Study on your phone
Which AI can turn a textbook chapter into a video summary for my phone?
Updated by the Vidi team
5 free credits: two trial videos, 15 seconds each. No credit card required.
You have a chapter to get through, and you would rather watch it on the bus than reread it at a desk. AI tools can now take your own material and turn it into a narrated video. They do not search for an existing video on the topic. They work from what you give them.
This guide covers two ways to do it. Google NotebookLM's Video Overview makes a narrated video from uploaded documents, such as a PDF chapter or lecture slides. Vidi turns a pasted chapter section or your notes into short, captioned, vertical clips, and you can edit the script before they are animated. You will also learn what makes a video summary useful for revision, which mistakes to avoid, and how to choose between the two tools.
How it works
How to turn a chapter into a phone video with Vidi
Paste the part you are studying
Paste the chapter section you are stuck on or your lecture notes, or type the question in your own words. Say how long you want the video. Choose the narration language first, from 74 options, because the script is written in it. Free videos are vertical and 15, 30 or 45 seconds long, so pick one idea or one section per video.
Check the script scene by scene
Vidi drafts the script one scene at a time. Read it against your textbook and fix anything that is wrong, unclear or missing before it is animated. AI drafts can be wrong, and this is the step where you catch the errors. After the video is made, you can change a single scene with a note instead of starting again.
Download it and watch it again
Vidi records the narration, animates each scene and adds captions that follow every word, so the video still works with the sound off. Download it and replay the part that confused you on your phone. If you make one clip per key idea, you end up with a short revision playlist for the chapter.
How to do it with NotebookLM Video Overview
Create a notebook and upload the chapter. NotebookLM accepts PDFs, Google Docs, web links, slides and audio files. One chapter is far below its limits. Reviews give these as up to 50 sources per notebook and up to 500,000 words per source.
Open the Studio panel on the right and choose Video Overview. You can generate it with the default settings or click Customize first. Customize lets you aim the video at a topic, a use case or an audience, or focus on selected sources. Use it to point the video at the topics on your exam.
Google offers two formats. Brief is a bite-sized video for the core ideas of a document. Explainer is a structured, more complete video for in-depth understanding. Reviews report that the video takes anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes up to about ten minutes to make. When it is ready, download it to watch on your phone. Some 2026 sources call the product Gemini Notebook, so the name in your account may differ. A newer Cinematic Video Overview format launched in March 2026, but check which plans include it.
What makes a good video summary for revision
A useful study video is not a shorter copy of the chapter. It picks the ideas you need and explains each one clearly.
Give it focused material. Upload or paste only the chapter, plus your lecture slides if they help. One guide puts it this way: five or six focused sources beat thirty scattered ones.
Keep one idea per scene. If a scene tries to cover two definitions and a diagram, you may not remember any of them. Short is fine. A 30-second clip on one process you keep mixing up can be more use than a long overview you will not rewatch.
Make it work without sound. Captions let you watch on a bus or in a library.
Check it against the textbook. Pay close attention to numbers, equations, dates and the labels on diagrams. Then close the video and try to explain the idea yourself or answer a practice question. The video helps you understand. It does not replace reading and practice.
Common mistakes to avoid
Dumping in everything. Uploading the whole textbook plus random notes gives you an unfocused video. One guide notes that a messy notebook produces a messy video. Start with the one chapter or section you need.
Expecting to edit NotebookLM's narration. One review notes there is no script editor and no voice choice, so you cannot fix a wrong line. If a sentence is wrong, write the correction in your notes, or use a tool that lets you edit the script.
Trusting published limits. Third-party numbers on sources and plans vary. Check the limits in your own account.
Assuming any language works. NotebookLM's Video Overview was English only at launch. Check what it supports now if you study in another language.
Watching instead of studying. Seeing the video three times can feel like learning. Test yourself on the chapter afterwards to find out whether it stuck.
Which tool should you choose?
Choose NotebookLM if your chapter is already a PDF and you want one overview made from it. You can pick the bite-sized Brief or the more complete Explainer, and you can use Customize to focus it on your exam topics. It is the better choice if you want an overview quickly and do not need to change what the narration says.
Choose Vidi if you want short, captioned, vertical clips on one idea at a time, and you want to read and correct the script before anything is animated. You paste the chapter section or your notes, or type the question in your own words. Vidi narrates in 74 languages. If you study in another language, also check what NotebookLM supports now, since it was English only at launch. Free Vidi videos are 45 seconds at most, so a whole chapter means several clips or a paid plan, which allows videos up to 5 minutes.
