Formats · Length 30-90s · 9:16 · intermediate
Process video: how to shoot, edit, and prompt it
A process video shows how a piece gets made at a pace you can follow, mixing real-time close-ups with sped-up stretches and a short voiceover.
By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24 · Example: @sulansart
- Platforms
- TikTok, Reels, Shorts, YouTube
- Length
- 30-90s
- Aspect
- 9:16
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Gear
- phone, tripod, a second phone or angle for details, lav mic if narrating
My "forest" video with the preserved flowers is one. Open on the weirdest step.
At a glance
| Best for | Teaching by showing, building trust with collectors, an unusual technique |
| Hook style | The strangest step first, "attaching preserved flowers felt like gambling" |
| Pacing | Real time (2-4s) then 10x-30x, back and forth |
| Caption style | 3-5 word phrases over the voice, or short notes if silent |
| Music | Low under the voice, can drop out on a real-time detail |
| Shot list | Locked wide of the surface. 5-8 handheld close-ups of hands and material. The finished piece. The material on its own. |
| Common mistakes | All sped up, no real-time moments. Explaining every step. Blurry close-ups. |
Structure
- 0-3s: the riskiest step, mid-action
- 3-10s: what the piece is and what you're trying
- 10-50s: three or four steps, fast stretch then a real-time detail
- 50-70s: the moment it could have gone wrong
- 70-90s: the finished piece, one line
How to shoot it
- Two angles. Locked wide, handheld for details. Swap the phone if you only have one.
- Each close-up at least 8 seconds so there's room to cut.
- Film the material on its own. The flowers, the pigment, the paper.
- Record narration after, watching the rough cut. It comes out shorter and clearer.
- Keep hands moving in frame.
How to edit it
- Cut the voiceover first, then lay footage to it.
- Real-time detail on every claim. Say "the petals crumble", show a petal crumbling.
- 10x to 30x on the in-between work. Faster and hands stop reading.
- Captions in short phrases, off during the reveal.
- Music under the voice, up a little on the sped-up parts.
- The finished piece needs a clean still shot, not a frame from the timelapse.
Prompt it in Vyra
Make a 60-second process video from these clips. Open on the close-up where I press the magnolia petal into the wet paint. Use my voiceover file as the spine, speed up the painting footage between the details I mention, and drop to real time for 2 seconds whenever I describe a specific step. Add 3-5 word captions over the voice, off during the final reveal.
When I say "I forgot to measure it," cut to the wide shot of the whole canvas for 2 seconds.
Keep the music at about 20% under my voice and bring it up to 50% during the sped-up stretches.
Variations
- Material first, open on the unusual material.
- Failure process, the step that went wrong and the fix.
- Silent process, on-screen notes only, ambient sound up.
FAQ
Voiceover or captions only? Voiceover if you can record it cleanly after. Captions only if the sound of the process is the appeal.
How many steps? Three or four.
Can Vyra find the detail shots? Yes. "Cut to the shot where the brush touches the gold leaf" works without timestamps.