How To Make Online Course Videos (complete tutorial)
Are you wondering how to make online course videos that impress your students?
Whether you’re a seasoned course creator or you’re thinking about creating your first online course, making course videos is often viewed as the most daunting task.
Not only do you need to have the best course content, you also need to present it in the most comprehensive way, plus you need to be a bit tech savvy to bring it all together…
But it’s not as tricky as it sounds. Follow the step by step tutorial below, and you’ll be able to create online course videos in no time.
Let’s get started!
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The best online course content
One of the best ways to deliver your online course is in video format. Video facilitates ease of learning by showing complex topics in a visually understandable way.
Plus our mere mortal brains tend to remember video-imparted knowledge better compared to dull text.
So if you are creating an online course, it is a good idea to include at least some video content (if not all).
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How to create a video course
If you’re creating your first video course, it’s a good idea to do some necessary planning.
Before you start creating videos you need to choose a specific course topic and target audience. Being specific about this will help you sell your course later on.
For example: If you’re thinking of creating a photography course, it will make a huge difference if you niche it down as a product photography course for female entrepreneurs or a wildlife photography course for seniors.
So make sure you know exactly what you’ll be teaching and who your audience is.
Next you need to decide what type of video content will you create.
Types of video content for online courses
There are several types of video content you could include in your online course. The best way to present your course lessons will depend on your course topic. Carefully consider the following video styles:
1. Slideshow presentation
Slideshows are a great way to present your course content. They are easy to make and they’re perfect for people who are a bit camera shy.
Make sure to keep your slides clutter free and easy to follow, and add a voice-over to clarify your course material. (I’ll show you how to create a slideshow presentation in a quick tutorial below).
2. Screencast Recording
If you teach your students how to do something on a computer, you may want to share your screen with them so they can follow along.
Screen recordings work great for technical course topics like web design or building email funnel automations. They also work great for creative tutorials, like Photoshop tutorials, or graphic design tutorials.
I’ve used this video technique for my online course: Wonderful WordPress and I used Screencast-O-Matic to record it.
3. Selfie-Mode Video
When thinking of online course videos, you probably think of the selfie-mode method. The teacher presents the course material talking directly into the camera. This method works great for most topics and has the added advantage that you build a connection with your audience. (You’ll find tips on creating this style of video below.)
4. Whiteboard Or Animation
Another way to present your course content could be with animated drawings or a whiteboard animation. If you don’t know how to do this, it’s probably a good idea to hire someone on Fiverr or a similar site.
5. Demonstration Video
In a demonstration video you show your students how to do something. This video technique works well for technical topics like How to replace your Macbook Pro battery or for very visual topics like How to paint transparent water in water colours.
The demonstration video could be a combination of selfie-mode and a demonstration or you could set up the camera on a tripod and film over your shoulder how you do something.
What video technique will suit your course?
Before you decide on the best video technique for your online course, it’s a good idea to create a rough draft of the course topic you want to cover in a particular video. Once you’ve done this, it’s often easy to figure out what the best way is to present it to your students.
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How To Make Online Course Videos Step By Step
Now you’ve decided on the best style of course video, let’s have a more detailed look on how to create videos for your online course. For the selfie-mode and demonstration style video you can use the steps below:
Step 1. Develop Your Script
Writing a script will help you organise your course topics and plan the flow of ideas. It will also ensure you cover all you aim to cover in your course material.
Write down your narration and make sure to pace the delivery of words to ensure learners can easily understand you and follow along.
Step 2. Shoot Your Video
If you have one of the latest iPhones, you could use this to shoot your video or you could get a good camera with 4K resolution and a minimum of 30fps.
Try to find a suitable location with ample glare-free lighting and a calm background.
Play around with your camera setting and shot type, i.e. wide-angled, close-up, etc. and see what works best.
Make sure to use an external microphone for much better sound quality and less background noise.
Step 3. Edit Your Footage
Once you’ve recorded your course lessons, you need to edit your footage. To be able to do this you’ll need video editing software. A great tool for this is InVideo,
InVideo will let you crop your footage, take out clips you don’t need, add text or music and pretty much anything you need to make your online course video look professional.
InVideo is also a great video editing tool for creating slideshows, so if you’ve chosen this video technique, InVideo is your go-to tool!
Editing Video Content with InVideo
Let’s have a look at how to create slideshow presentations and how to edit your video footage with InVideo.
Go to InVideo
Go to InVideo and create a free account so you can follow along with this tutorial.
Select Your Editing Option
Besides editing your own course video footage, you can also create course material from scratch in InVideo itself. You can start with an InVideo template, or create a course slideshow with the Text to Video option.
To access these options, go to your dashboard (under your name dropdown) and select how you want to start with your video.
You can get started by choosing from the following options:
- Video Template (great starting point for beginners)
- Text to Video (for slideshow presentations)
- Stock Media (select from 1M premium photos and videos)
- Editor (upload your own files and start from scratch)
It might be a good idea to play around with a template video to try out the InVideo editor, and once you feel ready you could upload your own footage or select a Text to Video template to start creating a slideshow.
You can also use a video template for your video intro (you can select this template type on the template page in the left menu under type) and then add your own course footage.
Text-To-Video Mode
Text-to-Video templates are a great starting point for your course slides. Once you’ve selected a template, you simply type in your slide text in the left panel and InVideo will select images to suit the text.
