Turn your employee handbook into onboarding videos
Upload a section of the handbook or your first-week guide. DocReel writes the script, draws animated scenes for the schedule, the set-up steps and the rules, and narrates it with captions. Nothing to film and nobody has to present.
Sample: “Your first week at Calder & Rowe” (3:07)
- Made from: a 2-page “your first week” section of an employee handbook for a made-up architecture firm. We wrote it for this demo.
- Settings: for Adults, length “Fit the document”, no instructions. Made on 13 November 2026 on the Pro plan.
- Downloads (with Plus and Pro): subtitles SRT · VTT, slides (PDF).
- Editing: none. This is the video exactly as DocReel made it.
New starters get a handbook. Few read it all.
A short video for each part of the handbook is easier to take in before day one, and you say the same thing to every new starter.
Ready before day one
Send the video with the offer or welcome email, so a new starter knows where to be, what to bring and who to ask.
The same welcome for everyone
Every new starter hears the same hours, holiday rules and set-up steps, whoever is in the office that week.
In the language they read best
On Pro, make the same onboarding video in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and 12 other languages. More on multilingual training videos.
Videos teams make from a handbook
Your first week
The schedule for the first five days, getting a laptop and accounts, and who to ask for what.
Hours, holiday and sick days
Working hours, hybrid days, how to book time off and what to do when you're ill.
Rules from day one
Passwords, confidentiality, safety gear and expenses: the few rules everyone needs straight away.
How to make an onboarding video from a handbook
Nothing to install, nothing to film and no editing software.
Pick one section
Choose one topic, such as the first week or time off. Sign in with your email and choose “Adults” under Made for.
Upload it
Upload a PDF or Word (.docx) file, or paste the text. For a long handbook, choose the pages for that section. On Pro you can check and edit the script before the video is made.
Check it, then send
Watch the whole video. Then put its link in the welcome email, or download the MP4 for your HR system or intranet.
Plans for onboarding videos
| For this job | Free$0 | Plus$5 / month | Pro$15 / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Videos every 30 days | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| Document length per video | about 10 pages | about 20 pages | about 35 pages |
| Video length | up to ~3 min | up to ~5 min | up to ~7 min |
| DocReel badge and end card | Yes | No | No |
| Your company logo on the video | — | — | ✓ |
| Check and edit the script first | — | — | ✓ |
| Caption files (SRT, VTT) and slides PDF | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Narration | Standard voice | Best voice | Best voice, 6 voices, 3 speeds |
| Same video in another language | — | — | 15 languages |
| Videos kept | 30 days | Until you cancel | Until you cancel |
Prices in US dollars; sales tax is added at checkout where it applies. Yearly billing gives 2 months free. Cancel any time.
What to know before uploading a handbook
Tips for good onboarding videos
- One topic per video. “Your first week” and “Time off” make two better videos than the whole handbook in one.
- Leave out personal details. Use job titles and shared inboxes, not colleagues' mobile numbers. Anyone with a video's link can watch it.
- Leave out door codes and passwords. Send those separately.
- Check dates and numbers. Watch the video against the handbook: pay day, holiday days and start times should match.
- Update it when the policy changes. Upload the new section and replace the old video's link.
Privacy
- Anyone with a video's link can watch it, including people it is forwarded to. Don't upload personal information or confidential material.
- Uploaded documents are deleted 30 days after upload. Free videos are deleted 30 days after they're made.
- To make the video, your document's text is sent to Anthropic (Claude) to write the script, and the narration text to Google (Gemini) for the voice; OpenAI or our own server is the backup voice. The privacy policy has the details.
Questions about onboarding videos
Can new starters watch before they have a work account?
Yes. Anyone with a video's link can watch it, without signing in to DocReel. Put the link in the welcome email.
Can I see who has watched it?
Not person by person. In My videos you can see how many times each of your videos has been played. To record who completed it, upload the MP4 to your LMS or HR system.
Our handbook is 60 pages. Can I use it?
Yes, one section at a time. When you upload a long PDF, choose the pages for one topic. Each video explains up to about 10 pages on Free, 20 on Plus and 35 on Pro.
Can I put our logo on the videos?
Yes, on Pro. Upload your logo once and it appears on every video instead of the DocReel mark. Free videos carry a small docreel.app badge and end with a short DocReel card; Plus and Pro videos don't.
Can I check the script before the video is made?
Yes, on Pro. Tick “Let me check the script before the video is made”. We email you the script; change the wording of any scene, approve it, and only then is the video made.
Does the video have captions?
Yes. Captions are on the video by default. On Plus and Pro you also get SRT and VTT caption files to upload with the MP4, and you can choose to leave the captions off the picture and use the file only.
Is it safe for confidential documents?
Don't upload confidential material. Anyone with a video's link can watch it, and the text is processed by Anthropic and Google to write the script and voice it. See the privacy policy.
Can my whole team use it?
There are no team accounts yet: each account signs in with one email address. Anyone can watch a video with its link, without an account, so one person can make the videos for the team.
Can I pay yearly or get a receipt?
Yes. Plus and Pro can be paid yearly ($50 or $150 a year, 2 months free). The receipt for every payment is in Manage subscription (in the account menu), ready to download. Payment is by card; sales tax is added where it applies.
How long does it take?
Most videos take about 5–15 minutes; long documents can take longer. You can close the page. We email you a link when your video is ready.
Can I make videos in other languages?
The video uses the language your document is written in, so a Spanish document becomes a Spanish video. On the Pro plan you can also pick another language for the video (15 languages), and DocReel translates the script.
How accurate are the videos?
DocReel builds the video from your document, but it can make mistakes. Watch it before you share it. If something needs fixing, choose Make a new version and describe the change; on Plus and Pro, the first new version of each video is free.