 Tips for Creative Thank You Videos

1. Focus on the Message

A concise video with no superfluous content will ensure a more engaging and compelling video. Remember to consider the goal of the video when determining how to focus on your message. If the goal is simply to make your customers smile, that’s a very different message than showcasing why more donations are needed to create a positive impact this year. 

2. Showcase Impact

Create a moving “thank you” video by centering impact. The Air Canada video, for example, showcased the impact its employees had on travelers experiencing unique challenges. 

Nonprofit organizations, especially, should be specific about the positive developments your funders contributed. Give details about how the money will be used and the changes people can expect to see in the near future.

If they’re willing to appear on camera, feature the people who have directly benefited from the success of the company or organization. This will help your customers and donors feel joy.

3. Include Employee Titles

Companies seeking to create a “thank you” video often use in-house employees as talent. Whether it’s a compilation of appreciation from the team or personalized videos sent to specific donors and customers, make sure to include the titles of those employees. 

Realistically, your audience won’t know the key figures in your company. Making it clear that the CEO is taking the time to express their thanks makes the message much more effective than if an actor has been hired. It also allows those interacting with various team members to put a face to the name and build one-to-one connections. 

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Go Off Script

Having a clear plan of what you want to say is important, but being creative at specific points makes the video come across as genuine and heartfelt. “Thank you” videos offer the most room to be silly and have fun of any corporate video. 

These videos are generally less about ROI and more about creating emotional connections. So don’t be afraid to infuse the personality of your team and working culture. Showcase the human-powered heart of your company or organization. 

5. You Don’t Need a Big Production (or Budget)

Sometimes, less is more. You can easily create a stripped-back video where the speaker looks directly at the camera and explains the impact of recent funding (or whatever positive development has occurred). This, too, can be incredibly powerful. Instead of worrying about achieving the highest quality production, lead with sincerity to create a recipe for success. 

How to Create a Thank You Video

1. Create a Goal

Why is your organization making a “thank you” video, and what results do you intend to achieve? Answering this question will make it easy to determine the video’s audience, purpose, and budget. Your goal will inform all other aspects of your “thank you” video.

For example, a nonprofit organization creates a “thank you” campaign to increase repeat donations with past contributors. The video has a specific audience, and the organization selects a challenging-yet-possible conversion rate to measure success. 

2. Consider Your Audience

If a “thank you” video is designed to brighten someone’s day, who is the central “someone” your video intends to uplift? A “thank you” video can have multiple purposes. However, to successfully convey appreciation, there should be a “main character” receiving gratitude. 

In the “create a goal” example above, the nonprofit organization focuses on sparking joy with past donors who are already invested in the cause. The nonprofit organization doesn’t need to reintroduce its purpose to past donors; it can get right into the impact of their contributions. 

Even when the goal of a “thank you” video is awareness or conversions, its success hinges on the ability to create sincerity. Instead of crafting the most clever or impressive video, focus on creating an emotional connection. 

3. Outline Video & Pre-Production

“Thank you” videos don’t necessarily require a script. Yet it’s essential to fully develop the concept and be thorough during pre-production planning to make the most of your time and budget. 

For small-to-medium businesses, “thank you” videos are generally creative endeavors with small budgets and team members stepping in as talent. 

A nonprofit organization, however, might use a significant portion of its marketing budget on a video used in fundraising campaigns for the next year. 

Either way, planning documentation is essential for an organized production. This includes but is not limited to:

• Creative Brief: Outline the project, audience, deliverables, and publication channels. 
• Video Treatment: Describe the video’s creative concept, tone, and message.
• Script/Outline: Write the sequence of words and actions that will occur in the video.
• Shot List: Break the script into a list of shots to film the video. 

From here, you might create a storyboard to visualize the end product before filming. You will also want to create a production schedule for the day of filming. Before filming, you will need to determine the location and gather all required equipment. 

If you’re hiring a video production company, you will only need to create a creative brief and video treatment, often in collaboration with the company you hire. 

4. Produce the Video

There are various options for the production, including hiring freelance videographers, using in-house resources, or choosing a production company. The best choice will be a compromise between your vision and budget. 

The success of your “thank you” video likely won’t be determined by production quality but by emotional impact. Therefore, don’t be afraid to spend less money to create a video that is visually lower quality than your company’s usual standard. 

Just look at the Nordstrom and TD Bank videos from our examples. Nordstrom created an impeccably produced commercial. Meanwhile, TD Bank’s video could have been created with basic, low-cost equipment, or even an iPhone. Nonetheless, TD Bank generated over 25 million views by centering customer appreciation and aiming to make a genuinely positive impact in their lives. 

5. Choose a Video Host 

A paid video host allows a business to embed the video on its marketing website ad-free with customized branding, in-player calls to action, and post-play screens. It also makes it easy to track viewership and get detailed analytics on engagement. Heat maps, for example, reveal drop-off points in videos, helping you to learn from past projects and improve watch times. 

Looking for an easy solution? Host your videos free for 30 days.

6. Make a Distribution Plan

Return to the goal and intended audience for your “thank you” video to determine the distribution plan. A “thank you” video intended for past customers might be shared in your newsletter, across social media, and in a blog post on your website. 

If the video is part of a larger campaign, it can be used within the sales funnel — to draw awareness and encourage brand exposure or increase retention and build loyalty. Once you have chosen which marketing channels will distribute the video, consider how you want to package and share the content across each channel. 

7. Share Your “Thank You” Video! 

Share all the content across channels during a defined time window for the greatest impact. This wave of campaign content will create continuity for viewers, who are more likely to engage with a campaign that’s been brought into their awareness multiple times. 

Once the campaign has concluded, review the video’s success with analytics. Your video host should provide detailed analytics for each video, including visitors, plays, time watched, average engagement, and more. For SproutVideo users with hosted video websites, you can also use Google Analytics for additional insights. 

Most corporate videos are all about ROI. But “thank you” videos are so much more, offering a chance to build genuine human connections and show the people behind the curtain, as it were. 

Customer interactions with a business or organization often feel impersonal. “Thank you” videos break through this wall and introduce viewers to the people working toward a common goal. 

Ready to get started? Get inspired with these viral holiday videos. Brainstorm “thank you” video ideas, then grab our free template for writing the script. Need tools to speed up the production process? Here are the best AI tools for video creation and editing.  

Thank You Video FAQ

How Long Should a Thank You Video Be?

One or two minutes is the ideal length for most “thank you” videos. Most marketers (64%) claim that 20 to 60 seconds is the optimal length for marketing videos. However, “thank you” videos vary greatly depending on the purpose. A nonprofit organization, for example, might create a longer video (three to seven minutes) to showcase the positive impact of donations made for the cause.

