How to make a tutorial video by recording your screen

To make a tutorial video by recording your screen, capture the steps in your browser, then turn the recording into a narrated video. With ScreenDub you record the screen, it writes a narration script and voices it, and you export a finished tutorial with a matching step-by-step PDF guide. There is no editing software to learn and no microphone to set up, and the whole thing runs in your browser. This guide walks through the full workflow, the settings that matter, a worked example, and the mistakes that quietly ruin most screen-recorded tutorials.

Why record first and narrate after

Narrating live while you record is the hard way to make a tutorial. You have to perform the steps and explain them at the same time, so one slip means starting the whole clip over. Recording the screen silently and adding the narration afterward splits that into two simple jobs. You focus on clicking through the steps cleanly, then focus on the words as text you can read and fix.

It also makes the tutorial easy to keep alive. When the interface changes, you re-record the part that moved and edit the line that describes it, instead of redoing the entire video. The narration sounds consistent every time, which matters when you are building a set of tutorials rather than a single one. A viewer who watches five of your guides should hear the same voice, the same pace, and the same structure in every one.

What you need

• A free account. No credit card is needed to start.
• A recent version of Chrome or Edge, which handle in-browser recording best.
• The app or page you want to show, open and ready in a clean window.
• A clear idea of the one task the tutorial teaches, so the recording stays on track.

How to record and narrate, step by step

1. Open what you want to show. Get the app or page ready, close anything unrelated, and run through the steps once so you can move without stopping. A dry run also tells you where the flow is confusing before it is on camera.
2. Record your screen. Start a recording and choose a tab, window, or full screen. Recording runs in the browser, so there is nothing to install. Move at a steady pace and pause briefly on each key screen, which gives the narration room to land later.
3. Let the script get written. ScreenDub splits the recording into steps and drafts a narration line for each, timed to the moment it happens. You start from a draft instead of a blank page, so the work becomes editing rather than writing.
4. Polish the wording. Edit any line, trim a slow part, or reorder steps. Cut lines that only describe what is obvious on screen and keep the ones that explain why. The first edit on each step is free, so small fixes do not eat into your minutes.
5. Pick a voice and export. Choose a voice and accent, preview it, then render the tutorial to an MP4. You also get a PDF guide built from the same recording, so a reader who would rather skim than watch is covered too.

A worked example: a 90-second tutorial

Say you are teaching someone how to invite a teammate inside your app. The whole tutorial is five clicks, and it should run about a minute and a half. Here is how it comes together.

1. Open the app on the main dashboard, with a realistic project already loaded, not an empty account. Start the recording here so the first frame shows the product in use.
2. Click into Settings, then Members, then the Invite button. Type a real-looking email, choose a role, and send. Pause for a beat after each click so the narration has a clear moment to attach to.
3. Stop the recording. ScreenDub turns those clicks into five steps with a drafted line each, such as “Open Settings and choose Members to see everyone on the workspace.”
4. Edit two lines to use your real feature names, delete the line that just says “click Send,” and pick a calm, clear voice. Export.

The result is a 90-second narrated tutorial and a matching PDF, made in the time it used to take just to write the script. The same recipe scales to any short how-to in your product.

Recording tips for clear tutorials

• Close notifications and extra tabs before you record, so nothing pops in mid-take.
• Move at a steady pace and pause on each key screen, giving the narration room to land.
• Record at a high resolution so small text and menus stay sharp.
• Keep each tutorial to one task. Make a short series for longer flows.
• Use realistic example data, not placeholders, so steps match what viewers will see.
• Zoom the interface up a notch if the text is small, so mobile viewers can still read it.

What makes a screen-recorded tutorial actually useful

A tutorial is not judged by how much it shows, but by whether the viewer can do the task afterward. The good ones share a few habits.

• One task, one video. A tutorial that teaches a single job is easier to find, easier to finish, and easier to update than a 20-minute tour of everything.
• State the outcome up front. Open with what the viewer will be able to do by the end, so they know the video is the right one before they invest two minutes.
• Explain the why, not just the where.“Click Members” is a caption. “Open Members to control who can see the workspace” is a tutorial.
• Match the narration to the action. The words should describe what is happening on screen at that moment, which is exactly what a recording-first workflow lines up for you.
• End with the next step. Close on what to do after the task, whether that is the next tutorial in the series or where to get help.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Starting the recording on a login or settings screen instead of the task itself.
• Moving the cursor faster than a first-time viewer can follow.
• Narration that reads the buttons out loud rather than explaining the point of each step.
• Cramming several tasks into one long video, so nobody can find the part they need.
• Leaving personal data, other tabs, or real customer names on screen while you record.
• Skipping the update. A tutorial that shows an old interface costs more trust than no video at all.

Recording

In-browser, no extension or install

Length

6-15 minutes per recording, by plan

Quality

Up to 2K, or upload files up to 650 MB

You get

An MP4 plus a step-by-step PDF guide

Languages

Translate into 70+, no re-recording

Free plan

10 minutes of export a month, no card

Add captions, chapters, and other languages

The same project gives you more than the raw video. You can add captions so the tutorial works with the sound off, drop in chapters so viewers jump to the step they need, and add background music if the silence feels flat. Because the narration starts as editable text, none of this means re-recording anything.

Tutorial video vs product demo

A tutorial teaches a viewer to do a task themselves, step by step. A product demo shows a prospect what the product can do and why it matters. The recording workflow is the same, but the narration is not: a tutorial is patient and instructional, while a demo leads with the outcome and keeps moving. If you are selling rather than teaching, read how to make a product demo video instead.

Frequently asked questions

Record your first tutorial free. Get started with 10 minutes of narration a month, read the Quickstart, or see how to create training videos with AI next.