Maths videos for teachers
How do I make a maths explainer video with equations and graphs drawn step by step?
Updated by the Vidi team
Your first 15-second video is free. No credit card required.
This guide is for teachers who want a video where an equation builds line by line, or a graph draws itself, while a voice explains each step. There are three broad routes. You can write the animation in code with Manim. You can export it from a graphing tool you already use, such as GeoGebra. Or you can ask an AI tool to generate the video from your problem. Recording yourself writing on a tablet or building slides is another option, but we could not research those tools for this page, so they are not compared here.
Below you will find how to plan the steps, how each route works, where each one falls short, and how to do it with Vidi if you want a narrated video without writing code.
How it works
How to make a step-by-step maths video with Vidi
Describe the problem and the steps
Paste the worked example or your notes into Vidi and ask for a code-based video, where equations and graphs are drawn with code. Say the year level, what students already know and how long you want it. List the steps in order with the exact notation: the equation you start from and each line after it. A free account gets one 15-second vertical video. Paid plans go up to 5 minutes.
Check every line of the script
Vidi drafts the script scene by scene. Read each scene the way you would mark a student's working: signs, substitutions, units and the method your class is taught. AI drafts can be wrong, so fix the wording and the maths before anything is rendered. Keep one step per scene, so each new line appears on its own.
Watch it, then use it in class
Watch the finished video and work through the maths on screen again. Download it for the classroom screen, your course page or homework. Narration can be in 74 languages, and captions are added. Pro and higher plans add widescreen 16:9 and remove the small Vidi logo that Free and Starter videos carry.
Plan the maths before you pick a tool
Whichever tool you use, plan the maths before you open the software. Write the worked example on paper first. Then split it into steps small enough that each one changes a single thing: one new line, one substitution, one term cancelled, one point moving along a graph. Give each step its own scene or animation, and leave a pause before the next one so students can read it.
Decide what the video is for. A hook opens with a question your class wants answered. A worked example ends with the answer clearly marked and one sentence on why the method works. A revision recap repeats the key step.
Use the exact notation and method your class uses, including the layout your exam expects. Highlight what has just changed, with colour or a brief flash, so students look in the right place. Keep each video to one idea. If you want to show a second method, make a second video.
Finally, check it like a marked script. Work through every line yourself and check signs and units. Then watch the finished video with the sound off to see whether the screen alone still makes sense.
Code it with Manim if you want full control
Manim is the Python library behind the 3Blue1Brown look. You write a scene in code, run it from the command line, and Manim produces an MP4 file. There are two versions. The community edition was forked in 2020 to be more stable and friendlier to start with, and Grant Sanderson of 3Blue1Brown recommends that beginners start with it. The official install instructions cover only the community edition, so don't mix them with ManimGL tutorials.
Before you install anything, try the in-browser notebooks that the Manim docs point to. They need no local install. For real projects, the docs suggest installing into an isolated environment, such as a virtual environment, conda or Docker. Different pages of the docs name pip or uv as the recommended installer, so follow the current install page closely.
For step-by-step maths, the animations include Write, FadeIn, Indicate, Circumscribe, TracedPath, Succession and LaggedStart. The docs have guides on rendering formulas, plotting and adding voiceovers. Learn by copying from the example gallery, which shows each video next to its code. Render at low quality while drafting and at high quality at the end. Manim Slides lets you present your animations as clickable slides in class.
Use GeoGebra or an AI generator if you don't code
If your graph already lives in GeoGebra, its animation export steps through slider values and makes a frame for each one, and the result can be an animated GIF. You can animate numbers, angles and points tied to a curve, which suits tangents and transformations. The GIF has no narration, so you would add your voice elsewhere. AnimaGeo, an open-source pre-release, converts a GeoGebra file through Manim into MP4, GIF or WebM, but it still needs Python and Manim.
AI maths-video generators are the other route. NoteGPT says you input a problem and get a full video lesson with step-by-step explanations, visuals and voiceover. Mathos AI says a video generates in about 30 seconds, and Agent Opus says it renders notation in LaTeX-style formatting. These are the vendors' own claims, and we found no independent accuracy tests. Agent Opus suggests writing your script as numbered steps with the exact notation you want shown. Vidi is in this group: its code-based videos draw charts, equations and diagrams with code, and you edit the script scene by scene before rendering.
If you code and will reuse animations for years, Manim is the better choice. If you don't code and need narration, an AI tool needs no technical setup.
Mistakes to avoid
Following an old 3Blue1Brown or ManimGL tutorial while you have the community edition installed, or the other way round. The two versions differ, and the official docs cover only the community edition.
With a uv install, forgetting to activate the environment or to put uv run in front of the manim command.
