manim-video

SKILL.md

Manim Video

Use Manim for technical explainers where motion, structure, and clarity matter more than photorealism.

When to Activate

the user wants a technical explainer animation

the concept is a graph, workflow, architecture, metric progression, or system diagram

the user wants a short product or launch explainer for X or a landing page

the visual should feel precise instead of generically cinematic

Tool Requirements

manim CLI for scene rendering

ffmpeg for post-processing if needed

video-editing for final assembly or polish

remotion-video-creation when the final package needs composited UI, captions, or additional motion layers

Default Output

short 16:9 MP4

one thumbnail or poster frame

storyboard plus scene plan

Workflow

Define the core visual thesis in one sentence.

Break the concept into 3 to 6 scenes.

Decide what each scene proves.

Write the scene outline before writing Manim code.

Render the smallest working version first.

Tighten typography, spacing, color, and pacing after the render works.

Hand off to the wider video stack only if it adds value.

Scene Planning Rules

each scene should prove one thing

avoid overstuffed diagrams

prefer progressive reveal over full-screen clutter

use motion to explain state change, not just to keep the screen busy

title cards should be short and loaded with meaning

Network Graph Default

For social-graph and network-optimization explainers:

show the current graph before showing the optimized graph

distinguish low-signal follow clutter from high-signal bridges

highlight warm-path nodes and target clusters

if useful, add a final scene showing the self-improvement lineage that informed the skill

Render Conventions

default to 16:9 landscape unless the user asks for vertical

start with a low-quality smoke test render

only push to higher quality after composition and timing are stable

export one clean thumbnail frame that reads at social size

Reusable Starter

Use assets/network_graph_scene.py as a starting point for network-graph explainers.

Example smoke test:

manim -ql assets/network_graph_scene.py NetworkGraphExplainer

Output Format

Return:

core visual thesis

storyboard

scene outline

render plan

any follow-on polish recommendations

Related Skills

video-editing for final polish

remotion-video-creation for motion-heavy post-processing or compositing

content-engine when the animation is part of a broader launch