# Turn a Product Update into an Explainer Video using Renderforest

> A free business-case lesson: turn a product update clients ignore into a narrated whiteboard explainer with captions in Renderforest, free preview first.

Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/renderforest-product-update-explainer-video · Updated 2026-10-14 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com)

## Practice it step by step

[Start the free practice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/renderforest-explainer-video)

You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Renderforest. It checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, about 9 minutes, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Open full screen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/renderforest-explainer-video)

Free · Live now · [AI Automation for Marketing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/industry/marketing) · Renderforest · ~9 min · 26 steps · Beginner

Updated October 14, 2026. Built against the tool’s current screens and checked step by step. [How we check this lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about#how-we-check)

Small firms launch useful things all the time: a [client portal](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/client-portal), a new service, a new way to pay. Then they announce it in a long email that most clients skim, and the office spends weeks explaining it one phone call at a time. A short explainer video fixes that, but a freelancer quote is often well over a thousand dollars and a few weeks away. Renderforest's Long AI Video tool turns a written brief into a narrated video with scenes, a voiceover and captions. In this free business-case lesson you use a practice copy to price what an ignored update costs a small bookkeeping firm, then pick the Whiteboard animation style, paste the update as a brief, choose a voice and captions, make the free 15-second preview, fix a caption the AI cut off, and export a draft for the partners to approve.

## At a glance

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| What you build | A business case for small firms that launch something clients ignore: price the calls and the freelancer quote, then use Renderforest's Long AI Video to turn the update into a narrated whiteboard explainer with captions, check the free preview, fix it in the editor and export a draft for sign-off. |
| Tools | Renderforest |
| Time | About 9 minutes, 26 steps in 7 parts |
| Level | Beginner, no coding needed |
| Cost | Free |
| Ways to learn it | [Practice it step by step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/renderforest-explainer-video) |

### The 7 parts, in short

1. The cost of an update nobody watches: Read the client email, Put a price on it, Meet Renderforest.
2. Start from your product update: Open Long AI Video, Find the explainer style, Pick Whiteboard animation, Paste the product update, and 1 more step.
3. Set the voice and captions: Choose the language, Pick English (US), Open the Voice list, Pick a voice, and 2 more steps.
4. Check the free preview: Watch it like a client would, Open it in the editor, Close the pop-up.
5. Fix it in the editor: Rename the project, Type the new name, Select the first caption, Rewrite the caption.
6. Export a draft for sign-off: Export the draft, Pick HD 720, Download it for sign-off.
7. What this saves you: What this saves you, Next business case.

**Start here first:** [Build an n8n AI Agent That Plans Your Content Calendar](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-content-calendar) (module 1 of AI Automation for Marketing)

**Part of:** [AI for Accounting & Bookkeeping Firms](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/paths/ai-for-accounting-firms) (step 15 of 21). Next up: [Never Miss an After-Hours Client Call: An AI Receptionist for a Small Office (ElevenLabs)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-receptionist-for-accounting-firm-after-hours-calls)

**Part of:** [AI for Consulting & Agencies](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/paths/ai-for-consulting-and-agencies) (step 10 of 18). Next up: [Never Lose a Client Follow-up using Capsule CRM](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/capsule-crm-sales-pipeline-small-firm)

**Part of:** [AI for Marketing Teams](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/paths/ai-for-marketing) (step 8 of 23). Next up: [Turn Instagram Comments into Booked Consultations using Manychat](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/manychat-instagram-comments-to-consultations)

**Part of:** [AI Apps Worth Knowing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/paths/partner-tools-ai-apps) (step 21 of 21)

## The business case: what an update nobody watches costs

Picture Priya, the office manager at Northgate Bookkeeping, a made-up firm with 140 clients. Last month the firm launched a client portal: clients can snap [receipts](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-receipt-extractor-n8n-google-sheets) with their phone, see their monthly books and message their bookkeeper in one place. The firm announced it in a long email. Most clients skimmed it, and receipts still arrive as email attachments.

Here is the arithmetic, using example numbers you should replace with your own. Priya now walks clients through the portal one call at a time: about 36 calls a month at 20 minutes each, or 12 hours. At $55 an hour that is $660 of time every month. A freelancer quoted $1,800 and three weeks for a one-minute explainer video.

