manim-video

name	manim-video
version	1.1.1
description	Produces Manim Community Edition explainer videos: Scene classes, MathTex, ffmpeg stitch, optional TTS — 3Blue1Brown-style math, algorithms, and architecture diagrams. Use when the user wants programmatic math/technical animation with Manim. Not for Remotion/React video (remotion-video), character cinema (Blender/AE), or interactive apps.
risk	safe
source	openrouter-deepsearch
date_added	2026-06-16T00:00:00.000Z

Manim Video Production Pipeline

When to Use

Use this skill when users request:

• Animated explanations of complex mathematical or technical concepts.
• 3Blue1Brown-style explainer videos.
• Algorithm walkthroughs and data structure visualizations.
• Step-by-step equation derivations and mathematical proofs.
• Technical architecture diagrams that build up dynamically.
• Data stories involving animated charts, comparisons, and counters.
• 3D visualizations of surfaces, parametric curves, or spatial geometry.
• Turning research papers into animated key findings and methods.

Do not use for:

• Simple static images or slide decks — use standard graphing or diagramming tools.
• High-fidelity character animation or cinematic storytelling — use Blender or After Effects.
• Real-time interactivity — Manim produces rendered video files, not interactive apps.
• Projects where Python/LaTeX environment setup is impossible.
• Deprecation warning: Avoid Manim CE v0.15 or earlier due to known security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues with recent Python versions.
• Security note: Be cautious when using online LaTeX rendering services; they may introduce security risks or require additional authentication.

Prerequisites

Run scripts/setup.sh to verify all dependencies before starting. Required:

• Python 3.11+
• Manim Community Edition v0.22+ (pip install manim)
• LaTeX (texlive-full on Linux, mactex on macOS, MiKTeX or TeX Live on Windows)
• ffmpeg
• Optional: ElevenLabs or Qwen3-TTS for text-to-speech narration

Windows (PowerShell) verification:

python --version          # must be 3.11+
manim --version           # must be 0.22+
ffmpeg -version

Procedure

Creative Standard

This is educational cinema. Every frame teaches. Every animation reveals structure.

• Narrative First: Before writing code, articulate the narrative arc. Identify the "aha moment" and the visual story.
• Geometry before algebra: Show the shape first, the equation second.
• First-render excellence: Output must be visually clear and aesthetically cohesive.
• Opacity layering: Primary elements at 1.0, contextual elements at 0.4, structural elements (axes, grids) at 0.15.
• Breathing room: Use self.wait() after animations. A 2-second pause after a key reveal is essential.
• Cohesive visual language: Maintain consistent color palettes, typography, and animation speeds across all scenes.

Modes and Reference Loading

Mode	Input	Output	Load reference
Concept explainer	Topic/concept	Animated explanation with geometric intuition	references/scene-planning.md
Equation derivation	Math expressions	Step-by-step animated proof	references/equations.md
Algorithm visualization	Algorithm description	Step-by-step execution with data structures	references/graphs-and-data.md
Data story	Data/metrics	Animated charts, comparisons, counters	references/graphs-and-data.md
Architecture diagram	System description	Components building up with connections	references/mobjects.md
Paper explainer	Research paper	Key findings and methods animated	references/scene-planning.md
3D visualization	3D concept	Rotating surfaces, parametric curves, spatial geometry	references/camera-and-3d.md

When to load each reference file:

• references/scene-planning.md — Load at the PLAN step for narrative arc templates and planning structure.
• references/equations.md — Load when writing scenes with MathTex, TransformMatchingTex, or LaTeX-heavy content.
• references/graphs-and-data.md — Load when building Axes, plots, BarChart, or data-driven visualizations.
• references/mobjects.md — Load when working with Text, shapes, VGroup, positioning, or architecture diagrams.
• references/camera-and-3d.md — Load when using MovingCameraScene, ThreeDScene, or any 3D content.
• references/rendering.md — Load at the STITCH and AUDIO steps for CLI reference, ffmpeg, and voiceover details.
• references/troubleshooting.md — Load when a render fails with LaTeX or animation errors.
• references/animations.md — Load when composing core animations, rate functions, or .animate syntax.
• references/visual-design.md — Load when applying opacity layering or layout templates.
• references/animation-design-thinking.md — Load when syncing pacing with narration.
• references/updaters-and-trackers.md — Load when using ValueTracker or add_updater.
• references/paper-explainer.md — Load for research paper workflow.
• references/decorations.md — Load when using SurroundingRectangle, Brace, or arrows.
• references/production-quality.md — Load at the REVIEW step for pre-render checklists.

