Summarize online courses, slides included
Updated November 3, 2026
To summarize an online course, play the lesson in your browser or the course app, pick its window in Screen Gist and press Start. It works on any course you can watch on your Mac, behind a login, with no link or download. It listens and reads the slides, code and diagrams, so your notes have what was shown. Each lesson becomes an overview and timestamped chapters you can review before an exam.
How to do it
Open the lesson
Coursera, Udemy, edX, LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare, Khan Academy, Panopto, Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard or a company training portal.
Pick the window and press Start
Keep watching at normal speed, or faster: the summary follows what plays.
Press Stop and study
Timestamped chapters with the slides' formulas, definitions and figures, plus the transcript and a way to ask questions.
Why it works where link summarizers don't
Course videos are usually behind a login, often have no transcript you can export, and the important content is on the slides. Link summarizers can't open them and transcript tools miss the slides. Screen Gist summarizes what's playing on your screen, so neither is a problem.
Study tools
- Ask the lesson a question before an exam; answers point to the exact time.
- Translate the summary or transcript into 35 languages.
- History keeps every lesson's notes on your Mac.
Cost of a course
About $0.42 an hour of video: a 6-hour course costs about $2.50. The first hour is free, and $14.99 adds 36 hours that never expire.
Questions
Can AI summarize Coursera or Udemy videos?
Yes. Screen Gist summarizes any course video you can play on your Mac, including Coursera and Udemy, and reads the slides as well as the speech.
Does it work on courses behind a login?
Yes. It captures what's playing on your screen, so it doesn't need a public link, a download or the course's permission to access its servers.
Can it summarize Panopto or Canvas lecture recordings?
Yes, any recording your university lets you watch in the browser or app.
Will it get the slides, formulas and code?
Yes. It reads each new slide or screen as it changes, so definitions, formulas, diagrams and code are in the notes.
Try it
Download Screen Gist for your Mac. Every new Mac gets its first hour of video free, with no card needed.
First hour free, no card needed. For a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 26 or later.