How-to imagery provides a helpful visual element to written instructions on how to use a product. Videos should demonstrate the key moments of using a product, from preparation to maintenance. Read more about our general guidelines regarding motion here.
The how-to videos can be used in the rectangle ratio (16:9) at minimum size of 1920 x 1080px.
16:9
1920 x 1080px
Do
Show real environments
Don't
Show without a background
Use a studio background
How-to videos are set in environments fitting to their general application. This helps customers recognize the application and industry, and gives contex to the instructions.
Video instructions for how to use products always follow this structure:
1. Safety precautions, if applicable
2. Preparation & application
3. Disassembly/removal, if applicable
The total duration of instructions should not exceed 5 minutes.
Always have the important part of the step clearly in view.
Focus on the specific action
Zooming motion can help with understanding scale
Always shoot photos in setting with natural, diffused light so that colors, textures, and environment are rendered clearly and in line with reality.
Do
Don'ts
Unnatural stock photo feel
Excessive yellow light and underexposed
Overexposed white and setting is too dark
Each caption frame should hold one to two lines of text on the screen at a time.
Captions should be time-synchronized to the audio and last three to seven seconds on the screen.
To ensure that videos may be used across languages, captions should never be rendered within a video itself. Instead, they should be displayed as an overlay.
Make sure thumbnails display meaningful part of video, preferably featuring important part of the application and/or pack as opposed to a random pan. Make sure thumbnails don’t show parts with graphics in them — Typography, icons, charts etc. — as it tamperes with the UI and messes up the layout videos are part of.
Key moment
Be mindful of play button placement
Random pan
Parts with graphics
When people are demonstrating a product, make sure they always wear brand colors or neutral colors.
Apparel in brand colors or neutral colors
Apparel in off-brand colors