What Do You Say in a Thank You Video?

The most powerful “thank you” videos show the impact rather than tell it. Suppose you bring together people impacted by your company or organization. This is a potent vehicle for telling the story of your organization and thanking customers or donors for their support.

Simple “thank you” videos can be effective as well! When directly sharing your thanks, share specific details or instances that illustrate the impact. A “thank you” with context will be felt far more than simply expressing gratitude. 

How Do You Sound Genuine in a Thank You Video?

Conjure the genuine emotion of appreciation within yourself. This may involve recalling a situation with a customer that made your day brighter. Alternatively, you might ruminate on the goals you’ve been able to meet, thanks to their continued support. 

Press record and allow yourself to speak freely. The additional footage can easily be edited out in post-production. Give yourself time to get comfortable in front of the camera. This will go a long way to being able to sincerely share your appreciation. 

If you struggle with being on camera, check out these 27 tips for feeling natural.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Thank You Videos with Examples appeared first on SproutVideo.

Whether recording at home or in an office, you don’t need a large budget or significant experience to create professional voiceovers.

In this complete guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to record voiceovers that sound professional, from delivering an engaging performance to setting up a voiceover studio. 

Whether you want to launch a podcast, make viral TikTok videos, or convert viewers into customers, here’s how to record voiceovers from the comfort of your home. Let’s get started! 

TL;DR: How to Do Voiceovers from Home

• Create a DIY Voiceover Studio. Build a blanket fort, or use your closet. Record professional voiceovers for cheap by using low-cost materials to prevent sound from bouncing around the room.
• Choose a Software. Acquire audio or video editing software. Try out free trials of paid software before investing in a professional product. 
• Practice, Practice, Practice. Read the script internally and out loud. Internalize its message and find a natural pacing. Record once you feel ready to perform.
• Upgrade Your Sound Equipment. It doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg to improve your voiceover quality with an audio interface and XLR microphone.
• Pay Attention to the Details of Your Setup. Invest in high-quality over-ear headphones, pick up a pop filter, and stay close to the microphone when recording.
• Get Multiple Takes and Edit the Audio. When it comes time to record, get multiple takes. Review each one with headphones. Don’t be afraid to splice parts of the best takes together or re-record over small mistakes in the editing process. 

What Is a Voiceover?

A voiceover recording refers to voice narration that does not feature the narrator’s image. 

Voiceovers are common in entertainment, such as audiobooks, video games, and animated television. But they are also ideal for businesses, whether you’re creating educational content, professional screencasts, or corporate commercials. 

In marketing videos, it is common for B-roll footage to play while an off-screen voice tells the brand story, describes the benefits of a product or service, and encourages the customer to take action. 

For businesses and creators, voiceovers offer the versatility to provide additional context and create an emotional connection. They are often used to narrate animated promotions, knowledge-based content, marketing videos, and social media shorts. 

How to Record Voiceovers in 7 Steps

We’ve broken down how to create a professional voiceover into three parts: pre-production, recording, and post-production. This guide will help you level up your voiceover’s quality.

Pre-Production

1. Create a DIY Voiceover Studio

Not all voiceovers need to be of professional quality. There are millions of examples of off-the-cuff voiceovers on social media that simply use a standard earbud’s microphone. For those videos, a quiet place free from interruptions is sufficient.

But if you’re buying a microphone for quality voiceovers, it’s time to upgrade your setup. 

A wide open room is full of dense, hard surfaces for your voice to bounce off; this creates “reflections,” which negatively affects the recorded audio quality. Luckily, you can create a cheap voiceover studio.

To develop good audio, consider how to prevent sound from bouncing around the room. Here are two common, incredibly low-cost options:

• Turn a closet into a makeshift sound booth. Line the walls with thick blankets, pillows, or foam boards to create surfaces that will absorb sound. 
• Create a blanket “fort.” A thick blanket over your head works surprisingly well; however, creating a blanket “tent” is even better to avoid picking up any movements. 

Of course, you can implement far more impressive setups. If you plan to record multiple voiceovers, consider creating an at-home studio. Buy (or make) sound-absorbing foam panels for your walls, or procure a portable booth with panels and a roof. The options are endless; choose the one that matches your needs and budget. 

2. Select the Microphone & Audio Software

At a minimum, you will need an external microphone and audio or video editing software. You can purchase a USB microphone that plugs directly into your computer for under $100. 

However, upgrade to an audio interface with an XLR microphone to create professional voiceovers. An audio interface will improve sound quality and latency. You can purchase a decent audio interface for under $250 and an XLR microphone for under $150. 

Also, consider getting a pop filter to avoid picking up “pfft” sounds in your recordings.

What Is the Best Software for Recording Voiceovers? 

Voiceovers can be recorded with the audio or video editing software of your choice; although, you can also use your computer’s built-in tools, like QuickTime to record audio. 

Most video editing software provides sufficient tools for cleaning up audio, allowing creators to avoid the process of importing and exporting audio across software. Popular video editing options include Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. 

Consider using audio editing software if you need advanced audio editing or aren’t creating a video. The most popular options include Audacity and Adobe Audition.

3. Write the Script

A script illustrates your vision. It includes visual and spoken elements of the video.

Determine whether the visuals (such as a scene with a mix of dialogue and narration) or the voiceover (like a promotional product video) will set the video’s pacing. This decision will help you adequately convey the message in voiceover.

It can be tempting to skip the process of writing a script. But refining what you’re going to say and practicing your performance will go a long way in helping you craft a professional voiceover. When you’re ready to brainstorm, grab our free scriptwriting template as a jumping-off point. 

Voiceover Recording

4. Conduct a Test Recording

Everything has to work together in sync to capture a high-quality recording. Therefore, you should conduct a test each time you begin a new recording session. Skipping this step is the quickest way to get frustrated with the recording process. 

1. Set up your recording equipment and prepare the software. 
2. Press record and voice the first minute or so of the script.
3. Listen for errors in the recording with headphones. Check the audio levels. Alter your setup or audio settings as needed. Then, conduct another test. 
4. Repeat this process until you are satisfied with the initial audio quality.   

Audio Levels for Recording Voiceover

Avoid vocal distortion by watching your recording levels. An ideal recording level will average somewhere between -18dB and -10dB. The peak meter should never peak over -6dB while recording. Furthermore, a final mastered recording should never go above 0dB. 

Microphone Distance for Voiceovers

Make a fist and point your thumb and pinky in opposite directions, creating a Shaka sign. With your thumb to your mouth, your pinky should touch the pop filter of your microphone. 

