Free Resources
How to Create Your First AI Video Checklist
Six stages from idea to published video. Work through them in order and click each box as you finish an item.
1. Plan (See my How to Get Started Checklist Request one or visit the Free Resouces Tab on my website SynolveMedia.com
Decide what the video is for before you open any tool. A clear goal saves the most credits later.
☐Pick one goal for the video
Explain something, promote something, or tell a short story. Just one.
☐Name your audience and where it will be posted
This decides everything else, including length and format.
☐Choose the aspect ratio
16:9 for YouTube and websites. 9:16 for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok.
☐Set a target length of 30 to 60 seconds
Short videos need fewer clips, so fewer things can go wrong.
☐Choose one video generator, one voice tool, and one editor
Fewer tools means fewer export and format problems.
☐Check each tool's terms and limits
Look for commercial-use rights, watermarks, resolution limits, and how credits are spent.
2. Script and storyboard
Write the story on paper first. Changing a sentence is free. Regenerating a clip is not.
☐Write the script in short sentences, one idea per line
Spoken narration runs about 150 words per minute.
☐Read the script out loud and trim what sounds awkward
☐Split the script into scenes of 3 to 8 seconds each
Most generators produce short clips, so plan around that.
☐Write one visual sentence for every scene
Describe what the viewer sees, not what the narrator says.
☐List what must look the same in every scene
Character, clothing, setting, color palette, and style.
☐Sketch or list your shots as a simple storyboard
Stick figures and a numbered list are fine.
3. Generate clips
Test one scene before you generate them all, then build out from what works.
☐Write each prompt with subject, action, setting, camera move, lighting, and style
Example: a paper boat drifting down a rain gutter, low angle, slow push-in, soft evening light, watercolor look.
☐Test one scene first and adjust the prompt until it looks right
☐Add a reference image if your tool supports it
This helps keep a character or product consistent between clips.
☐Generate two or three versions of each scene
Pick the best rather than accepting the first result.
☐Check every clip for flaws
Warped hands, flickering backgrounds, garbled text, and objects that appear or vanish.
☐Save the keepers with clear names
For example scene-03-v2.mp4, so the edit goes smoothly.
4. Voice, music, and sound
Audio is what makes an AI video feel finished. Give it real attention.
☐Generate or record the voiceover from your final script
☐Listen for mispronounced names and odd pacing
Respell tricky words phonetically and regenerate just those lines.
☐Choose background music you have the right to use
Royalty-free or licensed. Read the license for your platform.
☐Keep music quieter than the voice
If you notice the music, it is probably too loud.
☐Add sound effects only where they help
5. Edit
This is where separate clips turn into one video.
☐Place your clips on the timeline in script order
☐Trim the first and last moments of each clip
AI clips often start or end with a few weak frames.
☐Line up the visuals with the voiceover
☐Add captions
Many people watch with the sound off.
☐Add a title at the start and a call to action at the end
☐Even out the audio levels between voice, music, and effects
6. Review and publish
One careful watch catches most problems before your audience does.
☐Watch the whole video once with sound off and once with sound on
☐Watch it on your phone
Check that text is readable at small size.
☐Check facts, names, and any text that appears on screen
☐Confirm you have rights to everything in it
Music, images, logos, and voices. Do not imitate a real person without their permission.
☐Follow the platform's rules for labeling AI-generated content
Many platforms ask you to disclose synthetic or altered footage.
☐Export at the right resolution and format for where you are posting
☐Write the title, description, and thumbnail
☐Publish, then note one thing to do differently next time
Tip: make a short video first. Thirty to sixty seconds is plenty.
