Walkthrough Video
From claude-skills by @jezweb · View on GitHub
Generate professional walkthrough videos from app screenshots or live sites using Remotion. Smooth transitions, zoom effects, text overlays, and optional voiceover narration. Produces MP4 videos for demos, product showcases, or documentation. Triggers: 'walkthrough video', 'demo video', 'product video', 'create a video walkthrough', 'remotion video', 'screen recording', 'app demo', 'showcase video', 'generate video from screenshots'.
This skill ships inside the claude-skills package. Install the package to get this skill plus everything else in the bundle.
sv install jezweb/claude-skillsWalkthrough Video Generator
Create professional walkthrough videos from app screenshots or live sites using Remotion. Produces smooth, polished MP4 videos with transitions, zoom effects, and text overlays.
Overview
This skill takes a set of screenshots (or captures them from a running app) and orchestrates them into a Remotion video composition with:
- Smooth transitions between screens (fade, slide, wipe)
- Zoom effects to highlight specific UI areas
- Text overlays with titles, descriptions, and callouts
- Progress indicators showing position in the walkthrough
- Optional voiceover narration track
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ installed
- Screenshots of the app (or a running app to screenshot)
- No Remotion experience needed — the skill generates all code
Workflow
Step 1: Gather Screenshots
Choose one approach:
Option A: From Existing Screenshots
If the user already has screenshots (e.g. from design-loop or product-showcase):
Read screenshots from:
- .design/screenshots/
- .jez/screenshots/
- User-specified directorySort them in walkthrough order (alphabetically by filename, or as user specifies).
Option B: Capture from Running App
If the app is running locally:
- Start Playwright CLI session
- Navigate through each screen in sequence
- Screenshot at consistent dimensions (1280x720 recommended for video)
- Save to
video/public/screens/
playwright-cli -s=walkthrough open http://localhost:3000
playwright-cli -s=walkthrough resize 1280 720
playwright-cli -s=walkthrough screenshot --filename=video/public/screens/01-home.png
# Navigate to next page...
playwright-cli -s=walkthrough screenshot --filename=video/public/screens/02-dashboard.pngOption C: From Live URL
Same as Option B but with a public URL. Screenshot each key page.
Step 2: Create Screen Manifest
Build a screens.json describing the walkthrough:
{
"projectName": "My App Walkthrough",
"fps": 30,
"width": 1280,
"height": 720,
"screens": [
{
"id": "home",
"title": "Welcome to MyApp",
"description": "The landing page introduces the core value proposition",
"imagePath": "screens/01-home.png",
"durationSeconds": 4,
"transition": "fade",
"zoomTarget": null
},
{
"id": "dashboard",
"title": "Your Dashboard",
"description": "See all your projects at a glance",
"imagePath": "screens/02-dashboard.png",
"durationSeconds": 5,
"transition": "slide-left",
"zoomTarget": { "x": 100, "y": 200, "width": 400, "height": 300, "delay": 2 }
}
]
}| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
id | string | Unique screen identifier |
title | string | Text overlay title |
description | string | Subtitle or narration text |
imagePath | string | Path relative to video/public/ |
durationSeconds | number | How long to show this screen |
transition | string | fade, slide-left, slide-right, slide-up, wipe, none |
zoomTarget | object/null | If set, zoom into this region after delay seconds |
Step 3: Scaffold Remotion Project
If no Remotion project exists:
mkdir -p video
cd video
npm init -y
npm install remotion @remotion/cli @remotion/transitions react react-dom
npm install -D typescript @types/reactCreate the project structure:
video/
├── src/
│ ├── Root.tsx # Remotion entry point
│ ├── WalkthroughComposition.tsx # Main composition
│ ├── components/
│ │ ├── ScreenSlide.tsx # Individual screen display
│ │ ├── TextOverlay.tsx # Title/description overlay
│ │ ├── ProgressBar.tsx # Walkthrough progress indicator
│ │ └── ZoomEffect.tsx # Zoom into regions
│ └── config.ts # Load screens.json, calculate durations
├── public/
│ └── screens/ # Screenshot assets
│ ├── 01-home.png
│ └── 02-dashboard.png
├── screens.json # Screen manifest
├── remotion.config.ts
├── tsconfig.json
└── package.jsonStep 4: Generate Remotion Components
Generate each component file. Key patterns:
Root.tsx
import { Composition } from "remotion";
import { WalkthroughComposition } from "./WalkthroughComposition";
import { screens, totalDurationInFrames, FPS, WIDTH, HEIGHT } from "./config";
export const RemotionRoot = () => (
<Composition
id="Walkthrough"
component={WalkthroughComposition}
durationInFrames={totalDurationInFrames}
fps={FPS}
width={WIDTH}
height={HEIGHT}
defaultProps={{ screens }}
/>
);ScreenSlide.tsx Pattern
import { AbsoluteFill, Img, spring, useCurrentFrame, useVideoConfig } from "remotion";
interface ScreenSlideProps {
imageSrc: string;
title: string;