You should be about 6 to 12 inches away from the microphone when recording a voiceover. This closeness helps the microphone pick up your voice instead of various noises in the room. 

The optimal distance will vary depending on the type of microphone you use and the level of sound treatment in your recording space, so determine the best-sounding distance with tests. 

5. Record Your Audio

It’s time to record! You’ve done all the necessary preparatory work. Now, it’s time to perform. Here are some tips to make recording easier and more enjoyable:

• Get in the Zone First. Find a way to loosen up. Watch a funny video, do yoga stretches, or dance to your favorite song. A great performance comes from a relaxed and centered place. Take a few minutes to get yourself in the right state of mind. 
• Don’t Stop for Mistakes. It’s good practice to complete each recording, even if you notice mistakes in your performance. You can fix some errors in editing; other errors will provide priceless feedback for future takes. 
• Record Five Takes or Less. If you need more than five takes, practice more before recording. Performing takes a lot of energy as well. If you didn’t get an acceptable take in five attempts, take a break and allow your energy to replenish. 

An effective voiceover makes it easy for the audience to absorb a video’s message. Keep the listener or viewer’s experience at the forefront of your mind when evaluating a recording. 

Post-Production

6. Edit Voiceover Audio

Before beginning the editing process, listen to your recordings with headphones.

In an ideal situation, your voiceover requires minimal editing. Using the editing software of your choice, you might rerecord a section, remove breaths and mistakes, or delete long pauses. 

Stop here if you will hand the recording off to an audio engineer; audio processing alters the recording in ways that limit the audio engineer’s ability to produce a high-quality mix. 

If you are creating the final mix, there are a couple of basic considerations that will improve the sound of your voiceover audio: equalization and compression.

This is called mastering a mix. Mastering is its own specialization and career path. So don’t fret if you feel overwhelmed during this learning process. The ultimate goal is to create a quality listening experience by making the audio as clear, crisp, and easy to hear as possible. 

Equalization

Different sounds fall into different frequencies. Equalization allows you to adjust the volume of certain frequencies without affecting others, making removing or boosting certain parts of a mix possible. Equalization removes background noise, word pops, and more. 

It’s better to capture audio with fewer background noises and high-frequency sounds. It’s generally preferred to need as little equalization as possible. For those who aren’t familiar with manually adjusting equalization, it’s common to use plug-ins and software presets.

Compression

Compression reduces the dynamic range of audio, which allows you to create a consistent volume. It prevents the highest highs from being too loud and the lowest lows from being too quiet. Compression also prevents distortion while allowing you to increase volume. 

7. Sync Audio & Complete Video 

Congratulations! You’re ready to sync your audio with the visual story of your video. 

Audio and video are recorded separately in traditional filmmaking. At the beginning of each take, the actor claps. This produces a spike that makes syncing audio and film easy.

Voiceover includes different challenges. Instead of syncing an on-screen actor’s lips with the spoken audio, you need to sync the voiceover pacing with the pacing of visual content. 

For this reason, you may decide to record voiceover first. This allows you to edit the video to match the voiceover, rather than trying to get one that matches an edited video. 

Either way, you now have all the tools to record a voiceover for your video! 

Why Are Good Voiceovers Important? 

Consumers want videos from brands. However, holding viewer engagement, even with short videos, can be challenging. After all, 20% of viewers click away in the first 10 seconds. Yet a website visitor who watches a product video is 64% more likely to make a purchase.  

It is paramount to grab and hold attention. Don’t give viewers an easy reason to click or scroll away by underestimating the importance of good sound quality and an engaging performance. 

Key Aspects of a Good Voiceover

Audio quality and vocal performance are two central aspects of a professional voiceover. As such, each has important attributes that result in a good voiceover. 

Audio Quality

Generally speaking, voice recordings should sound realistic. The goal is not to create a new sound but to fully capture the vocal performance. 

Therefore, recording hardware must be able to capture sound with a wide range of audible frequencies, the full dynamic range (the quietest and loudest sounds), and little-to-no distortion.

Errors can happen at any stage of the recording process. In a soundproof setting, use your equipment to create a test recording. Listen closely and alter your setup if you hear any of the following:

• Extraneous noises (hiss, hum, etc.)
• Background sounds
• Echos
• Vocal pops
• Audio processing errors
• Microphone bumps 

Don’t fret if this process requires trial and error. Multiple factors of your voiceover studio contribute to the sound quality, including the microphone distance, equipment, room treatment, location (city versus country), and more. 

Performance 

There are several elements to a good voiceover performance. Even if your audio quality is pristine, a monotone script recitation quickly puts viewers to sleep. To improve how your voice sounds when recorded, consider pacing, diction, tone or inflection, and emotive performance. 

Pacing and Volume

Pacing is the rate at which you recite the script. Aim for a natural, conversational pacing. Practice the script to internalize its messaging and make the words sound like your own (whether you wrote them or not). 

Diction

A voiceover must be understood. Therefore, the first task of a good performance is to say the words correctly at an audible level. 

Speak clearly and enunciate each word without letting it drop off. For example, “The boys walk down to the river and fetch a pail of water.” It would be easy for this sentence to sound like a garbled mess, “The boy wall dow to the rivah and fesh a pail of wafer.” 

Pay particular attention to words with “s,” “er,” “ch,” and “t” sounds. It will be easier to focus on delivery the more you can recite the words without needing to recall or read them. 

Tone and Inflection

Your tone is the pitch of your voice plus its resonating quality. You might speak in a higher pitch with a calming tone or have a deeper voice that naturally booms like an announcer. 

Inflection is the way you alter your tone to express the script. Your cadence (the modulation or inflection of your voice when reading) will convey context, underlying information, and emotions. 

Emotive Performance

The emotion and energy you bring to the performance will ultimately sell it and keep people engaged. The technical aspects of audio quality and performance ensure mistakes don’t cause people to tune out. But your emotive performance keeps people tuned in. 

How Do I Improve the Sound of My Voice? 

A common hurdle when you begin recording voiceovers is accepting the sound of your voice. It’s normal to feel shy or unsure about how your voice sounds. It may take some time to get used to it yourself, but you will focus on it far more than anyone else. 

Another approach is to learn from professional voice actors. Voice actors can adjust tone, inflection, and pacing to create an immersive recording with their unique voices. Consider working with a vocal coach to improve your technique and gain new skills.

Voiceover sets the mood and tone of your video. With some planning and the right equipment, it can take your video to a new level.

But bad audio can ruin good content. After spending hours or days on a video, the last thing you want to do is ruin it with an amateurish voiceover. 

