| To make a whiteboard video, you need to start with ideation, create a plan, write a script, then move on to storyboarding. Based on that, you can begin animating, followed by adding elements like voiceover, music effects, editing, and finally creating the finished video. |
Whiteboard videos are one of the most sought-after styles of animated video because they combine visual and auditory elements to effectively convey information in an engaging and memorable way.
In such videos, you see sketches and illustrations being drawn by hand on a plain white background. Given their versatility, you can use them for educational purposes, presentations, tutorials, storytelling, marketing, and much more.
These videos offer all the benefits without the high costs or complexity. However, what often stops you or other brands from using them is simply not knowing how to get started or, more specifically, how to create whiteboard animation videos.
It’s actually quite simple, and our blog here will help you understand how to make a whiteboard video in 9 easy steps.
Here’s a step-by-step overview of how to create a whiteboard animation video that clearly conveys your message:
Picture Credit: Freepik
When you decide that you want to make a whiteboard video, the first thing to figure out is a good content plan. You should start by formulating the message you want to convey. Then, break it down by listing key points and visual cues that must be included.
A big part of identifying what you want to say is understanding who you want to say it to. Ask yourself these important questions to better understand your target audience:
Tip: Feel free to list everything that comes to mind. Once you’re done, you can go over it a few times and cut it down to the core points.
Picture Credit: Freepik
This is probably the most important step, writing a good script. It’s the skeleton that your video will be built on. You may be tempted to throw in everything and the kitchen sink. But a solid rule in creative processes is “less is more.”
Distill your message down to its core points to keep it short, to-the-point, and interesting. If you’re not sure about this, a good whiteboard animation agency is usually staffed with skilled professional scriptwriters who can put your message into words for you.
But if you want to wear the hat of a scriptwriter for your whiteboard project, here’s our blog discussing how to write a whiteboard video script. Go through it before creating that stellar script that’ll make your video a memorable one.
How can you do whiteboard animation without a storyboard guiding you through the process, right?
A storyboard is a series of rough sketches and diagrams that capture the ideas and direction of the entire video. It helps you visualize your video before it even exists.
A storyboard isn’t meant to be a work of art—just rough, minimal sketches. Even simple stick figures and arrows are enough to do the job.
It works in beats, like the individual panels of a comic book. Each shot has specific points it needs to cover, along with the accompanying voiceover.
Here’s an example of one of our storyboards, for Closet Factory:
Again, if you don’t want to go ahead and do this yourself, you can choose from the best whiteboard animation companies to get skilled storyboard artists to help with storyboarding.
Picture Credit: Freepik
Your voiceover needs to be clear, expressive, easy to understand, and matches the tone and emotion required from the script.
The narration and visuals need to work in-step, like a pair of feet dancing. They do different things at the same time, but they’re working closely together. You can’t have one going faster than the other or it all falls apart.
Use a good microphone and a quiet, insulated room for best results. If working with an animation studio, they would suggest options for the best voice talent that suits your needs.
Create a cache of resources you will need, like images, logos, sound effects, audio clips, fonts, and background music.
That way you’ll already have everything you need when it’s time to get started with the animation work!
If you plan to do it yourself, there’s a wide range of free animation software available. Don’t think of it as trying to get the best or most expensive one. Rather, consider it a question of finding the right fit for your needs and skill level.
Of course, if you can, a better route is to choose from the best whiteboard video makers or a studio that specializes in this kind of work. Admittedly, animation can be expensive, but there are solutions to suit every budget and requirement. So, do some shopping around before deciding!
Picture Credit: Freepik
Animation is no different from any other creative work, like writing or art, in that you start with a basic “skeleton” or roughs and fill in the details and transitions later.
Timing is important. The animation needs to keep in step with the voiceover and pacing.
Avoid places in your video where there’s nothing happening on the screen while there’s a lot of voiceover, or vice versa, where there’s a lot of busy visuals that need to be shown but there’s not enough voiceover to fill in the audio side of things.
This is why a good storyboard is so important because it’s at that stage that you can plan out the timing, matching the visuals to the voiceover.
Then, it’s just a matter of creating the video.
The whiteboard effect is typically a hand holding a marker or pen, drawing out the video, so the viewer gets to watch the art being created from scratch.
