Video Modes

A Video Mode decides how your AI Video Lecture teaches. The same PDF, the same topic, the same notes — re-taught a few different ways. Where the length tier controls how long the lecture runs, the mode controls how it looks, feels, and sounds.

You pick a mode in the customize step of the video lecture creator, right after you choose your source material. Standard is the default. Your last choice is remembered for next time.

Why Modes Exist

Different material — and different moments — call for different teaching. A dense proof is best on a whiteboard. A topic you're explaining to a younger learner wants simple words and a gentle pace. Instead of one fixed lecture style, you choose the teacher that fits the subject, the student, and the moment.

If a lecture doesn't land the way you hoped, switching the mode and regenerating is often a bigger improvement than tweaking the prompt.

The Six Modes

Standard (default)

A calm, editorial lecture. Clean diagram-style scenes, a warm paper background, serif headlines, and steady narration. Standard is the best all-rounder when you want a topic explained properly and you don't want any stylistic surprises — and it's the default, so it's what you get if you don't change anything.

Math

Animated whiteboard derivations. Math mode works each step in front of you — equations build up line by line with proper mathematical typography, and derivations, plots, and geometric figures animate as the narrator reasons through them. Best for calculus, physics, statistics, and any STEM topic where the working matters as much as the answer.

Kids

Bright, playful, and built for ages 5–12. Kids mode uses simple words, cheerful visuals, and a gentle pace. Reach for it when you're explaining something to a younger sibling or learner — or when you just want a topic stripped all the way down to its simplest form.

Editorial

A sleek motion-graphics look — kinetic typography, animated charts and diagrams, and clean transitions, designed to feel like a polished video essay. Reach for it when you want a lecture that looks like premium broadcast content: documentary-style overviews, executive summaries, and presentation-ready breakdowns.

Retro

An 80s synthwave / arcade aesthetic — neon grids, glowing type, and arcade-style counters. Same material, re-taught with a totally different energy. Best when you want something that feels less like a textbook and more like a show: hook a curious learner, refresh a topic you've already studied, or just add some personality to the review.

Freestyle

Freestyle lets the AI choose the best visual style and animation approach for your specific material, instead of following a fixed look. Pick it when none of the named modes feel quite right — Freestyle will read your source and decide whether kinetic type, a whiteboard, an editorial style, or something in between best serves the topic.

Mode Availability

Every Video Mode is available on every plan. Modes are separate from the length tier you choose: free accounts can use any mode at the Quick Recap length, while paid plans unlock longer Standard and Deep Dive videos. See Plans and Limits for the full breakdown of lifetime AI creation credits and which video lengths each plan can generate.

Picking the Right Mode

• Not sure where to start? Leave it on Standard — the default all-rounder that explains any topic cleanly.
• Learning a general topic for the first time? Standard.
• Working through proofs, equations, or derivations? Math.
• Explaining a topic to a child — or want it as simple as possible? Kids.
• Want a polished video-essay or motion-graphics look? Editorial.
• Want personality and energy for a topic you already half-know? Retro.
• Want the AI to pick the visual approach? Freestyle.

Not sure? Generate the same topic in two modes and compare — short lectures are quick to re-run, and the difference between modes is dramatic.

Modes and the Rest of the Lecture

Choosing a mode doesn't change anything else about your video. Every mode still ships with chapter navigation, a searchable transcript, synced captions, interactive question checkpoints, AI chat about the video, and one-click flashcard generation. The mode only shapes the teaching style and visuals — all the study tools come with every lecture.

For everything else about creating and watching video lectures, see the full AI Video Lectures guide.