How to Make a SaaS Customer Onboarding Video Without After Effects (2026)
Tutorial
How to Make a SaaS Customer Onboarding Video Without After Effects (2026)
May 16, 2026
Keston CollinsVideo editor with nearly 10 years of experience, exploring the intersection of motion graphics and AI.
How to Make a SaaS Customer Onboarding Video Without After Effects (2026)
TL;DR: Most SaaS products lose 40–60% of new signups in the first session because users hit an empty state and leave. A 60-second onboarding video — autoplay-muted on the first dashboard visit, or embedded in the welcome email — closes that gap by showing exactly what to do first. This walkthrough uses 4 AutoAE motion templates to build one in 15 minutes. Total cost: $2.90 one-time or $9.90/month for unlimited rebuilds.
The activation gap nobody talks about
Last week in r/SaaS, a founder posted a question that landed harder than most. The thread title was "Did we just over-engineer our onboarding or did we actually fix something?" The opening line described the problem in nine words: "sign up, empty board, no idea where to start, leave."
The replies were predictable. Half pushed product tours (Userpilot, Appcues). A quarter pushed templates inside the product. A few pushed AI-generated first-run experiences. And one comment, with no upvotes, said the one true thing: "Templates were honestly the worst."
The problem with most onboarding fixes is that they treat the empty state as a UX problem when it's actually a comprehension problem. Users don't drop off because they can't find the button. They drop off because they don't know what the button does or which one matters first.
A 60-second onboarding video — placed in the welcome email and triggered again on the first dashboard visit — is the single most underused activation lever in SaaS. Not a product tour (which interrupts). Not a help doc (which requires reading). A short, branded motion clip that says: welcome, click here first, here's what happens when you do, here's what to do next.
This is what the agency would charge $4,000–$10,000 to produce. After Effects is 30+ hours of work for a founder who doesn't already know it. This article shows the 4-template AutoAE workflow that ships the same video in 15 minutes.
What this article isn't
This is not an in-app product tour. AutoAE makes the video clip; tour orchestration (Userpilot, Appcues, Intercom Product Tours) lives on top.
This is not a sales demo or explainer video for prospects. For that flow, see our Product Demo Video walkthrough — the audience and structure are completely different.
This is not a knowledge-base tutorial library. Onboarding video is the video new users see. Help docs come later.
first
AutoAE delivers the motion clip. Where it plays (welcome email, in-app modal, dashboard banner) and how you measure it (PostHog, Mixpanel, Heap) are separate decisions on your stack.
If your goal today is "I need a polished 60-second video that turns my empty-state drop-off into activation," keep reading. Otherwise the article you actually want is linked above.
The 4-beat onboarding video framework
Every effective customer onboarding video moves through the same four beats:
Beat
Seconds
Job to be done
1. Friendly Welcome
0–10
Make the user feel they signed up for a real product, not a faceless tool
2. First Action
10–25
Point to the ONE thing to click first
3. Quick Win
25–45
Show the outcome they get from doing that one thing
4. Next Step
45–60
Direct to the second action — what to do after the first win
This structure isn't theoretical. It maps directly to the four most common reasons new users churn in the first session: I don't know who made this, I don't know what to do first, I don't know what success looks like, I don't know what to do next.
Each beat corresponds to one AutoAE template. All four ship from a browser at 1080p with commercial license on the $9.90/month Starter plan, or $2.90 per video one-time.
The first 10 seconds answer one question: did I sign up for a real product, or am I about to use enterprise demo-ware?
This beat is where most onboarding videos fail. Founders either skip it entirely (jumping straight to UI) or pad it with a 20-second "Welcome to [Product Name], we're so excited to have you" voiceover that nobody listens to. The Friendly Brand Greeting template lives in the middle — character-driven, warm, but resolves in 8 seconds.
Drop your product name into the greeting placeholder. Add one line that frames the value, not the company. Bad: "Welcome to Acme — the world's leading CRM." Good: "Welcome. Let's get your first contact added in 30 seconds."
Frame the next 60 seconds, not your company history.
Include a number. ("30 seconds," "one click," "before lunch.")
Avoid the word "journey." It's the verbal tic of generic onboarding copy.
The character animation matters here more than founders realize. New users who see any animated character in onboarding are measurably more likely to complete activation than users shown corporate UI alone — there's a reason Duolingo, Notion, and Mailchimp all lean on character branding in early flows.
Step 2: First Action (10–25s) — UI Interaction
The middle 15 seconds is where you answer the question that actually causes churn: what do I click first?
Founders consistently overload this beat. They show three features, or four buttons, or the full sidebar. The new user remembers nothing and clicks nothing.
