Turn a software user guide into a tutorial video
Upload a chapter of the manual you already wrote. DocReel writes the script, shows your screenshots and moves to the part each step is about, and narrates it with captions. No screen recording, no microphone and no video editing.
Sample: “Create and send your first invoice in Harborline” (3:23)
- Made from: a 4-page user guide chapter for a made-up invoicing app, with three screenshots marked with red numbered boxes. We wrote it for this demo.
- Settings: for Adults, length “Fit the document”, no instructions. Made on 13 November 2026 on the Pro plan.
- Downloads (with Plus and Pro): subtitles SRT · VTT, slides (PDF).
- Editing: none. This is the video exactly as DocReel made it.
The manual is written. Most customers would rather watch.
Recording a screen takes several tries, and the recording is out of date after the next release. DocReel makes the video from the guide, so the guide stays the source.
Your screenshots, step by step
Screenshots in your PDF or Word file appear in the video. Where you've drawn a red box around a button or field, the picture moves to that box as the narration reaches it.
Easy to update after a release
When a screen changes, update the chapter and make the video again. There is no recording to redo and no project file to keep.
One guide, 15 languages
On Pro, make the same tutorial in Spanish, German, Japanese and 12 other languages, with the same scenes. More on multilingual training videos.
Where teams use it
Customer onboarding
Send new customers a two-minute video for each first task, such as setting up an account or sending a first invoice.
Help centre and support replies
Put the video at the top of the help article, or paste its link in a support reply instead of typing the steps again.
Internal tools
Show staff how to use the booking system, the HR portal or the till, from the guide the IT team already wrote.
How to make a tutorial video from a user guide
Nothing to install, nothing to film and no editing software.
Pick one task
Choose the chapter or pages for one task, such as “Create and send your first invoice”. Sign in with your email and choose “Adults” under Made for.
Upload the chapter
Upload a PDF or Word (.docx) file with its screenshots, or paste a link to the help page. For a long manual, choose the pages for that task. On Pro you can check and edit the script before the video is made.
Check it, then publish
Watch the whole video against your app. Then share its link, embed it in your help centre, or download the MP4 (and on Plus and Pro the SRT/VTT captions).
Plans for tutorial videos
| For this job | Free$0 | Plus$5 / month | Pro$15 / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Videos every 30 days | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| Guide length per video | about 10 pages | about 20 pages | about 35 pages |
| Video length | up to ~3 min | up to ~5 min | up to ~7 min |
| Screenshots from your guide in a video | up to 4 | up to 4 | up to 5 |
| DocReel badge and end card | Yes | No | No |
| Your company logo on the video | — | — | ✓ |
| Check and edit the script first | — | — | ✓ |
| Caption files (SRT, VTT) and slides PDF | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Narration | Standard voice | Best voice | Best voice, 6 voices, 3 speeds |
| Same video in another language | — | — | 15 languages |
| Videos kept | 30 days | Until you cancel | Until you cancel |
Prices in US dollars; sales tax is added at checkout where it applies. Yearly billing gives 2 months free. Cancel any time.
What to know before uploading a user guide
Tips for a good tutorial video
- One task per video. A chapter that covers one job (“Add a customer”, “Reset a password”) makes a better video than a whole manual.
- Mark up your screenshots. Draw a red or orange box around the button or field each step is about. DocReel moves to up to three boxes in each screenshot.
- Write the steps out. DocReel explains what the guide says; a page of screenshots with no text gives it little to work with.
- Hide real customer data in screenshots before uploading. Anyone with a video's link can watch it.
- Check names against your app. Watch the video with the app open and make sure menus and buttons are called what your app calls them.
Privacy
- Anyone with a video's link can watch it, including people it is forwarded to. Don't upload personal information or confidential material.
- Uploaded documents are deleted 30 days after upload. Free videos are deleted 30 days after they're made.
- To make the video, your document's text is sent to Anthropic (Claude) to write the script, and the narration text to Google (Gemini) for the voice; OpenAI or our own server is the backup voice. The privacy policy has the details.
Questions about user manual videos
Does the video show my screenshots?
Yes. Pictures in a PDF or Word file can appear in the video: up to 4 in one video on Free and Plus, and up to 5 on Pro. When a screenshot has red or orange boxes drawn on it, the picture moves to each box in turn as the narration reaches that step.
Is this a screen recording?
No. DocReel doesn't open or record your software. It makes the video from your guide: its text, its screenshots, and animated scenes for lists, steps and tables. That's why there is nothing to re-record when the guide changes.
My manual is 200 pages. Can I use it?
Yes, one part at a time. When you upload a long PDF, choose the pages for one task. Each video explains up to about 10 pages on Free, 20 on Plus and 35 on Pro.
Can I embed the video in our help centre?
Yes. Every video has a link and an embed code, and you can download the MP4 to host it yourself. On Plus and Pro you can also download SRT and VTT caption files.
Can I put our logo on the videos?
Yes, on Pro. Upload your logo once and it appears on every video instead of the DocReel mark. Free videos carry a small docreel.app badge and end with a short DocReel card; Plus and Pro videos don't.
Can I check the script before the video is made?
Yes, on Pro. Tick “Let me check the script before the video is made”. We email you the script; change the wording of any scene, approve it, and only then is the video made.
Does the video have captions?
Yes. Captions are on the video by default. On Plus and Pro you also get SRT and VTT caption files to upload with the MP4, and you can choose to leave the captions off the picture and use the file only.
Is it safe for confidential documents?
Don't upload confidential material. Anyone with a video's link can watch it, and the text is processed by Anthropic and Google to write the script and voice it. See the privacy policy.
Can I pay yearly or get a receipt?
Yes. Plus and Pro can be paid yearly ($50 or $150 a year, 2 months free). The receipt for every payment is in Manage subscription (in the account menu), ready to download. Payment is by card; sales tax is added where it applies.
How long does it take?
Most videos take about 5–15 minutes; long documents can take longer. You can close the page. We email you a link when your video is ready.
Can I make videos in other languages?
The video uses the language your document is written in, so a Spanish document becomes a Spanish video. On the Pro plan you can also pick another language for the video (15 languages), and DocReel translates the script.
How accurate are the videos?
DocReel builds the video from your document, but it can make mistakes. Watch it before you share it. If something needs fixing, choose Make a new version and describe the change; on Plus and Pro, the first new version of each video is free.