Make a study video from any question in your class
Type a question from your course and Isotoon makes a short, captioned, narrated animated video that explains it, in about a minute. Every factual claim in the script is checked before anything is drawn, and the sources are listed under the video.
Ask the question you're stuck on
Two real ones
Why does printing more money cause inflation?
A tiny island economy has 100 loaves of bread and $100, so a loaf costs $1. The printer doubles the money to $200 while the bread stays the same, more dollars chase each loaf, the price rises from $1 to $2, and each dollar buys less.
Scenes, in order:
- Twice the money, same bread
- A tiny island economy
- The printer runs
- More dollars chase each loaf
- Inflation: each dollar buys less
How does DNA copy itself?
A recording of a 3D scene of DNA replication: the double helix, its 5′ and 3′ ends marked, turns as helicase and topoisomerase arrive at the replication fork and the parent strands are pulled apart, then primase lands on each separated strand.
Labeled in the scene:
- Parent strand
- Helicase
- Topoisomerase
- Primase
What you get
- A video up to 30 seconds long on Basic, or up to 60 seconds on Pro.
- Drawings that move: the supply curve shifts, the chromosome pairs split, the tangent line slides along the curve.
- Narration, with captions always on, so it works in a quiet library with the sound off.
- The sources the explanation came from, listed under the video.
The example above, on why printing money causes inflation, shows what a finished one looks like.
How a video gets made
You type the question. Isotoon writes a short script that answers it, then checks each factual claim in that script before anything is drawn. Only after the script passes is it turned into animated drawings with narration. The whole thing takes about a minute.
Checking first matters because a wrong fact in a polished animation is more convincing than a wrong fact in plain text. The sources are there so you can confirm a point or read further.
What makes a good question
One idea per question gets you the clearest video. Be specific about the part you don't get.
- Weak: "Photosynthesis." Strong: "Why does photosynthesis need light if the Calvin cycle doesn't use it directly?"
- Weak: "Explain statistics." Strong: "What does a p-value of 0.03 actually mean?"
- Weak: "Help with recursion." Strong: "How does a recursive function know when to stop?"
- Weak: "SN1 and SN2." Strong: "Why does a tertiary carbon favor SN1 over SN2?"
Ask it the way you would ask a classmate who already understands it. If your question has two parts, ask the first one and use a follow-up for the second.
It also helps to name the context when a term means different things in different courses. "What is elasticity in economics?" and "What is elasticity in physics?" are two different videos, and saying which class you mean gets you the right one.
Follow-ups continue the video
When one step still doesn't make sense, ask about it under the video. The follow-up continues the same video as its next part instead of starting over, so the explanation builds the way a good tutor's would: first what a derivative is, then why the chain rule multiplies.
3D models on Pro
Some ideas are hard to follow flat. On Pro, a question can become a 3D model you turn, step through and tap, with notes for each step. DNA replication is a good example: you can watch helicase unwind the strands at the replication fork, see where topoisomerase relieves the strain ahead of it and where primase lays down primers. Pro also includes 2D interactives, such as graphs and diagrams you change yourself.
How it differs from searching for a lecture video
A search turns up a 20-minute lecture that covers your topic somewhere around minute 14, at a level that may or may not match your class. Then the next video starts playing.
An Isotoon video is built around your exact question, so it starts at the part you are stuck on. It is short. There is no feed and no autoplay; it ends when the explanation does, and it is private to your account. Each video is also listed in your notebook for rewatching on a spaced schedule, which is covered on the exam prep page.
Plans
Your first video is free: pick one of the example questions to see how it works. Nothing is saved from it. Basic is $20 a month for videos up to 30 seconds. Pro is $50 a month for videos up to 60 seconds, plus 2D and 3D interactives. New subscribers get one 7-day free trial. Details are on plans, and an overview of where Isotoon fits among other tools is on the AI study tool page. To browse questions by subject, start at study.
Questions
- How long does it take to make a study video?
- About a minute from typing the question to watching the video. The script is checked for factual accuracy before it is animated, which is part of that minute.
- Can I make a video from a topic name instead of a question?
- You can, but a specific question gives a much better video. Instead of a topic like photosynthesis, ask about the one part you do not understand, such as why the Calvin cycle still depends on light.
- Is there a person on camera?
- No. The video is made of drawings that move, built around the idea, with narration and captions. There is no presenter talking at a camera.
- Can I make a longer video?
- Each video is up to 30 seconds on Basic and up to 60 seconds on Pro. For more depth, ask a follow-up under the video and it continues as the next part.
- Can other people see the videos I make?
- No. Videos are private to your account. There is no public feed, and there are no comments or messages.