Stack

Single Python script per project. No browser, no Node.js, no GPU required.

• Core: Manim Community Edition (Scene rendering, animation engine)
• Math: LaTeX (Equation rendering via MathTex)
• Video I/O: ffmpeg (Scene stitching, format conversion, audio muxing)
• TTS: ElevenLabs / Qwen3-TTS (optional narration)

Pipeline

PLAN --> CODE --> RENDER --> STITCH --> AUDIO (optional) --> REVIEW

Project Structure

project-name/
  plan.md                # Narrative arc, scene breakdown
  script.py              # All scenes in one file
  concat.txt             # ffmpeg scene list
  final.mp4              # Stitched output
  media/                 # Auto-generated by Manim
    videos/script/480p15/

Step 1: PLAN

Write plan.md with narrative arc, scene list, visual elements, color palette, and voiceover script. Use the template in references/scene-planning.md.

Step 2: CODE

Write script.py with one class per scene, each independently renderable. Use shared color constants at the top of the file.

from manim import *

BG = "#1C1C1C"
PRIMARY = "#58C4DD"
SECONDARY = "#83C167"
ACCENT = "#FFFF00"
MONO = "Menlo"

class Scene1_Introduction(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        self.camera.background_color = BG
        title = Text("Why Does This Work?", font_size=48, color=PRIMARY, weight=BOLD, font=MONO)
        self.add_subcaption("Why does this work?", duration=2)
        self.play(Write(title), run_time=1.5)
        self.wait(1.0)
        self.play(FadeOut(title), run_time=0.5)

Critical coding rules:

• Subtitles: Use self.add_subcaption("text", duration=N).
• Consistency: Use shared color constants at the top of the file.
• Clean exits: self.play(FadeOut(Group(*self.mobjects))).
• Raw Strings for LaTeX: Always use r"\frac{1}{2}" instead of "\frac{1}{2}".
• Edge Text: Use buff >= 0.5 (e.g., label.to_edge(DOWN, buff=0.5)).
• Text Replacement: Use self.play(ReplacementTransform(note1, note2)) instead of writing over text.
• Mobject Order: Add mobjects before animating them: self.play(Create(circle)) then self.play(circle.animate.set_color(RED)).

Step 3: RENDER

Windows (PowerShell):

manim -ql script.py Scene1_Introduction Scene2_CoreConcept  # draft
manim -qh script.py Scene1_Introduction Scene2_CoreConcept  # production

Linux/macOS:

manim -ql script.py Scene1_Introduction Scene2_CoreConcept  # draft
manim -qh script.py Scene1_Introduction Scene2_CoreConcept  # production

Step 4: STITCH

Windows (PowerShell):

@'
file 'media/videos/script/480p15/Scene1_Introduction.mp4'
file 'media/videos/script/480p15/Scene2_CoreConcept.mp4'
'@ | Set-Content concat.txt
ffmpeg -y -f concat -safe 0 -i concat.txt -c copy final.mp4

Linux/macOS:

cat > concat.txt << 'EOF'
file 'media/videos/script/480p15/Scene1_Introduction.mp4'
file 'media/videos/script/480p15/Scene2_CoreConcept.mp4'
EOF
ffmpeg -y -f concat -safe 0 -i concat.txt -c copy final.mp4

Step 5: AUDIO (optional)

Add voiceover/music via ffmpeg. See references/rendering.md for detailed instructions. If using ElevenLabs or Qwen3-TTS, use YOUR_KEY placeholder for API keys — never hardcode live secrets.

Step 6: REVIEW

Windows (PowerShell):

manim -ql --format=png -s script.py Scene2_CoreConcept  # preview still

Render preview stills, verify against plan, adjust. Load references/production-quality.md for the pre-render checklist.