Capturing professional recordings includes a learning curve, but producing an engaging, professional-quality voiceover is well worth the time and effort.

The post How to Record Voiceovers with Tips from Professional Voice Actors appeared first on SproutVideo.

Many creatives are (rightfully) skeptical of AI’s ability to generate original, engaging ideas. But marketing videos don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Like a good pop song that plays too many times on the radio, marketing videos follow tried-and-true formulas — which AI can mimic. 

To produce humanlike content, AI script generators employ natural language processors, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. But how good can an AI scriptwriter really be? Let’s find out! 

We tested over 30 AI script generators; here are three options that produced the highest-quality results when writing a video script.

The goal wasn’t to create a small list, but we had high standards for the AI script-writing tools. These three tools delivered professional results. We’ve also included tips on how to write effective AI prompts and example results from each script-writing tool we’ve featured.  

How to Create Effective AI Scriptwriting Prompts

The results of AI-generated writing are limited to the information you provide in your prompt. 

Therefore, it’s important to over-explain the parameters of what you want the AI to generate, rather than leaving it to make its own assumptions about tone of voice, ideal audience, and other similar details. 

Your prompt should include all of the information you want to be reflected in the generated script. This might be creative, product, or brand information. 

We’ve created a template (below) for a general marketing video script. Replace the bolded text with information from your marketing video brief to utilize the template with an AI writing tool. 

Spending a few minutes creating a detailed prompt is essential to getting the most out of AI script writing tools. This prompt covers all of the most important information AI needs to create a marketing video script for your product and company. 

When writing your prompt, add or remove details as needed. To create varying results or use AI as a brainstorming tool, experiment with the amount of information you provide. 

Other information you might include:

• Product or Service Details 
• Video Setting or Location
• Live-action, Animated, Webcam, Studio, etc.
• Number of Actors or Voice Actors 

Note: AI output can be improved with follow-up prompts. You can specifically point out a desired change or even just ask AI to “try again.” 

3 Best AI Script Writers for High-Quality Videos 

Of the 30+ AI writing tools we tested, only three made the cut for generating high-quality scripts for marketing videos. 

Most AI writing tools use the same machine learning model: OpenAI’s ChatGPT. 

OpenAI has established several contracts with third-party companies, which allow them to utilize the network in specific, limited ways. We will note what AI model each respective tool uses as we discuss them.

We created the prompt below using the template provided. The goal of the prompt is to generate a 30-second explainer video script for an organic, minimalist makeup brand.

We used this same prompt when testing each AI script generator.

1. ChatGPT: Best Free Tool

You don’t need to pay for a script-writing tool to produce solid results with AI. This is perhaps the most surprising thing we learned while testing these AI writing tools. 

Since most AI writing tools use some version of ChatGPT, we figured it was worth starting with the free version of ChatGPT for comparison with the paid tools featured below. 

At the time of writing, ChatGPT-3.5 is OpenAI’s free tier. 

To test ChatGPT, we input the prompt four separate times. The AI produced slightly different scripts each time, even though we did not change the prompt. 

Each new iteration provided more detail and dynamism in the shot imagery and text. The following script was the fourth script generated using the prompt.

ChatGPT produced a solid script from the setting and visual elements to the copy and potential business taglines. There’s nothing fantastically original here, but it tells an emotional story well without becoming cliché or using overly-flowery language to convey luxurious femininity.

Pros

• Free Version with Unlimited Generations: There is no limit to the number of content generations you can produce with ChatGPT. It’s also easy to ask ChatGPT to rewrite or improve its output. 
• Industry Leader & Content Source: As stated, most AI writing tools have contracts with OpenAI to use its technology. It makes sense, then, that going straight to the source would produce results on (at least) the same level as paid tools using this model.

Cons

• No Prompts or Templates Provided: ChatGPT doesn’t provide templates like paid AI writing tools. These templates allow you to plug in information without formally writing a prompt. This isn’t an issue if you are accustomed to writing detailed prompts. 
• Potential Delays with Free Version: The server is sometimes too busy, causing delays. But these are uncommon hiccups in an otherwise seamless generative experience. ChatGPT-4, the paid version ($20/mo), removes the potential for delays.

Cost: Free

2. Jasper: Best Text Generation

Jasper integrates multiple AI models to produce some of the most dynamic results across tools. The AI models it utilizes include ChatGPT, PalM (Google), Anthropic, and Cohere.

It also allows you to upload brand and campaign information, saving you the trouble of constantly reiterating standard information about your company to the AI. Instead, the tool remembers this information and contextually incorporates it where relevant. 

We input the prompt several times when testing the tool. It’s important to produce multiple variations when using AI to create a high-quality script. This allows you to initiate a collaborative process with AI that creates better results overall. 

We also used both the “blank document,” which allows you to start from scratch, and the “Video Script Outline,” template offered as part of Jasper’s service. Both produced sufficient results, but the experience of using a blank document mimics tools like Microsoft Word and Google Docs. This created a more natural-feeling user experience and ease of conversing with the Jasper AI. 

Jasper excels in producing copy that genuinely mimics human language and captures the desired tone. Jasper isn’t built to write scripts, and that’s most apparent in the lack of visual direction included in the script above. 

However, Jasper took follow-up instructions extremely well. The second example script below was produced with two follow-up requests, “try again with more visual direction,” then “try again with a setting in a unique location.” 

Pros

• The Best AI Copy Writing for Marketing: Jasper was built to make creating copy for marketing campaigns efficient and easier. There are a lot of exciting features, like content repurposing, that we have yet to explore. 
• Employs Multiple AI Models: As mentioned, Jasper is the only AI writing tool that transparently integrates multiple machine learning models, including ChatGPT, PalM (Google), Anthropic, and Cohere. This allows Jasper to generate higher-quality copy. 

Cons

• Took the Structure Too Seriously: The prompt includes specific instructions on the desired structure of the video. This is meant to help the AI create an explainer video script. However, Jasper often prioritized the Video Structure Outline to a limiting degree. This made us want to remove that part of the prompt, resulting in a less focused script overall. 
• Mediocre Workflow: Jasper silos Documents and Templates in different sections of the tool. When writing within a document, you can ask Jasper to produce content, but you can’t easily trigger a template. Instead, you must start with the template and export the text into a document (by clicking a button). This creates a poor and, at times, frustrating workflow when trying to create content. 

Cost: Starts at $39/mo

3. Hoppy Copy: Best User Experience

Hoppy Copy sets itself apart with an easy-to-use platform and effective templates. Although advertised as the AI for marketing emails, Hoppy Copy has something for every aspect of a marketing campaign. In fact, it’s one of the few tools we tested that includes a dedicated Video Script Template. 

