Lumen5 turns blog posts, articles, and scripts into short social media videos in minutes — no video editing experience needed. Here’s how to use it and what it’s actually good for.
Short Answer: Lumen5 is an AI-powered video creation tool that converts text content into short videos automatically. Paste a URL or write a script, and Lumen5 creates a storyboard with text, images, and music. Free plan creates 720p videos with a Lumen5 watermark. Starting plan at $19/month removes the watermark.
What Is Lumen5?
Lumen5 is a browser-based video maker that uses AI to turn written content into social media videos. The AI reads your text and suggests relevant stock footage or images for each slide. You adjust, customise the style, add music, and export. The whole process for a 60-second video typically takes 10–20 minutes once you’re familiar with the interface.
It’s primarily used for marketing content, blog-to-video repurposing, and social media posts where you need consistent output quickly.
Step 1: Create an Account
- Go to lumen5.com
- Click Get Started Free — create an account with your email or Google account
- The free plan is available with no credit card required
Step 2: Create a New Video
From your dashboard, click Create New. You have three starting options:
- Blog Post: Paste a URL — Lumen5 imports the article text and creates a storyboard
- Text to Video: Type or paste your script directly
- Template: Start from a pre-built video template
For repurposing blog content, the Blog Post option is the fastest — Lumen5 does most of the work automatically.
📸 SCREENSHOT NEEDED: Lumen5 new video creation screen showing the three options: Blog Post URL, Text to Video, and Template
Step 3: Review the AI-Generated Storyboard
Lumen5 creates an automatic storyboard — each key sentence from your text becomes a slide with suggested footage or images. The AI is good but not perfect:
- Check each slide for relevance — replace any stock footage that doesn’t fit
- Edit text on each slide to keep it concise (5–8 words per slide works best for video)
- Reorder slides by dragging them in the timeline
- Delete slides that feel redundant
📸 SCREENSHOT NEEDED: Lumen5 storyboard editor showing multiple slides with text overlays and stock footage previews
Step 4: Customise Style
In the Styles panel (left sidebar), choose a visual theme — this sets the fonts, colour scheme, and text animation style for all slides at once. You can also customise individual slides manually. Change the background footage for any slide by searching the stock media library (Lumen5 has millions of royalty-free clips).
Step 5: Add Music
Click the Music tab and browse Lumen5’s royalty-free music library. Choose a track that matches your video’s tone. The music plays across all slides and fades out at the end automatically. All music in Lumen5’s library is cleared for use — no copyright issues on social platforms.
Step 6: Set Aspect Ratio
Before exporting, set the aspect ratio for your target platform:
- 16:9 — YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook
- 1:1 — Instagram feed, Facebook feed
- 9:16 — Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts
Step 7: Export
Click Publish in the top right. Lumen5 renders the video — typically 2–5 minutes. Download the MP4 file. The free plan exports at 720p with a Lumen5 watermark in the corner.
Warning: Free plan videos have a Lumen5 watermark. If you’re using videos for professional or business purposes, the Basic plan ($19/month) removes the watermark and exports at 1080p. The free plan is fine for personal use or testing the workflow.
Full workflow:
lumen5.com → Create New → Paste blog URL → review storyboard → adjust slides → choose style + music → set aspect ratio → Publish → Download MP4
Quick checklist:
- ✅ Set video duration target before starting — 30–90 seconds works best for most social platforms
- ✅ Trimmed text on each slide to 5–8 words maximum for readable video text
- ✅ Replaced any irrelevant stock footage Lumen5 suggested with better matches
- ✅ Chose aspect ratio (9:16 for Reels/Shorts, 1:1 for Instagram feed) before exporting
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lumen5 completely free?
The free plan lets you create unlimited videos at 720p with a Lumen5 watermark. Paid plans start at $19/month and remove the watermark, increase resolution to 1080p, and provide more customisation options.
What kinds of videos is Lumen5 best for?
Educational explainers, blog post teasers, social media content, promotional clips, and any video where you’re primarily showing text + stock footage + voiceover. It’s not designed for footage-heavy videos (vlogs, tutorials with screen recording) — use DaVinci Resolve or CapCut for those.
Can I add my own voiceover to Lumen5 videos?
Paid plans allow uploading an audio file as voiceover. The free plan doesn’t include voiceover, but you can add music and text overlays to convey the message without narration.
Are Lumen5 videos royalty-free to use commercially?
The stock footage and music from Lumen5’s library is licensed for use in your exported videos. On paid plans, this is cleared for commercial use. On the free plan, check Lumen5’s terms for commercial use restrictions.
Conclusion
Lumen5 is genuinely useful for content creators who want to repurpose written content into video without learning video editing. The AI storyboard does the heavy lifting. The 10-minute workflow makes it practical for weekly content schedules. The watermark on the free plan is the main limitation for professional use.
For more content creation tools, see our guides on the best video editing apps and productivity apps for creators.