Claude Explainer Videos on the Free Plan (Prompt)

Videos showing Claude explainer videos made for $0 are getting tens of thousands of views. The trick is real, and it works on the free plan. There is no video model involved: Claude writes code that moves text and shapes, and it plays like a short video right in the chat. What the videos skip are two limits from Anthropic's own help center. Here is the prompt, what you get, and how to turn it into a video file.

How it works: code, not a video model

When you ask for an animation, Claude builds an artifact, a small app that opens next to the chat. It draws on a canvas with code, so it can animate text, shapes, icons and charts. It can't make realistic footage or people.

Artifacts work on every plan, Free included, in any chat. You don't need Claude Code or any extra animation tool.

The prompt

Open Claude, start a new chat and paste this, with your own topic in the brackets:

Make a 20-second animated explainer as an artifact about how [your topic] works. Draw it on a canvas: 4 short scenes, one line of text each, simple shapes, smooth transitions, dark background, one accent color. Add Play and Restart buttons.

Keep the topic narrow. "How a credit score is calculated" works better than "personal finance".

What you get

An artifact opens next to the chat and runs the animation: four scenes with text and moving shapes, plus Play and Restart buttons. If something is off, ask in the same chat, one change at a time, for example "make scene 2 slower" or "use a bigger font". Results vary between attempts, so expect to ask for a few fixes.

The two limits

Both come from Anthropic's help center, updated October 30, 2026.

First, there is no MP4 button in a normal chat. Anthropic says animations export as MP4 video only from artifacts made with the Claude Motion template, and Claude Motion is a beta for Team and Enterprise plans. A regular artifact downloads as code, not as a video.

Second, you can't upload a voiceover. Audio files such as MP3 are not on the list of file types Claude accepts. The video we checked shows an MP3 upload working, but Anthropic doesn't list it as supported, so don't build your workflow on it.

How to turn it into a video on the free plan

Screen-record the artifact while it plays. On Windows, the Snipping Tool can record a part of the screen; on a Mac, press Shift + Command + 5. Click Play, record the 20 seconds, and that recording is your video file. Add a voiceover or music afterwards in any free video editor.

For a vertical video, ask Claude in the prompt for a 9:16 canvas, then crop the recording to the canvas.

Three steps to remember

Paste the prompt into any chat, with your topic in brackets.
Fix one scene at a time in the same chat.
Screen-record it, and that's your video.

FAQ

Can Claude make videos on the free plan?

It can make animated explainers as artifacts on every plan, including Free. They play in the chat; to get a video file you screen-record them.

Can Claude export an MP4?

Only from Claude Motion, a beta for Team and Enterprise plans. Regular artifacts download as code.

Can I upload an MP3 voiceover to Claude?

Audio files are not on Anthropic's list of supported uploads. Add the voiceover in a video editor after you record the animation.

Sources

Checked against official sources on Nov 3, 2026. The character in our posts is made with AI; the text is written with AI help and checked by hand rules.

Claude explainer videos on the free plan: one prompt, two limits