How to use your own hand in a whiteboard animation
Learn to choose, photograph and set up a custom hand for whiteboard animation: pencil tip, size, lighting and the most common mistakes.
The hand is the "lead character" of a whiteboard video. It is on screen from start to finish, so it makes a big difference. Editor de Vídeo Online offers two ready-made hands and lets you use your own hand, which makes the video far more personal. In this guide you will learn to choose, photograph and configure a custom hand for whiteboard animation.
Hand options in Editor de Vídeo Online
| Option | Look | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Default hand | Neutral, no sleeve | Works with almost anything |
| Hand with sleeve | With a shirt cuff | Corporate and company videos |
| Your hand | A photo you upload | Personal brand, lessons, creators |
Your chosen hand is saved: even after clicking Reset, it stays selected.
Why use your own hand
- Authenticity: viewers see that it is you "drawing".
- Personal brand: a watch, a ring or the pen color become a signature.
- Consistency: if you appear in other videos, the hand matches.
- Representation: choose the hand that represents you and your audience.
How to photograph your hand
- A plain, light background, like a white sheet or a plain wall. It makes background removal easy.
- Soft light, near a window, with no hard shadows.
- Hold a pen or pencil in your natural writing position.
- Shoot from above, as if the camera were the paper.
- Frame only the hand and part of the forearm, exiting through the edge of the photo.
- Remove the background and save a transparent PNG. You can use Editor de Vídeo Online's own Paper effect with No border and click Save PNG (see how to remove the background).
Setting up the hand in Editor de Vídeo Online
- In Hand drawing mode, open the hand section.
- Choose to upload your hand and select the PNG.
- Click the hand thumbnail to mark the pencil tip. This is the most important step: the line comes out exactly from that point.
- Adjust hand size (up to 400%). Compare it with the stroke thickness: the pencil tip should look as wide as the line.
- Click Generate animation and check the preview.
Getting the size right
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The hand looks huge and covers the drawing | Size too high | Reduce the size |
| The hand looks like a toy | Size too low | Increase the size |
| The line comes out of the middle of the fingers | Pencil tip marked wrong | Click the exact tip on the thumbnail again |
| The hand looks "pasted on" | Shadow or background in the photo | Redo the cutout with a transparent background |
Common mistakes
- A photo with a background: a rectangle moves around the screen.
- A sideways hand: the perspective does not match paper seen from above.
- An invisible pen tip: the tip must be visible to mark the point.
- Low resolution: the hand gets blurry when you scale it up.
See more pitfalls in common whiteboard video mistakes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a hand holding chalk or a brush?
Yes. Any tool works as long as you mark the tip correctly. Chalk pairs well with the chalkboard background and the White (chalk) stroke color.
Does the custom hand work in the advanced Python version?
Yes. Use the --mao option, for example python gerar_video.py drawing.png --mao mao_manga.png. See batch videos with Python.
Do I have to set it up every time?
No. Your chosen hand is saved in the browser.
Conclusion
A well-photographed hand with the pencil tip marked in the right place turns a generic video into one that feels like yours. It takes five minutes and pays off in every video after that. Set up your hand in Editor de Vídeo Online.
Make your animated video now
Editor de Vídeo Online runs in your browser (Chrome or Edge): upload an image, pick a style and record an MP4. Nothing to install.
Try Editor de Vídeo Online →
Editor de Vídeo Online Team
Written by the Editor de Vídeo Online team, the in-browser animation tool for hand-drawn whiteboard videos, Vox-style collages and paper cutout effects.
