How to turn a lecture into study notes
Start with a recording you may process, create a transcript, then check and organize the material you want to study.
Choose a recording and a starting point
Use a lecture recording you have permission to process. On Mac, install Silestis and enable its Safari extension to start from a supported lecture page. Alternatively, upload an audio or video file or paste a supported public link in the web app. An authenticated portal may need the Safari workflow; pasting its URL does not transfer your login.
Begin with a short excerpt rather than an entire semester. Source compatibility, recording length limits and available features depend on your platform, plan and transcription mode.
Create and check the transcript
Choose a mode for the recording: Fast for a first transcript, Long & Flexible for supported longer recordings, or Speakers when you need speaker separation and your plan includes it. Timestamp availability varies by mode. Check names, technical vocabulary and important quotations against the original audio.
Turn one section into useful study material
The following is an illustrative workflow, not output from a customer recording: after transcribing a lecture about gradient descent, ask which assumptions the lecturer gave for convergence. Compare the answer with the transcript and any available timestamp references.
Where your plan provides AI study tools, generate notes or flashcards from the transcript. Edit the cards before studying; a plausible AI answer is not proof that it matches the lecture. Generating AI material uses the applicable plan allowances.
Keep the source and your notes connected
- Give the recording a course and topic name you can recognize later.
- Search the transcript for a term; use source timing when the chosen mode provides it.
- Export TXT, SRT or VTT where available. PDF and DOCX availability depends on your plan.
- For sensitive recordings, review the privacy page before choosing cloud processing. EU storage does not mean every AI processing step happens in the EU.
See lecture use cases, current plans and processing and privacy.
FAQ
Is a lecture URL enough if the university portal requires login?
Not necessarily. A pasted link does not transfer your university login. The Safari extension can start from supported pages you already have access to; it does not bypass DRM, logins or permissions.
Are notes and flashcards included on every plan?
No. Flashcards are available on Go and higher; notes and chapters require Pro or Max. Generating study material uses credits. Export options also depend on your plan; check the current pricing page before selecting a workflow.
Does Silestis guarantee correct study notes?
No. Transcription and generated material can contain errors. Check important terms and answers against the recording and your course material.
Start from the supported lecture page you already use.
Open the video and click Silestis to start a transcript, summary, and notes workflow on the page. Timestamp-capable modes can also return cited answers, including when no source transcript exists.
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