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Generating Guides from video

Updated this week

Turning videos into process documentation has never been easier. With Whale’s Video-to-Guide feature, you can upload any instructional video — whether it’s a screen recording, equipment demo, or training walkthrough — and our AI automatically transforms it into an editable step-by-step guide.

Whale doesn’t just transcribe the audio — it analyzes the visuals too. Every movement, click, and action is detected to build accurate, clickable instructions that link directly to specific timestamps in the video. This is perfect for onboarding, SOP creation, or documenting complex workflows.


How to Create a Guide from a Video

Option 1: From the CoCreator Extension

Step 1: Open the CoCreator extension

  • Starting from the CoCreator extension. Read how to get the extension here.

Step 2: Choose Your Recording Option

  • Screen recording (no sound)

  • Screen recording with audio (includes narration)

Your browser may prompt you to allow access to your screen and microphone — click Allow.

🚨 There is a 3 minute limit to a screen recording!

Step 3: Select What to Record

Choose to share:

  • A specific browser tab

  • A window

  • Your entire screen

Step 4: Record Your Process

Walk through your process step-by-step.

Step 5: Finish & Save

  • Click Stop Sharing when done

  • Your video will automatically open in a new tab

    • You have the option here to Create a Guide: This will create a guide of the process you have just recorded with different steps and screenshots per step.

    • Save your video to your hard drive

  • Click Save to keep your changes

💡 Use this option if you want to create a step-by-step process with screenshots from desktop apps, your Chrome/Edge browser or a combination of both. You will have the screenshots added to the steps and keep the video on top as a reference.


Option 2: From the Main “+” Button

Step 1: Click the ➕ icon at the top-right corner of your Whale screen

Step 2: Select “Import Video”

Step 3: Upload your video and click Next

Step 4: Give your new card a title and choose a location in your workspace

Step 5: Click Next to let Whale process your video

Whale will automatically analyze the video and generate a new card containing the step-by-step breakdown — each step linked to the moment it happens in the video.


Option 3: From Within a Playbook

You can also start directly from a playbook (Grid or List View):

  • Click Create New Card

  • Choose Import Video

  • Follow the same steps above to upload and generate the guide


Example

You’ve recorded a 2-minute video walking through a new software feature. Once uploaded, Whale turns that into a guide with steps like:

  • “Click the ‘Settings’ icon”

  • “Navigate to ‘Preferences’”

  • “Enable the integration toggle”

Each step includes a clickable link that jumps to the exact moment in the video.


💡 Bonus: Use a Native Whale Screen Recording

If you used Whale’s built-in screen recorder, the video will automatically appear in your card. To generate steps:

  1. Click on the video from the card editor

  2. Choose Generate Steps

  3. Whale will create a new card with the extracted guide

⚠️ This process doesn’t overwrite the original card — it creates a new one in the same playbook.


With Whale, your training content becomes instantly reusable, searchable, and actionable — no more manual breakdowns or hours spent transcribing videos.

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