Vixel guides

How to make an AI explainer video, one small idea at a time

A cold drink sits on the table. A few minutes later, the outside of the glass is wet. Where did that water come from? A small question like this gives an explainer somewhere to begin—and gives your viewer a reason to keep watching.

By Vixel team · Updated October 14, 2026

Example video

A cold glass, a tiny felt world and one familiar question. The long runoff beside the glass could suggest a leak; we’d revise that detail before using this example to teach condensation.

Let’s make: A fifteen-second practice plan for “Why does a cold glass get wet?” We’ll use one tabletop scene, a soft felt look and three moments that make the answer easier to follow.

Choose a question you can answer simply

Start with something a viewer might actually ask. “Why is this glass wet?” is easier to picture than “Explain the water cycle.” It gives us one object to follow and one change to notice.

Decide who you’re talking to, then write the answer in a sentence. For a young learner, ours could be: “Water vapor in the air cools at the cold glass and becomes liquid drops on the outside.” The USGS calls this change condensation. Keep that source beside your script as you plan.

The felt style can make the scene feel warm and approachable: a soft tabletop, a round coaster, a simple glass and a few clearly visible drops. The same small set carries us through the explanation.

Check the explanation with USGS Water Science School →

First, show what made you curious

Begin close enough to notice the outside of the glass. A bead of water forms on its wall and slowly runs toward the coaster. Keep the water inside still, so the viewer can see the two surfaces clearly.

Give this opening a few seconds. We don’t need a spinning camera or a second character; the tiny moving drop is already something to watch.

Then, help us see the part we usually can’t

Water vapor is invisible. For this first attempt, we stayed with the drops we can see and let a short narration explain where they come from. A closer view of the outer surface gives the words something concrete to point to.

Keep the glass in the same position and carry its shape and water level through the shot. Make the source of the outside drops clear: they come from moisture in the air. Avoid any image that looks as if water is leaking through the glass.

Close view of outside droplets and a longer trail of water at the side of the glass in the generated experiment — The frame to review: small outside droplets support the explanation, but the longer runoff needs to read clearly as condensation, not a leak.

Before you continue: Check the actual result: a pretty image can still show the wrong explanation.

Finish with an answer they can remember

Return to the familiar tabletop view. Hold on the outside droplets and give the process its name: condensation. The ending can be quiet; the viewer has just learned how to read something they’ve seen before.

Read the draft narration aloud with the pictures in mind. If the middle sentence feels rushed, give it more time. Fifteen seconds is our starting plan, and you can choose a longer version before production if the explanation needs room.

Give Director the facts and the picture

Say what you’re explaining, who it’s for and what the viewer should understand at the end. Include your source or checked notes. Then describe the small scene that will carry the idea.

Here’s our tabletop exercise as a brief. Change the audience, pacing or visual style to suit your version. The narration is a draft to review with the shot plan.

An explainer brief you can adapt

Help me plan a fifteen-second explainer for curious children: “Why does a cold glass get wet?” Use a warm wool-and-felt tabletop world, one simple glass and a round coaster. Keep the same glass, camera side and water level throughout. Use these checked facts: air contains invisible water vapor; cooling at a sufficiently cold glass surface can turn that vapor into liquid drops on the outside. This is condensation. The water does not leak through the glass. Source: USGS Water Science School, “Condensation and the Water Cycle.” Start by noticing drops on the outside. Then move closer to the droplets on the cold outer surface. Keep the rim and inside water level visible, with no leaking stream or clouds of vapor. End on the same glass with the word “condensation” in the narration draft. Plan a gentle, readable pace with one idea per shot. Show me the script and storyboard plan before generating media.

Watch for meaning as well as movement

Watch our first attempt above. The warm set and close view draw you in, but a long stream at the side of the glass could make a child think the water is spilling. The ice also takes on the wool texture. Those details are worth revising even though the picture looks inviting.

Then watch the whole sequence. Can you follow the question, the change and the answer? If a shot confuses them, revise that part while keeping the scenes that already work. Listen to the narration too, if you add it; every important word needs time to land.

A useful last check is to show the result to someone without explaining it first. Ask where they think the water came from. Their answer tells you more about the film’s clarity than how polished the felt texture looks.

Questions you might have

Do I need to upload an image?: You can begin with a topic and facts. A reference image is useful when you need a particular object, character or visual style. Tell Director what the image should help preserve, then review the planned look.
Can I explain a different topic?: Yes. Bring a question, an audience and a short set of checked facts. A process with a visible beginning and change is a helpful first project. Keep complex explanations short enough to review, and use reliable sources for the claims you include.
Does the video have to look like felt?: This starter uses a wool-and-felt style. You can describe a different look in your brief, such as simple paper shapes or clean illustrations. Keep the important objects and steps easy to recognize.
Will the animation always be scientifically accurate?: No. Check the script against your sources and the resulting pictures against the script. In this example, a leaking glass would teach the wrong thing even if the clip looked convincing. Review and revise before using the film as an explanation.
Does the template make narration or spend credits immediately?: Opening it does neither. Begin with the script and shot plan, then choose how to produce the pictures and sound. A narration draft is text until you decide how to record or generate it. Normal generation and credit rules apply.

What would you like to make a little clearer?

Bring one question, the people you want to explain it to and the facts you want to use. The Felt Explainer template gives you a starting point you can shape before making any video.

Plan my explainer

Paid media uses credits. Check current plans.

Written by the Vixel team. About our guides and examples. If a step needs correcting, let us know.

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