How to Use Claude Motion: Step by Step, With Prompts

Anthropic has added a new way to get things out of Claude: short animated explainers. It's called Claude Motion, and it's built for one job. You give it something you already know, like a report, a process or a set of numbers, and it turns that into a short animation that plays like a video.

I've spent years telling business owners that a moving explainer beats another static slide, and the usual answer has always been the same: no time, no editor, no designer. Motion is aimed squarely at that gap. Here's how it works, who can use it right now, and how I'd write the prompt so you get something worth sharing on the first go.

What is Claude Motion?

Claude Motion turns your own content into short animations. Anthropic's examples are an explainer for an all-hands meeting, an animated chart for a board deck and a product walkthrough for onboarding new customers.

The important detail is how it's made. Claude builds each animation as code that animates your text, charts, shapes and images. It doesn't use a video generation model, so there's no generated footage and no AI-generated people. Anthropic describes it as built for explaining your own work, and that's the right way to think about it: it's a way to make your ideas move, not a stock video machine.

Because the animation is code, you can change one detail, such as a word, a number or the timing, and the rest stays exactly as it was. Anyone who has ever had to re-render a whole video because of one typo will see why that matters.

Can Claude make videos now?

Yes, in a specific sense. Claude Motion produces an animation that plays like a short video, and you can download it as an MP4 file. What it won't do is invent filmed scenes, actors or realistic people. If you want talking heads or cinematic footage, that's a different kind of tool. If you want your message, your numbers and your steps explained clearly in motion, this is exactly what Motion is for.

Who can use Claude Motion?

Here's what Anthropic says about access:

• Claude Motion is in beta on Team and Enterprise plans.
• On Team plans it's switched on by default.
• On Enterprise plans it's off by default until an owner turns it on in Organization settings > Artifacts. Enterprise owners can also limit it to specific groups with custom roles.
• It counts toward your plan's usage limits, and longer or more complex animations use more of your limit than a typical message.

If you're on a personal plan and can't see it, that's why. Anthropic hasn't listed it for other plans, so I won't guess when that might change.

How do you create an animation in Claude Motion?

There are three ways in, and they all end up in the same place.

1. Ask in any chat. Simply ask Claude for an animation and describe what you want explained.
2. Use the Output option. Select "Output" in the message box and choose "Motion". Anthropic's announcement also shows that typing /motion in the message box brings up the Motion option.
3. Start from a template. Go to the Artifacts tab, select a Motion template and describe the animation you want.

Every animation you make is saved in your Artifacts tab, so you can come back to it later rather than hunting through old chats.

What should you put in a Claude Motion prompt?

Anthropic's own advice is short and good: say who will watch it, where it will play and roughly how long it should be, and attach the report, data or images you want Claude to use so the animation is built from your own content.

I'd add three things from years of making marketing content for small businesses. Give it one message, not five. Tell it the order of the scenes. And tell it what the viewer should do or remember at the end. Here's the template I'd start with.

Copy this prompt

Make a short animated explainer from the attached [report / notes / data].
Audience: [who will watch it, and what they already know].
Where it will play: [team meeting / client call / website / social post].
Length: roughly [length].
The one message: [the single thing the viewer must remember].
Scenes, in this order: [problem], [what we did], [the result or the next step].
Keep the words on screen short, one idea per scene, and use our brand colours [colours].
End on: [what the viewer should do next].

And a lighter version for when you just want to see what it can do with something you've already written:

Copy and paste this prompt

Turn the attached [blog post / one-page summary] into a short animated explainer for [audience].
Pull out the three most useful points, give each its own scene, and finish with a simple takeaway.
Use plain words. If a sentence is longer than a line on screen, shorten it.

How do you edit a Claude Motion animation?

You've got two options, and you'll probably use both.

• Ask Claude in the chat. Anthropic's examples include asking it to slow down the second scene or change a number. Be specific: name the scene and say what should change.
• Edit it yourself. You can adjust the animation directly in the editor.

Because each animation is code, small changes don't break the rest of it. That's the bit I'd lean on. Get the structure right first, then fix the words, then the timing.

Copy this prompt for edits

Keep everything else exactly the same, but:
1. In scene [number], change the headline to: [new words].
2. Slow scene [number] down so it's easier to read.
3. Make the final scene stay on screen a little longer.

How do you export or share a Claude Motion video?

To download an animation, click "Export" and choose MP4. Animations start private to you. To share one, open it and click "Share". Anthropic also says you can take a Motion animation further in Adobe, Descript, HeyGen, Higgsfield, invideo, Luma AI or Runway, with Canva and Captions listed as coming soon.

Before anything goes public, I'd watch it start to finish with the sound off, check every number against your source, and read every word on screen slowly. Claude builds it from what you give it, so the check is yours.

Tips for better Claude Motion explainers

• Start from a real document. The best results come from attaching your own material, not describing it from memory.
• One idea per scene. If a scene needs a paragraph, it's two scenes.
• Short words on screen. People read animations at a glance, so cut every sentence down.
• Say where it will play. A team update and a website explainer need different pacing, and Anthropic specifically suggests telling Claude this.
• Check the facts yourself. Motion explains your work; it doesn't verify it.
• Keep it short. Longer and more complex animations use more of your usage limit, and they're harder to watch too.

If you're comparing Claude with other assistants for different jobs, my guide to the right AI tool for each job sets out where each one fits.

Is Claude Motion worth using for a small business?

If you're on a Team plan, I'd try it this week on something you already explain over and over: how your service works, what happens after someone books, or what last quarter's numbers mean. That's where it earns its keep. It won't replace a filmed brand video, and it isn't meant to. What it does is turn the explanation already sitting in your head, your notes or your reports into something people will watch.

If you'd like your team to get comfortable with Claude and the rest of the AI toolkit together, that's what I cover in an AI workshop for marketing teams, built around your own work rather than a tour of features.

Frequently asked questions

What is Claude Motion?

Claude Motion is an Anthropic feature, in beta, that turns your own content into short animated explainers. Claude builds each animation as code that animates your text, charts, shapes and images, and it plays like a short video.

Which Claude plans include Claude Motion?

Anthropic says Claude Motion is in beta on Team and Enterprise plans. It's on by default on Team plans and off by default on Enterprise plans until an owner turns it on in Organization settings > Artifacts.

Does Claude Motion create AI people or realistic footage?

No. Anthropic says it doesn't use a video generation model, so there's no generated footage and no AI-generated people.

How do I download a Claude Motion animation?

Open the animation, click Export and choose MP4. Animations start private, and you can click Share to share one.

How do I start Claude Motion?

Ask for an animation in any chat, select Output in the message box and choose Motion, or pick a Motion template from the Artifacts tab. Anthropic's announcement also shows typing /motion in the message box.