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How to use Claude Motion: a step-by-step tutorial

Claude Motion turns a description into a short animated video that Claude builds as code. This tutorial walks through making your first one, writing prompts that work, editing the result and exporting an MP4. It also covers how to get the same kind of video in Claude Code or Codex if your plan doesn't include Motion.

Before you start

Claude Motion is in beta on Claude Team and Enterprise plans. It's on by default for Team. On Enterprise, an owner has to turn it on first under Organization settings → Artifacts. If you're not sure whether you have it, see Claude Motion access & pricing.

1. Start a motion

There are two ways in:

  • From a chat. Describe the animation you want, for example "a 30-second explainer of our Q3 results for the all-hands". You can also pick Output → Motion in the message box so Claude knows you want an animation.
  • From the Artifacts tab. Open Artifacts, choose a Motion template, then describe what you want.

Attach anything Claude should use: a report, a spreadsheet, a chart, screenshots or a logo.

2. Write a prompt Claude can follow

Anthropic's own tip is to say who the audience is, where the video will play and roughly how long it should run, and to attach the material Claude should use. Write the prompt in that order:

  1. Who and where: "for investors, in the monthly update" or "muted in the LinkedIn feed".
  2. Length and format: "a 20-second 16:9 video".
  3. Your content only: attach the report, data or images and say "use only this; don't change a number".
  4. Scenes in order, then the end frame: what appears first, what moves, what the last frame shows.

A weak prompt: "Make a video about our growth."

A prompt that works: "Make a 20-second 16:9 video for investors, playing in our monthly update. Use only the numbers in the attached CSV; don't round them. A line chart of monthly active users draws on from left to right, and when it reaches June a callout pops in with the change since January. End frame: the June number, held for 2 seconds."

Our Claude Motion prompts page has prompts written this way for launches, charts, tutorials and social clips, each with a preview and fields for your own details.

3. Edit the result

Because the animation is code, you can change one detail without regenerating everything:

  • Ask in the chat: "Make the second scene a second shorter", "Change 38% to 41%", "Use our brand green".
  • Edit directly in the Motion editor.

Change one thing at a time. It's easier to see what moved, and easier to undo.

4. Export and share

Click Export and choose MP4. Animations are private by default; use Share to share one. Every animation is saved in your Artifacts tab, so you can come back and make a new version later.

Anthropic also lists integrations for taking an animation further in tools like Adobe, Descript, Runway and Luma AI.

What Claude Motion can't do

Motion doesn't use a video-generation model. It won't create realistic footage or people. It's built for explainers, charts, product walkthroughs and launch clips: content made of text, numbers, shapes and images.

No Claude Motion? Do it in Claude Code or Codex

If you're on Free, Pro or Max, or you work in another agent, you can get the same kind of video with a motion skill:

  1. Start with Motion Director, which is free, or pick a skill for a specific video from Motion Launch, Motion Creator or Motion Deck.
  2. Copy its install prompt into Claude Code, Codex or Cursor.
  3. Give your agent your material. It fills the template, checks frames and renders an MP4 on your computer.

Free skills download after a free Google sign-in. Each one also includes its matching Claude Motion prompt, so the same idea works in both places.

This guide is independent and not affiliated with Anthropic. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC. Sources: Anthropic's announcement and Get started with Claude Motion.