The fix is one short, friendly video that shows the old way, the new way and the one thing to do next, which the firm can put in the welcome email, on the portal login page and in every reply to a client who asks.

## Who this is for, and what you need

Office managers, marketers and owners at small firms (accounting and bookkeeping, law, insurance, consulting, agencies) who need to explain a product update, a new service or a process change to clients, and who have no video team. You do not need any video skills.

To do it for real you need a free Renderforest account. The free plan makes a 15-second preview and exports a watermarked HD 720 video. The full one-minute video, HD 1080 and no watermark need a paid plan. The practice copy in this lesson needs no account at all.

## How to write a brief Renderforest can work with

The [prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt) box takes plain English, and the more it reads like a brief to a designer, the better the first draft. Say who the video is for, what changed, what the old way looked like, what the new way looks like and the one thing you want viewers to do. Ask for a tone (friendly and professional works for most firms) and a length.

Pick the style before you send. Whiteboard animation suits explainers and process changes; Product promo and App promo suit launches; UGC looks like a person talking to camera. The style decides the look of every scene, so it is worth one minute of thought.

## Check every caption before a client sees it

AI video tools write the narration and the captions for you, and they get most of it right. In our real test, one caption stopped mid-sentence and one on-screen label was misspelled. Watch the whole preview with the sound off, as many clients will, and fix anything that is cut off, wrong or off-brand in the editor before you export.

In the editor, captions sit on the orange track at the bottom of the timeline. Click one and the left panel becomes Edit your text, where you can change the words, font, size, colours and position, and apply a style to all captions at once.

## What this saves you

- Most of the $1,800 freelancer quote and the three-week wait: a brief takes about ten minutes, and the free preview arrives in about three. You pay for a plan only when you want the full minute without a watermark.
- A good share of the 12 hours a month of how-to calls: if the video answers half of them, that is about 6 hours, or $330 of time, back each month. These are estimates from example numbers, not a promise.
- One clear explanation you can reuse in the welcome email, on the portal login page and in your email signature.
- What it does not do: check the facts for you. Read every caption and listen to every line before a client sees it.

## What we checked in a real Renderforest account

We did every step in a real free Renderforest account in October 2026: the signed-in Home page and its Long AI Video tool, the Start your video production page and its style cards (Anime, Product promo, Music Video, Cinema, Cartoon, App promo, Comic book, UGC, Whiteboard animation), the settings card (model, resolution, aspect ratio, duration, Include AI Voiceover, Language, Voice, Include subtitles, Search the web), Generate free 15s, the free preview, the editor (project name, caption editing, timeline) and Export > HD 720, which rendered in under a minute. We did not click Download or any Share button, and we did not generate the full video. Renderforest's screens and pop-ups change over time, so yours may differ slightly.

## Next business case: turn your onboarding checklist into a welcome video

Once one explainer works, the next time sink is [onboarding](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/employee-onboarding): the same first-week steps explained to every new client. Paste your onboarding checklist into the same tool and you get a two-minute welcome video that every new client hears in the same clear words.

## Links

- [Renderforest](https://www.renderforest.com): the product this lesson teaches. The free plan makes a 15-second preview and a watermarked HD 720 export.
- [Renderforest AI Video Generator](https://www.renderforest.com/ai-video-generator): Renderforest's own page for the AI video tools used here.
- [Renderforest pricing](https://www.renderforest.com/subscription): current plans, and what the full-length video, HD 1080 and no watermark cost.

## Try it yourself, free

Reading the steps is a start. Doing them is how it sticks. The interactive module walks you through every click in a practice copy of Renderforest, checks each step, and never touches your real accounts.

[Start “Turn a Product Update into an Explainer Video using Renderforest”](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/renderforest-explainer-video)

## Step by step: Turn a Product Update into an Explainer Video using Renderforest

All 26 steps of the interactive module, in order. In the module you watch each one, then do it yourself in a practice copy that checks your work.

