How to create your first video in 5 minutes
A step-by-step walkthrough of the full creation flow — from choosing a character to downloading your finished video.
Overview
Persona's creation flow has five steps: Character → Clothing → Scene → Script → Generate. Each step takes about a minute. The whole thing takes most people under five minutes the first time.
Step 1 — Choose your character
Click Create Video from the sidebar. On Step 1 you'll see your available characters. If you're on a Free plan you won't have saved characters yet — just click Continue to proceed with a default, or click Create new character to build one first.
Select a character card
Click on a character card to select it. The preview on the right updates to show that character's appearance. Profile (Look-Alike) characters appear at the top.
Click Continue
Once a character is selected the Continue button activates.
Step 2 — Choose clothing
Pick a clothing style. You must click Generate preview before continuing. This lets you see exactly how the character will look before using a generation credit.
Step 3 — Choose a scene
Select a background location and camera angle. Both are optional — if you skip them, Persona chooses a setting matching your character type and clothing.
Location (optional)
Choose from presets like Modern office or Real estate office. Click a selected chip to deselect it.
Camera angle (optional)
Medium shot, Close-up, Waist-up, or Full-body. Leave blank to let Persona decide.
Generate preview
Click Regenerate image. You must do this at least once before continuing.
Step 4 — Write your script
Type what you want your character to say, or use one of the built-in options:
- Start with a template — choose from 8 fill-in-the-blank templates.
- Help Me Create a Script — answer a few questions and Persona drafts it for you.
- Write from scratch — type directly into the text area.
Aim for 60–80 words for a 30-second video. When ready, click Create video.
Step 5 — Your video is ready
Generation takes 2–5 minutes. You can close the tab and come back — Persona sends a notification when your video is ready. Once generated:
- Click Download to save the video to your device.
- Click Share to open the share sheet with links to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp.
- Click Done to return to the dashboard. Your video is saved in My Videos.
Tips for better videos
- Keep it under 45 seconds. Videos under 45 seconds get significantly more completions.
- Start with the hook. The first sentence should make the viewer want to keep watching.
- One idea per video. Trying to pack three points into 30 seconds leads to rushed content.
- End with a clear CTA. Tell the viewer exactly one thing to do.
