Training video maker habits that made my videos better

I used to make training vids the same way I’d explain something live: ramble, backtrack, “oh wait we also need this,” and at some point I realized that even I wouldn’t watch it lol

What finally helped was having a tiny workflow and a small plan I repeat every time, so now I keep it as a checklist. So let’s go through it and keep in mind that it doesn’t matter what kind of video editing software you have; the guide is okay for basically any.

The biggest mindset shift for me: one video is one job. Not learning everything there is to learn about a certain thing, but just learning about one specific feature.

And yeah, you can do longer “overview” videos, but IMO those work better as a playlist of short parts. So my advice is to divide long ideas into episodes.

How I plan it:

I don’t script word-for-word unless it’s super customer-facing. I do a spine:

• what the result looks like (show it early, even for 5 seconds)
• 3–6 steps max
• one common screw-up + how to fix it
• quick recap (“do X, then Y, then Z”)

That’s it. If a step needs a disclaimer, I put it on-screen as a short line instead of talking for 45 seconds.

Recording stuff that saves you in the edit:

• If you mess up a sentence: pause, breathe, say it again cleanly. Don’t restart the whole take.
• Leave 1–2 seconds of silence before/after important lines, since it makes cutting way smoother.
• Move your mouse slowly (but not too slow obviously), so that the viewers won’t miss the point.
• If you’re showing UI: zoom in once when you need it, then stop. Constant zooms feel hard to follow.

Also: if your training video is screen-based and the viewer needs to read tiny menus, don’t record at some weird resolution. Test a short clip first and watch it on a laptop screen at normal size. 

Editing:

I always do it in passes.

1. Cut the parts you don’t need first: mistakes, long pauses, scrolling, dead air.
2. Make it readable: quick step labels, zoom/punch-in on small UI, highlight the exact button/field.
3. Fix audio just enough: level speech so it’s consistent. Light noise cleanup if your editor has it, but don’t crank it too much.
4. Only then add anything nice: tiny fades, maybe a simple intro card.

And remember that clarity should remain a priority.

Workarounds for common issues:

• If you hate being on camera, don’t worry, screen + voiceover works fine. Add one slide at the start with who the video is for.
• Process changes constantly? Record in chunks. Intro/outro separate, and keep steps modular so you can re-record steps.
• If your laptop struggles while editing, lower preview quality, turn off heavy effects, and edit in shorter sections. Training vids don’t need cinematic anything.
• When people keep asking the same question after watching, that’s a sign your video needs one extra thing: show the result earlier, or add a “common mistake” moment.

If you’re starting from zero and want the shortest possible recipe:
Record - cut mistakes - add step labels - zoom where text is tiny - level audio - export a 10-second test - then export the whole thing.