Using AI to Create a Short Learning Video

A hands-on experiment in combining AI, simple tools, and creativity to produce course content (quickly).

One of the things I love most about my work is whenever I get a chance to express my creativity and today was one of those days!

I experimented with different tools to put together a short course on metric units. The goal wasn’t to create the perfect video, but rather to test how easy (or hard) it is to build course material using just the curriculum details and the huge range of AI tools available.

The end result? A complete video that took no more than 45 minutes to make. The hardest part wasn’t the tech—it was imagining what the finished product should look like.

Here is the final production:

Here’s is the list of tools I used:

• Overhead phone mount from Amazon ($80)

• Eleven Labs subscription ($5) for voice-over and background music

• ChatGPT to help with content

• QuickTime for recording

• iPhone camera

• iMovie for editing

Steps

1. Idea Generation

I started by feeding the curriculum into ChatGPT and asking how it could be represented visually. After a bit of back-and-forth, I had a rough picture of what the final video might look like.

2. Rough Design

I searched online for images I could adapt into drawings for the course.

3. Preparation

Next, I set up the workspace, tidied the desk, added props like a Pikachu figure, pens, and a ruler to make the scene more engaging. I mounted the iPhone on the overhead stand and adjusted it to frame the paper properly.

4. Recording

Using QuickTime on my Mac, I connected to the iPhone camera and hit record. Having the rough design open on screen was a big help—I could simply sketch while following the draft.

5. Audio Creation

For narration, I used Eleven Labs to generate a voiceover from the ChatGPT script. I also added background music with Eleven Labs’ music generator to make it feel less flat.

6. Video Editing

Finally, I pulled everything into iMovie. The process was simple: drop in the audio and video, speed up the footage 4x, and split the audio into sections so it matched the drawings. Then it was just a matter of exporting and uploading to YouTube.

Pretty straightforward overall.

What I Learned

• Content creation is fairly simple, but traditional tools like props and editing are still needed to make it engaging.

• The style works well for younger audiences, but older students may find it a bit childish.

• AI tools massively cut production time. Things like scriptwriting and voiceover that once needed professionals can now be done in minutes.

• With just an iPhone and basic Mac tools, the whole process is surprisingly accessible.

That’s it! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

PS: For fun, I also created a Croatian version of the video to see how it might work in another language. The obvious catch: since all the drawings are in English, I’d have to recreate them entirely in Croatian to make it feel natural.