NotebookLM now makes videos from your research

Written By Karen Heydenrych

I recently shared how Google’s NotebookLM had quickly become one of my go-to tools for pulling together research and drafting content. I didn’t think it had much more to give, then it dropped a new feature.

It’s called Video Overview, and the concept is simple: take your research summary and turn it into a short, narrated video. That’s it. But the output is surprisingly good.

I was gathering material on the challenges and opportunities of AI across Africa; using research from various AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Grok (xAI). I dropped in my notes and PDFs (11 sources), clicked on 'Video Overview' under Studio, and NotebookLM generated a short video. Clean visuals as well as AI voiceover. The result took me by surprise.

If you’re working on presentations, client updates, internal briefings, or even content for socials, this is an easy way to get a head start. I used it to summarise a chunky report on AI trends and had a ready-to-go video I could post on LinkedIn within minutes. It's a time saver!

I’ve included the AI in Africa video that it created from my research. Scroll down and give it a look. Curious to know what you think.

But that’s not all NotebookLM can do.

Alongside the new video tool, it also gives you a bunch of exportable tools, all created from the content you uploaded:

  • A Study Guide with essay and test-style questions — ideal for teachers and students

  • A Timeline that picks out dates from your sources and lines them up in order

  • An FAQ page built from your content

  • A Briefing Doc that pulls everything into one neat summary

  • An Audio Overview, which I used as a starting point for a podcast episode

  • And a Mind Map, which gave me a bird’s-eye view of the structure

If you’ve already tested the feature, let me know how you’re using it. And if not, try it—it’s free, fast, and a lot more useful than you'd expect from a “click to summarise” tool. Keen to hear how you’re weaving it into your own workflow.

Until next time! Have fun experimenting with NotebookLM.

Karen Heydenrych
Previous

NotebookLM is changing how I work with content