How to Use InVideo AI to Turn a Text Prompt into a Video (2026 Guide)

Jeffrey Bong How to AI

InVideo AI turns a written idea into a finished video. You describe what you want, and it writes a script, picks stock footage or generated clips, adds an AI voiceover, captions and music, and puts it all on a timeline you can edit. It is one of the quicker ways to get a first draft of a YouTube explainer, a short for TikTok or Instagram, or a product walkthrough without opening a traditional editor.

This guide walks through the full workflow, explains what the plans cost as of September 2026, and covers the parts people usually skip: how to write a prompt that produces something usable, and what you are and aren’t allowed to do with the output.

InVideo AI home screen with the prompt box — The InVideo AI workspace

Screenshots in this guide were taken on an earlier version of InVideo AI. The layout has changed since, but the steps are the same.

What InVideo AI is good at (and where it falls short)

Good for: explainer videos, listicles, short social clips, product overviews and first drafts you plan to refine.
Good for: teams that need several versions of one video for different platforms and aspect ratios.
Weaker at: anything that needs your own footage, precise timing, or a specific visual style. Stock clips can feel generic, and AI-generated clips still need checking frame by frame.
Not a replacement for: checking facts. The script is written by AI and can state things confidently that are wrong.

Step-by-step: making your first video

1. Sign up and pick a plan

Go to invideo.io and create an account. As of September 2026 the pricing page lists three paid plans (Starter, Plus and Max) and no free plan. Usage is measured in monthly credits rather than minutes, and different AI models use credits at different rates. Unused credits do not roll over, so start on the smallest plan and upgrade only if you run out.

InVideo AI plan selection screen — Choosing a plan (earlier interface)

2. Write a specific prompt

The prompt decides most of the quality. A vague prompt such as “a video about saving money” gets a vague video. Give InVideo the same brief you would give a human editor:

Topic and angle: “Three mistakes first-time investors make with index funds” rather than “investing tips”.
Length: for example, “about 90 seconds”.
Structure: “hook in the first 5 seconds, three sections, one-line summary at the end”.
Tone and voice: “calm, plain English, British female voiceover”.
What to avoid: “no stock footage of people counting cash, no background music with vocals”.

Example prompt typed into InVideo AI — A sample prompt

3. Choose the audience, platform and look

Next, InVideo asks who the video is for, where it will be published, and what it should look like. The platform matters most: YouTube gets a 16:9 frame and a longer script, while TikTok, Reels and Shorts get a 9:16 frame, faster cuts and bigger captions. The audience setting changes the vocabulary and pacing of the script, and the look setting controls the choice of footage and music.

InVideo AI audience, platform and voiceover settings — Audience, platform and voice settings

4. Generate the first cut

Click Generate. InVideo writes the script, matches clips to each line, records the voiceover and adds captions, transitions and music. A short video usually takes a few minutes. Treat this as a rough cut, not a finished video.

InVideo AI first cut with stock media on the timeline — The generated first cut

5. Edit with text commands or by hand

You can change the video in two ways. The quick way is to type an instruction, such as “shorten the intro to one sentence”, “replace the clip at 0:32 with a city skyline” or “change the voice to a slower male narrator”. The precise way is to open the editor and change the script, swap a clip or upload your own footage directly.

Before exporting, check three things:

Facts: read the whole script. Check every number, name and claim against a source you trust.
Clip match: watch at normal speed and replace any clip that doesn’t fit what the voiceover is saying.
Captions: fix spelling of names, brands and technical terms. The AI often gets these wrong.

InVideo AI editor for script, media and transitions — Editing the script, media and transitions

6. Export and publish

Download the video in the resolution your plan allows (the pricing page lists 4K export on the Plus and Max plans) and upload it to your platform yourself, so you can write your own title, description and thumbnail. Keep the project in InVideo so you can make a second version for another platform later.

Rules to know before you publish

InVideo’s terms give you broad rights to use and sell the videos you generate, but with limits you should know about:

Stock media is licensed, not owned. Your rights to stock clips are limited to the third-party licence, and you don’t get exclusive use. Someone else can publish the same clip.
Likeness and voice need consent. If a real, identifiable person’s face or voice appears in your video, you are responsible for having their permission. Don’t clone a voice or make an avatar of anyone without it.
Platform AI labels. YouTube, TikTok and Meta ask creators to disclose realistic AI-generated or altered content. Use the platform’s AI-content label where it applies.
Low-effort repetition gets flagged. Platforms limit monetisation for channels that post mass-produced, near-identical AI videos. Add your own analysis, footage or voice so each video is actually worth watching.

Conclusion

InVideo AI is a fast way to get from an idea to a reasonable first cut, and its text-command editing makes revisions quick. The time it saves is on assembly, not on thinking: the videos that work are still the ones where someone wrote a clear brief, checked the facts and replaced the weak clips. Start on the smallest plan, make a few videos to learn how it reads your prompts, and upgrade only once you know how many credits you actually use.

Sources

Plan names, credits and features are quoted from InVideo’s own pages as of September 2026 and change often. Check the pricing page before you subscribe. This article is not sponsored and contains no affiliate links.