Screen Gist

Summarize YouTube videos on a Mac

Updated October 30, 2026

The easiest way to summarize a YouTube video on a Mac is to play it and let Screen Gist watch it: pick the browser window, press Start, then Stop. It works on any video, including ones without captions, live streams and members-only videos you're watching, and gives an overview with timed chapters.

How to do it

  1. Open the video in Safari or Chrome

    Any YouTube video, Short, live stream or playlist item.

  2. Pick the browser window in Screen Gist

    Standard is right for most videos; High for fast-cut ones. Press Start.

  3. Press Stop

    Read the overview and chapters, then jump to the times that matter.

Why not a YouTube summarizer extension?

Extensions and websites summarize YouTube by reading the video's captions. That misses everything on screen, and fails when captions are off. Screen Gist works from what's actually playing, so it sees the slides, code and demos, and works on any site, not just YouTube.

What you get

  • A two-sentence overview of the whole video.
  • Chapters with times, like "[12:31] Benchmarks — The M5 is 40% faster in Blender."
  • The full transcript, with speakers.
  • What was shown at each moment.

Long videos

Screen Gist records while you watch, so an hour-long video takes an hour to capture. It summarizes as it goes, and the result is ready seconds after you press Stop. For a video file on your Mac, drop it in instead: it's read much faster than playing it.

Questions

Does it work with YouTube videos that have no captions?

Yes. Screen Gist transcribes the sound itself and reads what's on screen, so captions aren't needed.

Do I need to paste a link?

No. Just play the video and pick the window. That also means it works with Vimeo, course sites and any other video site.

Can it summarize a YouTube live stream?

Yes, while you watch it. Press Stop when you're done to get the summary of what you watched.

How much does summarizing a YouTube video cost?

2 credits a minute at Standard quality, so a 20-minute video is 40 credits, about 33 cents with the $25 pack.

Try it

Screen Gist is in private beta. New Macs get 50 free credits, about 25 minutes of video, with no card needed.

Be first to know when Screen Gist is ready. We only email about the launch.

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