Guide
How to make an
animated math lecture.
To make an animated math lecture, start from one idea, write the narration first, then animate each step as it's spoken: graphs that draw themselves and equations that build term by term. Here is the whole process, start to finish.
First release: Flowmotion, Cutroom, Lab Partner
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1. Pick one idea and the order to show it
A good math lecture follows a single thread. Write down the one result you want people to understand, then list the steps that lead to it, each one small enough to show in a single picture. If a step needs two pictures, it's two steps.
- One result per lecture, or per chapter of a long one
- Each step is something you can draw
- Note where a viewer is likely to get lost
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2. Write the narration before any animation
Write what you'll say, scene by scene, and read it aloud. The words decide the timing of everything else, so the animation should follow the script, not the other way round. Mark the word where each new thing should appear.
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3. Build the visuals step by step
Show one change at a time. Draw a graph as a curve that traces itself, build an equation term by term, and keep the previous step on screen until the new one replaces it, so the eye can follow what changed. Use one accent colour for the thing being talked about.
- Graphs and axes that draw on, not appear
- Equations that build and morph from one line to the next
- Labels that sit clear of curves and of each other
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4. Record and time it to the voice
Record the narration, then line each animation up with the word that introduces it, starting a beat early so it lands as the word is spoken. Add captions and only quiet sound effects. Watch it at full speed and cut any pause where nothing new happens.
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5. Edit and export
Put the scenes in order, trim, add short crossfades, and export the full lecture at 1080p or above, with chapters if it runs long. In Black Zero Labs this is Flowmotion for the scenes and Cutroom for the edit; both are in development and not released yet.
Apps used
The apps behind it.
The apps are designed to open the same project, so nothing has to be exported between them. You'll install only the ones you use.
Questions
Good to know.
Something that draws graphs and sets equations properly, a way to record narration, and a video editor. Many people use Manim (free, written in Python) or general motion graphics software. Flowmotion and Cutroom are being built for this exact job, but they aren't released yet.
It depends on how many scenes it has and how much is reused. Writing and recording usually take less time than animating, which is why the script comes first: it stops you animating things you'll later cut.
Not with Flowmotion, which is designed for direct editing, and with optional AI help through Lab Partner. Code-based tools like Manim give precise control in exchange for programming in Python.
Early access
Make lectures that
explain themselves.
Flowmotion and Cutroom are in development. Nothing can be downloaded or bought yet. Join the waitlist and we'll write when it opens.
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