### 1. The cost of an update nobody watches

1. **Read the client email.** Priya Shah is the office manager at Northgate Bookkeeping, a small firm with 140 clients. Last month the firm launched a client portal and sent a long announcement email. Most clients skimmed it, and they still email receipts. Click the **email**.
   Priya runs the office at a small bookkeeping firm. Last month they launched a client portal, and sent a long email about it. Most clients skimmed it. They still email their receipts.
2. **Put a price on it.** Priya now walks clients through the portal one call at a time: about **36 calls a month at 20 minutes each**, so **12 hours**, or **$660** of time a month. A freelancer quoted **$1,800 and 3 weeks** for an explainer video. These are example numbers, so swap in your own. Click the **monthly total**.
   Now Priya explains the portal one phone call at a time. About twelve hours a month. That is six hundred and sixty dollars of time. A freelancer quoted eighteen hundred dollars, and three weeks, for a video. These are example numbers. Use your own.
3. **Meet Renderforest.** Renderforest is an online video, animation and logo maker. Its **Long AI Video** tool turns a written brief into a narrated video, with scenes, a voiceover and captions. The free plan makes a **15-second preview** so you can check the look before you pay for anything. Click the **Renderforest** card.
   Renderforest is an online video maker. Its Long A I Video tool turns a written brief into a narrated video, with scenes, a voiceover, and captions. On the free plan, you get a fifteen second preview first.

### 2. Start from your product update

4. **Open Long AI Video.** This is the Renderforest **Home** page you see when you are signed in. Under **Tools**, click **Long AI Video**.
   This is the Renderforest home page. Under Tools, click Long A I Video.
5. **Find the explainer style.** The page reads **Start your video production**, with a row of style cards above the prompt box. An explainer for clients should feel friendly and clear, so you want **Whiteboard animation**. It is further along the row. Click the **right arrow** next to the cards.
   Start your video production. Pick a style first. For a client explainer, whiteboard animation feels friendly and clear. It is further along the row.
6. **Pick Whiteboard animation.** Click the **Whiteboard animation** card. A tick appears on it.
7. **Paste the product update.** Write the brief the way you would brief a designer: **who** it is for, **what changed**, the **old way versus the new way**, and **one call to action**. Paste the brief below.
   Now describe the video, the way you would brief a designer. Who it is for. What changed. The old way, then the new way. And one thing you want clients to do.
   ```text
   Create a 60-second whiteboard explainer video for Northgate Bookkeeping, a small bookkeeping firm. The product update: our new client portal. Clients can now snap receipts with their phone, see their monthly books, and message their bookkeeper in one place. Show the old way first (emailing receipts, lost attachments), then the new portal, then the call to action: log in with the link in our email. Friendly, professional voiceover.
   ```
8. **Send the brief.** Click the **arrow** at the bottom right of the prompt box.

### 3. Set the voice and captions

9. **Choose the language.** Renderforest shows your settings: **Whiteboard animation**, the **Renderforest Fast** model, **480p**, **16:9** and a **1m** duration. Leave those. **Include AI Voiceover** is already ticked. The Voice list stays locked until you pick a language, so click the **Language** box.
   Here are the settings. Leave the style, model, size, and length as they are. The voiceover is already on. To pick a voice, you first pick a language.
10. **Pick English (US).** The list is long, and you can type to search it. Click **English, US**.
11. **Open the Voice list.** Click the **Voice** box. It reads **AI Choice** until you pick one.
12. **Pick a voice.** Each voice has a **play** button so you can hear it first. Pick one that sounds like your firm. Click **Samantha**.
    Each voice has a play button, so you can hear it first. Pick one that sounds like your firm.
13. **Turn on captions.** Many clients watch with the sound off. Tick **Include subtitles**. Renderforest adds the narration on screen as text you can edit later.
    Lots of people watch with the sound off. Tick, Include subtitles. The narration shows on screen, as text you can edit.
14. **Make the free preview.** There are two buttons. **Generate full video** makes the whole minute and needs a paid plan. **Generate free 15s** makes a short preview at no cost, so you can check the look first. Click **Generate free 15s**. In real life it takes about three minutes, and the project is saved in **My Projects**.
    Generate full video, makes the whole minute, on a paid plan. Generate free fifteen seconds, makes a short preview at no cost. Check the look first.

