For animated explainer channels · 2026

Animated explainer YouTube editor: send the script and the voice, get the animated video

Hire an editor who turns a script and a voiceover into a fully animated explainer: hand-drawn-looking characters, icons, meters and scenes on a flat colored background, animated line by line to what the narration says, with text cards for the ideas you want people to remember. No illustrator to coordinate, no stock footage. Kevin Tabares draws and animates it in-house, and you can start with a free 1-minute animated test.

Get a free 1-minute animated test → See the style

Free 1-minute test · Quote within 24 h · No contract · Revisions back within 24 h

9.8/10 average: 20 YT Jobs reviews from 19 client channels, 17 of them a perfect 10/10

By Kevin Tabares · 1,277 videos tracked on YT Jobs · Updated Oct 2026

Quick fit check: is this editor right for your channel?

Video types: Animated explainers built from your script and voiceover: doodle-style scenes, icons, meters
Editing style: Fast-paced, high-retention YouTube documentary, or cinematic, serious historical documentary; archival footage with animated maps and timelines (The Spy Show, The Interpreter)
Video length: 8–10, 10–20, 20–40 or 40+ minutes, up to feature-length (Swaylemc’s full movies run one to almost four hours). The Spy Show episodes run 13 to 21 minutes.
Upload schedule: One video only, 1 video per week, 2–3 videos per week, 4 videos per month or several a week (Mud: about 3 a week). Start with one pilot: the free 1-minute test edit.
Format: Long-form YouTube videos are the core. YouTube Shorts cut from each long video on request.
What you send me: A finished script and narration (script and voiceover). I source the visuals: archive, licensed stock, maps and timelines, with a license log.
Estimated price: About $55 to $150 per finished video (up to $300 for some long or complex edits), depending on length, raw footage and effects. That fits the ‘$50+’ and ‘$100–$300 per video’ boxes for most long videos. Four videos a month: about $220 to $600 (more for long or complex videos); a $500 a month budget usually covers two to four long videos, depending on length. Exact quote within 24 hours, after a free 1-minute test edit.
Channel size: From under 1K subscribers (Mr. Marticson, 834) and small to mid-size channels (ThatNoob 4.9K, Crazz 10.7K, DakBlox 82.6K: 0 to 2M+ views in six months) up to 2M+ (Rex 2.29M, Puff 1.83M, Mud 1.26M)
Turnaround: First video in 1 to 5 days, then 1 to 2 days; revisions back within 24 hours
Track record: Proven YouTube results: 1,277 videos tracked on YT Jobs and 20 reviews from 19 client channels, 17 of them 10/10. Long-term work: Mud since March 2025, about 3 videos a week.
Who you work with: Kevin Tabares, directly. I review every video before it reaches you.
Channel language: English or Spanish
Terms: Paid in USD by PayPal or USDC. No contract, no minimum.
Closest proof: No named client in this exact niche yet. Closest long-form work: “The Tenerife Disaster: The Deadliest Crash in Aviation History” on The Interpreter (78K subscribers)

Built for faceless channels that explain something: psychology and habits, health, money, science, history, self-improvement, software and how-to. If your videos are a voice explaining an idea, the job is to give every sentence a picture that means the same thing, in one consistent style, so a 12-minute explanation never turns into a slideshow of stock clips.

The style, frame by frame

Frame from an animated explainer: hand-drawn style characters and icons on a yellow background

Frames from an animated explainer series produced in-house in 2026 (a psychology and habits channel). Flat, hand-drawn-looking characters and objects, text cards for the key lines, meters and simple diagrams for the numbers, all drawn to match the narration. There is no named client in this niche yet; these are from Kevin's own production, which is why you can test it on your script for free.

What you send, what you get back

You send

The final script. It gets read first, line by line, to decide what each sentence shows.
The voiceover file. The narration sets the timing; every scene is animated to the words.
A reference, if you have one: a channel whose look you like, or your own earlier videos.
Brand colors or an existing character, if you already use them. If not, a character is designed for the channel and stays consistent across videos.

You get back

A scene plan: which picture goes under each line, before anything is drawn.
The animated video, drawn and animated in-house: characters, objects, icons, places, meters and simple diagrams, with the small movements (a glance, a nod, a phone lighting up) that keep a flat style alive.
Text cards for the sentences people should remember, timed to the voice.
The mix: music chosen for the mood of each section, sound effects kept under the voice, and loudness set for YouTube.
Shorts cut from the finished video on request: the hook and the exercise, with large captions, in vertical format.

How the animation is built

Scene by scene, from the words. "She is lying in bed with the phone" becomes a bed, a phone and the character lying down, not a generic "person with phone" clip. The script decides the picture.
One character, many situations. The same character appears across the channel: in bed, in the shower, in the queue at the supermarket, on the sofa, at the gym. Viewers recognize it, and the videos look like one series.
Numbers get drawn. A statistic becomes a row of small figures with one circled, a scale with a needle, or a before-and-after pair, so the number is understood at a glance.
Text where it helps, not everywhere. The key line of each section goes on a card, timed to the voice, in a hand-lettered style that matches the drawings.
Sound finishes it. A music bed that changes with the emotion of each section, effects kept well under the voice, and the whole mix normalized for YouTube.

Why hand-drawn explainers work on YouTube

A flat, drawn style has three practical advantages for a faceless channel. It never dates the way stock footage does, so a video from two years ago still looks like the channel. It is cheaper to keep consistent than live footage, because every scene comes from the same hand. And it lets you show things that cannot be filmed: a thought, a craving, a brain releasing dopamine, two versions of the same evening. For explainers, that last point is the whole job.

What drives the quote

Every animated video is quoted per project, with no contract and no minimum. What moves it: runtime, how many distinct scenes and characters have to be drawn, whether you already have a character and colors, and how much on-screen text the script needs. You get the delivery date in the quote before anything starts.

How to start

Send your channel link, the script (or a part of it) and the voiceover through the contact form or to .
Add a reference if you have one, and your colors or character if they exist.
You get a free 1-minute animated test from your own script, so you judge the style on your material.
If you keep going, each video is quoted on its own and booked with 50% or 100% up front. Revisions come back within 24 hours.

Animated explainer FAQ

What do I need to send?

The final script and the voiceover. If you have a reference channel whose look you like, send one video; if you have brand colors or a character you already use, send those too. Everything else, from the storyboard to the drawn scenes, is done here.

Do I need my own illustrator or animator?

No. Characters, icons, scenes and text cards are drawn and animated in-house, in one consistent style, so you do not have to coordinate an illustrator and an editor separately.

Can you match a style I already use?

Yes, within reason. Line weight, colors, the character design and the background are measured from your reference and reproduced. If you already have a character, it keeps being your character.

Is this whiteboard animation?

It is the same family. Whiteboard animation usually means a hand drawing on a white board in real time. This style is closer to doodle or cartoon explainers: flat, hand-drawn-looking characters and objects on a colored background, animated scene by scene to what the voice says, with text cards for the key lines.

How long does an animated video take?

Longer than a cut of existing footage, because every scene is drawn. A 10 to 15 minute explainer gets its delivery date in the quote before anything starts. Revisions still come back within 24 hours.

Can I try it first?

Yes. Send a short part of your script with its voiceover and you get a free 1-minute animated test, so you can judge the style before paying anything. There is no contract.

Who is this for?

Faceless channels that explain something: psychology, health, money, science, history, self-improvement, software and how-to. Anyone whose videos are a voice explaining an idea, and who wants pictures that match that idea line by line.