Introduction
This guide takes you from nothing to a finished video ad in Arcads, with no filming and no editing skills. Prefer to describe the ad and let AI do the steps? Ask Mark, the Arcads AI agent.
Insight: Paid plans include 100 free images per rolling 24 hours, so you can try several scenes in step 2. Free daily images aren't part of the free trial.
How to make an ad
Step 1: Upload your product
Open a project in Studio and drag in a product image. No physical product? Skip this step and start from an actor.
Step 2: Generate images
Describe the scene, such as "a coffee shop in Paris", pick an image model and generate. Stuck on the prompt? Use the Prompt Builder.
Step 3: Make a talking video
Choose a talking actor, pick a voice from the library or your cloned voice and write the script. Add emotion tags such as [excited] or [softly], or let an AI step add them for you. Then generate the video.
Step 4: Add movement or B-roll
Give the actor expressive gestures with the Gestures preset, or generate B-roll clips from your product image with a video model such as Seedance 2.5.
Step 5: Finish the ad
Add captions in Instagram or TikTok style, put a hook on screen with Text Overlay and resize to 9:16, 4:5, 1:1 or 16:9.
Step 6: Translate and scale
Translate the ad with lip sync, then use a workflow to make many versions in one run.
FAQs & Common Issues
How much does a first ad cost?
An Arcads 1.0 talking-actor video of up to 2 minutes uses 800 credits per actor. The free trial includes 1,000 credits.
Can AI do all the steps for me?
Yes. Describe the ad to Mark and it runs them.
Credit costs in this article are the standard rates. Arcads tests new pricing from time to time, so your account may use different rates or plan sizes. The Generate button in the app shows what each generation costs on your account.