Video Tutorials

Making Video Tutorials

Creating high-quality instructional objects and video tutorials can be a challenge. I don’t claim to be an expert, but have taken the time to learn some tools to create and maintain my YouTube Channel.

Step One

Have an idea of what you want to teach or convey, and write up a script.

Step Two

If you want to use slides, make a corresponding slide deck for your script. Otherwise, run through your demonstrations to make sure they work.

Step Three

Record the audio for your script using Audacity, a free open source tool.

Step Four

Playback your script in Audacity. Edit out long pauses, bloopers, or extra sounds. Redo any parts that you aren’t satisfied with. When you’re happy with the audio file, you can export it to an .mp4.

Step Five

Playback your audio file and use OBS Studio for screen capture. OBS is also a free open source tool. OBS allows for screen and video capture. It usually takes me a couple of tries to get this step correct.

Step Six

Put it all together in a video editor. There are many to choose from. Cut, snip, trim, add music, text, and more. When you’re ready, export the final video to an .mp4 format. You’re done! You can publish on YouTube or anywhere else. T

Design

I sometimes use Canva, the free version, an to make opening and closing slides that I export as .png files. I use those slides along with the fonts and colors I’ve chosen for branding to create a PowerPoint template (.potx or .pptx).

Sound

Sound quality is important. Early on, I invested in a RODE NT-USB Mini.

Need Help?

Lots of these tools have communities on YouTube and Reddit to help you with learning the basics and troubleshooting problems.