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21 Comments

How do I create a video of my SaaS?

I am thinking about creating a short "this is how my SaaS works" (basically a video highlighting the main components ) for my current project. But I am kinda clueless on how this will work and have a lot of questions.... Not sure if this is the right group for that

Do I just make a screen recording, upload the 10 MB video to a platform and embedd it on my website? Are there any (good) tools for that? Which tools can you recommend? What is your experience on video size vs impact on potential customers?

  1. 4

    Everyone's given great advice on screen captures. If you have extra time and want to make your video stand out, instead of just uploading a static screen capture + voiceover, there are a few things that I've found make product videos look dynamic and professional:

    • Show the screen capture as the screen on a 2D or 3D mockup of a laptop or phone. This lets you show your product in a familiar context and also zoom and pan to highlight different features as you mention them
    • Add music
    • Use titles to explain features instead of relying on voiceovers. Or at least add subtitles, since lots of people watch videos on mute
    • Show your logo / domain at the end

    Some of my favorite tools:

    • Adobe After Effects with a 3D plugin (Element 3D or Cinema 4D): You can create amazing product videos with animated 3D devices, titles, etc. Can be complicated, expensive and time consuming to learn, but since it's essentially the industry standard approach, there are tons of good tutorials and templates out there to give you a head start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHSLUfUcv_M

    If you want something simpler, there are some great web tools built by other Indie Hackers that you can use in tandem to make a nice video:

    1. 1

      Thanks for the shoutout 😉Yeah please do check out Glitterly if you're looking to make a video fast and easily. We have expanded beyond only screen captures. Now you can make social media content (stories, animated posts, tweets to videos etc) as well.

    2. 1

      Wow, that's a very cool reply and a lot of information I can dive into. Very much appreciated :)

  2. 4

    A lot of folks in the Sales community are using https://www.loom.com/

    1. 1

      Thanks! I should have mentioned, that I am using Ubuntu, though :( Does not seem to be supported on Linux..

      1. 1

        I use Loom on ubuntu.... it's a chrome plugin.

        Assuming it hasn't recreated itself completely, see a new logo but that is showing in my browser toolbar so looks like still good.

  3. 1

    In my experience, a video size of around 10-20 MB is usually sufficient for most purposes. However, if you're creating a longer video or need to show a lot of detail, you may need a larger file size. It's also important to consider the format of your video, as different formats can have different file sizes and quality levels.

    By using the right tools and finding the right balance between quality and file size, you can create videos that have a positive impact on your potential customers.

  4. 2

    I use Camtasia for recording & editing. It's a bit of an investment (~250 EUR), but I find that it saves me a lot of time (this might be because I had used it before when it was bought by my employer).

    Would love to know if there are good, free or less costly alternatives.

    1. 1

      Really cool! Will definitely check it out :)

    2. 1

      Thank you for recommending my tool! :)

      Screenity would be good for that scenario as you aside from just recording you can even highlight specific sections of your SaaS using annotation tools, embed your camera, keep the controls hidden so they don't obstruct your recording, and enable/disable your microphone (or use push to talk) during the recording if you want to explain how your product works, among many other features. It's also free and open source :)

      1. 1

        Welcome!
        Is it possible to blur sensitive info while making help videos? (e.g. emails, API keys, etc.)

        1. 1

          Not at the moment, but I am adding new features and this has been brought up already so I might look into it :) I assume the blur would be added after the video has been recorded (as in, edited in)?

          1. 2

            Great! That can make this a one-stop solution for making help or sales videos.

  5. 2

    I've been using screencastify and recently also found screenity.

    The first has a paid tier, but the free tier is more than enough for what I needed.
    The second I haven't used yet but it seems very promising with even more features than the first, and it is a free and open source.

    In both you can just record your screen while you talk-over, and you can also use your camera to add yourself in the corner.

    Just make a recording and upload it to youtube. Then you can embed it in your site.

    Oh, I also used Fleeq in the past - their concept is a little different and it helps if you feel unconfident to talk in front of the camera - you just take screenshots of your product and write text. They do text-to-speach and turn your static screenshots into a dubbed video. It also has the benefit that it's easy to edit the video. You can just change the text at any time, add more screens, etc. If you use them you have to embed their player on your site.

    1. 1

      Thanks, will definitely take a look at screenity.

      Fleeq does not seem to fit my needs. I also don't like, that they don't really specify their costs^^

      1. 1

        They do show the price once you register.
        I also found that weird.

  6. 1

    Thanks for mentioning Mock. 🙌🏻

  7. 1

    Building https://www.steerdeck.com/ just for this, you might find it useful. Allows you to index all your features on a table, and have corresponding media of any format (screencasts, videos, images, text, polls, etc) accompany it. Each such clip can have its own audio recording so you don't need to do long takes - it all syncs up and flows. Good luck!

    1. 1

      That's actually a really cool idea!
      Just some feedback: I find it really confusing, that the demo has the same look/layout as the video inside the demo. I don't know where to click and how it works together.

      Also the links in the header do not seem to work.

  8. 1

    Use simple quicktime player to record your screen and edit in camtasia. That's what I have done for my product video.

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