The best AI video generators for creators and marketers

If you are in marketing, especially content marketing, exploring the AI-based tools YouTube creators use is essential. 

They offer insight into the most effective AI video generators that could secure your job in the near future.

ChatGPT and Midjourney 

Check out “Star Wars by Wes Anderson Trailer | The Galactic Menagerie.” Uploaded on April 28, this whimsical and visually stunning fan-made fake trailer now has 2.8 million views.

Caleb Ward, the CEO of Curious Refuge, told Yahoo Entertainment that it only took a few days to produce thanks to ChatGPT, which wrote the script, and AI image generator Midjourney, which created all the visuals. Then, Ward edited the generated clips on his laptop to produce the final product.

And this wasn’t a fluke.

On May 9, artificial intelligence, Caleb Ward, Shelby Ward, and Tyler Smith created “Lord of the Rings by Wes Anderson Trailer | The Whimsical Fellowship.” This delightful fan-made trailer now has 3.8 million views.

So, even if you aren’t a fan of Anderson’s signature visual style, you’ll want to learn how to use AI to create videos. 

The process includes learning to utilize advanced VFX techniques to push your projects further than typical AI productions, according to the AI storytellers at Curious Refuge. 

But they also believe AI empowers non-traditional artists to unlock their inner creativity and create compelling stories.

Runway’s Stable Diffusion and Gen-2

Next, watch “ANIME ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS.” Uploaded on Feb. 26, this cartoon by Corridor Digital now has 4.0 million views.

Corridor used the machine-learning text-to-image model Stable Diffusion to create their AI-generated anime – no animators required. 

The model was trained using live-action footage of actors in front of a green screen. The anime art style was trained using Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust as a reference.

Is that a big deal?

Well, the Corridor Crew created a companion video that asks the rhetorical question, “Did We Just Change Animation Forever?” Also uploaded on Feb. 26, this behind-the-scenes (BTS) video now has 3.0 million views.

Corridor Crew says, “ANYONE can make a cartoon with this groundbreaking technique.” 

And Runway, which co-created Stable Diffusion, recently released Gen-2, a multi-modal AI model that allows users to generate new videos with text, images, or video clips.

That’s right: Gen-2 turns text into video.

Watch “How to Use Gen-2 | Runway” to get a quick tutorial.

Gen-2 costs $0.05 per second of generated video. Paid plans come with an allotment of monthly credits, which can be supplemented by purchasing additional credits.

Dob Studio’s artificial intelligence technology

Now, watch “러브홀릭스(Loveholics) – ‘Butterfly’ 커버 COVER [𝗥𝘂𝗶 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆].” Uploaded on Dec. 2, 2022, this cover song by Rui now has 1.4 million views.

Why is this remarkable?

Well, Rui is a virtual YouTuber, or VTuber. She is a real person with an AI-generated face.

Is this a thing? Well, a global survey by Google/Ipsos in May found 52% of people had watched a VTuber over the past 12 months.

Rui was made by Dob Studio, a virtual human project company based in Seoul, South Korea, which uses artificial intelligence technology to:

• Create realistic virtual faces that are indistinguishable from real people.
• Plan various personas.
• Operate them as virtual influencers.

Since Dob Studio was established in June 2020, the IT start-up has developed Rui and several other virtual humans. 

These virtual humans function as corporate brand ambassadors and appear in dramatic and surprising scenes on popular South Korean TV shows.

Rui has even been appointed as an ambassador for the Korea Welfare Foundation, an honorary ambassador for the Korea Tourism Organization, and a Nuri Honorary Ambassador of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

The best AI video generators for marketers

Many marketers can get the upskilling or reskilling they need to learn how to use the powerful AI-based tools that YouTube creators use now. 

But there are situations when the best AI video generator for a content marketing campaign doesn’t need to be overpowering.

Fortunately, there are options.

Synthesia

Synthesia is an AI video generator that transforms text into speech in a few minutes. 

It includes more than 85 AI avatars that can speak your text in more than 120 languages and accents. 

This enables marketers to create training, how-to, and product marketing videos for global audiences.

Watch “Discover Synthesia in 4 minutes | Product Tour” for an overview.

Synthesia offers a free demo video to evaluate the AI generator (limited to 200 words). 

If you love the results, you can upgrade to the Personal pricing plan ($30/month) or contact Synthesia for a custom Corporate plan.

Pictory

Pictory is an AI video generator that can create videos from scripts, articles, blog posts, visuals, or other videos. 