The UI Interaction template shows a cursor moving to a single button, clicking, and revealing the result. Replace the placeholder UI with your actual dashboard screenshot. Replace the cursor target with the one button that starts the activation path — not the most impressive feature, the most important first feature.
Ask yourself: if a user only does one thing in their first session, which action correlates most strongly with them coming back? For most SaaS products this is one of:
Add the first record (CRM, project tool)
Connect the first integration (analytics, data tools)
Invite the first teammate (collaboration tools)
Import the first asset (design tools, content tools)
Run the first query (search, AI tools)
That's the button the cursor in this template needs to land on. Not "Settings." Not "View Plans." The first activation click.
By second 25, the user has been welcomed and shown what to click. The next 20 seconds answer the most underrated onboarding question: what does success look like?
This is the beat that separates a useful onboarding video from a tour-style walkthrough. A tour shows the user where things are. A quick-win beat shows the user what they get when they engage. The first feels like instructions. The second feels like a payoff.
The Search Interaction Reveal template does typing-plus-cursor-action animation — perfect for showing the user a representative first input (typing a name, a query, a project title) and the immediate response. The animation is keyframed to feel intentional and human, which sidesteps the "cursor missed the button" iteration churn that r/SaaS founders keep complaining about when they try to recreate this in After Effects.
Replace the placeholder input field with your product's actual first-input experience. Replace the response state with what users actually see after that first action — a populated dashboard, a generated output, a confirmation card. The animation should feel like "oh, that's all it takes" — not "watch me click through 12 settings."
Step 4: Next Step (45–60s) — Minimal Two-Step Connection
The final 15 seconds close the loop with the second action. Every activated user needs a next step or they'll close the tab after the quick win.
The Minimal Two-Step Connection template visualizes the bridge from action 1 to action 2 — two beats, an arrow, a destination. It's the cleanest way to show "you did this, now do this" without over-explaining.
The second action should be triggered by the first action's success, not arbitrary.
Keep the visual language consistent — same color accent, same typography family as Step 3.
End on the destination state, not on the call-to-action button. The user should see what's next, not just be told.
Good second actions to feature here:
After "add first contact" → "create your first segment"
After "connect first integration" → "view your first data sync"
After "invite first teammate" → "set up your first shared project"
After "import first asset" → "make your first edit"
Bad second actions:
"Upgrade your plan" (premature)
"Read the documentation" (kills momentum)
"Schedule a demo call" (you already activated; let them work)
Assembly in 15 minutes
You now have four 1080p MP4s. Open CapCut, Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve and arrange them on a single video track:
0:00–0:10 — Friendly Brand Greeting
0:10–0:25 — UI Interaction
0:25–0:45 — Search Interaction Reveal
0:45–0:60 — Minimal Two-Step Connection
Add a 6-frame cross-dissolve between each clip. Export at 1080p H.264, MP4 container, 8–12 Mbps. Onboarding videos are typically played with sound (unlike landing-page hero videos) so you can leave a soft ambient music bed underneath, but don't add voiceover — the motion and on-screen text carry the message.
Embedding tip: Self-host the MP4 on Mux or Cloudflare Stream for analytics, embed in:
Welcome email (sent immediately after signup, MP4 thumbnail with play button)
First-dashboard modal (auto-trigger on first login, dismissible)
Don't embed it on your marketing site. This is a post-signup video. Confusing it with a landing-page hero video will dilute both.
Comparison: 4 ways to make a SaaS customer onboarding video
Method
Cost
Time
Result
Best for
AutoAE + CapCut
$2.90/video or $9.90/mo
15 min
Branded motion, sound or muted
Founders shipping activation flow today
Loom screen recording with voiceover
Free
30 min
Personal, low-polish
Pre-launch / under 100 users
Synthesia AI avatar
$29/mo+
1 hour
AI voice, AI face, less brand control
Multi-language onboarding
Boutique agency
$4,000–$10,000
4–6 weeks
Full branded production
Series B+ with onboarding redesign budget
After Effects DIY
$22.99/mo + 30+ hours
30–60 hours
Custom if you know AE
You already have AE skills
The AutoAE row is the only one in this table that combines branded motion quality with a 15-minute production timeline. Synthesia is good for multi-language but introduces AI-avatar uncanny valley that often clashes with founder-built product brand. Agencies produce great work but the 4–6 week timeline is longer than most SaaS sprints.
If… Then guide
If your product is consumer-facing or prosumer (Notion-like, Figma-like) → Lean harder on Step 1 (Friendly Brand Greeting). Character-driven warmth converts better than enterprise tone.
