Record the screen first and add narration later

Write a short list of visible outcomes: open the settings, change the option, confirm the result. Capture those actions with a little breathing room before and after each one. Do not rush through the interface on the assumption that you can speak faster later.

For example, a ten-second sequence might be enough to click through three menus but too short to explain why the second option matters. Rehearse the narration against the footage before committing to the full lesson. If the explanation does not fit, simplify it or capture a slower sequence.

Decide whether the app’s sound is part of the lesson. A notification demonstration needs its sound; a silent settings walkthrough may not. Avoid recording unwanted narration into the same mix as important app audio if you intend to replace that narration later.

Reel has a single-track setting, but an editor’s handling of multiple audio tracks must be checked. This workflow does not assume iMovie automatically presents every track from every exported recording as independently editable material. Import a short sample and listen before choosing the recording format for a long take.

Apple documents voiceover recording inside an iMovie movie project. Position the playhead, choose Add Media and Voiceover, allow microphone access if needed, then record. Use Review to listen and Accept to keep a take, or Retake to replace it.

Those are iMovie editing controls, not Reel controls. Keep the original screen recording outside your editing decisions. A voiceover added in an editor becomes part of the edited project and its export; it does not retroactively turn on the microphone in the original capture.

1. Import a short screen segment into the editor and confirm it plays correctly.
2. Write one sentence that explains its purpose, not every pointer movement.
3. Place the voiceover at the intended start and record it.
4. Listen while watching the action, then revise any sentence that arrives too early or too late.
5. Repeat for the remaining segments and play across the joins.
6. Export a test and check the delivered file rather than relying only on the editing preview.

The viewer can often see that you pressed Save. The useful sentence explains what is being saved, which account or destination receives it, or how to recognize success. Name controls when necessary, but do not fill every pause with a description of the obvious.

Keep the voice consistent across pickups: use the same microphone position and a similar room. Listen for a sentence that suddenly becomes louder or more distant. A technically aligned voiceover can still sound distracting if every replacement was recorded under different conditions.

A live reaction or a demonstration where spontaneous timing is the point may be better captured together. The two-pass method is most useful when clarity and correction matter more than showing an unrehearsed response. Label reconstructions honestly if the finished lesson could otherwise be mistaken for an unedited live event.