It uses a library with over three million video clips and images along with a 15,000-track music library.

Check out “Introducing Pictory – The AI that crafts social videos from lengthy content in minutes.”

Pictory automatically adds accurate captions to your videos quickly. It creates highlights from webinars and other long videos and lets users schedule automatic posting on various social channels via Hootsuite integration.

Pictory offers a free trial that enables marketers to create three video projects.

InVideo

InVideo is another AI-powered video generator that allows marketers to create videos from text. You can use InVideo to create videos for social media ads, promos, or your YouTube channel.

InVideo offers a free online video maker with limited features. You can create and render videos with a watermark at no cost. You’ll need to upgrade to one of InVideo’s paid plans to remove the watermark or use features like premium stock media.

Watch “Top 10 Faceless YouTube Niches To Make Money without Showing Your Face” to learn some strategic insights beyond the tactical advice that others provide.

DeepBrain AI

DeepBrain AI is an artificial intelligence company that provides real-time video synthesis solutions. DeepBrain AI’s AI Humans can be conversational or non-conversational. 

Check out “[Sketch movie] Howie Mandel gets a digital twin from DeepBrain AI” to meet AI Howie. 

The company’s AI technologies include video and speech synthesis, live chatbots, and more.

DeepBrain’s solutions create generative AI videos with just a script and apply to various industries, including financial services, retail and commerce, education, as well as media.

DeepBrain AI has two pricing plans: Starter at $24 monthly and Pro at $180 monthly.

VEED.io

VEED.io is an AI-powered video script generator. It provides compelling video scripts that you can turn into movies or short videos.

Watch “How to Make 30 YouTube Shorts in 24 hours using AI” to learn how easy it is to create a month’s worth of content in a single day using ChatGPT and VEED.io.

VEED.io also offers video editing tools, a video downloader, and a GIF maker and editor. VEED’s video editing tools are free to use.

VEED.io has two pricing plans: Basic at $12.00 per user per month and Pro at $24.00 per user per month.

Other AI-based tools

Marketers at brands and agencies should spend 80% of their mythical “spare time” evaluating AI video generators and the remaining 20% evaluating other AI-based tools. 

Why? Two reasons.

First, Peter Weinberg and Jon Lombardo, the heads of research and development at LinkedIn’s B2B Institute, recently shared a contrarian take on AI in MarketingWeek. 

“The biggest disruption won’t be creative. The biggest disruption will be diagnosis. AI has the potential to change market research forever. And for the better,” they said.

Second, even YouTube has a contrarian take on AI.

So, let’s look at two other AI-based tools.

DAIVID

DAIVID, an AI-powered creative effectiveness platform, uses a suite of advanced technologies – including facial coding, eye tracking, and computer vision – to help with campaign planning, video testing, and media planning. 

But it leaves creation to brands and agencies.

DAIVID’s partners include ADK Marketing Solutions, Coca-Cola, DIRECTV, EssenceMediacom, and Singtel.

Watch “In Conversation with Ian Forrester, CEO & Founder of DAIVID” to hear what Forrester says to Tom Saunter, EssenceMediacom’s Global Head of Creative & Media Technologies, about the role of emotion in advertising and how AI can help with measuring advertising effectiveness.

Area 120’s Aloud

During his keynote speech at VidCon on June 22, Amjad Hanif, YouTube’s VP of Creator Products, announced that Aloud, an AI-driven dubbing product from Area 120, Google’s in-house incubator for experimental projects, is coming to YouTube. 

Aloud can transcribe an English-language video and then translate it.

Marketers can review and edit the transcript before the video is dubbed into Spanish and Portuguese, with Hindi, Bahasa-Indonesia, and other languages coming soon.

So, even though Aloud isn’t an AI video generator, you’ll want to watch “Aloud: Let’s overcome the language barrier in videos together.”

Take advantage of AI or get left behind

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang gave a commencement address to 10,000 graduates in late May. 

He urged them to run, not walk, to seize the potential opportunities that AI presents, and embrace the inevitable failures that will occur along the way. 

“While some worry that AI may take their jobs, someone who’s expert with AI will,” Huang said. 

“In 40 years, we created the PC, internet, mobile, cloud and now the AI era. What will you create? Whatever it is, run after it like we did. Run, don’t walk… Either you are running for food, or you are running from becoming food.”

So as a marketer, you should run, not walk, to evaluate the powerful AI-based tools that YouTube creators use now.