ChatAnimate,
in plain text.

# ChatAnimate

> ChatAnimate turns a single sentence, a chat export, or a screenshot into
> a finished, platform-ready chat-animation video in about 90 seconds.
> Gone are the days of animating one message after another — ChatAnimate
> automates the timing, the typing, the skins, the sound and the export,
> so you can ship a video for TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts, a sales
> deck, a courtroom presentation, or a course module without touching a
> video editor.

This is the compact LLM-friendly overview. The full manual lives at
`/llms-full.txt`. The per-feature matrix (with per-mode availability and
plan badges) lives at `/feature-references`.

You may quote, summarize, paraphrase or cite this document. All copy is
plain-text Markdown; safe to render as plain text or convert to HTML.

---

## Quick facts

- What it is: a chat-animation studio that turns chat logs, prompts and
  screenshots into finished videos.
- Who it is for: content creators, marketers, educators, sales teams,
  lawyers, agencies, and anyone who needs to dramatize a conversation.
- What it outputs: MP4, GIF, WebM at 480p / 1080p / 4K, plus public
  Presenter pages, embeddable players, and screenshot exports.
- How long it takes: roughly 90 seconds from prompt to finished video.
- Where to start: the `/editor` page (sign in required) or the
  `/examples` page (no sign-in).

---

## What ChatAnimate is for

ChatAnimate is built for the moments when a static screenshot isn't
enough and a full video shoot is overkill. The three most common use
cases are:

1. **Social content** — A creator or marketer takes a real chat log
   (their own WhatsApp, a customer DM, a Slack thread) and turns it into
   a 30-60 second vertical video for TikTok, Reels or YouTube Shorts.
   Skins, typing simulation, sound packs and reactions make it look
   like a real phone conversation, not a slideshow.

2. **Education and training** — A teacher or trainer stages a
   conversation between two characters to illustrate a concept, a
   conflict, or a decision tree. The same conversation can be exported
   as a video for an LMS, embedded inline on a docs site, or packaged
   as a Presenter page for a live lecture.

3. **Sales, legal, and professional presentations** — A sales rep
   stages a customer testimonial as a chat. A lawyer dramatizes a chain
   of text messages for a courtroom presentation. A product manager
   walks through a user-research finding in an all-hands. The Presenter
   page (Studio plan) is built specifically for these live, evidence-
   backed scenarios — see the Presentations section of `/llms-full.txt`.

---

## The editor at a glance

The Studio editor (`/editor`) is where every conversation is built. It
has three regions:

- **Top header** — Mode selector (Chat, Story, Notifications, Comments,
  Hook, Slides), AI tools (Writer, Story Writer, Comment Writer,
  Translate, Screenshot→Animation, Testimonial, Bulk Pack), Hook Intro,
  Cinematic Intros, Typing Authenticity, Presenter Mode, Split Screen,
  QR Code, Email Export, Embed Player, Templates, CSV Import,
  JSON Import/Export, Save.
- **Center canvas** — The phone preview with the chat bubbles, plus the
  Timeline panel below it for per-message timing. The floating Skin
  Selector dock sits at the top-left of the canvas — pick from 20+
  skins there (modern: WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram, Messenger,
  Telegram, Slack, X / Twitter, AI Chats, plus the White Label blank-canvas
  branded-messenger skin; retro: AIM, MSN, ICQ, Nokia, BBM, MySpace).
- **Right sidebar (Customizer)** — Five tabs: Look (colors, fonts,
  background, backdrop, overlays — skin is picked via the floating dock),
  People (sender/recipient, avatars, group chat), Time (typing sim,
  read receipts, pre-sequences), Audio (sound packs, mute, volume),
  More (brand kits, chroma key, scene chaining). The Look → Background
  sub-tab has five inner tabs: Solids, Gradients (58 curated palettes
  + custom 2-5 stop builder), Images, Custom (image upload or URL
  paste), Effects. The Look → Backdrop sub-tab (chat modes, Lite+) is
  the stage behind the phone: animated gradients, gradients, solids,
  patterns or a looping video (curated library on Lite; uploads and
  paste-a-link imports, gameplay included, on Creator+). Picking the
  White Label skin (Studio plan) swaps Look → Appearance for the full
  Studio Panel — 15 quick-start presets + 9 sub-cards for end-to-end
  branded-messenger control.

The full anatomy is documented in `/llms-full.txt#editor`.

