WeVideo · Student Guide
Assignment Instructions

Create your WeVideo assignment, step by step.

Find your assignment type below, then follow the numbered steps. Projects are arranged from the simplest first video to more advanced, multi-track productions — so you can build skills as you go. No prior editing experience needed.

For faculty: Link to this page from Canvas instead of copying instructions into each course. When something changes, we update it here once and every course stays current. Point students to the specific assignment section using the timeline links below.

Before you start: the four ways to add content

Every project below uses these building blocks. Skim them once — then follow your assignment's steps.

Method 1

Stock media library

Over a million royalty-free videos, images, and audio clips. Open Videos / Images, use the search bar, and drag clips onto your timeline.

Method 2

Import your own

From the Project Bin, import media from your computer, phone, or other sources to use your own footage and photos.

Method 3

Record in WeVideo

Click Record for webcam, screen, or webcam + screen. Click Narrate to capture a voiceover.

Method 4

Mobile app

Anything you record on your phone lands in Uploads. Right-click (or control-click) it to add it to your Project Bin.

Pro tip: Right-click (or control-click) almost anything in WeVideo to reveal quick options. And your work saves automatically to the cloud — you can pick up on any device with your login.
Level 1 · Beginner

Start here: your first videos

These mirror WeVideo's Certified Student Level 1 skills — video, text, and audio on a single timeline. Each takes about an hour and needs no footage of your own. Finish any one and you can make a clean, simple video.

01

"About Me" Introduction

A short three-clip video introducing yourself to the class.
● Individual 1–2 minutes Video + text + audio

Steps

  1. Open WeVideo and click Create → Video. Give your project a name at the top of the editor.
  2. Plan three beats: who you are, what you're studying, and one thing you want classmates to know.
  3. Record yourself with Record → Webcam from Add Media, or add stock clips and images that represent you from the media library.
  4. Drag your clips onto the video track at the bottom in the order you want them to play.
  5. Use Split to trim dead air, then drag clips together and use Insert & Push to close the gaps.
  6. Add a title with the Text tool. Double-click the text to change the size, font, and color.
  7. Drag a music clip from the audio library onto an audio track. Lower its volume so any narration stays clear.
  8. Preview from the start, then click Export and submit the link or file as your instructor directs.
You'll turn in: a 1–2 minute video with at least one title, one transition, and background audio.
General EducationFirst-year seminarsAny orientation course
02

Read-Aloud or Learning Reflection

Narrate a passage, a poem, or a short reflection over matching visuals.
● Individual 1–3 minutes Voiceover + images

Steps

  1. Start a new video project: Create → Video.
  2. Write or choose your text — a passage you're analyzing, an original reflection, or a short poem.
  3. From Add Media, select Narrate and read your text aloud clearly. Re-record until you're happy with it.
  4. Search the stock library for images and short clips that match each line or idea, and drag them to the video track.
  5. Line the visuals up under your narration so images change with the words.
  6. Add on-screen text for key quotes or terms using the Text track so it overlays the video.
  7. Fade your narration in and out: select the clip, choose Edit, and set the audio fade.
  8. Export and submit.
Make it smoother: Use the "Ken Burns" effect — select an image, choose Edit → Animation, and set slightly different start and end positions so still photos gently pan.
EnglishCompositionBiblical StudiesPhilosophyPsychology
03

"How-To" Explainer

Teach one concept, skill, or process in plain terms — become the expert.
● Individual 2–3 minutes Narration + visuals

Steps

  1. Open Create → Video and outline your steps or key points first — one idea per clip.
  2. Record yourself explaining (webcam), or narrate over visuals with Narrate (from Add Media).
  3. Pull supporting images, diagrams, or clips from the stock library and drag them onto the timeline.
  4. Add a title card between sections: place a Text block directly on the video track so it plays on its own.
  5. Use the Transitions panel (or the plus icon on a clip edge) to move cleanly between sections.
  6. Check pacing in the preview — cut anything that drags with Split.
  7. Export and submit.
You'll turn in: a clear explainer with section titles, at least two transitions, and audio you can hear easily.
MathematicsNatural SciencesNursingKinesiologyBusiness
Level 2 · Building skills

Longer, more structured projects

These add a second audio track, recorded interviews, screen capture, or a stronger narrative arc. Plan a little on paper first — a storyboard or script saves editing time.

