AI Short Video Generator

AI short video generator: a short explainer from any source

Upload a PDF, notes, a slide deck, a link, or a YouTube video — or just type a topic — and Scholarly distills it into a fast, vertical, phone-friendly explainer with full-screen visuals and focused narration.

Free to start · No credit card required · Every video mode on every plan

Used by 170,000+ learners and professionals worldwide
Short video format

Why does the Krebs cycle need oxygen?

Synced captions follow the narration line by line.

Short · One focused thread
  1. Start

    The hook

    One question or claim pulled from your source, on screen while the narration opens.

  2. Middle

    The explanation

    Full-screen visuals carry the single idea the source supports best.

  3. Close

    The takeaway

    A focused closing line you can recall on the bus or in the hallway.

How it works

From source to short video in three steps

No editing timeline, no script writing. Pick a source, choose the Short mode, and let the AI do the cutting.

  1. 01

    Add your source

    Upload a PDF, notes, or a deck, pick a file from your library, paste a link or a YouTube video, or type a topic in the Prompt tab.

  2. 02

    Choose the Short video mode

    In the customize step, pick Short. It uses its own vertical short video format, so there is no length to set.

  3. 03

    Watch, share, and study

    Play it on your phone, share a link, read the searchable transcript, turn captions on, or generate flashcards in one click.

Quick answer

What a short explainer video looks like in Scholarly

Updated August 2026

Upload up to 10 PDFs (20 on Laureate), notes, a deck, a link, a YouTube video, or a typed topic and choose the Short video mode. Scholarly writes a focused script, pairs it with full-screen visuals and narration, and renders it in a vertical short video format — there is no length control. The Free plan includes one lifetime AI Creation Credit at 720p; Premium ($30/mo or $144/yr) includes 10 AI Creation Credits per week and Laureate ($99/mo) 80 per week, with 1080p, watermark removal, and MP4 download on paid plans.

Short is one of Scholarly's five video modes, alongside Standard, Illustrated, Manim Math Animation, and Freestyle. Where the other modes produce a full-length landscape lecture, Short distills your source to one compelling thread and keeps the narration tight, so the result is a recap you can watch between meetings or on the way to an exam.

Generation takes a few minutes and runs in the background; you get a notification when the video is ready. Every short ships with a searchable transcript, synced captions, interactive question checkpoints, AI chat about the video, and one-click flashcard generation — the mode changes the format, not the study tools.

What you get

Built for the phone, grounded in your source

A short video is only useful if it is accurate. Scholarly builds every frame from the material you gave it.

Short video format

Short always renders in its own focused format. No length slider, no trimming — the AI picks the single thread worth telling.

Vertical and phone-friendly

Full-screen visuals and large on-screen text are composed for a portrait screen, so the video reads cleanly on a phone.

Any source, or just a topic

PDFs, text files, images, slide decks, Google Drive files, links, YouTube videos, or a typed prompt all work as a starting point.

Transcript and synced captions

A searchable transcript and line-by-line captions come with every video, in the language you generated it in.

AI chat and question checkpoints

Ask follow-up questions grounded in the transcript and your original source, and answer the built-in checkpoint questions.

Share and download

Share a public link on any plan. Paid plans add 1080p rendering, watermark-free output, and MP4 download.

Why a short video

Why turn notes into a short video at all?

A twenty-page chapter and a short video serve different moments. The chapter is for learning; the short is for the spaced re-exposure that keeps the idea alive — before a standup, on a commute, or in the minutes before a certification exam. Asking the AI to commit to one thread forces a decision about what matters most, and that decision is itself a form of review.

Scholarly's Short mode is different from generic AI short video generators because it starts from your source, not a stock-footage library. The script is written from the pages, notes, or link you provided, the visuals are composed to support that script, and the transcript lets you check every claim against the material. If the short does not land the way you hoped, switching to a different mode and regenerating is often a bigger improvement than rewording the prompt.

For longer material, generate a full lecture in Standard or Illustrated mode first, then a Short from the same source as the recap. The two videos share the same grounding, so the short becomes a one-thread reminder of the lecture you already watched.

For work and teams

Short videos are a natural fit for internal comms, product updates, and onboarding refreshers: turn a release note, a policy change, or a one-page SOP into a focused recap your team can watch on a phone. For full-length training content, see the AI training video generator. Need shared source libraries, seats, and one bill for the whole company? Explore Scholarly for Teams.

FAQ

Short video generator questions

How long is a short video?

Short uses its own short video format and has no length control. If you want a longer video, pick Standard, Illustrated, Manim Math Animation, or Freestyle instead — those modes use the lecture length setting.

What can I turn into a short video?

Up to 10 PDFs (20 on Laureate), text files (.txt, .md, .csv), images, slide decks, Google Drive files, a link to a website or online PDF, a YouTube video, or a topic typed into the Prompt tab. The AI reads the source and distills it to one thread.

Is the short video vertical?

