I once created a video overview with a style that I thought looked good in the launcher. Heritage, with its bold colors and spectacular appearance. But the images kept diverting my eyes from what the video was really trying to teach me. NotebookLM’s video overview styles did more than just “decorate” my videos; It made me wonder if the style really served the purpose of the video. and why Video summaries I have more than one style, I can choose the one that best suits the person looking. The problem is that the little thumbnails in the style selector don’t tell you what it is. I had to look for the most expensive way.
I chose a style that would make the video easier to follow.
Heritage looked pretty, but Whiteboard made the firewall topic easier to learn
The audience part started to make more sense when I did a video overview on firewalls and windows firewall connection problems. I did this thinking of a friend who is not very tech savvy but still has to deal with the kind of problem where a firewall blocks something and just wants to understand what happened.
The first style I tried was Heritage and while it looked nice, I didn’t like how it presented information for the person I had in mind. So I went with the Whiteboard style, which I thought gave my video a more tutorial look by showing the steps on the slide, so the viewer didn’t have to rely solely on the narration. The video looked at the topics one by one and made clear the areas it focuses on. He mentioned that it would cover:
- “When the firewall fails”
- “Services and Profiles”
- “Simple steps for errors”
- “Hardening protection”
- “Control with rules.”
The video even had a nice section 1 page to make it clear which topic would be covered first. After seeing what the video looked like, I realized it wasn’t about looks; it was about choosing a style that best suited the person looking. The whiteboard-style video even had some humor added when the narration used a line about an app that “calls home,” which made me laugh because it gave the explainer a little ET-style moment without making the firewall topic harder to follow.
I chose the style according to the theme this time.
The whiteboard seemed like the best option for the video about anxiety
After creating video overviews about firewalls, I needed another video on managing anxiety. It seemed like Heritage had the style he wanted, but he ended up making the anxiety video more intense than he wanted. The images were based on body-centric images, such as shots of lungs and hearts and anatomical style details.
I then tried Whiteboard with the same general anxiety material, this time focusing on the fight response. The visuals made the video seem calmer and easier to digest. The graphics were simpler and changed as the narrative progressed. That made the style selector seem less like a decoration and more like a way to match the video to the material.
I had to tell NotebookLM what I really wanted
The style helped, but the message changed the look of the video.
I liked the look that the Whiteboard option gave the videos, but the Custom theme box, located just below the styles carousel in the same Customize window, gave this one the details it was missing. The video had less technical jargon and didn’t look like a typical explainer video. It was more like someone said, “Hey, this is what you’re going through, this is what they call it, and here are some tools related to that.” The narration voice was calm and slow enough to make the information seem easier to process. That was enough to change the feel of the video without turning it into another health advice video.
The images still used the chalkboard style, but felt more controlled. It didn’t have the rich colors or body-centered images that the Heritage video had. This is the anxiety video I keep because it strikes a good balance between images and information. Personalization mattered because NotebookLM can’t read my mind and I was able to give the details I wanted the video to have.
Finding the right style still requires trial and error
I had to make versions that I wasn’t going to keep.
The most annoying part of the whole process was that I couldn’t really tell if a style fit until I generated the video and watched it enough. I could see the types of visual notebookLM would apply to the video, but there was not enough detail to understand how they would affect the presentation of the topic. The classic was fine, but it seemed like something was missing. Heritage seemed like a good fit, but after watching it for a few minutes, it felt too intense for the panic video.
I ended up creating two or three videos before I found the right balance between the style and the details I added in the message. The process took longer than I would have liked and I don’t deny that at some point I worried about my usage limits, even with a Pro account. Don’t get me started on the videos that simply didn’t apply the details I was looking for. I had no way to try multiple styles until I found one that fit.
I wouldn’t do all of this for every video overview.
But I would do it with the videos that I really want to keep.
The trial and error was annoying, but I still think it’s worth it. I wouldn’t try different styles for every video I make, especially if I just need a summary for myself. But if I’m making a video for someone else, or if it covers a sensitive topic, I’d rather spend more time than settle for the first version that looks good but feels bad.
The more styles I tried, the easier it became. I already know that Heritage can make a theme feel stronger, so I would avoid it for something delicate unless that stronger look is what you’re going for. I would skip the automatic selection of the videos I’m interested in because NotebookLM can’t always guess the tone I have in mind. It takes time to try different styles and see how they affect the video, but after a while, I figured out which styles give the videos the look I’m going for. I think the extra work is the difference between using what NotebookLM offers me and getting something that actually fits.
I stopped treating the style selector as a last step.
NotebookLM’s video overview styles aren’t something I’m going to obsess over for every video I need to make. If it’s for a quick summary, auto selection is usually good for me. But if I’m making a video for someone else and the images need to match the theme, then style is important. I know the style won’t change the information, but it can affect whether the video will have a good or bad impact on the audience, the topic, and the point I’m trying to make. So before settling on the first style that looks good, try a few options first.