You can also use both. Use NotebookLM for the overview on the night you read the chapter, and short clips for the parts you keep getting wrong.
NotebookLM Video Overview and Vidi for a textbook chapter
| NotebookLM Video Overview | Vidi | |
|---|---|---|
| What you give it | Uploaded PDFs, Google Docs, slides, web links or audio files | A pasted chapter section, your notes or a question in your own words; explainers can also start from your own images |
| Edit the script | No script editor or voice choice, according to one review | Edit every scene's script before animation, and change one scene with a note afterwards |
| Formats and length | Brief or Explainer; a Cinematic format launched in March 2026 | Free: vertical 9:16 at 15, 30 or 45 seconds. Paid: up to 5 minutes |
| Getting it on your phone | Download the video file | Download; vertical with captions on by default |
| Languages | English only at launch; check current support | Narration in 74 languages |
| Cost to start | Third-party trackers report a free tier; check your own account's limits | 5 free credits for two 15-second trial videos, then plans from $5 a month or credit packs |
| Best for | One overview of a chapter made straight from the PDF | Short clips on single ideas you want to check line by line |
Limits worth knowing
- AI summaries can be wrong. Both tools use AI to write what the video says, and the research behind this page found no published test of NotebookLM's accuracy on textbook content. Check every video against the chapter, especially equations, numbers and diagram labels.
- Vidi's free videos are vertical and at most 45 seconds long, and the 5 free credits cover two 15-second trial videos. A whole chapter needs several clips or a paid plan, which allows videos up to 5 minutes. Free and Starter videos also carry a small Vidi logo.
- A short video is a summary, not the chapter. It can leave out details your exam asks about, so keep reading and doing practice questions alongside it.
- NotebookLM's video feature has been updated since 2025, with new formats added in October 2025 and March 2026, and some sources now use a different name for the product. Check the current version and limits in your own account before you rely on any number here.
Sources
- NotebookLM Video Overviews study guide (KnowAIData)
- Video Overviews with Nano Banana (Google blog)
- NotebookLM Video Overview vs explainer video (Jellypod)
- NotebookLM Video Overviews review (Enhanced Human)
- NotebookLM Video Overview lesson (Futurepedia)
- NotebookLM Video Overviews explained: Briefs vs Explainers (Medium)
- NotebookLM's Video Overviews launch (XDA Developers)
- NotebookLM to launch Video Overviews for PDFs and photos (AlternativeTo)
- NotebookLM Cinematic Video Overview guide (Build Fast with AI)
- Turn PDFs into videos with NotebookLM (Futurepedia newsletter)
Is NotebookLM Video Overview free?
Third-party trackers report a free tier with roughly 50 sources per notebook and higher limits on paid plans. They also note that Google's help docs do not publish per-plan limits. Check what your own account allows before you plan a revision session around it.
Can I watch the video on my phone?
Yes. NotebookLM lets you download, rename or share a finished Video Overview, so you can copy the file to your phone and watch it offline. Vidi's free videos are vertical 9:16 with captions on by default, made to fit a phone screen and to work without sound.
How long does it take to make the video?
Reviews of NotebookLM give different times, from 2 to 5 minutes up to about ten minutes. Allow for the longer end if you are revising the night before. Add time to check the video against your chapter before you rely on it.
Should I pick Brief or Explainer in NotebookLM?
Google describes Brief as a bite-sized video for the core ideas of a document, and Explainer as a structured, more complete video for in-depth understanding. Use Brief for a quick recap of a chapter you have read, and Explainer when you are meeting the material for the first time.
Can I use a photo of a textbook page?
A pre-launch report said NotebookLM's Video Overview would work with PDFs and photos. Try it with one of your own pages before you rely on it. With Vidi, the simplest route is the one its student guide describes: paste the chapter section or your notes, then check the script.
Can I get the video in my own language?
NotebookLM's Video Overview was English only at launch, so check what it supports today. Vidi narrates in 74 languages, including Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, Indonesian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese and Vietnamese. Choose the language before you create, because the script is written in it.
Is an AI video summary accurate enough to study from?
Treat it as a first draft, not a textbook. AI can leave things out or get them wrong. Compare the video with the chapter and fix or note any errors. With Vidi you can correct the script before animation. One review notes NotebookLM has no script editor, so keep corrections in your notes.