Use case
Vertical explainer video: a short 9:16 video that explains one idea
A vertical explainer video is a short 9:16 video that explains one idea, made for phones. Cutroom turns one phone video of you explaining into a finished explainer with captions and b-roll.
In short
- A vertical explainer video is a short 9:16 video that explains one idea, for TikTok, Reels, Shorts or any phone screen.
- You can make one in two ways: animated, with a design tool such as Canva, or with a person explaining on camera.
- One idea per video works best, because someone scrolling takes in one thing at a time.
- Cutroom turns one phone video of you explaining into a 9:16 explainer with captions and b-roll, for 110 credits.
- Cutroom does not animate anything, but you can upload your own diagrams and screen recordings.
- The shape of a vertical explainer
- 9:16
- Longest video you can upload to Cutroom
- 3 min
- Lite, about 11 thirty-second explainers a month
- $19.99
Animated or spoken explainer
An animated explainer uses drawn or moving pictures. A spoken explainer is a real person explaining on camera.
- Choose an animated explainer if you need to show a process nobody can film, like data moving between systems.
- Choose a spoken explainer if a founder, an expert or a teacher explaining it is what makes people trust it.
- If nobody wants to be on camera, an AI presenter tool such as Synthesia reads your script instead. It has a free plan with a watermark, and Starter is $18 a month, billed yearly.
Animated vs spoken explainer
| Animated explainer | Spoken explainer | |
|---|---|---|
| Who explains | Pictures, often with a voice-over | A real person on camera |
| Made with | A design tool such as Canva or Visme | Your phone, then an editor such as Cutroom |
| Moving diagrams | Yes | Only diagrams you upload |
| Best when | The process cannot be filmed | A person's own explanation builds trust |
: Who explains
- Animated explainer
- Pictures, often with a voice-over
- Spoken explainer
- A real person on camera
: Made with
- Animated explainer
- A design tool such as Canva or Visme
- Spoken explainer
- Your phone, then an editor such as Cutroom
: Moving diagrams
- Animated explainer
- Yes
- Spoken explainer
- Only diagrams you upload
: Best when
- Animated explainer
- The process cannot be filmed
- Spoken explainer
- A person's own explanation builds trust
How to write a vertical explainer
A short explainer works when it sticks to one idea. These steps keep it there.
- Pick one idea and say it in your first sentence.
- Explain it to someone new to the subject, not to an expert.
- Use one example the viewer knows from their own life.
- End with what the viewer can do next.
- Test it by asking someone to watch it once and tell you the idea.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How to make a vertical explainer with Cutroom
You film one video of yourself explaining, up to 3 minutes. You change the finished video by changing its words.
- Cutroom adds captions timed to your voice and places b-roll on your words. On Punch and Native it also shortens the pauses.
- Cutroom keeps the lines you say, so leave side topics out when you film.
- To add your own diagram or screen recording, you upload it to your library and highlight the words it belongs to.
- If Cutroom mishears a technical word, you type the right one in the transcript.
- To make a key term stand out, you select it and give just those words their own caption style and colour.
- The style you pick before you upload sets the pace. Either way you stay on screen for most of the video: the clips Cutroom adds cover 40 percent at most on the calmest style and 52 percent on the fastest.
One explanation into a finished vertical video
Explain it once
One video, up to 3 minutes
Upload
Cutroom writes out every word and makes the first edit
Place your diagrams
Highlight the words each one belongs to
Export
A 9:16 MP4 with captions
What a finished explainer looks like
You get a 9:16 MP4 with the captions in the picture, ready to post or to run as an ad.
One frame of a finished explainer
A diagram or screen you upload plays on the words it belongs to, on a card like this one or full screen.
Several short explainers or one long one
Make several short explainers, one idea each, rather than one long one. Each can be watched in full and shared on its own.
- Six 30-second explainers cost 660 credits in Cutroom, which fits in Lite's 1,250 credits a month.
- If you run them as ads, make several. Motion's analysis of 550,000+ Meta ads found only 5 to 8% become winners.
- A long explainer for your website or a presentation screen needs a widescreen editor instead.
What it costs
A 30-second explainer costs 110 credits: 100 for the edit and 10 for the export. Exporting costs 20 credits per minute of video.
Cutroom plans and 30-second explainers per month
| Plan | Price | Credits | 30-second explainers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, no card | Your first video, made within 7 days | 1, with a Cutroom mark |
| Lite | $19.99 a month | 1,250 | About 11, no mark |
| Basic | $39.99 a month | 2,500 | About 22, plus avatars and generated music |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 | About 45 |
| Top-up | $39.99 once | 2,500 | About 22 more |
Plan: Free
- Price
- $0, no card
- Credits
- Your first video, made within 7 days
- 30-second explainers
- 1, with a Cutroom mark
Plan: Lite
- Price
- $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250
- 30-second explainers
- About 11, no mark
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second explainers
- About 22, plus avatars and generated music
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000
- 30-second explainers
- About 45
Plan: Top-up
- Price
- $39.99 once
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second explainers
- About 22 more
What Cutroom does not do
Cutroom edits a video of a person explaining. It does not draw or animate.
- Cutroom makes no animation, motion graphics or whiteboard drawings.
- The Cutroom editor does not record your screen. Record it with any screen recorder and upload the clip.
- Cutroom only exports 9:16, so it does not make a widescreen film for a website or a conference screen.
- If nobody will go on camera, the avatar add-on makes a presenter from a photo and a voice-over, for 350 credits a minute on Basic and up.
Questions people ask
- What is a vertical explainer video?
- A short 9:16 video that explains one idea, made for phones and feeds like TikTok, Reels and Shorts. It can be animated, or a person explaining on camera with captions and b-roll.
- How long should a vertical explainer video be?
- Short enough for one idea. For YouTube Shorts ads, Google recommends under 60 seconds. Cutroom takes up to 3 minutes of video and keeps the lines you say, so film it at the length you want.
- Does Cutroom animate diagrams?
- No. There is no animation. If you already have a diagram or a screen recording, upload it and highlight the words it belongs to, and it plays there.
- Can I make an explainer without being on camera?
- Yes. Cutroom's avatar add-on makes a presenter from a photo and a voice-over, for 350 credits a minute on Basic and up. Synthesia is another option built around AI presenters.
- How much does one explainer video cost with Cutroom?
- 110 credits for a 30-second explainer: 100 for the edit and 10 for the export. Basic is $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, about 22 explainers.
- Can I try it for free?
- Yes. Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark, and Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
Film yourself explaining one idea and get it back as a finished vertical explainer. Your first video is free.