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How to Make Your First AI Video by Starting with a Simple Storyboard

Q: Do I need to prepare anything?

An AI video generator account. Many generators, such as Sora, Veo, Runway or Pika, ask you to sign up with an email address. Some have a limited free option, and longer or higher-quality videos may need a paid plan. Check the official pricing page before you commit. A simple place to write. A notebook, a notes app or a document works fine. A basic video editor. Your phone or computer probably has

Q: What mistakes should I avoid?

Starting with a long, detailed script. Beginners often write a full story and hope the AI will split it up. The fix is to write the storyboard first, with short shots, and generate one shot at a time. Changing the style in every shot. If you describe a new look each time, the clips will not match. The fix is to reuse the same style words in every description. Expecting perfect speech and lip sync

Plan four to six short shots on paper first, and your first AI-generated video will look much closer to what you pictured.

6 min read·October 26, 2026

This guide was written by AI. It passed automated fact and quality checks, and our editor spot-checks published guides every day.

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Making your first AI video is much less frustrating when you know what you want before you type a single word. In this guide you will write a simple storyboard, turn each shot into a request for an AI video generator, and stitch the clips into one short video. It is written for complete beginners, so no experience with video or AI is needed.

💡 Tip: tap a step’s number when you finish it — a green tick appears and your browser remembers how far you got.

✅ Before you start

An AI video generator account. Many generators, such as Sora, Veo, Runway or Pika, ask you to sign up with an email address. Some have a limited free option, and longer or higher-quality videos may need a paid plan. Check the official pricing page before you commit.
A simple place to write. A notebook, a notes app or a document works fine.
A basic video editor. Your phone or computer probably has one built in. Any simple editor that lets you drag clips into order will do.
Time: about 60 to 90 minutes for your first video, including waiting for clips to render.

Step 1 of 6

Choose one small idea

Pick a subject that fits in 15 to 30 seconds. Good first ideas are a cup of coffee steaming on a windowsill, a dog running across a park, or a paper boat floating down a puddle. Keep it to one place, one main subject and one feeling. A simple idea gives the AI fewer things to get wrong.

Write your idea in one sentence at the top of your page. Then ask yourself: what should the viewer feel at the end? If you can answer that in a few words, you are ready.

Honest note: AI video tools cannot read your mind. They work best when the idea is clear and specific, so spend a minute making it both.

💬 Examplewrite something like "A calm morning in a small kitchen, with steam rising from a mug of tea."

✅ You'll know it worked when

you can describe your video in one sentence that a friend could picture without any extra explanation.

Next step ↓

✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different

Step 2 of 6

Write four to six numbered shots

A shot is one continuous view from the camera, like one scene before a cut. On your page, draw a numbered list. For each shot, write three things: what appears on screen, how many seconds it lasts, and any words that are spoken. Keep each shot to about 3 to 6 seconds, since many AI clips are short.

If you are not sure how to break your idea into shots, a chat assistant can help you draft the list. You still make the final choices. Tell it how long you want the video to be, then read its suggestion and change anything that does not match your vision.

If your first list runs to ten shots, cut it down. Shorter videos are easier to get right on your first try.

💬 Try typing thisType your own details into the dashed boxes, then copy."Help me plan a 20-second video about . Give me 5 numbered shots, and for each one list what is on screen, how many seconds it lasts, and any words spoken."➤

✅ You'll know it worked when

every shot has a visible subject, a length in seconds, and a clear purpose in the sequence.

Next step ↓

✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different

Step 3 of 6

Turn one shot into a clear description

Now take shot number 1 and rewrite it as a short, specific description for the generator. Include the subject, the setting, the lighting, and the camera movement. For example, "slow zoom in" or "camera stays still." Avoid long, crowded sentences. One clear idea per sentence works better than a paragraph of loose adjectives.

Keep your style words the same for every shot, such as "soft morning light" or "warm, cozy colors." Repeating the same look is one of the easiest ways to make separate clips feel like one video.

Do not ask for spoken dialogue in the clip yet. Many generators handle speech and lip movement unreliably, so plan to add voices later in your editor.

💬 Try typing thisType your own details into the dashed boxes, then copy."A ceramic mug of tea on a wooden table in , soft morning light, camera slowly zooms in, 5 seconds."➤

✅ You'll know it worked when

your description names the subject, the setting, the light and the camera movement without any confusing wording.

Next step ↓

✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different

Step 4 of 6

Generate shot 1 and compare it with your plan

Open your video generator and find the text box where you type a description. It is often labeled something like "Prompt" or "Describe your video," but yours may use different words. Paste in your shot 1 description and choose the length closest to your storyboard. Then start the generation. Wait for it to finish, which can take a few minutes.

When the clip appears, watch it at least twice. Ask yourself: does it show what my storyboard describes? Is the subject visible? Does the motion look roughly right? If something is off, adjust one detail in your description and generate again. Changing one thing at a time makes it easier to see what helped.

If the result looks nothing like your plan, simplify the description and remove extra details. Most early misses come from too many instructions at once.

