- PDF to Video
- documents
- reports
- how-to
Converting PDF to Video
If you already have a written document, hand it to MotionBuff to write an editable plan. The result is a video that talks, moves and shows captions. Here is how, step by step.
What you need before you start
A .pdf file. The same button also supports .docx, .txt and .md, so a Word file or a plain text file works as well.
Three things worth knowing before you pick a file:
Step 1: Open MotionBuff
Sign in and you land on a box that says "Describe the video you want to make." You are going to fill it from your PDF instead of typing it.
Step 2: Tell MotionBuff you are bringing a document
In the prompt box, there is a row of buttons. Click the one that says Format.
A panel opens. In the Presentation type row, click the tile named DOCX / PDF.
Close the panel.
Step 3: Read your PDF file
Look at the button row again. A Read file button has been added.
Click Read file and pick your PDF.
Nothing is uploaded. MotionBuff opens the file on your own computer and pulls out two different things.
The words taken from each page and labelled Page 1, Page 2 etc, is what lands in the prompt box.
A picture of each page. These show up as thumbnails you can click to see full size. Captures stop after 60 pages; the text keeps being read from every page after that.
Step 4: Check the feedback note
How much text was added. Something like "Added 3,180 characters, 12 pictures found". If it says "Added the first 5,000 of 22,400 characters", your document was longer than the box holds, and the rest was cut. See below.
The common warnings:
When your PDF is a scan
This is a common issue with PDF's.
A PDF made by a scanner or a phone camera has no text at all. It is a picture of a page with no selectable text, so the prompt box stays empty.
You have two options:
Run it through OCR first. Acrobat, Preview on a Mac, and most scanner apps have a "recognise text" or "make searchable" option. Save the result and read that file instead.
Type the points in yourself. If it is a two-page flyer, this is faster than fixing the file. You only need the points that matter, not the whole document.
This is an issue we will release a feature for; handing the images over to the agent for additional context.
Step 5: Add your own directions
Click into the prompt box, at the top, list out your instructions or any extra details.
Plain language. No special words, for example:
Cut everything about the 2024 pilot. Keep it to the findings and the recommendation. Say the funding figure near the end.
MotionBuff only uses what it is given. It does not invent facts or numbers, so anything that matters should be in the box.
Step 6: Trim it down to what matters
A 40-page report may not always fit, nor should it.
So some trimming may be required. Cut the message down to the parts you would actually say out loud.
Some things a document normally has may not make sense for a video — the appendix, the method, the citations — belongs in the PDF you send alongside the video, not in the video itself.
Step 7: Pick the look
Theme sets the style of every frame. Leave it on Auto and MotionBuff picks one that suits what you wrote.
Overlays turns the frame flare on and off: your logo, the title in the corner, the progress bar, the slide counter, and the captions. A preview shows where each one sits.
Length is on the Format panel, next to the type tiles. Pick this before you create the plan — it decides how much gets written.
Step 8: Create the plan
Click Create Plan.
What comes back is an outline: every scene listed with a treatment, what it says, and how long it stays on screen.
Read it against your document. This is the moment to catch a mistake, unnecessary scene, or a finding that got dropped.
Changing a plan is easy and has the highest impact on the quality of your final results.
Step 9: Edit and review the plan
Two ways to change it:
Edit it yourself. Click any line and type. Add a scene, remove one, move the seconds around.
Ask for changes. There is a box that says "Tell the agent what to change." Type something like "merge the two background scenes and give the recommendation more time," then click Review with agent. It rewrites the outline and lists what it changed.
Step 10: Make the video
Click Create video. Then you get a preview to watch.
Then Render Video turns it into a real video file. When that finishes it plays in the app and Download gives you the .mp4 — more on what that file is and what size it comes out.
Things to keep in mind
Layout and fonts are not converted. Only the words come across. Your PDF's columns, tables and typography stay in the PDF; the video is composed from scratch. That is deliberate, and it is the reason slides break when tools try to move a design between apps.
Tables and multi-column pages come out in reading order, which is not always the order you see. Two-column layouts and dense tables are worth a glance in the prompt box before you create the plan.
Coming from slides instead?
If what you have is a deck rather than a document, use the PowerPoint tile — it reads .pptx and .odp, including the speaker notes. To use powerpoint files follow this guide.
And if the video is for a government submission, the time limits and scoring rules can help you decide how much of the document should survive the trim.
FAQ
What text files can MotionBuff read?
.pdf, .docx, .txt and .md.
Old .doc files cannot be read. Open one in Word and save it as a PDF or a .docx first.
Does my PDF get uploaded?
No. The file is opened on your own computer. The only thing that gets sent is the text that ends up in the prompt box.
How big a PDF can I read?
25 MB, and the first 300 pages of it. Pictures of pages stop at 60; the words keep being read past that.
Why is my prompt box empty after reading a PDF?
The file is almost certainly a scan — a picture of a page rather than a page of text. The thumbnails below it show what was in the file. Run the PDF through OCR, or type the info in yourself.
Why did only part of my document arrive?
The prompt box holds 5,000 characters. Anything past that is cut, and the card tells you exactly how much fit. That is usually a sign the document needs trimming.
Can I read two documents into one video?
Yes, one after the other. Each read adds its text under whatever is already in the box, up to the same max character limit.
Will the charts in my report be in the video?
No, not currently. The page captures are only shown to you. If a figure matters, put the number in the prompt.
Does it read headers, footers and page numbers?
Yes — they are text on the page like anything else.