How to Create a Software Tutorial or How-To Video

Written documentation has a ceiling. For anything with more than a couple of steps, a short video shows in 60 seconds what a page of text struggles to explain. That’s why tutorial videos have become the default for onboarding, support, and internal knowledge bases.

The catch is that a rambling, ten-minute screen recording is worse than no video at all. Here’s how to make tutorials people actually finish.

Plan before you press record

The difference between a clear tutorial and a confusing one is planning, not editing. Before recording:

• Define one outcome. “By the end, the viewer can export a report.” One video, one job.
• List the exact steps you’ll perform, in order. This becomes your path through the app.
• Set up your starting state. Open the right screen, log into the right account, and prepare sample data that looks real but exposes nothing sensitive.

Five minutes of prep saves you three retakes.

Write a spoken outline

You don’t need a script, but jot down the beats:

1. What we’re doing and why (one sentence).
2. The steps, each a short phrase.
3. The result — show the finished outcome so viewers know they did it right.

Narrating from an outline keeps you on track without sounding like you’re reading.

Record it well

With ScreenKit:

1. Choose the tab or window with the software you’re demonstrating.
2. Turn on your microphone to narrate each step.
3. Use live annotation to circle buttons and draw arrows as you go — this is what separates a tutorial that’s easy to follow from one where viewers get lost.
4. Optionally add a camera bubble for a personal intro.

A few recording habits that pay off:

• Move deliberately. Slow, clear mouse movements are easier to follow than quick jumps.
• Pause on important screens for a beat so viewers can read.
• Narrate what you’re about to do, then do it — not the other way around.

Keep it short and focused

If a tutorial is creeping past a few minutes, that’s a signal to split it. Three focused two-minute videos beat one sprawling six-minute one, because viewers can find exactly the step they’re stuck on. A tidy library of short clips also makes a searchable, self-serve help center.

Annotate the key moments

After recording, use the editor to reinforce the two or three steps people most often miss:

• Arrows pointing to the exact click.
• Boxes grouping related fields.
• Text callouts for anything non-obvious.

You can also grab a full-page screenshot to pair with the video in written docs.

Share it where people are stuck

Export as WebM and put the tutorial where the question actually comes up:

• In your help center, next to the relevant article.
• In onboarding, so new users hit it at the right moment.
• In support replies, as a “here’s exactly how” link instead of a paragraph.
• In your internal wiki for team knowledge (part of a good async workflow).

Keep sensitive screens local

Tutorials for internal tools often show real accounts and data. A recorder that uploads to the cloud puts that on someone else’s server. ScreenKit processes everything locally on your device, so your internal screens stay internal.

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Turn your trickiest feature into a two-minute video anyone can follow. Add ScreenKit to Chrome — free and ready in seconds.