Like any other medium, communicating science by making videos requires tailored strategies and unique skills. Given the wealth of software options available, it can be overwhelming just to figure out where to start developing those skills. Here are some recommendations for tools, process, and strategy to get you rolling.

Communication Strategies

Your strategy will depend quite a bit on what specific kind of video you’re setting out to create, so we’ll get into two examples in detail, but there are also some commonalities. 

The first is the use of good visuals. You can use images and video clips in several ways, whether that’s to clearly illustrate a concept, represent actions you aren’t going to spend time describing, highlight the people involved, or simply to make the video more engaging. In general, you want to avoid putting text on the screen that the viewer will struggle to read while also processing the words you are saying. Text should be minimal, assisting the viewer in navigating the visual or understanding what they’re looking at in a way that complements the narration.

Pacing is also incredibly important. Using visuals with motion and changing between visuals both help keep the video from feeling overly static. Keep it moving along! Just don’t overdo it — rapidly flipping through images that are on the screen for only a second or two would make it hard to absorb any of them or process what you’re hearing at the same time.

Short-Form Video

The short, vertical videos served by TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Represent a creative challenge for science communication, but also a huge opportunity for the number of people they can reach. Maximum video lengths vary by platform (and have changed over time), but these videos are commonly 1-3 minutes long. And because users need only swipe to instantly start watching a different video, you can expect a great deal of patience! That starts with giving the audience a reason to be interested within the first few seconds. That doesn’t mean you have to be sensational or outrageous, just that you have to deliver the topic and a hook that makes them curious to stick around for the answer.

Several formats are commonly used for communicating science, but you might consider either talking to the camera while standing in front of the real-world topic of your video, or using a “green screen” effect to place yourself in front of images you can control and add later.

Short-form video is very approachable, as there is no expectation for studio quality production value. If you have a phone with a camera, you have everything you need to give it a shot.

Video Abstracts

Video abstracts take a very different form and serve a different audience with its own expectations. (You’ll also want to follow the guidelines for the specific journal you’re publishing in where applicable.) While the goal is still a short, easy-to-understand video, you might anticipate the audience being a bit more patient. But don’t just try to restate the abstract in simpler terms — you can serve an even broader audience if you start from scratch.

Provide a little context, stick to your key points, translate terminology into more common language, and simplify your visuals. To use a key figure from your paper, for example, consider breaking it apart into individual components, minimizing text labels, and intentionally explaining how to read it and what it shows. Or repackage that data into an even simpler visualization.

Less is more! Communicating one point clearly and explaining why it matters is much better than trying to communicate ten points and overwhelming the viewer.

Process

Creating a video often starts with an outline that gets fleshed out into a script (or simpler notes) and some kind of storyboard. Whether you want to split a page in a word processor or on paper, or use a slide deck with its notes sections, the goal is to map out the visuals you will pair with what you’re saying. Maybe you can draw and you want to sketch the visuals you’ll be making, or maybe you just want to write down the video clips and images you’re going to use. Either way, this helps you plan your work.

Next comes the filming. Test out different approaches to find out what is the most comfortable and efficient for you. If you want to script out exactly what you’ll say, keep a few things in mind. First, most of us write a bit differently than we speak, so when we read our writing aloud it feels a little awkward and doesn’t sound natural. Keep reading your script aloud as you work on it, smoothing over any bits that feel off as they come out of your mouth.

Second, find a way to position your camera and your script so that your eyes remain pointed as close to the camera lens as possible. If you’re filming at a desk, you may be able to position your camera such that you can read a computer screen just behind it. Experiment a little until it doesn’t look like you’re obviously reading something off to the side.

Finally, break the script into the smallest chunks possible so you don’t have too much to get perfect in a single take. Think about where you might replace the recording of you with some other visual, for example — no one will notice if the recording that follows is a new take. Or you can decide to only record a couple of sentences at a time and stitch recordings together. This is common in short-form video, for example, as it also allows you to shorten the pauses in between.

