Editable Video
Editable Video lets you create a narrated, scene-based video inside Mindsmith. The Mindsmith Agent can draft the video from a prompt, or you can start with a blank video or an available template and build it yourself.
New Editable Videos use Mindsmith’s animated video editor. Existing videos made with the earlier scene editor continue to open in that editor, but the steps below describe the current experience.
See it in action: View an example animated video
Standalone videos
When standalone Video creation is enabled for your workspace, select Create → Video from the dashboard to make a video without lesson pages or other tiles. Enter a prompt, attach relevant source material, and choose any available video skills or templates. The Mindsmith Agent creates the video and opens the same fullscreen video editor described below.
A standalone Video is a single required-completion video rather than a multi-page lesson. In Settings → Grading, choose how much of the video a learner must watch and whether the learner may skip ahead. After rendering, the more-options menu provides video and caption download controls.
Learners watch a standalone Video in a focused full-screen player. Its watch progress determines completion using the percentage you configure. Share it through the same Share panel used by other Mindsmith content.
Creating an Editable Video
Add a Video tile to a lesson.
In the empty tile, select Create on the Editable Video card.
Describe the video you want. Include the topic, intended audience, approximate length, tone, and any must-use source material or visuals.
Submit the prompt and let the Mindsmith Agent create the scenes.
You can also choose Blank Video to start from scratch. When video templates are enabled for your workspace, they appear alongside the blank option.
Tips for an animated video
After creating a draft, refine how each scene uses visuals, motion, text, timing, and style:
Use visuals instead of text cards when they explain the point better. Ask for a generated image, diagram, or chart when several scenes in a row would otherwise show text on a colored background.
Match motion to the meaning. Request a statistic that counts up, a comparison shown with growing bars, a process drawn step by step, or a line that types out instead of using the same fade on every scene.
Do not put the full script on screen. Turn "our graduation rate rose eight percent" into a large animated "+8%." Keep on-screen text to a short headline, number, or label and let the narration explain it.
Time visual changes to the narration. Ask for a visual to appear when the narrator mentions it.
Describe the style. Give the Agent an art direction that fits the topic, such as muted and editorial, bold and energetic, or clean and technical. For images, specify the subject, setting, lighting, and mood. Otherwise, the Agent uses its default style.
For more on writing effective prompts, see AI Prompting Tips.
The video editor
Select Edit on an Editable Video tile to open the fullscreen editor. Its main areas are:
Scene sidebar: add scenes, select a scene, edit narration, and manage scene order.
Canvas: preview the current scene and select elements for direct editing.
Element toolbar: add text, images, video clips, shapes, avatars, and background layers.
Timeline: play or scrub through the current scene and check when its elements appear.
Mindsmith Agent: describe broader changes in plain language, such as restructuring a scene, changing the visual style, or adding a diagram.
Use direct editing for small, precise changes and the Agent for changes that affect the scene’s structure, animation, or overall design.
Managing scenes
Use Add Scene to append a blank scene.
Drag scene cards to reorder them.
Use a scene’s menu to duplicate or delete it.
On macOS, use Command+C and Command+V to copy and paste a scene; on Windows, use Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
Use the editor’s undo and redo shortcuts to reverse scene changes.
Narration, characters, and avatars
Each scene has a transcript that supplies its narration. You can edit the transcript in the scene sidebar and choose the character and voice that reads it.
For more control over delivery:
Add a pause of up to three seconds from the transcript’s inline formatting menu.
Use Pronounce to provide a respelling when a name, acronym, or technical term is spoken incorrectly.
Apply a character or voice change to the current scene or, when prompted, to every scene.
You can add an on-camera avatar to a scene from the element toolbar or ask the Agent to include one. A single avatar’s material across the video is limited to about 10 minutes; the render controls warn you if a video may exceed that limit.
Adding visuals and media
The element toolbar can add:
Text and labels
Uploaded, searched, or generated images
Uploaded or stock video clips
Shapes
On-camera avatars
Background colors, images, or video
Select an element on the canvas to edit its content and appearance. You can also ask the Agent to add or revise elements, coordinate animation with the narration, or restyle a whole scene.
Previewing
Use the scene timeline to check one scene. Select Preview to play the complete video before rendering. Mindsmith generates any narration audio needed for the preview.
Preview the full video to check:
Scene order and pacing
Whether on-screen text is readable
Narration timing and pronunciation
Whether visual changes happen when the narration refers to them
Consistency of characters, colors, and style
Rendering
Rendering creates the video file learners watch.
Select Render Video.
If the video contains an avatar, choose Avatar III or Avatar IV.
Start the render. You can return to the lesson while it runs.
If you edit the video after rendering, use Re-render so the learner version includes the changes.
Rendering and the generation used to build the video may consume organization credits. If the workspace uses credits and none remain, Mindsmith prompts you to obtain more before continuing.
After rendering, you can download the video. The download menu also lets you upload, download, remove, or generate captions; AI-generated captions require Enterprise access.
If rendering fails because of a scene problem, the status dialog may offer Fix with AI. Otherwise, retry the render or contact Support from the dialog.
Choosing an avatar engine
Avatar III is the faster standard option and works well when the presenter supports the content.
Avatar IV is higher fidelity and is best when the presenter is prominent.
The engine choice appears only when the video contains an avatar. See Avatar III vs. Avatar IV for more guidance.
Editing an existing legacy video
Videos created with Mindsmith’s earlier scene format continue to open in the legacy editor. Its scene sidebar manages scene order, narration, characters, and voices, while the scene canvas lets you arrange Speaker, Text, Image, and Video elements directly.
For each legacy scene, you can:
Add, duplicate, delete, and reorder scenes.
Drag visual elements into the layout and edit their content.
Choose a background color or image and adjust the image opacity.
Apply an animation type and adjust its movement.
Edit the transcript and preview the scene before rendering.
When the video is ready, select Render, choose an avatar engine if the video contains an avatar, and start the render. The estimated credit use is shown before you confirm.
Playback settings in a lesson
For an Editable Video tile inside a paged lesson, select the tile to configure playback requirements. Video must be completed makes playback part of lesson completion. When it is enabled, you can also control whether learners may skip ahead into unwatched footage.
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