Expecting GeoGebra's built-in export to give you a narrated video. It gives you an animated GIF.
Giving an AI tool a vague prompt like "explain quadratics" instead of the exact problem and the steps you want. One vendor blog makes the same point: the more specific the question, the stronger the result.
Publishing an AI-drafted video without working through every line yourself.
Putting the whole derivation on screen at once, which removes the point of drawing it step by step.
Four ways to make a step-by-step maths video
| Manim (community edition) | GeoGebra export | AI maths-video generators | Vidi code-based video | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding needed | Yes. Python and the command line. | No for the GIF export. AnimaGeo conversion needs Python and Manim. | No. You type or upload the problem, according to the vendors. | No. You describe the topic or paste notes. |
| Narration | Added by you. The docs have a guide on adding voiceovers. | None. The export is an animated GIF. | Voiceover included in some, such as NoteGPT, according to the vendors. | Recorded for you in 74 languages, with captions. |
| Control over each step | Full. You code every animation, such as Write, Indicate or TracedPath. | Animate sliders, numbers, angles and points on curves. | Through the prompt. One vendor suggests numbered steps with exact notation. | Review and edit the script scene by scene before rendering. |
| Output | MP4 file. Manim Slides for clicking through in class. | Animated GIF. AnimaGeo exports MP4, GIF or WebM. | A video lesson, according to the vendors. | Vertical 9:16, up to 5 minutes on paid plans. 16:9 on Pro and higher. |
| How to try it | In-browser notebooks with no install. | Not covered in our research. | Check each vendor. | One free 15-second vertical video. 5 credits on sign-up, no card. |
| Accuracy | Shows exactly the maths you code. | Draws from your own construction. | Only vendor claims. We found no independent tests. | AI drafts can be wrong. Check the script before rendering. |
| Best for | Teachers who code and will reuse animations. | Moving graphs and geometry you have already built. | A quick worked example, if you check every step. | A short narrated, captioned explainer without code. |
Limits worth knowing
- AI drafts can be wrong, and that includes Vidi's. A video that looks polished can still contain a sign error or skip a step, so work through every line yourself before you show it.
- With Vidi, a free account gets only one 15-second vertical video. Longer videos need a paid plan, widescreen 16:9 needs Pro or higher, and Free and Starter videos carry a small Vidi logo.
- Manim gives the most control but needs Python and the command line, and installing it is a known pain point.
- We could not research recording yourself, PowerPoint, Desmos, or studies on ideal video length, so this page does not compare those routes or give evidence-based length targets.
Sources
- Manim Community documentation
- Manim installation
- Manim Quickstart
- Manim tutorial (jeertmans)
- Using Manim and Python to create animations like 3Blue1Brown
- GeoGebra/Animations, Wikiversity
- AnimaGeo on GitHub
- AnimaGeo 1.11.0rc8 on PyPI
- NoteGPT AI Math Video Generator
- Mathos AI video explanation
- Agent Opus math explainer video maker
- Think10x: AI math explanation videos
- Leadde math animation
Do I need to code to make a 3Blue1Brown-style maths video?
For the real thing, yes. 3Blue1Brown's animations are made with Manim, a Python library you run from the command line. If you don't code, AI maths-video generators say they make a video from a typed problem, and Vidi's code-based videos draw equations and graphs with code from a script you check, with less fine control.
Which version of Manim should a beginner use?
The community edition. It was forked in 2020 to be more stable and friendlier to start with. Grant Sanderson of 3Blue1Brown recommends beginners start there, and the official install instructions cover only the community edition. Avoid mixing its docs with ManimGL tutorials.
Can I try Manim without installing it?
Yes. The Manim docs point to interactive in-browser notebooks that need no local installation. They are a good way to test whether coding your animations suits you before you set up Python on your own computer.
Can GeoGebra export a narrated video?
Not on its own. GeoGebra's animation export steps through slider values and can produce an animated GIF, with no sound. You would add narration in another tool. AnimaGeo, a pre-release open-source project, converts GeoGebra files to MP4 through Manim, but it still needs Python.
Are AI maths video generators accurate?
We found no independent tests. The claims about these tools come from the vendors themselves. Treat any AI-made maths video as a first draft: work through every step, check notation and signs, and make sure the method matches the one your students are taught.
How long should a maths explainer video be?
We found no reliable source on ideal length for this page. As advice, keep each video to one idea or one worked example. With Vidi, the free video is 15 seconds and paid plans go up to 5 minutes.
Can the narration be in my students' language?
With Vidi, yes. Narration is available in 74 languages, and you choose the language before you create, so the script is written in it. Leadde says it offers narration in 88 languages. With Manim or GeoGebra, you record or add the voice yourself.