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2D explainer video guide

How to make a 2D animated explainer video, scene by scene.

For founders, marketers and teachers who need a product or idea explained in under two minutes. Write the script, Frameo animates each scene.

Storyboard, panel by panel

Four steps to a 2D explainer video.

Each step is one panel of the board. Follow them in order and a script becomes a finished animated explainer.

  1. 01

    Write the script in scenes

    Split your story into beats: the problem, your solution, how it works, one call to action. One idea per scene keeps the explainer clear.

  2. 02

    Pick a 2D style and characters

    Choose flat vector, whiteboard or paper cutout. Set one host who looks the same in every scene.

  3. 03

    Generate each scene with voiceover

    Frameo animates each panel and lays its narration line over it. Check every scene before you move on.

  4. 04

    Add captions and export

    Add captions so the explainer works on muted feeds, then export in 16:9 for your site or 9:16 for social.

2D animation styles

One explainer shot, five 2D animation styles.

A host points at a simple app screen. Switch the look and the same shot suits a different kind of explainer.

PromptA friendly host points at a simple app screen showing one dashboard, slow push in, clean 2D explainer scene, flat vector shapes, bold solid colors, smooth motion graphics, SaaS onboarding look

Make it in this lookCopy prompt

Made on Frameo

How a 60-second 2D product explainer came together.

Five stages, one finished explainer. Each frame below shows what that stage handed to the next.

2D product explainer · 60 seconds · Grid Storyboard, Brand Story Explainer, AI voice generator, Add Subtitles

  1. Script to scenes

    Grid Storyboard

    The script was laid out as a grid, one frame per beat: problem, solution, how it works, call to action.

    Shot straight down from directly overhead onto a desk: a grid of blank storyboard frames, sticky notes and a violet marker, flat graphic, soft overcast light, no text

  2. Characters and icons

    Create characters and assets

    The host, the app screen and the icons were made once from the script, so every scene reuses the same cast.

    Extreme close-up of a hand drawing a character's outline in violet marker on a paper panel, shallow depth of field, matte paper texture, soft side daylight, no text

  3. Scene animation

    Brand Story Explainer

    Each scene was animated on the canvas from its shot prompt, with the host and look kept consistent.

    Insert shot of a tablet screen filled with a flat illustrated host and a soundwave of violet bars, on a dark desk, crisp shapes, no words, no text

  4. Voiceover and music

    AI voice generator

    A narrator read each scene line, with a light music bed under it so the words stay clear.

    A laptop on a pale seamless table showing a 2D explainer frame with blank caption bars along the bottom, lit by a large softbox, true colours, gentle contact shadow, no text

  5. Captions and final cut

    Add Subtitles

    Captions were added for muted feeds, then the scenes were cut together and exported.

    A finished explainer on a monitor beside a mug and a notebook on an oak desk, warm side window light grazing the wood, calm lived-in mood, flat illustration on screen, no text
Write your script

Explainer script tips

A good explainer is written before it is drawn.

  • One idea per scene
  • About 150 words a minute of voiceover
  • Show it before you say it
  • End on one action

Scene 2. Our host taps the dashboard and three late invoices turn green. VO: Paid, without the chasing.

2D explainer video questions

A 2D animated explainer video is a short animated film: it shows a problem, your solution and how it works in flat drawn scenes. Most products need 60–90 seconds, and under two minutes keeps viewers watching to the end.

No. You describe each scene and Frameo animates it. If you have sketches or a rough layout, you can upload them as references.

Yes. Upload your recorded voice or pick a generated one. Name your colors and logo in the brief so every scene follows them.

You retain ownership of what you make. The Terms of Use set out the full position.

Your script, a finished 2D explainer by tonight.

Paste the script, pick a look and let Frameo animate each scene. You direct. Frameo draws, voices and cuts.

Start my explainer