If you don’t like an image you can go to the menu on the left and browse the photo library, (use the search function to narrow down your search) select your chosen image and drag it into the frame on the right.
I’ve found that InVideo is not always the best at choosing suitable images so searching for the right photos/video yourself may have better results.
You can also add your own images in jpg, png, raw, BMP, tiff, or gif formats with a 20MB file size limitation.
Storyboard or Editor Mode
InVideo lets you create your video in Storyboard or Editor mode. Storyboard mode is great for adding your footage, photos, text, logo, elements and music. To add something to your project, select if from the left menu and drag it into the media layer left of the main frame.
The main difference between Storyboard and Editor mode is that in Storyboard mode you work on separate clips and in Editor mode you work on the whole video in a timeline.
Editor Mode
All video clips are positioned on the timeline below the main image. To adjust any scene’s duration you can click on the edge and drag it. Your sound/narration will be available as a bar at the timeline’s bottom.
When you click on the audio bar, Edit options will appear at the top. You can adjust the narration’s volume, trim it, loop it, duplicate it, or add a fading effect.
When you click on a video clip, Edit options will appear. You can edit your video footage in many ways:
- crop image
- flip image
- add blur effects
- filters
- animations
- transitions
InVideo has plenty of tools to make your course videos look professional, but don’t get too carried away with effects and transitions, often simple is best.
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Quick InVideo Editing Tips
Click on the lock icon (in top edit menu once you select something) to unlock elements for editing or to lock things in place.
Use the undo/redo arrow to go a step backwards or forward.
The Delete button lets you remove any asset already present in the template that may not be needed for the course video.
InVideo offers you plenty of options to edit the text of your course video.
- Select the style and size of desired fonts
- Change text box colours, as well as adjust the opacity
- Apply a drop shadow effect
- Animate words and sentences
- Animate the entire text box or placeholder
Add A Voiceover To Your Video
With InVideo you can easily add a voiceover to your course video.
In the editor mode, above the timeline click a button that says Voiceover. From the dropdown that appears you can select the following options:
- Automated text-to-speech
- Voiceover recording feature in the editor
- Upload your own file
The text-to-speech engine can convert your text input into a professional-sounding voice with pre-set options available in the voice library. You can specify your language and test the voice quality by playing the sound.
The Generate VO option lets you finalise the optimal voice, while the Add VO to Scene lets you insert it in sync with your course video.
Your voice-over will sit beneath each scene in the timeline.
Adding Interactive Elements To Your Course Video
You can improve the learning quality by adding interactive elements to your course video. This gives an edge over conventional videos, where learners are spectators only.
Interactivity empowers learners to take their understanding to the next level by jumping to the course content that suits their immediate needs.
To boost interaction, you can do the following:
- Add a Table of Contents at the start of your video with a brief overview of each section and hyperlinked option to jump straight to the relevant segment
- Insert condensed text elements that expand upon clicking to offer comprehensive info about a topic
- Add animated content or images
- Add hyperlinks to other learning resources available online
- Link to repositories where course materials can be downloaded in pdf format
- Add hotspots to highlight critical topics
Adding Transitions
To allow your video to flow better, you might want to add some transitions between clips or scenes.
In the Editor mode, jump to any scene in the timeline of your video and click on the little icon between two clips, this will open a transition library on the left.
There are many transitions to choose from, but to keep it professional, I suggest you stick to simple fades or swipes.
Finalise your video
When you’ve finished editing your course video it’s a good idea to watch it in full screen mode and check for any mistakes or glitches.
When you’re completely happy with your final result it’s time to download it to your computer and save it with your other course files.
Your video projects also get stored on InVideo’s servers which can be accessed any time from any internet-connected device.
Upload Course Videos to Your Course Platform
Once you’ve got all your course videos ready, it’s time to upload them to your course platform.
If you haven’t decided on a course platform yet, I highly recommend using ThriveCart Learn.
ThriveCart Learn is a new course platform that’s included in the popular checkout platform ThriveCart.
I use ThriveCart Learn for my courses and I absolutely LOVE it! It’s very intuitive to use and it’s available for a one-time fee (for a limited time). (This saves me over $1000 per year!)
For more information you can read my full ThriveCart Review here.
And if you decide this deal is an absolute no-brainer (which it is!) You’ll receive 3 ThriveCart Sales Page Templates with your ThriveCart purchase if you use my affiliate link.
You can check out my ThriveCart Bonus here.
ThriveCart does not host your course videos on their course platform but there is an easy fix for this (read the ThriveCart Learn review for step by step instructions.)
Conclusion
Making online course videos doesn’t have to be complicated. With help from the easy-to-use video editor InVideo, anyone can make course videos and slideshows that look great!
InVideo has been acclaimed by course creators as the best online video editor that allows you to create attention-grabbing high-quality videos in simple steps. The platform offers numerous video tutorials to help you create the best training videos for your online course. So don’t hesitate to give it a go, you can try InVideo for free here.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below, and have fun creating videos!
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Sassy Boss
Online courses are becoming increasingly popular, and one of the most effective ways to deliver an online course is through video content. Video enables easier learning by breaking down complex topics into a visually understandable way, and people tend to remember video content better than text. When creating an online course, it’s a good idea to include video content, or even make it entirely video-based. Thanks for this content is so good!