A Demo for Every Changelog Entry, in Ten Minutes
A changelog entry with a ten-second clip of the feature gets read; one with a paragraph gets skimmed. The clip does not need to be good in the cinematic sense, it needs to exist, which is the hard part when every feature ships with a dozen other things to do. This is a routine that produces the clip in the ten minutes between merging the release and writing the notes.
What does a changelog clip look like?
- Two to four steps. Open the screen, use the feature, see the result.
- Snappy style. Zoom on every click; the clip is short enough that the emphasis works.
- 16:9 in a browser frame for the changelog page; the same script as 1:1 with no frame for the announcement post.
- One caption per step, outcome-first: “Pick a date range”, “Export”, “Your CSV”. Captions that explain a flow has the rules.
- No intro card. The changelog heading is the title. Keep the outro off too.
What is the ten-minute routine?
-
Write the entry first, one sentence that names the feature and what it does: “Export any report as CSV from the report header.”
-
Turn the sentence into a prompt. The entry already contains the flow:
Record a demo with Klevo on https://staging.acme.app/reports/42: click Export in the report header, pick CSV, confirm. Desktop, 16:9, browser frame, snappy, no intro, no outro. Log in with DEMO_LOGIN.
-
Check the screenshots as it goes. The AI shows a screenshot after each step; if it clicked the wrong thing, say so and it retries.
-
Finish and wait a minute. The MP4 and a poster come back; paste the MP4 link under the entry, or embed the video page.
-
Ask for the post cut. “Render it again as 1:1 with no frame” for the announcement on X or LinkedIn.
Ten minutes, most of it spent waiting for the render, and the clip exists.
Can you record against staging before the deploy?
Changelog clips are the one case where recording before the production deploy is right: the feature is on staging, the entry goes out with the deploy, and the clip should match the entry. Point the prompt at staging. Klevo records any public URL; staging behind a login is fine with a saved test login (how to set one up). Localhost is not reachable, so a preview deployment is the minimum.
What if the feature breaks an old clip?
Shipping a feature often moves something an older demo relied on. The script of every earlier video is saved; after the deploy, render the ones that touch the same screens and replace the stale clips. A render that fails names the step and shows the page, which is the fastest way to learn that the onboarding clip from March now clicks a button that moved. Keeping demos current after every release makes this a checklist.
What does a month of entries cost?
| Entry | Steps | Script | Renders |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSV export | 3 | reports-export | 16:9 changelog, 1:1 post |
| Dark mode | 2 | settings-theme | 16:9 changelog |
| Invite by link | 4 | team-invite-link | 16:9 changelog, 9:16 story |
| Faster search | 2 | search-speed | 16:9 changelog |
Eleven renders in a month for four entries, inside Pro’s fifty videos, with the scripts kept for the day the screens change. Name scripts after the area and the feature so the list stays readable; download each script from the video page into the repo next to the release notes if you want them versioned with the code.
Why not a GIF?
GIFs are large, blurry at 1080p and cannot be re-rendered. An MP4 with a poster plays inline on every modern changelog page and is a tenth of the size. If a tool insists on a GIF, convert the MP4; keep the source as the script.
FAQ
Can the clip be shorter than two steps? One step is a screenshot with a cursor. Two is the minimum for motion to mean something: the click and the result.
Should I show the feature flag or the admin toggle? No. Enable the feature for the test account before recording so the clip shows the user’s experience.
Who writes the captions? The AI, from the step it just performed; tell it the tone in the prompt and it carries through every step.
What if the feature is only on mobile? Record on a mobile device and render in a phone frame; the mobile guide has the prompt. The changelog gets a 16:9 render with the phone on your brand color.