How to create How to Guide Automatically Under 5 Minutes

Last Updated On: March 4, 2025

You need to create how-to guide, but don’t know how to? This blog would help you find ways to deliver instructions to your audience in the quickest way possible.

Are you in this scenario? You create manuals, and instructions by capturing screenshots, and videos and then adding callouts, bubbles, text, and, annotations later (with Paint, photos, or Canva).

A part from time consuming, this manual process often leads to inconsistencies and errors in design elements like fonts, colors, and layouts making it hard to keep a professional look in your document guide.

This blog will change the way you are doing these consuming tasks in the next 5 minutes.

Let’s give you some fresh air with this how-to guide. Feel free to interact and have a sense of what your future instruction will look like.

Do you want to create a how-to guide like this? If the answer is yes, then scroll for more.

If you want to watch video about how to create this guide, then watch this

1. First, let’s break down the elements of a how-to guide

We would deeply analyze what we want actually, and from that, we would head to find out a software/an app that satisfies our needs to create how-to guide. 

Do you want to create a how-to guide manually or automatically?

I believe you would love to create it automatically since you have created instructions a lot and enough.

So the beginning step is to find a tool that can be created automatically.

Do you want to customize your how-to guide afterward? 

The answer could be a yes since you want to customize info and add more annotations/explanations outside boring instructions like “Left click here, Double click here”.

Next, do you want it to be in image collections or video formats?

Or do you want both? The answer is yes.

To sum up, you need a tool that can 

1. Create a how-to guide automatically, 

2. Customize after that, 

3. Support exporting to various formats.

Then you can not miss exploring ActivePresenter. It is an eLearning authoring tool compatible with LMS for educational and training purposes. Moreover, it also functions as a screen recorder and video editor.

If you have experienced using ActivePresenter before, you can find another way to utilize it better (or explore more features!)

This is a downloaded software, so it is best used for laptops and PC, available for both Windows and MacOS. It’s free to download with no time limits for trial use.

2. How to Create How to Guide With ActivePresenter

After downloading, then at the Start page, you can see there are two options: Record Screen as Video or Record Interactive Simulation.

Record video is used when you want to create normal video tutorials with both screen recordings and webcam.

Record simulation is used when you want to create step-by-step guides having callouts, and annotations created automatically for you. If you export to a webpage or LMS, you can interact with these tutorials.

To create tutorials automatically, I would opt to choose to record interactive simulations. You can record the screen, audio and your voice at the same time.

Then you perform normally when you do your work and let the tool ActivePresenter work hard in silence.

After finishing, you press Ctrl End (for Windows) or Command Option 2 (for macOS) to stop recording.

3. Edit Your How-to Guide

All the activities I have done are recorded and well-presented in slide-based formats with call out, and annotations like this.

You can scroll to review and delete any unnecessary slides. After that, you could make further edits like adding arrows, and callouts to emphasize by navigating to Insert tab > Shapes.

Change the colors of callouts by heading Properties > Fill.

Here comes the most favorable feature: You can change mouse cursor highlights with audio clicks effect by selecting the Cursor Path element on the Timeline > Properties > Cursor Path > Cursor Highlight > Type: Circle/Square.

You are free to further customize and add mouse clicks by heading to Left/Right/Double click effects down below.

Last but not least, it is a need to change the slide name by heading to Properties > General > Name to change the slide name & description (when you export your how-to guide to a PDF version, the slide name will be attached to every single slide)

Moreover, you are enabled to add interactive quizzes to let your audience have a small quiz knowledge check. Refer to How to add interactive quizzes in ActivePresenter 

4. Export How to Guide in Multiple Formats

Export to PDF

Once you’ve created your how-to guide in ActivePresenter, you can export it as a PDF for easy sharing. Navigate to Export > Document and choose PDF format.

You can choose the number of Slides per Page, Page Orientation, and Description (Slide name & description position) along with Image Format type (JPEG or PNG).

This option is ideal for instructional manuals, quick-reference guides, and offline reading. 

PDFs ensure your content is accessible on any device and maintain a structured format for formal documentation.

Export to Videos

For step-by-step tutorials or software demonstrations, exporting to video is an effective option. Go to Export > Video, select formats like MP4, AVI, or WMV, MKV, WEBM, and configure resolution, frame rate, and audio settings. 

This method is perfect for YouTube tutorials, corporate training, or social media content.

Videos provide a dynamic way to convey instructions with voiceovers, captions, and animations, making complex topics easier to understand.

Note: Exporting to video does not include interactive features such as clickable buttons, drag and drop features, etc.

Export to Interactive Videos

Interactive videos enhance engagement by allowing users to interact with the content. In Export > HTML5 or Webpages enabling clickable elements, quizzes, and scenario-based options. 

This format is ideal for e-learning, employee training, and customer onboarding. Learners can navigate through the guide at their own pace, ensuring better retention and personalized experiences.

In conclusion, ActivePresenter streamlines the creation of how-to guides by offering versatile export options, including PDF documents, standard videos, and interactive HTML5 content. This flexibility ensures that your instructional materials are accessible and engaging across various platforms and user preferences. By leveraging ActivePresenter’s comprehensive features, you can produce professional and interactive guides in under five minutes, enhancing both efficiency and the quality of your educational content.

Last Words

ActivePresenter streamlines the creation of how-to guides by create step by step guide automatically with versatile export options, including PDF documents, standard videos, and interactive HTML5 content.

By leveraging ActivePresenter’s comprehensive features, you can produce professional and interactive guides in under 5 minutes, enhancing both efficiency and the quality of your educational adn training content.