AI text to video tools are revolutionizing the way we create video content. Text-to-video AI tools allow users to quickly and easily create videos from any written content (e.g., blog posts, documents, presentation slides, PDFs, etc) making them an invaluable tool for teachers and content creators.
As is the case with AI video generators and AI writers I covered in an earlier post, AI text to video tools are simple and easy to use. They basically allow you to create videos in a fraction of the time and with minimal effort. These AI tools make use of natural language processing (NLP) to detect and interpret text and automatically convert it into videos.
As a teacher, you can use AI text to video tools to create videos from blog posts, stories, news articles, written lessons, or any other written content. AI will automatically format the text and choose appropriate media (e.g., visuals, sound, and music) that match the tone of the given text. Once your video is generated, you can then personalize it and add your own edits (e.g., your voiceover, music, logo, etc).
There are various ways to use AI text to video converters. For instance, you can use them to create explainer videos, tutorials, conference presentations, training videos, interactive stories and videos, voiceover narrations for video content, and many more. The great thing is that you can create high-quality videos without having to learn complex video editing software.
Common Challenges with AI Text to Video Tools and Solutions To Overcome Them
AI technology can do great things but it can not completely replace the human contribution, just not yet. In the case of AI-generated videos, these tools are indeed invaluable assets but they come with a number of limitations.
For instance, while text to video AI tools can generate stunning videos from an aesthetic and technical perspective, they can lack the creativity and personal touch that comes from traditional video editing techniques.
Text to video AI tools can also have problems in accurately interpreting written content especially when the written prompts are not clearly articulated. This can result in generating videos that don’t quite match the tone or message of the original text.
From a financial perspective, AI text to video converters are not free. Some of them do offer free basic plans but these plans are ridiculously limited and you can not do much with them. You will need to pay a monthly or yearly fee to access the full potential of these tools.
With that being said, there are a few ways to overcome some of these challenges (not the financial one though) and make AI text to video tools more effective. Here are some tips for using AI text to video tools more effectively:
1. Ensure that your AI text to video tool is fed with accurate, well-written content. AI tools rely on the quality of the original text in order to generate a high-quality video.
2. Personalize AI-generated videos with your own voiceovers, music, and visuals for added impact. AI tools are great for creating basic videos quickly, but adding your own touch can elevate AI-generated videos to a new level.
3. Test AI text to video tools with different types of content for best results. AI tools are great for creating basic explainer or tutorial videos, but they may struggle when it comes to more complex stories or narratives.
4. Use AI text to video tools in combination with traditional video editing techniques for the best results. AI tools are great for quickly creating basic videos, but they should be used as a starting point rather than a replacement for traditional video editing techniques.
Best AI text to video converters
Here is a collection of some of the best AI text to video converters to try out:
1. Invideo
Invideo is one the leading AI text to video converters that enables you to instantly turn any text content into engaging videos. You can use Invideo to convert blog posts, presentations, articles, etc into videos without any editing although I do recommend that you always edit it. Invideo features a wide range of pre-designed text to video templates.
Select the template you are interested in and Invideo AI-powered text to video converter splits the text into various scenes adding relevant stock content (e.g., images, music, audio clips, etc).
Invideo also allows you to record a voiceover for your video or use text to speech converter. If you work with a team, Invideo’s collaborative features let you easily create, edit, comment, and share videos with team members.
Invideo’s free plan is limited but it does include key features such as video templates, automated text to speech, video sharing, and more. For more features you can upgrade to of the site’s premium services: Business (starts at $15/month) and Unlimited (starts at $30/month).
2. Synthesia
Synthesia is another powerful AI text to video maker that allows you to generate videos from text content. Synthesia offers a number of interesting features including human-like avatars and text to speech. Yo can use it to turn docs, PowerPoints, PDFs into engaging video trainings or how-to-instructional videos.
You can choose from over 100 AI avatars or create a custom AI avatar. Also, Synthesia’ s voiceovers are probably the best in the market. They are digital clones of the voice of real people. Synthesia also supports over 100 languages.
However, the only caveat is the price. Synthesia is ridiculously expensive. It starts with $30 per month and you only get 10 video credits (one video credit= 1 minute of video) for more credits you need to upgrade again.
3. Lumen5
Lumen5 is an AI text to video maker that is simple and easy to use. You can simply paste the address of any webpage or blog post and click to convert it into a video. You can also copy and paste text from a document and turn it into video.
“Within seconds, Lumen5 will summarize your blog post and use A.I. to match each scene with relevant stock footage. The timing of each scene is algorithmically determined based on average reading speed. Text positioning and scene compositions are calculated to produce the best visual output.”
Once the video is generated you can then edit it the way you want. You can change colours, add your logo, reformat images, add text, and more. When done, click to download and share videos with others.
The free version of Lumen5 comes with watermark. To remove watermarks from your generated videos and to access more features you need to upgrade to one of the premium plans. The Basic plan is the cheapest plan and costs $19/month billed yearly.
4. Elai.io
Elai.io is another interesting AI video generator that enables you to turn your written content into engaging videos. Simply select a template and provide the link of the web page or blog post you want to turn into a video and Elai takes care of the rest. There are numerous avatars to choose from and over 40 languages to use in your videos.
You can also select voice-overs and generate your videos instantly. Elai offers a free trial to test the tool (you need to sign up to use it). To unlock Elai’ s full features you need to upgrade to one of its premiums plans starting with the Basic plan ($29/month).
5. Hour One
Hour One is an AI text to video converter that allows you to convert text to videos with virtual human presenters. Hour One is similar to Synthesia above and is equally pricy. To start using Hour One, select a video template and a layout, choose a character to act as your human virtual presenter, enter text, and click to generate your video.
Some of the features offered by Hour One include: the ability to create videos in over 60 languages, select among several AI-powered virtual humans to narrate your videos, choose from different voice and accents to apply to your characters, a huge library of video templates to choose from, and many more.
Hour One offers a free version to try out the tool. In this free version you get up to 3 minutes of published videos. To access more features you need to try one of their premium plans. The cheapest plan starts at $30 per month.
6. Pictory
Pictory is another AI video generator to try out. The tool is especially designed to help businesses and marketers create high quality videos with the least resources and time possible. But we can also use it in education to create instructional and step by step videos.
Some of the features provided by Pictory include: turn web content into engaging content, add captions automatically, extract short video snippets from long videos, auto transcribe videos, and many more.
Pictory offers a free trial plan that enables you to create 3 video projects, each of which is up to 10 minutes long after which you need to upgrade to one of its premium plans starting with the Standard plan that costs $19 per user per month.
Final thoughts
In wrapping up, AI text-to-video tools are fundamentally shifting the video creation landscape, offering both ease and efficiency that’s hard to beat. For educators like us, the opportunities are robust, from turning lesson plans into interactive video content to crafting compelling narratives for students. However, the technology isn’t without its quirks—like the limitations on creative nuance and the challenges with text interpretation. Cost can be another hurdle, as these tools often come with a price tag. My advice? Treat these AI tools as a starting point, not a one-stop solution. Layer in your own voiceovers or personal touches to add depth and bring the AI-generated content closer to your teaching style. And don’t forget to road-test a variety of platforms, each comes with its own set of features and limitations. It’s an exciting time to be at the intersection of education and technology, and these tools are just another example of how far we’ve come.