Color Palettes

Palette	Background	Primary	Secondary	Accent	Use case
Classic 3B1B	#1C1C1C	#58C4DD (BLUE)	#83C167 (GREEN)	#FFFF00 (YELLOW)	General math/CS
Warm academic	#2D2B55	#FF6B6B	#FFD93D	#6BCB77	Approachable
Neon tech	#0A0A0A	#00F5FF	#FF00FF	#39FF14	Systems, architecture
Monochrome	#1A1A2E	#EAEAEA	#888888	#FFFFFF	Minimalist

Animation Speed

Context	run_time	self.wait() after
Title/intro appear	1.5s	1.0s
Key equation reveal	2.0s	2.0s
Transform/morph	1.5s	1.5s
Supporting label	0.8s	0.5s
FadeOut cleanup	0.5s	0.3s
"Aha moment" reveal	2.5s	3.0s

Typography Scale

Role	Font size	Usage
Title	48	Scene titles, opening text
Heading	36	Section headers within a scene
Body	30	Explanatory text
Label	24	Annotations, axis labels
Caption	20	Subtitles, fine print

Fonts: Use monospace fonts for all text to avoid kerning issues. Minimum font_size=18 for readability.

MONO = "Menlo"  # define once at top of file
Text("Fourier Series", font_size=48, font=MONO, weight=BOLD)  # titles
Text("n=1: sin(x)", font_size=20, font=MONO)                  # labels
MathTex(r"\nabla L")                                            # math (uses LaTeX)

Per-Scene Variation

Avoid identical configs. For each scene, vary:

• Dominant color from the palette.
• Layout (don't always center).
• Animation entry (Write, FadeIn, GrowFromCenter, Create).
• Visual weight (dense vs sparse).

Performance Targets

Quality	Resolution	FPS	Speed
-ql (draft)	854x480	15	5-15s/scene
-qm (medium)	1280x720	30	15-60s/scene
-qh (production)	1920x1080	60	30-120s/scene

Pitfalls

• LaTeX escape errors: Always use raw strings (r"...") for MathTex. Backslashes in regular strings will be interpreted as Python escape sequences and cause render failures.
• Text overlap: Failing to FadeOut previous mobjects before adding new ones causes visual clutter. Always clean up with self.play(FadeOut(Group(*self.mobjects))) at scene end.
• Missing self.wait(): Omitting pauses after key reveals makes animations feel rushed. A 2-second pause after a key reveal is essential.
• Manim CE v0.15 or earlier: Known security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues with recent Python versions. Always use v0.22+.
• Online LaTeX rendering services: May introduce security risks or require additional authentication. Prefer local LaTeX installations.
• Kerning issues with non-monospace fonts: Use monospace fonts (MONO = "Menlo") for all Text objects to avoid inconsistent character spacing.
• Mobject order errors: Adding mobjects in the wrong order causes z-order issues. Add mobjects before animating them.
• Edge text clipping: Using buff < 0.5 with to_edge() can clip text off-screen. Always use buff >= 0.5.
• Writing over text: Using self.play(Write(new_text)) over existing text causes overlap. Use ReplacementTransform instead.
• Missing background color: Not setting self.camera.background_color in every scene leads to inconsistent visuals across the final video.
• Windows path issues: On Windows, ffmpeg concat file paths use forward slashes inside the concat list. Ensure concat.txt uses file 'media/videos/script/480p15/SceneName.mp4' format with single quotes.

Verification

• Verify Python 3.11+ and Manim CE v0.22+ are installed:

  python --version    # expect 3.11+
  manim --version     # expect 0.22+
  

• Run a draft render to ensure the scene renders without LaTeX errors:

  manim -ql script.py Scene1_Introduction
  

• Check that all MathTex calls use raw strings (r"expression").
• Verify that self.wait() is present after key reveals.
• Confirm that self.camera.background_color is explicitly set in every scene.
• Ensure all text uses the defined MONO font.
• Validate the project structure and file naming conventions.
• Verify stitched output plays correctly:

  ffprobe final.mp4
  

• Render a preview still for visual review:

  manim -ql --format=png -s script.py Scene2_CoreConcept
  

Related Skills

• references/animations.md: Core animations, rate functions, .animate syntax.
• references/mobjects.md: Text, shapes, VGroup, positioning.
• references/visual-design.md: Opacity layering, layout templates.
• references/equations.md: LaTeX, TransformMatchingTex.
• references/graphs-and-data.md: Axes, plotting, BarChart.
• references/camera-and-3d.md: MovingCameraScene, ThreeDScene.
• references/scene-planning.md: Narrative arcs, planning template.
• references/rendering.md: CLI reference, ffmpeg, voiceover.
• references/troubleshooting.md: LaTeX and animation errors.
• references/animation-design-thinking.md: Pacing and narration sync.
• references/updaters-and-trackers.md: ValueTracker, add_updater.
• references/paper-explainer.md: Research paper workflow.
• references/decorations.md: SurroundingRectangle, Brace, arrows.
• references/production-quality.md: Pre-render checklists.