Video Modes

A Video Mode decides how your AI Video Lecture teaches. The same PDF, the same topic, the same notes — re-taught eight 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. 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 historical event sticks better as a story. A week-one revision pass wants speed, not depth. 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 Eight Modes

Standard

A calm, editorial lecture — the default. Clean diagram-style scenes, a warm paper background, serif headlines, and steady narration. Standard is the best all-rounder and the right pick when you're learning something new and want it explained properly.

Free on every plan.

TL;DR

Fast, dense, and punchy. TL;DR strips a topic down to the essentials and delivers them quickly — ideal for a last-minute review, a refresher the night before an exam, or a quick scan of a topic you mostly know already.

Free on every plan.

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.

Storybook

Narrative and illustrated. Storybook mode turns your material into a story — characters, a setting, a beginning-middle-end — with warm illustrations carrying each scene. Especially good for history, literature, biology processes, and any topic that's easier to remember as a sequence of events than a list of facts.

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.

Debate

Balanced perspectives, side by side. Debate mode presents two viewpoints on a question and weighs them against each other on screen. Built for essay prep, ethics, politics, economics, and any topic where understanding both sides is the point.

Case Study

Situation → analysis → outcome. Case Study mode frames your material as a real scenario, walks through the analysis, and lands on what happened and why. A natural fit for business, law, medicine, and applied courses where you learn by working through examples.

Podcast

A two-host visual conversation. Podcast mode turns your lecture into a back-and-forth between two hosts — one explaining, one asking the questions you'd ask — with visuals that follow along. Great for passive review while you walk or commute, with the screen there when you want it.

Free vs. Premium Modes

Free accounts can generate Standard and TL;DR lectures. The other six modes are included on every paid plan. Locked modes show a small lock icon in the picker, with a one-tap upgrade option.

Modes are separate from the length tier you choose. See Plans and Limits for the full breakdown of daily AI creation limits and which video lengths each plan can generate.

Picking the Right Mode

• Learning a topic for the first time? Start with Standard.
• Reviewing something you already studied? TL;DR.
• Working through proofs, equations, or derivations? Math.
• Studying history, literature, or a process? Storybook.
• Explaining a topic to a child — or want it as simple as possible? Kids.
• Prepping an argumentative essay or weighing two sides? Debate.
• Studying applied, scenario-based material? Case Study.
• Want to review hands-free while walking? Podcast.

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.