How to Convert PDFs into Engaging Video with AI (in Seconds!)

How to convert PDFs to videos with Synthesia

1. Upload your PDF to Synthesia
2. Customize the video with branding & preferences
3. Editing & refining the video
4. Customizing the final video
5. Adding music & final touches

I’m going to show you how to turn long, boring PDFs into engaging video presentations with almost no effort at all—thanks to Synthesia's AI assistant.

But first, did you know that 97% of learning and development professionals find video more effective than text-based documents? That means if you’re still creating PDFs and not turning them into videos, you're missing out—especially since it's ridiculously easy to do with AI.

I’m going to walk you through how to convert a PDF to video with AI using a real-world example. Let’s dive in.

Why convert PDFs to videos?

Let’s be real: nobody wants to read a 44-page PDF—not even when it's about a topic they’re actually interested in.

Take this YouTube Trends Report, for example. It’s packed with valuable insights, but at 44 pages long, who has the time (or patience) to go through it? And that’s just one example—imagine all the mandatory PDFs people get at work. Most people don’t read them.

That’s where video comes in.

Video isn’t just more engaging—it actually helps with better information retention. So, if I were YouTube, I’d take this long report and turn it into a compelling video presentation in minutes using Synthesia. And guess what? That’s exactly what I’m about to do.

Step-by-step: converting a PDF to video with AI

1. Up‎load your PDF to Synthesia

First, head over to Synthesia and click on AI Video Assistant.

‎Now, we need to upload our PDF. You could also start from a blog post or a script, but in this case, I’m going to upload the YouTube Trends Report.

Once uploaded, Synthesia allows me to choose a video template. I like this particular presenter avatar because she matches YouTube’s branding.

2.‎ Customize the video with branding & preferences

Here’s where the magic happens.

With Synthesia’s brand kit, I can make sure my video matches YouTube’s branding—using YouTube’s colors (red, white, black), logo, and preferred avatars.

I also set the video length—since the original report is 44 pages long, I choose a 5-minute video to condense the information effectively.

Now, I define my objective:

👉 "Highlight the top trends from this report and educate viewers on why they matter."

And for audience, I choose YouTubers.

That’s it! I hit Create Outline, and Synthesia automatically generates a structured video outline from my PDF.

‎3‎. Editing & refining the video

Now that my outline is ready, I can review and tweak it.

For example, if I don’t want a section on gaming trends, I can remove that chapter entirely. It’s super easy to edit and refine before moving forward.

‎Once I’m happy with the structure, I click Create Video, and Synthesia generates an entire video, including a script, scenes, and visuals.

4. C‎ustomizing the final video

Synthesia gives me a fully generated video with:

• On-brand visuals
• A talking AI presenter
• Text animations

Everything is customizable—just like tweaking a PowerPoint.

If I want to swap the presenter or change the script, I can do that in seconds.

‎For example, instead of "Imagine a world", I can simply type "Imagine a universe", and Synthesia instantly updates the video—it’s that fast.

I also check the b-roll and stock footage. If I don’t like a certain clip, I can replace it in one click.

5.‎ Adding music & final touches

To make the video even more engaging, I add background music.

I search for something in the tech/digital theme and find a track called Tech Nostalgia—perfect for the topic. I apply it to all scenes, and just like that, my video is ready to export.

• Edit the video title & description (AI-generated based on my PDF).
• Choose whether to burn in captions (I skip captions for this one).

Finally, I hit Generate, and within minutes, my PDF has transformed into an engaging, fully produced video.

Final thoughts

Instead of forcing people to slog through a 44-page PDF, I now have a professional video presentation that’s far more engaging and easier to consume.

You can try this for free—I promise you’ll be blown away by how easy and effective this is.