In many ways, Hoppy Copy excels where Jasper falls short and vice versa. Both tools offer the ability to save brand information that AI can automatically integrate. Hoppy Copy provides the best user experience by far but can’t quite keep up with the quality of writing Jasper generates. 

In fact, it’s unknown what AI models Hoppy Copy uses. When we reached out, this was the company response, “We can’t say exactly the models we use, but we do use OpenAI.” 

Despite this lack of transparency, Hoppy Copy feels like a tool built for longevity. As artificial intelligence continues to improve, the platform Hoppy Copy has created will only become more of an asset to users. 

This script illustrates one of the most powerful benefits of using AI to create video scripts: randomly great ideas. The script above outlines a scene in which, “a woman in a butterfly-filled garden [is] using the XYZ Makeup brushes to apply makeup.” This incredibly vivid image could become the setting for the entire commercial, lending to an engaging 30-second advertisement. 

In general, this ability to play around with the output from Hoppy Copy is one of its greatest assets. The tool splits your screen in half, allowing the left side to be AI Chat or a built-in template, while the right side is a live text document with your working copy. This allows a truly seamless workflow for marketers and copywriting professionals. 

Pros

• Includes a Video Script Template (& Many More): The most frustrating aspect of using templates when testing AI scriptwriting tools was how ineffective most of the templates actually were. The opposite is true of Hoppy Copy’s templates, with an impressive library of templates that are genuinely helpful and easy to use.
• Seamless User Experience: Hoppy Copy’s standout feature is the platform’s user experience. The most common flaw across AI tools (aside from poor writing generation) was clunky and confusing tool navigation. In this realm, Hoppy Copy is a step above the competition. 

Cons

• Unfavorable Pricing Model: At the time of writing, Hoppy Copy starts at $23/mo, but this plan includes only 20,000 generated words. While it’s nice to have a lower price option, the plan doesn’t include enough words for most use cases. The next plan up is $39/mo and includes 100,000 generated words. Compare that to Jasper, which starts at $39/mo for unlimited generated words. 
• Word Count Frustration: Hoppy Copy’s UI has one big flaw. There’s no record of your conversation with AI, which means you can accidentally hit your word count and have nothing to show for it. To save AI generations, you must “Insert” the text from the AI Chat or Template into the Document on the right side of the screen. The whole process is far from intuitive, leading to a potentially costly and frustrating learning curve.

Cost: Starting at $23/mo

Convert Your AI-Written Script into an AI-Generated Video

We thought it would be fun to grab one of the example scripts and test the end-to-end AI workflow, from writing the video script to generating and editing the video. 

There’s plenty of room for improvement, but it’s amazing to see the script come to life with music, voice-over, and stock video footage. This rough cut was produced in about 30 minutes.

Here are the steps we took to create this short video:

1. Generate Script: We input the written prompt (created from the video script template) into several script generators. We chose the Hoppy Copy output for this video. 
2. Input Script to Create Video: The Hoppy Copy script was pasted into Pictory, an AI video generator, where we began creating the video with its Script-to-Video tool.
3. Choose a Video Template: You can choose from Pictory’s library of templates or create your own. These templates provide a style and branding starting point for the video.  
4. Review Video & Customize: With Pictory, we swapped out stock images and videos, added background music, customized the branding, and more. Options will vary depending on the Script-to-Video tool you use. 
5. Add Voiceover: Our choice for the best AI voiceover tool is ElevenLabs. We used its VoiceLab to create a realistic-sounding voiceover and uploaded it to Pictory, which auto-synced the audio with the visuals.
6. Final Touches & Download: After previewing the video and making any final touches, we downloaded the MP4.
7. Upload to Video Host: Upload the AI-generated video to a video hosting provider, such as SproutVideo. Now your video can easily be shared, privately or publicly. 

Check out our complete list of the best AI tools for video editing and production, including Pictory, which was used to generate the video above. 

3 Ways to Write a Script with AI 

AI can produce seriously impressive scripts. But it’s often more helpful to employ AI as an assistant, rather than asking it to do all the work for you. Here are a few ways you can use AI to brainstorm fresh ideas and expedite scriptwriting. 

Conduct Dynamic Solo Brainstorms

Brainstorming in a group setting synthesizes more engaging, interesting perspectives. Artificial intelligence can quickly gather a large range of potential ideas. To get effective and customized output, you will need to ask specific questions or provide significant detail. 

Using our example from before, you might ask AI to, “provide 40 different potential settings for an explainer video about a luxury, organic makeup brand for affluent women in their 30s who value sustainable business practices and desire a minimal but stunning daily beauty routine.”

Alternatively, you might include those same product and brand details but ask AI to, “write 40 different taglines for this brand,” or, “write a story about a woman who uses this makeup.” 

AI output is hugely dependent on the input. Introduce various different prompts or ask for a significant number of responses to conduct a productive solo brainstorming session.

Get a Rewrite to Gain Perspective

AI learns from the content that already exists across the internet. Therefore it’s not always ideal to write the first draft using AI. The boundless originality of the human imagination is a huge asset that shouldn’t be quickly discarded for convenience. But whether you hit writer’s block or need some insight into your own writing, consider asking AI to rewrite your first draft. 

Be specific with your rewrite request. Instead of simply asking AI to, “rewrite the script,” be specific about what you want to be changed. For example, you can ask AI to expand the script, add uniqueness, or change the setting. Consider what you want to be changed in the script and use precise words to generate a useful rewrite. 

Which AI Writing Tool Is the Best at Rewriting Copy? 

Without additional instruction, how well do our favorite AI script generators rewrite scripts? That may depend on your preferences! 

• ChatGPT changed as little as possible by selecting synonyms while keeping the same general outline and sentence structure. 
• Jasper took significantly more liberties by condensing sections of dialogue and expanding sensory elements. 
• Hoppy Copy was the “Goldilocks” of the group, providing genuinely helpful rewrites of some sentences, rather than only changing individual words or rewriting the overall text.

We found this feature to be particularly helpful for rewriting clunky text or fixing sentence structure. At a minimum, AI rewriting can take pressure off of the first draft by allowing you to produce multiple, similar iterations. This makes it easier to identify weaker sections to improve the second version.

Mimic a Viral Video

It’s not easy to write a script that engages a wide audience. But there are a lot of viral videos that have done just that. Why not use AI to generate a similar tone (emotional, humorous, etc.)?