This is not only quite simple to animate but also visually interesting to the viewer. This effect is what makes a whiteboard video a whiteboard video.
Once the post-production work is done, go over your video carefully and add in any small details like text overlays or musical flourishes as needed.
Share it with a coworker to ensure everything flows well and that you haven’t missed anything obvious. Make any necessary tweaks or edits, then export the video in the desired resolution and format and share it!
And here’s the final result of our storyboard! You can watch the entire video here:
And there you have it — you’ve learned how to make whiteboard videos in just 9 easy steps. But wait, is the process really wrapped up? Not quite. There’s a tiny bit left to explore. After all, how to create whiteboard videos without the right inspiration?
So, here are some examples of whiteboard animation videos that can give you the inspiration you need to make amazing whiteboard videos.
Don’t know how to get started with your whiteboard video marketing?
The best way to get inspired is to see how others have done it well.
Estimated Pricing: around $3000 per minute
Brands that connect are brands that last. Christian Church Home understood this and created a simple whiteboard animation video to build a close-knit connection with their target audience. They brought the entire journey of their brand—from its origin to its values to its work—on screen using meticulous hand-drawn visuals.
As the hand sketches the brand’s journey on screen, the voiceover narrates how CCH helps people navigate the tough terrain of housing development.
Now talking about the graphics and visuals, the entire screen is taken over by hand-drawn black-and-white sketches, with minimal use of color here and there. And yes, there are also small instances in the video where you’ll see 2D animation in action.
One of the best parts of the video is how it uses characters, dialogue boxes, and zoom-in/zoom-out shots to keep viewers engaged.
Estimated Pricing: $3,000 to $5,000 per minute
Choose a major problem that is frustrating users in your domain and present yourself as a solution to the problem. Don’t just tell them how it solves the issue—show them using an engaging video, like Residential Building Services Limited did here.
It figured out how common yet frustrating it is for people to navigate invoice processing and deal with the heaps of paperwork attached to it. It illustrated this problem using a cut-out whiteboard animation and then proposed itself as a solution.
Usual problem, presented in a unique manner—that’s what this video felt like. Although it was a whiteboard video, the way the characters and the background setting emerged just like the cut-outs you see in greeting cards fascinated viewers enough to stay and watch the whole video.
Talking about the visuals, we see striking white paper cut-outs made with strong black outlines and a background with minimal colors, more specifically brand colors.
The use of shadows, slight head nods or body movements, and the excited explanatory voiceover are what tie this video so beautifully together. All in all, it is a quite well-executed whiteboard animation video.
But wait—the list of examples that can inspire your next whiteboard animation video doesn’t end here. There are more examples you can check out in our detailed blog covering the top whiteboard explainer videos.
Whiteboard animation videos are a sought-after video marketing tool because of how simple yet powerful they are. They work best when you want to explain, engage, and convert.
Here's more on why they’re effective:
All in all, whiteboard animation is a smart, versatile tool to get your message across clearly and creatively.
The types of whiteboard videos often confuse people because they can’t figure out the differences between them—it takes a detailed look at the videos to identify the type.
The oldest one you can come across is the classic whiteboard video, where a hand draws everything on a whiteboard and erases and adds elements in real time to move the story forward. The sketches in such videos are captured in real-time through live recording and later edited into a seamless final product.
As for whiteboard animation video types, the most common ones are simple whiteboard animation, doodle, cartoony or sketch-style whiteboard animations, watercolor and painted whiteboard animations, etc.
You can find more about these various types in our blog where we discussed the different types of whiteboard animation videos.
The cost differs based on the type of your script, video content, animation style, turnaround time requirements, the type of studio you partner with to get the work done, and most importantly, the type of whiteboard animation you choose to use.
The simplest whiteboard animation videos start at around $3,000 per minute, whereas those with more complex ideas or a mix of styles can go over $10,000. To get a better breakdown of this cost, you should check out our blog covering the specifics of whiteboard animation price.
Whiteboard animation is a great way to really connect with your audience without breaking the bank. It’s engaging, and cheap without looking cheap.
As a final word of advice, remember that this is more art than science. There’s no one established formula that will work for everyone and every need. So don’t be afraid to experiment and try different things to see what works.
It’s time to start telling your story!
No Comments Yet
Let us know what you think