Getting started
This page will help you set up your Plainly account, understand the first steps, and get to your first rendered video. Whether you’re evaluating the platform or ready to automate, this page gives you the essentials.
Prerequisites
Before you can start creating videos in Plainly, make sure you have a working Plainly account.
Create a Plainly account
You can sign up for free and explore the platform during a 14-day free trial. No credit card is required.
If you are using the username & password authentication method, yo’ll need to verify your email address first. Make sure to check your spam folder if you don’t see a verification email in your inbox.
First steps
Once your account is set up, the easiest way to begin is to follow the onboarding checklist with guided product tours inside the app. Alternatively, you can watch our video tutorials to get a feel for the platform.
Onboarding checklist
The onboarding checklist inside the Plainly dashboard offers short, interactive tours that walk you through key workflows. These tours show you exactly where to click and what to do in the interface.
The checklist button is available in the bottom right corner of the Dashboard page. The checklist includes the following tours that should be completed in order:
- Upload a project: Learn how to upload an After Effects project and its assets to Plainly.
- Create a template: Helps you define dynamic elements for your video variations by creating a Plainly template.
- Batch render videos: Explains one of the most powerful features of Plainly — batch rendering from a CSV file.
Tours provide all needed assets
The onboarding checklist tours provide all the assets you need to complete the tasks, including a sample After Effects project, CSV file, etc. It’s advised to use provided assets to avoid any issues.
Video tutorials
If you prefer video, we have a series of short video tutorials that cover the basics topics. We advise you to start with the official demo video below, which gives you a quick overview of the platform and its capabilities. Afterwards, you can find additional videos showcasing different use-cases on our Plainly Video Tutorials page.
More videos on YouTube
If you want to dive deeper, check out our @PlainlyVideos YouTube channel for more tutorials and tips.
What’s next?
As you move beyond your first few renders, here are a few things to consider checking up early:
- Review core concepts so you’re clear on how templates, data, and rendering fit together.
- Install Plainly plugin for After Effects if you plan to use your own After Effects video templates.
- Invite your team members and assign organization roles for collaboration.
- Generate an API key if you’re planning to automate rendering workflows.
Once you’ve rendered a few videos, you can explore more advanced capabilities in our User guide.