Tutorials on video are a great thing, from how to tie your tie to how to build your building model. Screencams faithfully reproduce the actions involved in using software, together with voice in off.

However there is a void in the learning process between seeing the video and later trying the actions on the real thing.

This Four Dimensions Minus One try to fill that void. Along with the original video you are forced to move the mouse pointer on your computer to follow the mouse pointer on the video. Put the pointer on the correct locations and the video plays smoothly. Miss the location intended by the tutorial and the video will halt, awaiting for your movement. It's like drawing by numbers, but each mark is a mouse location in a precise time.

You are exposed to the procedure of the task, so you can go for the real software with more confidence.

Plenty of variations can apply for other types of videos, even for movies...
-- selenio, Mar 21 2016

You mean a dry-run walkthrough type of tutorial, where the operator has to click and curse just like live ? well baked, I'm afraid; it's probably common enough that there's a name for it.
-- FlyingToaster, Mar 21 2016


Well, a dry-run is an approximation, but I expect to save the cursing from the pupils, because they are not using any failure-prone software like the real one. They're in a not only protected but also predestined environment.
-- selenio, Mar 21 2016


Yeah these are pretty common for online training of various software packages I've used at work.
-- RayfordSteele, Mar 21 2016



random, halfbakery