To test this out, we asked ChatGPT to mimic “1984“, a classic Apple commercial that first introduced the Macintosh personal computer. 

• Make sure to reference a video produced before September 2021, since ChatGPT doesn’t have information past that point.
• Ask AI to write a script inspired by the name of the commercial and brand. For example, we asked ChatGPT to generate, “Video Script for XYZ Makeup (Inspired by Apple’s “1984” ad)“

The results are shockingly accurate — even too similar at times to use. In this case, a parody of this classic commercial would likely be a big hit.

Provide minimal information for best results. Use follow-up requests to customize the output for your brand or products.

What Makes an AI Writing Tool Good?

Among the 30+ tools we tested, many were built specifically for scriptwriting. While some of these tools offered useful features for screenplay writers, none of them were built for marketing writing and failed to meet our standards. 

Additionally, the vast majority of AI writing tools relied too heavily on their contract with OpenAI, as well as a handful of mediocre templates. If the AI writing tool you’re considering only offers these basic features, the free version of ChatGPT is sufficient. 

Instead, the best AI script writers (and AI writing tools overall) are those that:

• Offer the ability to save information about your brand.
• Provide the ability to “chat” directly with AI.
• Include specific templates that the AI utilizes well. 
• Integrate AI with a solid writing user experience.
• Utilize multiple AI models (generally)

Many of the tools we tested were unintuitive, produced overly simplified copy, and failed to compete with the free version of ChatGPT. But the three AI writing tools we chose can be used to produce quality videos from draft one through the final script. 

Ready for more? Discover AI tools for video production or brainstorm corporate video ideas with tips for creating your own. Get inspired by the power of video for customer support or learn how to make a website for your videos in less than an hour. 

The post 3 Best AI Script Writers for Making High-Quality Videos appeared first on SproutVideo.

Technology and industry are rapidly changing, leaving creatives and marketers wondering how AI will reshape their workflows and careers. 

In the realm of video editing and production, AI-generated content leaves a lot to be desired. Text-to-video tools produce impressive results for internal training videos. However, AI-generated videos don’t currently meet business standards for corporate advertisements.

AI tools designed to improve the video editing and production process, on the other hand, allow companies and creators to expedite video creation — from improving video quality (AI upscaling) to mimicking your voice so well that it’ll give you goosebumps (AI voice cloning).

With all the hype around AI, we want to see what tools actually expedite the video creation process. We tested dozens of AI-generative tools to create this list of the 10 best AI tools for video editing and production. Whether you need to add subtitles to a video or replace yourself with an AI-generated avatar, there’s probably an AI tool for that. 

Take advantage of the free trials and free plans offered with many of these AI tools. If neither is available, watch or request a demo before investing to ensure it will suit your needs. 

How to Use AI in Video Production

Artificial intelligence is the newest trend in video production, with plenty of impressive and equally underwhelming platforms and tools to try out. After wading through a sea of options, we’ve compiled a list of the best AI tools across applications for creating videos. 

Some tools are built for AI, while others incorporate AI into existing platforms to offer new features or improve the user experience. We’ll discuss each tool in detail below, and how to use AI generation when producing professional videos. 

AI-Generated Videos

AI-generated video tools create a video from text, and they’re some of the most popular tools available right now. Most platforms allow you to input the script and the AI software outputs a video with stock footage, captions, and an AI narrator. 

However, the videos they generate leave significant room for improvement. These shortcomings make them most effective at creating faceless videos with voiceovers, such as for FAQs and blog post summaries.

Currently, all of these tools produce about the same quality of AI-generated video. But what differentiates the good from the bad (and the ugly) is how easy the platform allows you to edit the video, adding your footage, scenes, music, and more. 

The Best Tool for AI-Generated Videos

Pictory features customizable voice-overs, subtitles, stock video options, and more. Starting with a written script, Pictory allows creators to produce professional results with well-built templates and an easy-to-use interface. 

We created this video with Pictory in less than 10 minutes

Ideal for producing educational and informational videos, Pictory is especially useful for people who don’t have video editing experience. You can create an AI video summary from a webpage article or edit videos by editing the transcription. 

For producing faceless videos without editing software, Pictory is an easy-to-use option with genuinely helpful AI features.

Runner-Up

InVideo offers many of the same features as Pictory. But the initial video generated is less engaging, making it harder to manually edit and improve the video. The InVideo user experience is also less intuitive.

Script Writing

AI writing tools are only as good as your prompt. For this reason, many AI writing tools offer templates and the ability to enhance your prompts. 

The best way to get a workable script is to start with a vision for your video. Feed this vision into the AI and review the output. 

The first attempt probably won’t be good. But if you instruct the AI to rewrite the script with specific additional parameters, the output improves exponentially, producing a decent script to expand manually. 

Learn More: How to Easily Write a Video Script

Some AI writing tools are built for marketing, storytelling, or both. When choosing an AI tool, review which AI model the tool employs. Some tools use older versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT or a proprietary AI model; this will affect the output significantly. 

The Best AI Tool for Script Writing

Jasper is a significant step above its competition, and not (only) because of its AI; Jasper allows you to save information about your company, brand, products, campaigns, and more. When generating copy, Jasper includes specific details based on the context of the prompt. 

Speaking of prompts, Jasper features a prompt enhancer that does the work of generating a more detailed prompt based on your input. Jasper also includes a template specifically for script writing. 

Jasper is a unique AI platform because it utilizes all available models, including OpenAI’s GPT, Anthropic, and Google. This allows the platform to generate the most accurate and dynamic content across subjects. Overall, Jasper provides the best overall AI writing tool. 

Perhaps its biggest flaw is the steep monthly price, which starts at $40 a month for the Creator plan. Jasper does offer a 7-day trial, but there is currently no free version. 

Runner-Up

WriteSonic is an affordable alternative to Jasper. It offers multiple script-writing AI generation tools, including TikTok scripts and video outlines. But it lacks Jasper’s branded customization and doesn’t employ AI models beyond ChatGPT.  

Video Editing

There are two categories of AI video editing platforms. The first comprises traditional editing software brands that have added AI features to keep up with the evolving industry (Adobe Premiere Pro and Filmora Wondershare, for example). 

The second is tools built around AI. These tools flip traditional editing on its head. If you already have a favorite video editing software, it probably has AI features that will expedite your editing process or provide entirely new functionality. 

Creators looking for a simplified way to edit videos will appreciate the new AI video platforms, but editing professionals will likely choose to stick to the classic tools of their trade. 

AI video editing tools also commonly remove moments of silence and filler words, such as “uhm.” While these functions can save time by cutting down on the amount of video you need to edit, none of the AI tools tested could seamlessly cut videos.