If you’d rather, you can give yourself short bullet-point prompts instead of a complete script. This has the advantage of a more natural speaking style, but you may find it hard to hit all the point you intended while remaining concise. Just find a method that minimizes your stress and frustration while producing the results you’re happiest with.

Two elements that can make a huge difference in quality are lighting and sound — and you don’t need expensive equipment to get good results. Indoors, adjust your lighting (whether windows or lamps) so you are lit well from the front — two lights to avoid part of your face being in shadow if possible — and there isn’t a bright light behind you in frame to throw off the camera. And to maximize the audio quality from your microphone, do whatever you can to minimize your voice bouncing off hard surfaces. A carpeted room with furniture would be best, and a couple pillows or a blanket on the desk in front of you goes a long way. If you’re recording audio only, you can even try sitting inside a clothes closet or under a blanket.

The next step in our workflow is to edit this together. If you planned this out well, this will be straight-forward. In an editor (like the ones suggested below), you can use multiple tracks of audio and video to trim and sequence everything, including video clips, images, and animated graphics. The main tasks will be dialing in the sections of recordings that you want to use, and trimming each neatly so transitions between clips and other visuals feel smooth.

Two editing tips: If the editor you’re using shows the audio waveform, use this to easily find the gaps between words so you know where to cut. And changing to a new visual feels most natural to the viewer if it lines up with the start of a sound — like the moment the speaker begins a new sentence.

The final step is exporting your project and uploading, or just finalizing and posting, to the platform you’re using. Some editors make this an extremely simple process, while others can give you a great deal of configuration options that can affect quality and file size. If you aren’t sure how to select between the options in front of you, look for recommended specs or file size limits from the platform you’re posting to (e.g., guidance from YouTube).

Depending on the platform, you may need to add a title, description, and thumbnail at this point, which can all be important for discoverability in search and for improving your reach. But another important element to remember is captioning. Many platforms offer toggleable captions, and will auto generate captions when you upload the video. Some social media platforms do not have a caption function, in which case you might add captions in your video editing tool and export the video that way. (Making videos accessible also makes them more useful for users who view them with the sound muted.)

Whatever tool you use to generate the first draft of captions, you should manually edit them for accuracy.  YouTube’s caption editor, for example, makes this quite easy. (You can reference guidelines for best practices.) Once you’ve done this in one tool or platform, you can generally export captions in a file format like SRT (which contains both the text and the timing) that can be imported elsewhere.

Tools

Here are some free software tools (or paid software you may already have) you can use to record and edit videos.

Powerpoint and Zoom

If you want to record yourself and a slide presentation, Powerpoint or Zoom may be all that you need. In Powerpoint, you can find the Record button in the top-right corner of the window. In Zoom, head to the Clips tab and explore your options.

OBS

If you want more flexibility, try OBS Studio. This free program (commonly used to run live streams) will let you add and configure video from many sources, including your computer screen, a webcam, and any other input device. You can overlay multiple sources, and resize and position them any way you like. You can even create multiple configurations like this (called “scenes”) and quickly switch between them. It also gives you full control over your output video quality and format.

The trade-off for all this flexibility is a slight learning curve to get set up. Try their quick start guide or watch one of the many tutorial videos that exist for this popular tool.

Webcam software

Some manufacturer-provided webcam management software, or third-party tools like NVIDIA Broadcast, provide useful tools like background removal that can be used in combination with your recording solution.

Canva

Canva is well known as a free (for the basic tier) graphic design platform, but it also offers video editing. That includes caption and background removal features.

iMovie or ClipChamp

Your MacOS or Windows computer may already have basic video editing software installed. Check out the features available in iMovie or in ClipChamp.

CapCut

While some of its more useful features have moved into paid tiers, CapCut is still a capable and easy to use editor.

DaVinci Resolve

If you want to be able to do anything you can think of, and are willing to put in some time learning the tool, DaVinci Resolve is a fully featured video editor that is available for free.

Create directly in YouTube or TikTok

If you’re only interested in posting to one of YouTube or TikTok, you may find the tools they provide in-app to be sufficient. You can easily trim the start and end of your video after uploading to YouTube, for example, or use either app to create short-form video from multiple clips, along with images or captions or text.