If your product is B2B with sales-assisted onboarding (Salesforce-like) → Replace Step 1 with a Bold Slogan Opener and keep Steps 2–4 unchanged. The video should bridge the gap between sales handoff and self-serve activation.
If your product has no first-session quick win (cold-start data problem) → Replace Step 3 with a Multimedia Grid Zoom Transition showing what the product looks like after a few uses. This sets expectation and reduces the "I don't see anything yet" drop-off.
If you're delivering this via email only (no in-app modal) → Trim the total length to 45 seconds. Email engagement decays fast. Cut Step 3 to 15 seconds and Step 4 to 10.
What AutoAE doesn't do (so you know what else you'll need)
No in-app tour orchestration. Use Userpilot, Appcues, Intercom Product Tours, or Pendo for the interactive tooltips around the video. AutoAE makes the video itself.
No personalization at scale. If you need different videos for different user roles, you'll render variants. Each variant takes 15 minutes, not 4 weeks.
No voiceover generation. If you want narration, pair with ElevenLabs or record yourself. The 4-template flow is designed to work without voice, but voice can be added.
No video hosting or activation analytics. Mux, Cloudflare Stream, PostHog, Mixpanel — pick the ones you already use.
No A/B testing across video variants. That's downstream of where AutoAE plays in your stack. Vercel A/B testing, PostHog Feature Flags, or whatever your team uses.
If your honest answer to "will AutoAE replace my onboarding tour vendor?" is "no, I want a tour and a video," that's the right answer. The video is the warm welcome that makes the tour feel like a guide instead of an interrogation.
FAQ
Where should I actually place this onboarding video?
Three placements work best: (1) welcome email sent immediately after signup, with a thumbnail and play button linking to the hosted MP4; (2) first-login modal in the product, auto-triggered the first time a user reaches the empty dashboard; (3) the Getting Started page in your help center, for users who skip the modal. The same MP4 works for all three. Don't embed it on marketing pages.
Will my users actually watch a 60-second video?
The completion rate for a 60-second autoplay-muted video in an in-app modal is typically 70–85% — significantly higher than help-doc engagement. The reason: the user just signed up, the intent is high, and the video answers the literal question they have ("what do I do first?"). Length is the second most important factor (under 90 seconds), behind whether the video shows them their actual next action.
How is this different from a product tour?
A product tour interrupts and points at things. A customer onboarding video shows the user the path before they have to walk it. Most activated SaaS products use both — the video plays first (giving the macro picture), then the tour handles micro-interactions. They complement each other; they don't compete.
Do I need a different video for free trial vs. paid plan users?
For most SaaS products in their first year, no — the same 60-second activation video works for both, because the first activation action is identical. Once you scale past 5,000 active users, segmenting by trial vs. paid can lift activation in the 5–10% range. Render a variant when you have the data to justify it.
Can I update this video as my product changes?
Yes — that's the entire point. The 15-minute production cost means you can re-render the onboarding video every time you change the first-action button or quick-win flow. Most agency-produced onboarding videos go stale within 6 months because the product moves and the video can't keep up. This workflow doesn't have that constraint.
Should the onboarding video include the founder's face or voice?
Founder-led onboarding videos (Loom-style, with the founder on camera) work well for products under 1,000 users where personal connection is the brand. For products past that scale, branded-motion videos like this one outperform — they look like the product is a real company, not a side project. Pick based on the stage you're at.
Templates used in this tutorial
Template
Where to find it
Beat it covers
Friendly Brand Greeting
0X100x Style Collection
Friendly Welcome (0–10s)
UI Interaction
Season 2 SaaS Launch Kit Pt.3
First Action (10–25s)
Search Interaction Reveal
SaaS UI Assets
Quick Win (25–45s)
Minimal Two-Step Connection
Short-Form Content Collection
Next Step (45–60s)
All four are available on autoae.online with commercial license on the $9.90/month Starter plan, or $2.90 one-time per video. Render time is roughly 30–60 seconds per template.
The activation math
A SaaS product with 1,000 monthly signups and a 25% activation rate lands 250 active users. Lift activation by 10 points to 35% and you land 350. That's 100 additional active users a month — and the only thing that changed was the welcome flow.
A 60-second onboarding video isn't going to single-handedly add 10 points to your activation rate. But it's the cheapest activation lever you have. It costs $2.90 to make. It takes 15 minutes. It's still working a year from now. And it shows up at exactly the moment your user is most likely to either commit or churn.
The thing the r/SaaS founder in last week's thread missed is that "over-engineering onboarding" and "shipping a one-page welcome video" aren't the same problem. The first is a backend question about flow logic. The second is a 15-minute video edit. Ship the second one first.
