Turn Any Web Page into a Video (Chrome Extension)

Turn the web page you're reading into a narrated whiteboard video with the free KolaVid Chrome extension. Install steps, example requests, privacy and limits.

To turn a web page into a video, install the free KolaVid extension from the Chrome Web Store, open the page, click the KolaVid button in the toolbar and choose Turn this page into a whiteboard video. KolaVid opens in a new tab with the page's link ready, reads the page, writes a script and makes a narrated whiteboard video where each drawing appears as the narrator says it. For just part of a page, select the text, right-click it and choose Make a whiteboard video from this text.

This guide covers installing it, the two ways to use it, requests worth adding before you press Make, what the extension can and cannot see, and what to do when something does not work.

What the extension does

The extension is a shortcut from your browser to KolaVid. It does not make the video inside Chrome. It hands KolaVid one of three things:

  1. The page you are reading, by its address, from the toolbar button.
  2. Text you select on a page, from the right-click menu.
  3. Text you paste into the box in the extension's popup.

KolaVid then does the work on kolavid.com: it reads the page or text, writes a clear script, draws each idea on a whiteboard and reveals every drawing as the narrator says it, one idea a board. You download the MP4 or share a link when it is ready.

How to install it

  1. Open the KolaVid extension in the Chrome Web Store and add it to Chrome.
  2. It needs only two permissions: to see the address of the tab you click it on, and to add one item to the right-click menu.
  3. Pin it to the toolbar from Chrome's extensions menu, so the KolaVid button stays visible.

The extension is free.

Make a video from the page you are reading

  1. Open the article, blog post or help page.
  2. Click the KolaVid button and choose Turn this page into a whiteboard video.
  3. A new tab opens next to the page.
  • If you are signed in to KolaVid, the composer opens with "Explain this page:" and the link already typed. Nothing is spent yet. Add any instructions, choose the frame, length, voice and narration language, then press Make.
  • If you are new, KolaVid takes you to sign-up and keeps the link. Once your account exists, your first video starts straight away: 2 minutes, landscape 16:9, narrated in your browser's language when KolaVid offers it, or English.
  1. The video is usually ready in a few minutes, and you can watch it being drawn.
Older woman with silver curly hair and glasses in a purple cardigan, using a laptop at a cafe table with a cup of tea and a phone beside her

Make a video from selected or pasted text

Sometimes you want one section, not the whole page: the three paragraphs that explain a process, or a single definition.

  • Right-click: select the text, right-click it and choose Make a whiteboard video from this text. The item only appears when text is selected.
  • Paste: click the KolaVid button, paste into the box under Use selected text, and press Make a video from this text.

A few words are read as a topic to explain. A longer passage is read as the material to explain, so the video is built from it. The extension sends up to 5,000 characters. Text in scripts such as Hindi or Arabic takes more room in a web address, so a long passage in those scripts is cut sooner, at the last full word that fits.

Requests to add before you press Make

When you are signed in, the link or text lands in the composer and you can add to it. One extra line about the viewer and the goal makes a better video than the page alone. Copy and adapt these.

1. An article into a lesson

Explain this page: [link]. For Year 8 students who have not studied this yet. Use one everyday example and end with a one-line recap.

Teachers use this for homework and flipped lessons. The teachers page has sample lesson videos made this way.

2. A help page into a training video

Explain this page: [link]. A training video for new support staff. Walk through the steps in order and say the most common mistake.

Help pages are written to be scanned, not heard. KolaVid rewrites them as spoken steps.

3. A long report into a short summary

Explain this page: [link]. Summarise the three main findings for a busy manager, in plain words, in 2 minutes.

For PDFs and Word files rather than web pages, the documents page explains what to upload instead.

4. A blog post into a vertical clip

Explain this page: [link]. A 1-minute vertical video for social media. Open with the question the post answers.

Choose the Tall 9:16 frame for Reels, TikTok and Shorts.

5. A paragraph you did not understand

Select the paragraph, right-click and choose the menu item, then add:

Explain this simply, for someone new to the subject, with one worked example.

Students use this when a textbook page or study guide makes no sense on first reading. If you are working from your own notes instead, see turning notes into an explainer video.

6. A news story in another language

Explain this page: [link]. Narrate it in Spanish for adult learners at an intermediate level.

The narration language list includes Spanish, Portuguese and many more. The KolaVid app itself is in English.

Privacy: what the extension can see

The extension is built to see as little as possible:

  • When you click the toolbar button, it reads the address of that one tab at that moment. It does not read what is on the page and runs no script on pages.
  • When you use the right-click item, it takes the text you selected.
  • It sends nothing on its own. The page address or text goes to kolavid.com only as part of the address of the tab you ask it to open.
  • It has no access to your browsing history, stores nothing and does not run in the background on pages.

Once the link or text reaches kolavid.com, KolaVid treats it like anything you type or paste there, as set out in the privacy policy.

Limits worth knowing

  • Length: free videos run up to 2 minutes; paid plans go up to 5.
  • Credits: whiteboard videos cost 1 credit a second. A free account gets 120 credits, enough for one 2-minute video, with no card. Pricing lists the paid plans.
  • Browser pages: the button cannot use Chrome's own pages, such as the new tab page, settings or extension pages, or files opened from your computer. It works on normal web pages (http and https).
  • Pasted text: up to 5,000 characters through the extension. For longer material, upload the document on kolavid.com.
  • No editing timeline: to change a video, change the request and make it again.

Troubleshooting

The button is greyed out and says "Open a web page first". You are on a Chrome page KolaVid cannot read, such as a new tab. Open the article itself and click again.

The right-click item is missing. It only shows when text is selected. Select a word or more, then right-click on the selection.

KolaVid says "Nothing to make a video from". The tab opened without a link or text. Go back, open the page or select the text, and use the button again.

The video misses what was on my screen. The extension sends the page's address, not what you see, so KolaVid opens the page itself. For a page behind a sign-in, select the text you need and use the right-click item instead.

I need help with my account or credits. The support page has common answers and the email address.

FAQ

Is the KolaVid Chrome extension free?

Yes. The extension is free, and a new KolaVid account makes one 2-minute video with no card. After that, videos use credits from a paid plan.

Does it work on any website?

It works on normal web pages: articles, blog posts, documentation and help pages. It cannot use Chrome's own pages or local files. If a page needs a sign-in, select the text and use the right-click option.

Can I choose the voice and the frame?

Yes. When you are signed in, the link or text opens in the composer, where you pick the frame (16:9, 9:16 or 1:1), the length, a female or male voice and the narration language before you press Make.

Will it work in Edge or Firefox?

The extension is coming to Edge and Firefox. Until then, use Chrome, or paste the link into the box on kolavid.com.

Try it on the next page you read

Install the extension, open an article you would like a friend or a class to understand in two minutes, and click the button. If you also work in Google Docs, Slack or Zapier, see all the ways to use KolaVid.

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