# Software to create video tutorial of mathematics topics

I came across many video tutorials on youtube regarding mathematics. I found this video amazingly simple to understand for students. I want to know about the tool/software used for it or similar videos.

Screenshots:

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copy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD4lJlfPn-0 or click here

please feel free to provide your suggestions which may have better options

Thanks

• I just +1 and hope this question remains open. I was going to pose a similar question, but didn't for fear of it being off-topic. I imagine it comedown to a combination of software for whiteboard, graphics, and screen capture to produce the video. I think it's specific enough to want a combination that works for the math oriented tutorial vs generic video production common on youtube. – JTP - Apologise to Monica May 13 '14 at 19:49
• One free but slightly restricted alternative to look at is the tablet app/web-based educreations.com. – AndrewC May 14 '14 at 0:13

I've created roughly 40 videos for an online course and a flipped course in biology, so I've got some experience making videos. I researched the maker of your videos, and he deliberately does NOT reveal his process. So I don't know if this is his method, but I'm comfortable that this would produce something very similar.

Supplies:

1. Computer (I use a Windows 7 machine, but Mac should work) with a decent mic
2. Presentation software (I use PowerPoint) that has a plain "graph paper" background option
3. Wacom-style tablet, about $200 4. Screencast software like Camtasia Studio, about$200

5. Calculator emulator software. TI makes a \$160 one, but this one looks like the one your YouTube guy uses.

Then, his workflow is to build up a powerpoint show with some drawings already made and set to appear when he clicks. He starts the screen cast, narrates, and draws in where needed. He can alt-tab the calculator onto the screen when he wants it (or set it as a picture-in-picture? I've never used one). After completing the recording, some writing can be speeded up as long as you aren't talking during that part. Export, upload to YouTube.

All you need is money, time, some drawing skill, and the ability to be clear and concise and brisk.

Have I missed any steps?

• That's almost exactly the same sort of toolchain I use, especially Camtasia Studio which is excellent and wipes the floor with free alternatives I've used. I use a (casio) calculator emulator with alt-tab or click - picture in picture is unnecessary. I use software that came with our interactive whiteboard and preprepare like you say. My old toshiba stylus-tablet screen laptop or an interactive whiteboard are my favourite hardware - personally I find screenless tablets hard to be tidy on, but that might just be me. – AndrewC May 14 '14 at 0:08
• I use a fujitsu tablet laptop, but I mostly circle and arrow, I don't write things out. I need to improve my drawing skills.... – Adrienne May 14 '14 at 0:14
• I did some (a bit) similar videos. I went for the "budget" version: Linux (which I use almost exclusively anyway), Kdenlive (which is not very good, but enough for me), and LaTeX+Beamer for creating slides (and ImageMagick for converting the pdfs to bitmaps, then included in Kdenlive). Please note that what I did was mostly videocasts, not screencasts, though I'll try screencasts soon, too. – mbork May 14 '14 at 4:41
• @Adrienne - "All you need is money, time, some drawing skill, and the ability to be clear and concise and brisk." Very useful response, and I like the summary you give. I just wanted to add I was amused at your use of the phrase "all you need." – JPBurke May 14 '14 at 15:00
• Of course, while this answers the question, this is just ONE approach to doing it. The other method involves composing your presentation in something like Vegas/Final Cut/Premier/open-source-equivalent and syncing animations with audio you record from a script. They both have their advantages; I think the post-com method tends to come off as more polished, but it also requires a lot more work for what is probably questionable benefit. – LinearZoetrope May 15 '14 at 0:49

I've made roughly 900 videos in Norwegian, in the same style as Khan Academy over at http://udl.no - Check out the videos and see if it's what you're looking for.

I use SmoothDraw3 to draw into.

I use a Wacom tablet to draw on. Most Wacoms are affordable, and surprisingly good quality. I've had the same one for over 3 years, and not a single thing has changed about it.

I use Camtasia Studio for recording and editing, though very little editing is required.

I use Geogebra for visualizing graphs to prove calculated tendencies and critical points, and what-have-you.

I use Casio FX9750 software for on-screen calculating, but only when it's needed. I limit my use of proprietary software in case I decide to run ads on the videos. Most of the time, I only use the Windows calculator as it has more functions than most people know about.

Other than that, feel free to ask if I've left something out.

Here are some tools that can be used for creating high quality Maths video lessons:

Hardware

1. Computer with tablet, or just a tablet computer (e.g. Microsoft Surface Pro 3).

2. External microphone of a reasonably high quality. I use the Blue Yeti which seems to be a good compromise between quality and price. Previously I used a Logitech Headset which I found frustrating because it would pick up unwanted sounds, and generally made things too quiet.

Software

1. Some sort of screen capturing software. Most people seem to think that Camtasia Studio is the best for recording and subsequent editing. If you are creating shorter videos and don't require editing there are free options around.

2. A program which allows you to write and draw. My preference here is OneNote as it seems to use the pressure-sensitivity of tablet computers and make handwriting look neat.

3. Optionally, a program to record the audio separately like Audacity, and you then synchronise your recorded script with the video. This method requires decent editing software, like Camtasia Studio, mentioned above.

Mathematics specific software

1. Desmos is an excellent web-based program that allows you to create graphs and animate them. This is a great way to create animations.

2. A calculator-emulator (possibly just web-based). I've found typing 'calculator' into Google and using the built-in one is sufficient for my purposes.

EDIT: Some sample videos created with setup described above

1. A video on dilation/reflection with animations created using Desmos and handwritten portions created in OneNote.

2. A video on the unit circle again with animations created using Desmos.

3. A video on sin and cos graphs showing the use of multiple video tracks, one with the Unit Circle showing and one for the graph itself. This is the first one I recorded using the Blue Yeti microphone.

4. An earlier video on factorising quadratics created just using Camtasia and OneNote. This was before I realised that better quality videos are created by recording the audio separately from the video. (The physical constraints of handwriting means that such videos feel a lot slower, whereas in other videos I generally speed up my writing to about double speed.)

• I second the Desmos appreciation. I created several animations for DEqns last semester. Literally cut and paste solutions tinker for a couple minutes and it came out better than anything I could create in Maple or Mathematica in an hour. – James S. Cook Jul 5 '14 at 5:06

I haven't made any video's in wich my face appears on the screen (on purpose). I also haven't done many video's in wich i explain things and not even that many in general. However i have made a few short video's to motivate my students, aged roughly 12-16. When making these motivational video's i simply create images by placing different pictures and texts over eachother using simply Paint, Windows moviemaker , Word or PIXLR (free 'photoshop' online software).

It's very time consuming at first but you get faster at it. Sometimes it really gets the pupils exited and therefor it's usually been worth the effort.