The Best AI Tool for Video Editing

Descript is an alternative to traditional video editing software. Instead of conventional timeline editing, Descript uses transcription editing. The user uploads their video, and a transcription is automatically produced.

Then, they edit the video by making changes to the transcription. The tool also allows you to create scenes and add extra features using keyboard shortcuts similar to markup for text documents.

Descript’s AI transcript editing tool with voice inflection correction

Descript employs AI features to make the editing process faster. It also allows creators to make editing changes that weren’t previously possible: Have you ever wanted to edit the narrator’s voice inflection for a more seamless transition? Descript’s Regenerate AI does exactly that.

Descript’s AI eyeball rotation

The company also recently introduced … eyeball rotation. Yep! If the video host isn’t looking directly into the camera, AI can change that. With reasonable pricing and genuinely useful AI features, Descript is a great option for those interested in a modern editing process that still includes a lot of traditional functionality. 

Runner-Up

Adobe Premiere Pro is quickly implementing AI features, and it’s a leading tool in the industry for good reason. It doesn’t offer less functionality than Descript but rather a more traditional approach to video editing. 

Transcriptions & Subtitles

Producing transcriptions and subtitles with AI is nothing new. Social media platforms have been using AI to automatically generate video subtitles for a couple of years. Therefore, many tools do this exceptionally well. Your current video (or audio) editing software may already include transcription, and you may not need an additional tool.

The Best AI Tool for Transcriptions & Subtitles

Subly is a transcription and subtitle tool with language translation for over 70 languages. It can produce a video or audio file transcription within minutes, then you can use the editor to add customized subtitles to an existing video file. 

The Subly editor provides additional options that allow you to differentiate between multiple speakers and add additional text to the video. When you’ve finished adding subtitles to your video, it can be downloaded to your device. 

Runner-Up

Auris is an exceedingly affordable option compared to Subly. Auris offers basic AI transcription and subtitle generation with language translation in 27 languages. While Subly is more fully-featured and faster, Auris provides 30 minutes of free transcription each month. 

AI Voices & Voice Cloning

There is a wide range of AI voices, from the “obviously AI” to the “spooky-good.” Machine learning has come a long way since the speech synthesizers Stephen Hawking used for decades. 

Now, dozens of platforms produce AI voices to various degrees of realism. Some platforms even make it possible to clone your voice. Imagine recording yourself reading a script without ever stepping into a studio — AI voices make it possible to reproduce the intonations and inflections you use when speaking. 

The Best AI Tool for Voiceovers and Voice Cloning

Eleven Labs Prime Voice AI is spooky-good. While many companies have created impressive AI voices, Eleven Labs’ is practically (and sometimes entirely) unnoticeable. The company is disrupting the voice-acting field as we know it, making the future for voice actors unknown.

Creators and businesses, however, stand to save a lot of time and money. Imagine a self-published author who wants to release an audiobook. Not only can they use this technology to create it, but they can also use AI to narrate it in their voice!

The tool can also be used to build custom voices. It’s worth testing the free version of the platform just to be impressed. 

Runner-Up

It’s tough to match the spooky vocal mimicry of Eleven Labs. But Murf holds its own with natural-sounding AI voices and an easy-to-use interface. It’s an ideal affordable alternative with an intuitive editor for adding text-to-voiceover to any video.

AI-Generated Avatars

AI-generated avatars offer the ability to produce engaging instructional videos without hiring an actor. These avatars can replace stand-in hosts for corporate informational videos.

Yet the majority of current AI-generated avatars fail to mimic the appearance and movement of a human host. Tools that combine images of real actors with AI generation work the best. 

Most tools offer a library of stock avatars to add to any video. 

AI avatars are ideal for internal training videos and FAQ videos for your knowledge library. They can also be used to create content for online courses or blog post summaries. 

The Best Tool for AI-Generated Avatars

Synthesia features the most dynamic AI-generated avatars currently available. Synthesia uses real actors (who are paid for their work) to produce its avatars. AI then generates a realistic video of that person speaking. 

You can even have a clone of yourself created to use as an AI avatar for only $1000 per year. One journalist tested whether or not her avatar could effectively replace her for the day.

Overall, Synthesia produces phenomenal results regarding the appearance and movement of its avatars. For onboarding and informational videos, Synthesia’s avatars help produce content at a fraction of the cost. 

Unfortunately, its AI voices are where Synthesia has room for improvement. While the avatar’s themselves pull off the illusion of a human host perfectly, the voices quickly give away that it’s AI. Combined with our winner in the voiceover category (Eleven Labs), Synthesia’s AI avatars could easily fool people.

Runner-Up

D-ID offers realistic avatars similar to Synthesia. D-ID, however, uses AI to create facial movements. This allows users to upload their image and create an avatar. But it also results in less realistic-looking speech.

Text-to-Video & Text-to-Image 

The potential for using AI to create realistic images and videos is quickly becoming a reality. Some platforms simply ask for text input to produce AI-generated images. These tools are able to create just about anything, and the results are constantly improving. 

To produce specific content, look for AI tools that require training input to capture the desired style and color palette. These tools can create on-brand blog header photos, vector images, and image slides for videos. 

The Best Tool for AI-Generated Images & Videos

Adobe Firefly is the company’s first rollout of AI features. This suite of editing tools provides an awesome range of ways to edit videos and create photos using AI. Beyond text-to-image, Firefly includes the ability to “Inpaint,” allowing you to AI-generate a specific part of an image and replace the original.

It also features Smart Portrait, making it possible to edit models’ faces and lighting within photos. But this was just the beginning for Adobe. 

Adobe recently debuted Project Gingerbread, which boasts impressive new AI advances in generating detailed and accurate videos and images.

This rollout of AI features truly attempts to provide the creator with an AI assistant for image creation and editing. The beginning of a new workflow for image editing begins to emerge.

Runner-Up

Midjourney offers some of the most impressive image generation currently available. It provides 25 free generations and affordable subscription tiers thereafter. It doesn’t, however, offer the extensive image and video editing capabilities you’ll find in Adobe products. 

Video Background Removal (Green Screen Alternative)

Many video editing and AI platforms (Runway, Adobe, etc.) include features to remove a video’s background with AI. Green screens aren’t a thing of the past (yet), but this technology provides impressive results with low effort and a small budget.

The main challenge with this feature is precision; therefore, look for a tool that allows you to fine-tune the results. It’s a red flag if no options are available for improving the final result. 

Inpainting is another aspect of background removal in videos. We’ve discussed using inpainting to add content to an image, but it can also be used to remove unwanted background objects. 