04

Podcast Episode

An audio-only project: discussion, analysis, or a solo commentary.
● Individual ● Group option 5–15 minutes Audio only

Steps

  1. Open Create → Podcast (or a video project you'll export as audio).
  2. Script or outline your episode: intro, main segments, and a wrap-up.
  3. From Add Media, record your voice with Narrate. For a co-hosted episode, each person records their parts, or use real-time collaboration in a shared Class project.
  4. Drag your recordings onto the audio track in order. Use Split to cut mistakes and long pauses.
  5. Add a music intro/outro from the stock library on a second audio track.
  6. Balance levels: keep the music quieter than voices. Use Audio and Opacity to drag the volume line up or down within a clip.
  7. Try an L-cut: let the intro music keep playing softly under the first few seconds of talking.
  8. Export as audio and submit.
Series idea: Podcasts work well as recurring assignments — record an episode at intervals through the term, then combine them into a season.
Marriage & Family CounselingSeminarySocial WorkBusinessPsychology
05

Screencast Walkthrough

Record your screen with narration to show your thinking or demonstrate software.
● Individual 3–8 minutes Screen + voice

Steps

  1. Open what you'll demonstrate (a document, spreadsheet, dataset, problem, or app) before you begin.
  2. In WeVideo, click Record → Screen (or Webcam + Screen to add your face in a corner).
  3. Talk through each step as you click, scroll, or type. Everything on screen is captured.
  4. Stop recording — your clip lands in the Project Bin. Drag it to the video track.
  5. Trim false starts with Split, then add title cards and on-screen Text to label key moments.
  6. To emphasize a detail, split the clip and use Edit → Transform to zoom in on that section.
  7. Export and submit.
You'll turn in: a narrated screen recording that walks the viewer through your process clearly, start to finish.
MathematicsBusinessNatural SciencesNursingGeneral Education
06

Interview / Oral History

Record a conversation and edit it into a focused piece.
● Individual ● Group option 3–8 minutes

Steps

  1. Write your questions in advance and confirm your subject agrees to be recorded.
  2. Record the interview (webcam, phone, or screen call recording). Import the footage into your Project Bin.
  3. Start Create → Video and drag the footage to the timeline.
  4. Cut to the strongest answers with Split; remove tangents and long pauses.
  5. Add lower-third Text to name your subject and their role.
  6. Insert relevant photos or clips over the audio to illustrate what's being discussed (a B-roll cutaway).
  7. Add a short title intro and a closing card, then Export and submit.
Marriage & Family CounselingSocial WorkPsychologyEnglishSeminary
07

Book / Media Trailer

A movie-style trailer for a text, case, or concept — hook without spoiling.
● Individual ● Group option 60–90 seconds

Steps

  1. Identify the tone and central tension you want to convey — the trailer sets a mood, it doesn't summarize everything.
  2. Open Create → Video and, if you'd like a head start, browse Templates for a trailer-style layout.
  3. Gather dramatic stock clips and images that match your theme; drag them to the timeline.
  4. Add punchy Text cards between clips to build suspense — short phrases, not sentences.
  5. Choose music that fits the mood and place it on the audio track; time your cuts to the beat.
  6. Use Transitions like fade-to-black or dip-to-white between beats for a cinematic feel.
  7. Export and submit.
Try it: Fade an image's Opacity to zero at the end of a clip to dissolve one visual into the next — great for a "then vs. now" or transformation beat.
EnglishCompositionBiblical StudiesBusiness (product pitch)Philosophy
Level 3 · Advanced

Multi-track productions & teamwork

These combine several skills: layered tracks, effects like green screen, research-driven structure, and real-time collaboration. Budget time for planning, filming, and revision.

