To make a faceless video with AI, write the script with Claude, turn it into a voiceover with ElevenLabs, generate visuals in Adobe Firefly, animate a few shots in Runway, edit and caption in CapCut, then design the thumbnail in Canva. Every tool has a free plan, so you can make your first video before paying for anything.
A faceless explainer is narration over visuals, with no presenter on screen. AI now covers every part of it, so one person can make a polished 3 to 5 minute video without a camera, a microphone or a design background.
Last checked : each tool's free plan and price on the maker's own pricing page.
| What you end up with | A 3 to 5 minute narrated explainer video with captions and a thumbnail, ready to upload. |
|---|---|
| Steps | 6 |
| Tools used | Claude, ElevenLabs, Adobe Firefly, Runway, CapCut and Canva |
| Tools with a free plan | 6 of 6 |
| Camera or microphone needed | None |
| Coding needed | None |
One tool per step, with alternatives. Finish each step before you start the next: later steps depend on it.
Use Claude
Give Claude your topic, who the video is for and 3 points you want to land. Ask for a script of about 130 words per minute of video, in short spoken sentences.
Then ask for 5 opening lines and pick the one that states the payoff fastest. Read the script aloud once and cut anything you stumble on.
Use ElevenLabs
Paste the script into ElevenLabs text to speech, pick a voice that suits the topic and generate it one paragraph at a time. Short chunks are easier to redo when one word sounds off.
Export the audio as one file. This voiceover sets the timing for everything else, so finish it before you make any visuals.
Use Adobe Firefly
Use the visual notes from step 1 as prompts. Keep one style phrase in every prompt, such as 'flat illustration, muted colours', so the images look like one video.
Make 1 image for every 5 to 8 seconds of voiceover. A 4 minute video needs roughly 30 to 45 images.
Use Runway
Pick 3 to 5 images that matter most, such as the opening and each section change, and turn them into short moving clips in Runway.
Everything else can stay still: the slow zoom in the edit (step 5) makes stills feel alive at no cost.
Use CapCut
Drop the voiceover on the timeline first, then lay images and clips over it to match each sentence. Add a slow zoom to each still image.
Run auto-captions, fix any misheard words and restyle them so they don't look like the default. Add quiet background music under the voice.
Use Canva
Use one of your generated images as the background, add 3 to 5 words of large text and a strong contrast colour. Check how it looks at phone size before you export.
Every price comes from the maker's own pricing page, checked on the date at the top of this page.
| Tool | Step | Free plan | Paid plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude pricing (opens in a new tab) | step 1 | Free plan for chat on web, desktop and mobile, including web search and file creation. | Pro is US$17 a month billed yearly, or US$20 billed monthly. |
| ElevenLabs pricing (opens in a new tab) | step 2 | Free plan with 10,000 credits a month, without a commercial licence. | Starter is US$6 a month and adds a commercial licence and instant voice cloning. |
| Adobe Firefly pricing (opens in a new tab) | step 3 | Free daily generations, no plan needed. | Firefly Standard is £9.98 a month including VAT, with 2,000 generative credits. |
| Runway pricing (opens in a new tab) | step 4 | Free plan with 125 one-time credits. | Standard is US$12 a month billed yearly, or US$15 billed monthly, with 625 credits a month. |
| CapCut pricing (opens in a new tab) | step 5 | Free to use online and in the app. CapCut's website has no public pricing page, so check the Pro price in the app before you subscribe. | See the maker's pricing page |
| Canva pricing (opens in a new tab) | step 6 | Free plan for one person. | Canva Pro is US$144 a year for one person. |
| ChatGPT pricing (opens in a new tab) | Alternative, step 1 | Free plan with unlimited chats on the standard model and limited uploads. | Go is US$8 a month; Plus is US$20 a month. |
| Midjourney pricing (opens in a new tab) | Alternative, step 3 | No free plan is listed. | Basic is US$10 a month, or US$8 a month billed yearly. |
| Ideogram pricing (opens in a new tab) | Alternative, step 3 | Free plan available. | Plus is US$20 a month, or US$15 a month billed yearly. |
| Descript pricing (opens in a new tab) | Alternative, step 5 | Free plan for text-based editing and trying the AI tools. | Hobbyist is US$16 a month billed yearly, or US$24 billed monthly. |
| DaVinci Resolve pricing (opens in a new tab) | Alternative, step 5 | The free version edits video up to Ultra HD at 60fps. | DaVinci Resolve Studio is a one-off £225 and adds the AI Neural Engine, text-based editing and Magic Mask. |
| Adobe Express pricing (opens in a new tab) | Alternative, step 6 | Adobe Express Free costs nothing. | Premium is US$9.99 a month. |
A faceless video is worth watching when the script teaches something specific and the visuals change with every idea. Viewers forgive a synthetic voice; they don't forgive a vague script. Spend most of your time on step 1.
The most common mistakes are making visuals before the voiceover is final, using the default caption style and writing scripts for reading rather than listening. Each one makes the video feel generic. Fix the order of work first: script, voice, then pictures.
Yes. Every tool in this workflow has a free plan, enough for your first video. The limits show up in generated video credits and voice licensing, so expect to pay for one or two tools once you publish every week.
ElevenLabs is our pick for natural narration voices. Try 3 or 4 voices on the same paragraph before choosing, and keep one voice for the whole channel so viewers recognise it.
Your first one will take longest, because you're learning 6 tools at once. Once the steps are familiar, most of the time goes on the script and on matching visuals to the voiceover, not on the AI generation itself.
They can be, if they add something original. YouTube's policies target repetitive, mass-produced content, not AI tools as such. A clear script with your own research and opinions is what keeps a faceless channel safe.
Mostly stills with a slow zoom, plus a few generated clips for key moments. Generated video costs credits and still struggles to stay consistent between shots, while stills are quick and look tidy.
Generative AI for Everyone, on Coursera, explains what text, image and video generators can and can't do, which helps you write better prompts at every step. It needs no coding.
If you want to start a channel without being on camera, use this faceless video with AI workflow and spend most of your effort on the script: Claude and ElevenLabs carry the video, and the visuals only need to keep up.
Knowing how generative AI works makes every step above easier to get right. These are reviewed and free to start.
What large language models can actually do for you and your team, without writing a line of code. Andrew Ng teaches it in 6 hours on Coursera, certificate paid.
A short, no-code explainer on what generative AI is and how it differs from other machine learning.
Andrew Ng's non-technical primer on what AI is good for and how to plan around it at work. It takes 7 hours on Coursera, and the certificate is paid.
Script, voice, edit and package videos faster, without handing over your style.
Type a script and get a presenter on screen: training, explainer and social videos without filming.
The general-purpose AI you talk to. Most people should start here.
Voiceovers, clean recordings, transcription and music.
Turn a written description into a picture.
Cut, caption and generate video with AI doing the dull parts.
Presentations, posters and graphics without a designer.
A free course on generative AI makes every prompt in this workflow better. Pick one at your level.