Several video editing tools can remove background elements to varying degrees of success. An effective background removal tool will allow you to manually fix any mistakes the software makes. 

The Best AI Tool for Background Removal

Runway uses AI to quickly remove the background of a video. You start by creating a mask for the object. Runway offers multiple features for customizing the mask, allowing you to make precise changes. 

The tool also allows you to add and edit a new background to match your “green screen” image. Runway also has an Inpainting tool for removing background elements. This is another AI feature often included in video editing software, so you may not need an additional tool. 

Runner-Up

Descript is a comparable AI background removal tool with one major caveat: you can’t fix AI’s mistakes with manual adjustments. The tool does a great job of removing stagnant backgrounds and includes some minimal options to manually the removal’s appearance. But it doesn’t offer nearly the same amount of customization as Runway. 

Social Media Shorts

Short videos have taken over the social media landscape. But taking a long-form video and creating multiple shorts (for Reels, TikTok, or YouTube) is tedious and time-consuming. 

AI can expedite this process, especially for interviews, podcasts, and other long-form content. 

Once again, the combination of AI and user customization determines how successfully a platform produces short-form content. Across platforms, AI can highlight a clip, add subtitles, and crop the video for social media. 

But our favorite tools make it easy to create your own clips, change the template or style of the video, and offer an easy-to-use interface. 

The Best AI Tool for Social Media Shorts

Vidyo.ai is the standout platform for creating Reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts from long-form video content with AI. Once you upload a video or insert a URL, the platform takes a few minutes to work magic. Once it’s complete, Vidyo.ai produces a handful of potential short video content with captions.

A strapped-for-time video creator could stop here and have good short-form content to promote their longer videos. There is potential for more functionality as the platform grows. But Vidyo has created an easy-to-use platform that can actually save creators and marketers time and money. 

Runner-Up

Munch is a comparable tool to Vidyo.ai, albeit with slightly less impressive results. However, some users may find the customization functionalities easier to use. Both tools offer similar features, but Munch includes a keyword tool and heftier price.

Upscale (Improve Video Quality)

Improving video quality is one of the most impressive uses of AI. Upscaling increases video resolution without sacrificing quality, allowing you to generate crisper videos. 

The effect is nothing short of dramatic. It’s especially jaw-dropping when applied to nature and landscape videos. This is another aspect of AI video production that is often included with video editing software.

The Best AI Tool for Improving Video Quality

Topaz Labs is setting the standard for AI upscaling. The software focuses on doing a few video enhancements really well: deinterlacing, upscaling, and motion interpolation. It’s designed to work with your existing workflow. Unlike most software these days, you can purchase the tool for a one-time fee and receive support forever. 

Runner-Up

AVC Labs offers a comparable product to Topaz Labs with a unique option – the ability to make a one-time purchase or choose a more flexible subscription plan.

When Not to Use AI in Video Production

AI can improve many aspects of video production … but not all of them. AI falls short when replicating any step in the video production process that requires creative decision-making. 

There’s also room for improvement when producing edits of video content. For example, it can remove filler words but doesn’t recognize multiple takes — and it certainly can’t determine which take is the best. 

Brainstorming

AI can produce a starting point. It can highlight common and popular content, build ideas from existing content, and create something new based on what has come before. 

But it cannot generate original ideas. The beauty of creativity is the ability to create something from nothing. Machine learning cannot replicate the leaps and bounds of the imagination. Even the same idea and script will result in entirely different outcomes based on who directs, produces, and edits the video. 

Therefore, don’t expect AI to generate a brilliant idea or winning concept. Instead, use it to discover engaging topics in your industry and avoid predictable storylines and settings.

Storyboarding

In video production, a storyboard is the visual — often sketched — shot-for-shot action plan for a video shoot. Creating a storyboard requires thinking through the process of filming and the final desired product. 

The storyboard helps organize the video ideas and plan an efficient day of filming. This visual sequence is essential to communicating a video’s vision to the people involved, from the actors to the editor. 

Current AI isn’t capable of producing this level of detailed creative decision-making. It can create sketches of a script and suggest a logical sequence of shots. It cannot do the detailed planning work necessary to ensure a film crew can get the shots needed for a video.

Stock Music

Platforms that offer AI-generated music are priced in the same range as stock music platforms (compare Mubert and Epidemic Sound, for example), which also pay artists for their work. Stock music platforms offer a wide range of genres, moods, and beats per minute. Furthermore, monthly subscription prices are reasonable, so there is no justification for choosing lower-quality music at a similar price. 

End-to-End Video Editing

AI can produce many impressive results in the editing process. But AI is not great at turning a video recording into a polished final cut.

While you might use AI to remove moments of silence or filler words like “uhm,” the cut will not be precise enough. This AI feature can save time, but video editors must review each cut to create a smooth transition. Furthermore, AI can’t make creative decisions, such as where to insert a B-roll over an interview. 

The Future of AI in Video Production

Today’s AI is akin to dial-up internet (for those old enough to remember). The possibilities are beginning to emerge in a field that will hugely grow and likely impact various creative industries and the workflows therein. Here are a few possibilities for the future of AI in video production.

Hyper-Realistic Video Generation

Imagine generating any video scene from an idea and text. That’s what Runway envisions: a world where anyone can actualize a video without… the production part. 

“No lights. No camera. All Action” is the company’s tagline for its second generation of Generative AI, which is coming soon. 

Beyond Runway, hyper-realistic AI generation is the goal for many competing companies. Midjourney V5, for example, was released earlier this year with stunning results. 

End-to-End Video Editing

Video editing requires creative decision-making and a contextual understanding of the edited content. As these two areas of artificial intelligence improve, video editing could become a much quicker process for creators and editors. 

As mentioned, current AI tools can remove silence, pauses, and filler words. But you wouldn’t trust it to insert B-roll over an interview or precisely overlay audio for a seamless transition. 

There are certain aspects of video editing that AI will likely never replace. Still, there are many technical aspects of editing that AI can reliably perform, saving editors huge amounts of time.

Ethical & Legal Landscape

The legal and ethical ramifications of AI are the biggest unknown for the technology moving forward. The work of artists and writers, for example, has already been consumed without copyright permission, and the consequences of this are yet to be decided.

AI is trained based on human production. Therefore, there are many questions about how human creators will benefit, if at all. To this end, Synthesia is highlighting a potential way forward by paying real actors to use their images for AI-generative avatars. 

With the right combination of tools, a company could reasonably use AI video generation for its internal and educational content. From knowledge-based videos for your customer support library to new employee training, there is significant potential to save time and money.

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