description: string;
}
export const ScreenSlide: React.FC<ScreenSlideProps> = ({ imageSrc, title, description }) => {
const frame = useCurrentFrame();
const { fps } = useVideoConfig();
// Fade in
const opacity = spring({ frame, fps, config: { damping: 20 } });
// Subtle zoom (Ken Burns effect)
const scale = 1 + frame * 0.0002;
return (
<AbsoluteFill style={{ backgroundColor: "#000" }}>
<Img
src={imageSrc}
style={{
width: "100%",
height: "100%",
objectFit: "contain",
opacity,
transform: `scale(${scale})`,
}}
/>
{/* Text overlay at bottom */}
<div style={{
position: "absolute",
bottom: 40,
left: 40,
right: 40,
opacity: spring({ frame: frame - 15, fps, config: { damping: 20 } }),
}}>
<h2 style={{ color: "#fff", fontSize: 32, fontWeight: 700, textShadow: "0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.8)" }}>
{title}
</h2>
<p style={{ color: "#ccc", fontSize: 18, textShadow: "0 1px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.8)" }}>
{description}
</p>
</div>
</AbsoluteFill>
);
};Transitions Between Screens
Use @remotion/transitions for transitions:
import { TransitionSeries } from "@remotion/transitions";
import { fade } from "@remotion/transitions/fade";
import { slide } from "@remotion/transitions/slide";
// In WalkthroughComposition:
<TransitionSeries>
{screens.map((screen, i) => (
<TransitionSeries.Sequence
key={screen.id}
durationInFrames={screen.durationSeconds * FPS}
>
<ScreenSlide {...screen} />
</TransitionSeries.Sequence>
// Add transition between screens (not after last)
{i < screens.length - 1 && (
<TransitionSeries.Transition
presentation={getTransition(screens[i + 1].transition)}
timing={springTiming({ config: { damping: 20 }, durationInFrames: 15 })}
/>
)}
))}
</TransitionSeries>Step 5: Preview and Refine
cd video
npx remotion studioThis opens a browser-based preview. Check:
- Timing feels right for each screen
- Transitions are smooth
- Text overlays are readable
- Zoom targets hit the right area
- Progress bar (if included) is accurate
Step 6: Render the Video
cd video
npx remotion render Walkthrough output.mp4 --codec h264For higher quality:
npx remotion render Walkthrough output.mp4 --codec h264 --quality 90For web-optimised (smaller file):
npx remotion render Walkthrough output.webm --codec vp8Advanced Features
Zoom to Region
Zoom into a specific area of the screen to highlight a feature:
// In ZoomEffect.tsx — interpolate scale and translate
const zoomScale = interpolate(frame, [delayFrames, delayFrames + 30], [1, 2.5], {
extrapolateRight: "clamp",
});
const translateX = interpolate(frame, [delayFrames, delayFrames + 30], [0, -targetX], {
extrapolateRight: "clamp",
});Animated Callout Circles
Draw attention to UI elements:
// Pulsing circle that appears at a specific point
const scale = spring({ frame: frame - delay, fps, config: { damping: 8, stiffness: 80 } });
<div style={{
position: "absolute",
left: x - 20, top: y - 20,
width: 40, height: 40,
borderRadius: "50%",
border: "3px solid #3B82F6",
transform: `scale(${scale})`,
opacity: Math.min(1, scale),
}} />Background Music
Add a subtle background track:
import { Audio } from "remotion";
<Audio src={staticFile("music/background.mp3")} volume={0.15} />Intro and Outro Slides
Add title card at start and CTA at end:
// First sequence: Title card (3 seconds)
<TransitionSeries.Sequence durationInFrames={90}>
<TitleCard projectName="MyApp" tagline="The future of project management" />
</TransitionSeries.Sequence>
// ... screen sequences ...
// Last sequence: CTA card (4 seconds)
<TransitionSeries.Sequence durationInFrames={120}>
<CtaCard url="myapp.com" text="Try it free" />
</TransitionSeries.Sequence>Transition Reference
| Name | Effect | Best for |
|---|---|---|
fade | Cross-fade dissolve | Default, works everywhere |
slide-left | New screen slides in from right | Sequential flow (next page) |
slide-right | New screen slides in from left | Going back |
slide-up | New screen slides in from bottom | Drill-down into detail |
wipe | Wipe transition | Dramatic reveal |
none | Hard cut | Quick comparison |
Output Options
| Format | Command | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| MP4 (H.264) | --codec h264 | Universal compatibility |
| WebM (VP8) | --codec vp8 | Web embedding, smaller files |
| GIF | --image-format png then ffmpeg | Short loops, social media |
| PNG sequence | --image-format png --sequence | Post-production editing |
Tips and Pitfalls
- 1280×720, 3-5 seconds per screen, under 90 seconds total — beyond these, attention drops
- Fade is the safest transition — pick 1-2 transition types and stay consistent
- Text overlays need contrast — text-shadow or semi-transparent background; too small or low-contrast reads as "AI made this"
- Ken Burns (subtle zoom) prevents static screenshots from feeling dead. Add intro/outro cards so the video doesn't feel abrupt
- Preview before rendering —
npx remotion studiosaves time vs full renders - Match screenshot dimensions (mismatched causes scaling issues). Use
staticFile()forpublic/assets