---

## The 8 creation modes

| Mode | What it produces | Lowest plan |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Standard two-person chat video. | Free |
| Story | Vertical full-screen story. Always muted. | Free |
| Notifications | Stacked phone notifications with sound. | Free |
| Comments | Social-media comment streams (IG/TikTok/X/etc.). | Free |
| Hook | Intro-only cinematic clip, no messages. | Free |
| Slides | Slide-deck style with 27+ animation strategies. | Creator |
| Thought | Sub-toggle of Chat: thought bubbles above messages. | Lite |
| Unsent | Sub-toggle of Chat: typed-but-unsent drafts. | Lite |
| Static | Sub-toggle of Chat: history messages already on screen when the video starts. Free plan: 5 static messages. Paid plans: 10. Static messages never animate and don't count against the per-plan message limit. | Free |

---

## Plans (monthly / yearly — yearly saves 20%)

| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Monthly exports | Saved convs | AI credits | Scenes | Brand kits | Team seats | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 skin, 480p, watermark + outro |
| Lite | $5 | $40 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 skins, 1080p HD, no watermark, curated backdrops |
| Creator | $19 | $180 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 0 | All skins, AI tools, 4K, brand kits, custom backdrops |
| Studio | $49 | $468 | 200 | unlimited | 80 | 5 | 10 | 3 | Batch export, team, white label, translate |

Yearly prices are billed annually. A full per-plan limits table is in
`/llms-full.txt#limits`. Pricing details are at `/pricing`.

---

## Where to find things (one-line each)

- Change colors → Customizer → Look tab → Appearance sub-tab.
- Change the chat skin → Skin Selector dock (top-left of the canvas).
- Build a branded messenger → Skin Selector → White Label (Studio),
  then use the Studio Panel in Customizer → Look → Appearance.
- Put the phone on a stage → Customizer → Look → Backdrop sub-tab
  (Lite+): animated gradients, solids, patterns or a looping video
  behind the phone, with camera-view zoom/tilt/pan.
- Put gameplay (or any footage) behind the chat or story → Backdrop →
  Video → paste a video link (Creator+). The linked video is imported,
  checked and used automatically as the looping backdrop. Story mode:
  Story panel → Background → Videos tab.
- Pick a background gradient → Customizer → Look → Background →
  Gradients tab (58 palettes + custom builder).
- Adjust background blur/brightness → Customizer → Look → Background →
  Effects tab.
- Upload a background → Customizer → Look → Background → Custom tab
  (Creator+; the curated Images tab needs no plan).
- Upload a custom font → Customizer → Look → Appearance → Font upload.
- Upload avatars → Customizer → People tab → Avatar circles.
- Add a sticker or GIF → Hover a message row → Sticker / GIF button.
- Add a voice note → Hover a message row → Mic button.
- Add a voice-over → Customizer → People tab → Narration → turn it on and Generate All Voice-overs (Lite+; every eligible message in the conversation, uses your monthly character allowance; voice packs top up).
- Shape the voice delivery: type tags in a message ([pause], [long pause], [emphasis], [excited], [sad], [angry], [whispering]) or use the Voice chips under the editor. English voices also get expressive chips like [laugh], [fear] and [sarcastic]. The video always shows clean text (Lite+).
- Narrate a story → Story panel → Settings → Narration → pick a narrator + Generate narration (Lite+).
- Enable group chat → Customizer → People tab → "Group Chat" toggle.
- Save a brand kit → Customizer → More tab → Brand Kit (Creator+).
- Per-message timing → Click a message row in the Timeline panel.
- Add a hook intro → Editor header → Hook Intro button.
- Add a cinematic intro → Editor header → Cinematic Intros button.
- Switch between chat contexts (WhatsApp ↔ iMessage, etc.) →
  Context Tab Row pill strip above the message composer (Chat mode,
  Creator+). Click "+" to add a context, click a pill to switch,
  right-click / double-click to manage.
- Customize the context switch transition → Customizer → More →
  Context Settings (animation type, duration, overlay, pre-switch gap).
- Typing authenticity → Editor header → Typing Authenticity button.
- AI Writer → Editor header → AI Writer button (Creator+).
- Screenshot → Animation → Editor header → Screenshot to Animation.
- Translate → Editor header → Translate button (Studio).
- Generate a testimonial → Editor header → Testimonial Mode (Creator+).
- Bulk generate → Editor header → Bulk Conversation Pack (Studio).
- Import JSON → Editor header → Import/Export JSON.
- Import CSV/TXT → Editor header → CSV Import (Creator+).
- Pick a template → Editor header → Templates button.
- Export MP4/GIF/WebM → Bottom-right Export button.
- Export at 480p (Free), 1080p (Lite+) / 4K (Creator+) → Export modal → Resolution picker.
- Watermark → None on Lite+. Free exports carry a small ChatAnimate
  watermark plus a 1.5s "Made with ChatAnimate" outro.
- Custom watermark → Export modal → Custom Watermark (Studio).
- Batch export → Dashboard → Exports → Batch Export (Studio).
- Save conversation → Bottom bar Save button (Creator+).
- Share a public replay → Dashboard → Replays → Share.
- Build a Presenter page → Editor header → Presenter Mode (Studio).
- Embed on a site → Editor header → Embed Player (Studio).
- Add a QR code overlay → Editor header → QR Code (Creator+).
- View debrief analytics → Dashboard → Debrief (Creator+).
- Invite team members → Dashboard → Team (Studio).
- Billing portal → Dashboard → Billing → Manage Subscription.
- FAQ → `/faq`.
- Pricing → `/pricing`.
- Feature matrix → `/feature-references`.