08

Documentary or PSA

A research-based, persuasive piece that informs and calls viewers to act.
● Group recommended 4–10 minutes Research + narrative

Steps

  1. Pick a real problem or question and research it. Write a script or storyboard: hook → evidence → solution or call to action.
  2. Divide the work (if a group): interviews, narration, footage, editing.
  3. Gather material — record interviews and narration, film or pull stock B-roll, and import everything to the Project Bin.
  4. Build the spine on the video track: narration first, then lay visuals over it.
  5. Add a second audio track for music; keep it low under narration (the "background audio" balance).
  6. Use on-screen Text for statistics, sources, and section headers.
  7. Add transitions between chapters and a strong closing call to action.
  8. Review together, revise, then Export and submit.
You'll turn in: a structured piece with narration, layered audio, cited on-screen facts, and a clear takeaway.
Social WorkNursingNatural SciencesPsychologyBusinessKinesiology
09

Green Screen Production

Place yourself into any setting — a historical scene, a newsroom, a location.
● Individual ● Group option Multi-track

Steps

  1. Record yourself in front of a solid green background (a green sheet works). Import it to the Project Bin.
  2. Add your background footage or image to a lower video track, and drag your green-screen clip to the track above it.
  3. Double-click the green-screen clip, choose Edit → Keying, and select the green color to remove it.
  4. Fine-tune with Defringe and Show mask so no green edges remain around you.
  5. Position and scale yourself over the background using Edit → Transform.
  6. Add titles, narration, and transitions as your assignment needs.
  7. Preview carefully for stray green, then Export and submit.
No green fabric? Search the stock library for "green screen" to find ready-made animated clips you can key and use.
Biblical Studies (walk through history)Business (news report)EnglishNatural Sciences
10

Collaborative Team Video

Several students editing one project together in real time.
● Group required Real-time collaboration

Collaborative editing happens inside a WeVideo Class your instructor sets up. This is the only way multiple students can work in the same multitrack editor at once. Your instructor handles the setup below — your job starts at step 4.

How your instructor sets it up

  1. Instructor: In the Classroom space, open Classes and create a class (this roster is separate from Canvas).
  2. Instructor: Add students to the roster and, if needed, invite a co-teacher.
  3. Instructor: Create a collaborative assignment and choose the group project type, then publish it to the class.

What you do as a student

  1. Accept the class invite and sign in to WeVideo. Open the assignment from your class.
  2. Divide roles with your team — who films, who narrates, who edits which section.
  3. Open the shared project. You can all edit the same timeline from separate devices; changes appear live.
  4. Add your clips, text, and audio to the tracks. Communicate so you're not editing the same clip at once.
  5. Review the full timeline together, tighten it up, and read any teacher feedback in the assignment.
  6. When it's ready, submit through the assignment as your instructor directs.
You'll turn in: one shared video reflecting every team member's contribution, submitted through your WeVideo class.
Any discipline · capstonesGroup researchNursing case teamsBusiness projects

Something not working?

If a project, export, or the editor won't load or play, try these in order. Most issues clear up within the first few steps.

Projects, exports, or the editor won't load or play
  • Update your browser to the latest version of Chrome or Firefox.
  • Clear your browser cache and cookies, then reload.
  • Disable browser extensions — they can conflict with the player and editor.
  • Try an incognito/private window, or a different browser entirely.
  • Switch devices: if you're on a tablet or phone, try a laptop or desktop.
  • Try a different network and turn off any VPN.
  • Enable third-party cookies (on Safari, uncheck "Prevent cross-site tracking").
An interactive video needs the play button pressed twice

When an interactive video pulls from an external source (like YouTube or Vimeo), most browsers block autoplay inside the embedded player. After you press play on the WeVideo player, press play once more on the embedded video to start it. Some learning platforms don't support autoplay, so this extra click may be needed there.

Best setup for interactive assignments
  • Use Chrome on a laptop or desktop when you can.
  • On an iPad, use Chrome rather than the built-in browser or an app's browser, and keep iOS updated.
  • Allow third-party cookies and cross-site tracking, and disable pop-up blocking for the assignment.
  • Avoid incognito/private mode for interactive work so your progress saves and transfers.