💬 Try typing this"A ceramic mug of tea on a wooden table, soft morning light, camera slowly zooms in, 5 seconds." Try "Make the light warmer" as a follow-up adjustment if needed.➤

✅ You'll know it worked when

the first clip matches your written shot 1 closely enough that you could place it in your storyboard without feeling it is from a different story.

Next step ↓

✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different

Step 5 of 6

Generate the remaining shots in order

Repeat the process for shots 2 through 6, one at a time. Paste the same style words into each description so the lighting and colors stay consistent. Save each clip to a folder on your device, and name the files with their shot numbers, such as "shot-1" and "shot-2." This small habit saves a lot of confusion later.

Expect that not every clip will be perfect. A common reality is that the subject changes slightly from one shot to the next, especially if a person or animal appears in several scenes. If a shot is far off, regenerate just that one rather than starting over. Keep the clips that match your plan and set aside the rest.

Also check the length. If a clip is shorter than you planned, you can trim the others or repeat a short moment in your editor.

💬 Try typing this"Same soft morning light and warm, cozy colors as before. A hand lifts the mug from the table, camera holds still, 4 seconds."➤

✅ You'll know it worked when

you have a saved file for each shot and each one roughly matches its line in your storyboard.

Next step ↓

✏️ Sketch — your screen may look a little different

Step 6 of 6

Put the clips in order and export your video

Open your video editor and create a new project. Import all your saved clips. Drag them onto the timeline in storyboard order, from shot 1 to the final shot. Trim each clip so it matches the seconds you planned. Most editors have a simple tool for this, often shown as scissors or a small cut icon.

For a voice, you have two easy options. You can record yourself reading your spoken lines with a voice memo app and add the audio to the timeline, or use a text-to-speech feature if your editor has one. Keep the voice track separate from the clips so you can adjust it on its own.

When everything looks right, export or save the video to your device. Play the exported file from start to finish once before you share it.

💬 Try typing this"Shot 1 is 5 seconds, shot 2 is 4 seconds, shot 3 is 6 seconds. Place them in that order on the timeline." Use this as a reminder check rather than something you type into the generator.➤

✅ You'll know it worked when

the exported file plays from start to finish in your planned order, with the length close to your storyboard total.

🔄 If it looks different

If you cannot find it, look for a button that lets you split or shorten a clip.

Put the clips in order and export your video

⚠️ Common mistakes

Starting with a long, detailed script. Beginners often write a full story and hope the AI will split it up. The fix is to write the storyboard first, with short shots, and generate one shot at a time.
Changing the style in every shot. If you describe a new look each time, the clips will not match. The fix is to reuse the same style words in every description.
Expecting perfect speech and lip sync from the generator. Many tools handle spoken words unreliably. The fix is to leave dialogue out of the clips and add your voice in the editor.

🚀 Try it now

Take five minutes and write a three-shot storyboard for a 10-second video about something in your room. For each shot, write what is on screen and how many seconds it lasts. You have now done the most important part of making an AI video.

❓ Quick questions

How long does this take?

About 6 minutes — the guide has 6 steps, and you can tick each one off as you go.

Do I need to prepare anything?

An AI video generator account. Many generators, such as Sora, Veo, Runway or Pika, ask you to sign up with an email address. Some have a limited free option, and longer or higher-quality videos may need a paid plan. Check the official pricing page before you commit.
A simple place to write. A notebook, a notes app or a document works fine.
A basic video editor. Your phone or computer probably has one built in. Any simple editor that lets you drag clips into order will do.
Time: about 60 to 90 minutes for your first video, including waiting for clips to render.

What mistakes should I avoid?

Starting with a long, detailed script. Beginners often write a full story and hope the AI will split it up. The fix is to write the storyboard first, with short shots, and generate one shot at a time.
Changing the style in every shot. If you describe a new look each time, the clips will not match. The fix is to reuse the same style words in every description.
Expecting perfect speech and lip sync from the generator. Many tools handle spoken words unreliably. The fix is to leave dialogue out of the clips and add your voice in the editor.

Keep reading

📰 How to Make a Reel with AI: Turn Your Photos into a Polished Short Video A new breed of AI tools handles the storyboard, editing, and music for you — here's how to brief one and walk away with a finished reel. 📰 What AI Image and Video Tools Are — and Which Kind Fits Your Project A plain-language guide to the four main ways people generate AI visuals today, so you can pick the right starting point 📰 How to Write Better Prompts for AI Video Tools (With Ready-to-Use Examples) A simple six-slot formula that turns a one-line idea into a video clip you'll actually want to share 📰 AI Video Tools Just Got Faster, Quieter, and More Useful: What the New Releases Actually Do A practical look at four new AI video tools — quick clips, translations, lip-sync, and one video turned into twelve. 📰 AI Video Generators Like Seedance in Picsart: What They Actually Do A plain-English look at prompt-to-video tools, what they make well, where they still fall short, and how to try one in ten minutes. 📰 How to Write Better Prompts for AI Video Tools With Sound and Dialogue Six copy-paste prompt patterns plus the prompting rules behind them, so you can get cleaner sound, dialogue, and on-screen text from any text-to-video AI

🔥 See all of this week’s AI trends →

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