Many people now prefer watching short videos over reading long articles. Pictory’s ‘article to video’ tool allows you to easily transform your existing articles into new, engaging videos in just minutes, helping you reach a wider audience.
Here’s how to use it:
1. Open the App and Select the Tool
- Once you open the Pictory app, you’ll see four tools.
- Select the second tool, which is called “Article to Video”.
2. Input Your Article
- You’ll need an article for your video.
- Copy the link from your article’s address bar and paste it into the provided box.
- Click the “Proceed” button to continue.
- Pictory will then read the article, summarise its top highlights, and import any article images for you.
3. Review and Edit AI Highlights (Scenes)
- After processing, you’ll see the article in the “AI highlights” on the left side of the screen.
- You can quickly scan through these highlights to review them.
- To add or remove highlights yourself, click on a sentence to either highlight it or unhighlight it. This action adds or removes the scene from your video.
- Highlights are also listed as scenes for your video on the right side of the screen.
- Pro Tip: Using short scenes is recommended for cleaner captions later.
- Once you’re satisfied with your summary, click the “Next” button in the top right corner.
4. Choose a Template and Aspect Ratio
- Next, you’ll see the “Templates Library”.
- Scroll through the library to find a template you like and click on it to select it.
- Then, choose an aspect ratio to proceed. For a standard YouTube video, 16×9 is recommended. Don’t worry, you can change these later.
- Pictory will then create your video storyboard, analysing the highlights and automatically selecting visuals and generating captions for each scene.
5. Edit Scenes and Captions (Story View)
- You’ll be in the “Story View” tab, located in the far left navigation menu.
- On the left half of the screen, you’ll see your scene list, where you can quickly edit scenes by clicking on them and changing the text.
- On the right half, you’ll find the video preview area.
- You can also edit captions directly by clicking on the text in the preview area. Clicking a caption brings up a styling menu above the preview video.
6. Edit Visuals
- In the far left navigation menu, under “Story,” click on the “Visuals” tab.
- Every Pictory paid plan includes access to over 3 million royalty-free visuals.
- To review the visuals for your scenes, click through the thumbnails on the bottom right under the preview video.
- To replace a visual in a scene, click on the scene to select it, then search the library for keywords that better represent the scene.
- Once you find a visual you like, click on it to instantly replace the visual for your scene.
  Note: Upgrading to any paid plan removes all watermarks on your final videos.
7. Add Audio
- Back in the far left navigation menu, click the “Audio” tab.
- There are over 15,000 tracks available. Search for something that fits your video’s vibe.
- Preview each track by clicking the play button, and once you find one you like, click “Apply” to use it.
8. Add Voiceover
- Next, go to the “Voiceover” tab.
- You have the flexibility to choose between male and female AI voices. Try them out to see which you prefer.
- Alternatively, you can upload your own voiceover in the “My Uploads” tab.
9. Save and Download Your Video
- Once you’re done, your video is automatically saved in your “My Projects” folder.
- You can then preview or download it.
- Depending on the video size, this may take a minute. You can click the “Run in background” button, and Pictory will notify you when it’s complete.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully turned your article into a video. Remember, your first video doesn’t have to be perfect; the key is to create a quick video and get started.