How to Use AI to Create Videos

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

Creating videos is easier than ever with the help of AI. Here’s a how-to guide for using generative AI to create a video for your brand or business.

[Featured Image] A person sits at a computer in their home office and uses AI to create videos.

Key takeaways

When creating a video, artificial intelligence (AI) can assist you with brainstorming, writing a script, and creating the video.

  • You can use generative AI to create images, text, and videos based on your prompts.

  • Three AI video generator tools are Visla, Synthesia, and HeyGen.

  • You can look at competitor videos on social media to help develop your own ideas.

Discover how to get from idea to execution with a step-by-step guide on creating videos with AI. If you’re ready to enhance your AI skill set, consider enrolling in the AI Foundations for Everyone Specialization from IBM, where in as little as four weeks, you can learn about prompt patterns, deep learning, responsible AI, and more.

How to use AI to create videos

Rather than using a tool like iMovie to create or edit videos from scratch, there are numerous ways that AI can help generate a video, whether or not you have the original content. Here are the steps to create a video using an AI generator.

Step 1: Brainstorm ideas and concepts.

As you’re coming up with a sketch or outline of your video concept, think about your audience. Who will watch this video? What is the goal or purpose of the video? That can help you anchor your ideas to the best outcome. You may want to look at competitor videos. Maybe you spotted a video on social media and want to create something similar. Write your ideas down, and put a star next to the ones you like best.

Step 2: Write a script.

Next, you’ll write your video script. Remember that your script needs to be written for video when creating text-to-video using AI. If you convert an article, document, or blog post and copy and paste the words directly into the AI video generator, your video will likely be too long. Transform your text into a video script by rewriting and cutting sections. Video scripts should be short and concise. You can even use a text generator like ChatGPT to turn text into a script, prompting it to use a specific tone.

Step 3: Choose an AI video generator.

After you’ve written your script, it’s time to choose an appropriate AI video generator. These days, there are numerous options to choose from. While a quick Google search may be overwhelming, many blog posts review each tool in detail, so you can choose the best one for your needs. Below, we list a few popular AI video generators.

Step 4: Generate and edit.

Once you’ve uploaded your script into the video generator, you can start fiddling with the generated text and video images. You may have the option to use an avatar that speaks to the audience, or the text will appear as subtitles beside the video B-roll that the AI generates to match the text. Adjust the text and video to your liking by changing the colors, fonts, and other details.

Step 5: Publish your video.

The final step is to hit publish. Your video will be available for download as an .mp4 file, and the generator may allow you to add it as HTML code to a website. Then, voilà! You’ve got an AI-generated video for your personal or professional needs.

The steps above outline how to take your text prompts and generate a video output. AI can also simultaneously speed up the editing process and create content for several marketing platforms.

Read more: 10 Artificial Intelligence Examples: AI in Practice

Benefits and limitations of using AI

Generative AI curates images, text, and videos based on your prompts. As you can imagine, that means an extensive archive of information that AI can use, but it may not be exactly the images or videos you want. AI isn't considered to produce the same level of content as that created by a professional documentary filmmaker or a skilled video producer, which also may be more customized to your needs. However, using AI to create videos is a solid option for quick summaries and tutorials.

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