Yes. Short is a vertical, phone-friendly explainer with full-screen visuals and focused narration, designed for quick review on a phone.

Does a short video include a transcript, captions, and chat?

Yes. Every video mode ships with a searchable transcript, synced captions, interactive question checkpoints, AI chat about the video, and one-click flashcard generation.

Is the short video mode free?

Every video mode is available on every plan. The Free plan includes one lifetime AI Creation Credit and one upload (8 MB; PDFs are processed up to 32 pages) at 720p. Premium is $30/mo or $144/yr with 10 AI Creation Credits per week. Laureate is $99/mo with 80 AI Creation Credits per week. Claude Sonnet 5 and Kimi K3 cost 2 credits; Frontier models GPT 5.6 Sol and Claude Opus 5 cost 3; most models cost 1.

Can I download the short video as an MP4?

On a paid plan, open the completed video, click the three-dot menu, and choose Download video to get the rendered MP4. Paid plans also unlock 1080p rendering and watermark-free output. On every plan you can share a public viewing link.

How long does generation take?

Short videos are quick to generate compared with a full lecture and run in the background. You can close the creator and come back — Scholarly notifies you when the video is ready, and you can cancel or retry from the video page.

Pricing

Start free. Upgrade when you need more creations.

One AI Creation Credit on Free, 10 per week on Premium, 80 per week on Laureate. Every video mode on every plan.

Trying your first source? Start Free. Working with new material each week? Premium includes 10 AI Creation Credits a week. Need more capacity? Compare Laureate.

Pricing shown in USD by default. Local currency may be available in app or at checkout.

Compare plans

AI chat

Premium and Laureate include unlimited AI chat. GPT 5.6 Sol and Claude Opus 5 are reserved for credit-metered AI creations.

Free
3 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

AI Creation Credits

AI Creation Credits share one balance across every creation tool. Most models use 1 credit, Sonnet and Kimi use 2, and Frontier models Sol and Opus use 3.

Free
1 total
Premium
10/week
Laureate
80/week

Podcast length

Free episodes are fixed at 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target length up to 60 minutes.

Free
2 minutes
Premium
Up to 60 minutes
Laureate
Up to 60 minutes

Video lecture length

Free lectures with a length control are fixed at 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target up to 45 minutes. Short uses its own short video format.

Free
2 minutes
Premium
Up to 45 minutes
Laureate
Up to 45 minutes

File uploads

Free
1 total (8MB)
Premium
Unlimited (300MB)
Laureate
Unlimited (1 GB each)

PDF to flashcards

Free
32 pages
Premium
1000 pages
Laureate
3000 pages

Sources per creation

Free
Up to 1
Premium
Up to 10
Laureate
Up to 20

Practice questions

Free
5 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Practice exams

Free
1 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Voice mode

Free
15 min total
Premium
2 hr/day
Laureate
12 hr/day

Autocomplete

Free
500 words total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Export to Anki

Free
Premium
Included
Laureate
Included

Support

Free
Standard
Premium
Priority
Laureate
Priority

What customers say

Scholarly has enhanced the quality of notes and questions I administer to my tutees. Insightful, to the point.

TD Georgas

TD Georgas

Tutor

I have very good experience with Scholarly it summarize me scientific text in hovel academic level with citation. I use this for any therapeutic area . It is great and useful tool.

Diana

Diana

Scholarly user

Scholarly has been a valuable tool for my studies. The AI-generated flashcards and intuitive features make organizing and retaining information much easier.

Briana

Briana

Scholarly user

This app is great for studying for big test. Drop your PDF's in the system and it'll do the trick. You can organize it specifically for your needs.

Kelvin

Kelvin

Scholarly user

Your questions, answered

Is Scholarly free to use?

Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with lifetime allowances: 3 AI Chat messages, 500 autocomplete words, 5 quiz questions, 15 voice minutes, 1 practice exam, one free AI Creation Credit total, and 1 file upload. These allowances do not reset. Upgrade to Premium for 10 AI Creation Credits per week and unlimited uploads.

What uses my free AI Creation Credits?

AI Creation Credits are shared across flashcards, podcasts, videos, slides, AI Documents, Deep Research, and the Transcribe tool. The selected model determines the credit cost. Recording live audio and saving its transcript uses your file upload allowance instead; it does not use AI Creation Credits.

Can I cancel anytime?

Absolutely. There are no contracts or commitments. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings, and you'll keep access until the end of your billing period.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe. Pricing is displayed in USD by default, but local currency is available in the app.

Can I use Scholarly with a class or school?

Yes. For a school or organization-wide rollout, contact us at hello@scholarly.so and we'll help you find the right setup.

What happens when I hit a free plan limit?

You'll see a prompt to upgrade. Your existing work is never lost — limits only apply to new actions. Free-plan allowances are lifetime credits and do not reset. Premium includes 10 AI Creation Credits per week, podcasts up to 60 minutes, video lectures up to 45 minutes, unlimited uploads, chat, autocomplete, quizzes, and exams, plus more daily voice time.