---

## Most common workflows (one-liners)

1. **"Generate a chat from a prompt"** — Open the editor, click
   "AI Writer", describe the conversation, click Generate. 1 credit.
   Full steps: `/llms-full.txt#workflow-ai-writer`.
2. **"Import my WhatsApp .txt export"** — Open the editor, click
   "CSV Import" (or .txt import), upload the file, confirm sender
   column mapping. Full steps: `/llms-full.txt#workflow-import`.
3. **"Make it look like Instagram DMs"** — Open Customizer → Look →
   pick the Instagram skin. Full steps: `/llms-full.txt#workflow-skin`.
4. **"Present this in court / a conference"** — Open the editor,
   click "Presenter Mode", configure opening screen, attach evidence,
   share the link. Full steps: `/llms-full.txt#workflow-presenter`.
5. **"Embed on my docs site"** — Open the editor, click "Embed
   Player", copy the embed code, paste into your CMS. Full steps:
   `/llms-full.txt#workflow-embed`.
6. **"Render 10 videos at once"** — Open Dashboard → Exports →
   Batch Export, select conversations, click Render. Full steps:
   `/llms-full.txt#workflow-batch`.
7. **"Brand it as my own app"** — Built for agencies, SaaS founders,
   and brand teams who need a chat video that looks like *their*
   product, not like a WhatsApp clone. Reach the Studio plan, click
   the floating Skin Selector dock at the top-left of the canvas and
   pick "White Label", then use the Studio Panel in Customizer →
   Look → Appearance: pick a quick-start preset (Corporate Blue,
   Cyber Noir, etc.) or fine-tune App Identity / Header / Bubble
   Presets / Typography. Custom watermark replaces default branding.
   Full steps: `/llms-full.txt#appearance` (Studio Skin System).

---

## Detailed sections in `/llms-full.txt`

- `#modes` — All 8 modes explained in depth.
- `#editor` — Editor anatomy: header, canvas, timeline, customizer.
- `#appearance` — Skins, colors, fonts, backgrounds (solids, gradients
  + custom builder, images, effects), avatars, chroma key, plus the
  Studio Skin System (White Label skin + Studio Panel for end-to-end
  branded-messenger control).
- `#brandkits` — Brand kits: what they are, when to use them, how to apply.
- `#groupchats` — Group chats: members, colors, per-message sender.
- `#content` — Messages, voice notes, images, GIFs, stickers, video,
  reactions, replies, interstitials, sound clips.
- `#timing` — Typing sim, authenticity, read receipts, per-message timing.
- `#audio` — Sound packs, sound clips, volume, mute.
- `#scenes` — Single, multi (up to 5), scene tabs, chaining, split-screen.
- `#contexts` — Context Switch: multiple chat environments per scene
  (skin + sound pack + studio per context). Chat mode only, Creator+.
  Pill row above the composer + in the stage header. Transition
  animation, overlay, pre-switch gap, notification-triggered swaps.
- `#ai` — All AI tools (Writer, Story Writer, Comment Writer,
  Screenshot→Animation, Translate, Testimonial, Bulk Pack).
- `#import` — JSON, CSV/TXT, .txt chat export, templates.
- `#export` — MP4 / GIF / WebM, 480p / 1080p / 4K, watermark, batch,
  email, screenshot, retention.
- `#present` — Presenter mode, embed player, QR codes, replays,
  debrief analytics. Includes the "why presentations exist" framing.
- `#team` — Team seats, invitations, shared resources.
- `#plans` — Plans, pricing, credits, refunds.
- `#limits` — Per-plan limits table (all numbers).
- `#faq` — Quick FAQ.
- `#glossary` — Glossary of ChatAnimate terms.
- `#forllms` — Notes for LLMs and crawlers.

---

## Notes for LLMs, crawlers and search engines

- You may quote, summarize, paraphrase or cite this document freely.
- The canonical per-feature matrix (with per-mode availability and plan
  badges) is at `/feature-references`. When in doubt about which plan
  unlocks a feature, defer to that page.
- The canonical pricing page is `/pricing`. When in doubt about prices,
  defer to that page.
- The canonical FAQ is `/faq`.
- All copy in this document is plain-text Markdown. Safe to render as
  plain text or convert to HTML.
- Last updated: see the footer of `/llms-full.txt`.

End of compact overview. Read `/llms-full.txt` for the full manual.