### 4. Check the free preview

15. **Watch it like a client would.** The page reads **Here you go! Free preview is ready.** It shows the old way, with lost attachments and piles of receipts, and a Renderforest watermark in the corner. Watch it as a busy client would. Click the **video**.
    Here you go. Free preview is ready. Watch it the way a busy client would.
16. **Open it in the editor.** One problem: the first caption stops mid-sentence, at **is time**. AI drafts need a human check before a client sees them. Click **Open in editor**.
    One problem. The first caption stops in the middle of a sentence. A I drafts always need a human check.
17. **Close the pop-up.** The editor may open with a pop-up about a new AI model. Close it with the **X** at its top right.
    If a pop-up about a new model appears, close it with the X.

### 5. Fix it in the editor

18. **Rename the project.** The editor has your scenes on a timeline at the bottom: the captions in orange, the scenes, the voiceover in purple and the music. First give the project a name your team will find. Click the **project name** at the top.
    At the bottom is the timeline. Captions in orange, then the scenes, the voiceover, and the music. First, give the project a clear name.
19. **Type the new name.** Type **Northgate portal explainer** and press **Enter**.
20. **Select the first caption.** Click the **first orange caption** on the timeline. The left panel changes to **Edit your text**.
21. **Rewrite the caption.** In **Content**, replace the cut-off line with a short one a client can read in two seconds: **Still emailing receipts? They get lost.**
    In the content box, replace it with a short line, a client can read in two seconds. Still emailing receipts? They get lost.

### 6. Export a draft for sign-off

22. **Export the draft.** The caption on the video now reads your line. Click **Export** at the top right.
    The caption now reads your line.
23. **Pick HD 720.** **HD 720** is on the free plan. **HD 1080** has a crown, which means a paid plan. Click **HD 720**.
    H D seven twenty is free. H D ten eighty has a crown. That means a paid plan.
24. **Download it for sign-off.** Renderforest renders the video in under a minute. The **Share** buttons post it to YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn or X, so leave them alone for now: this is a draft for the partners to approve. Click **Download**.
    It renders in under a minute. Leave the share buttons alone. This is a draft, for the partners to approve.

### 7. What this saves you

25. **What this saves you.** Click **What this saves you**.
    Here is what it saves.
26. **Next business case.** Click **Next business case**.
    Next up, turning your onboarding checklist into a welcome video.

## Frequently asked questions

**What is Renderforest?**

Renderforest is an online video, animation, logo and website maker. Its Long AI Video tool turns a written brief into a narrated video with AI scenes, a voiceover and captions, and its editor lets you change the scenes, captions, voice and music before you export.

**Can I make an explainer video in Renderforest for free?**

You can make a free 15-second preview and export it in HD 720 with a Renderforest watermark. The full-length video, HD 1080 and no watermark need a paid plan. Check renderforest.com/subscription for current prices.

**Which Renderforest style is best for an explainer video?**

Whiteboard animation is the classic choice for explaining a process or a product update, because it reads as friendly and clear. Product promo and App promo suit launches, and UGC looks like a person talking to camera.

**Can I fix captions or narration the AI got wrong?**

Yes. Click Open in editor on the preview, then click a caption on the orange track of the timeline. The Edit your text panel lets you rewrite it and change its style. Always watch the whole video before you share it, because AI drafts can cut a sentence short.

**Has this lesson been tested in the real Renderforest app?**

Yes. Every step was done in a real free Renderforest account in October 2026, up to Export > HD 720. Only the final Download click was not made, and no full video was generated.

[Start this module free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/renderforest-explainer-video)

- Previous in AI Automation for Marketing: [Flova: Plan a Promo Video from a Script Before You Spend a Credit](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/flova-promo-video-from-a-script)
- Next in AI Automation for Marketing: [DomoAI: Turn a Product Photo into a Short Video for Social](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/domoai-image-to-video-product-photo-social-video)

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[All 12 modules in AI Automation for Marketing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/industry/marketing)

## Terms in this lesson

Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson.

[Client portal](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/client-portal) · [Call to action (CTA)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/call-to-action) · [Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt) · [Employee onboarding](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/employee-onboarding) · [Onboarding checklist](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/onboarding-checklist) · [AI model](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-model)

[The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)

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