Understanding the difference between Cards and Guides in Whale is essential for choosing the right format when documenting your processes. While both help you capture and share knowledge, they serve different needs and workflows. Whether you’re writing a policy from scratch or turning a screen recording into a step-by-step guide, Whale gives you powerful tools to make your documentation more effective—and more engaging.
Let’s break down how Cards and Guides work, and when to use each.
📝 What Are Cards?
Cards are the building blocks of your documentation—created manually, fully customizable, and ideal for static knowledge or repeatable instructions.
Create from Scratch
Cards are built using Whale’s rich text editor, giving you complete control over layout, formatting, and structure.
Add text, checklists, images, videos, or embeds—just like you would in a traditional Word document.
Best for:
Policies and SOPs
Static content that doesn’t rely on live demonstrations
Uploading existing pdf or docx documents
✍️ Example: A “Remote Work Policy” written out with headers, bullet points, and attached resources.
🎥 What Are Guides?
Guides are video-based tutorials that are automatically turned into clear, step-by-step processes by our AI.
Create with Video
Upload a video or record your screen directly in Whale.
Our AI engine watches the video and:
Breaks it into steps
Adds screen captures
Writes short, easy-to-follow descriptions for each step
📌 You can review and edit each step easily.
Best for:
Software walkthroughs and click-path tutorials
Visual workflows where watching is more effective than reading
Quick documentation of processes that are easier to show than write
🎬 Example: A “How to Create a New Lead in Salesforce” or "How to change brake pads for forklifts" video that becomes a multi-step guide with screenshots and summaries.
⚖️ Cards vs. Guides: What’s the Difference?
Feature | Cards | Guides |
Created by | Manual (typed by user) | Automatically from video recording or upload |
Editor | Rich text + images, video, embeds | AI-generated step viewer with edit options |
Best for | Written documentation, policies, SOPs | Software tutorials, process recordings, how-to's |
Visual Content | Optional (manually added) | Auto-generated from screen recording |
AI Assistance | AI Enhanced text writing or Card creation with AI Assistant | Full step extraction, images, and text from video |
Flexibility | Full creative control | Quick and easy documentation of click-through processes |
Which One Should You Use?
If you want to… | Use a: |
Write a structured procedure or policy | Card |
Quickly document a visual process or tool | Guide |
Add a simple table, formatted text, or embeds | Card |
Show someone exactly how to do something onscreen | Guide |
By understanding when to use Cards vs. Guides, you can create smarter documentation that fits the format of the knowledge you’re capturing. Use Cards when you want structure and depth. Use Guides when speed and clarity through video matter most. Both work together seamlessly inside Whale—so you’re always documenting in the best way possible.