Explayner User Guide
Turn prompts, voice recordings, or videos into editable MP4s. The AI director plans the structured scenes; your browser draws, synchronizes audio, and renders the video at 30 FPS.
Quick Start & Core Guides
Understand deterministic 30 FPS browser rendering, Shorts vs Full, and Video + B-Roll mode.
The 10-stage pipeline from input selection and AI planning to re-rendering and MP4 export.
Drag-and-drop elements, resize handles, animations, multi-select, and layer properties.
Instant fixes for offline alerts, speech detection, rendering slowdowns, and Drive sync.
Browse All Documentation Topics
Getting Started
What Explayner Does
Learn how Explayner creates videos from structured scene data with an AI director and deterministic 30 FPS browser rendering.
Before You Start
System requirements, browser compatibility (WebCodecs & OPFS), microphone permissions, and offline recovery.
The Complete Workflow
A 10-step journey from initial concept to rendered MP4 video: inputs, AI direction, preview, canvas editing, and export.
Starting a Project
How to initialize projects, understand input modalities, and manage the local browser storage quota.
Input & Scene Planning
Choosing an Input
Deep dive into Write Prompt, Upload Audio, In-Browser Voice Recording, and Upload Video inputs in Explayner.
Writing a Strong Prompt
How to craft effective prompts that produce clear, engaging scenes, accurate diagrams, code blocks, and structured narration.
Format and Generation Settings
Configure 9:16 Shorts vs 16:9 Full aspect ratios, overlay modes, ASCII toggles, and premium graphics.
Left Panel Settings
Master every control in Explayner's creation panel: TTS providers, OpenAI & ElevenLabs voices, Web Search, video formats, Max Control scene counts, video settings, and additional prompt controls.
Progress and Cancellation
Understanding the generation stages: transcription, research, scene planning, script, voice, and rendering.
Workspace & Canvas Studio
Understanding the Workspace
Tour the Explayner studio interface: creation tools, preview player, script, and post-production drawers.
Editing Text and Visual Elements
How to fix typos, rewrite narration, replace ASCII art, recolor vectors, and update code blocks without re-generating.
Canvas Editor
A comprehensive guide to Explayner's drag-and-drop canvas editor: multi-select, rotation, properties, toolbar controls, and custom gradients.
Canvas Motion Paths and Record Animation
Create custom animation trajectories in Explayner: draw precise polyline motion paths with ✎ Path, record hand-drawn gesture animations with ⏺ Rec, and fine-tune timing, speed, and looping.
Media, Audio & B-Roll
Images, GIFs, and Image-to-ASCII
Add media, crop images, insert animated GIFs, and convert photos into editable ASCII diagrams.
Animations and Visual Primitives
Explore Explayner's 16 animation families: typewriter, draw, reveal, pulse, morph, and visual primitives.
B-Roll, Overlays, and SFX
Master talking-head cutaways, punch-in zoom effects, overlay positioning, and the 10 built-in sound effects.
Subtitles and Captions
Automatic subtitle generation, multi-language translation, caption presets, and safe-margin wrapping.
Background Music & Waveforms
Upload music, generate AI ambient moods, configure volume ducking, and trim loops with the waveform editor.
Branding & Custom Assets
Export, Storage & Drive
Rendering and Downloading
How in-browser WebCodecs rendering works, export times, resolution options, and watermark policies.
Projects and Local Storage
Understanding Origin Private File System (OPFS) storage, the 3-project quota, and protecting your work.
Import, Export, and Google Drive
Back up, transfer, and collaborate on editable projects with .explay archives and Google Drive sync.
Account, Support & Reference
Accounts, Credits, and Payments
Free-launch mode vs paid credits, credit protection, account status messages, and billing details.
Browser, Mobile, and Desktop Support
Comparing desktop vs mobile editing experience, drawer navigation, and touch interactions.
Privacy and Data Security
Where your prompts, audio recordings, and videos are processed, and our local-first security architecture.
Troubleshooting Guide
Step-by-step solutions for offline errors, failed generation, silent audio, slow rendering, and lost projects.
Known Limitations
Transparent constraints regarding project quotas, undo history, rotation exports, and codec compatibility.
Quick Recipes
Five battle-tested recipes: 60s educational Short, lecture explainer, talking head + diagrams, brand kit setup, and sharing .explay.
Glossary of Terms
Essential terminology used throughout the Explayner studio: Director, Renderer, B-Roll, Cue, OPFS, and .explay.