How-to guide
How to make falling-note
piano videos.
The short version: you need your piece as MIDI, a visualizer that renders falling notes the way you want them to look, and an export sized for the platform you're posting to. In LumaKeys that's one app on your Mac: record or import the piece, fix it in the piano roll, pick a look, and export up to 4K/60 in widescreen or vertical.
This guide covers the whole workflow, the export settings per platform, and the other tools people use for this — including when they're the better choice.
The target: falling notes, particles, and glow — rendered, not screen-recorded.
The workflow, step by step
- 1
Get the piece into the app
Three ways: record it live from a MIDI keyboard (or your computer keys), import a MIDI file, or drop in a piano recording and let LumaKeys transcribe it to editable notes on-device. Either way you end up with the same thing: a piece you fully control.
- 2
Fix the performance
Open the piano roll and clean up what bothers you: a late chord, a wrong note, uneven timing. This is the step screen-recording workflows skip, and it's why their videos keep the mistakes.
- 3
Make it look like yours
Pick a look — gradients, particles, atmosphere — or start from a preset and tune it. The look is saved with the piece, so every video you post has your style, not the default one everyone recognizes.
- 4
Export for the platform
Choose resolution, frame rate, and aspect ratio: 16:9 up to 4K/60 for YouTube, 9:16 vertical for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts, 4:5 for feeds. Audio is included, and you can export the full piece or just a section.
- 5
Post the good part
For short-form, don't start at bar one — start seconds before the moment people would rewind for, and let the visuals carry the hook. Export just that section instead of trimming in another app.
Export settings by platform
| Platform | Aspect ratio | Resolution | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 16:9 | 4K (or 1080p) at 60fps | 60fps matters most here — falling notes look dramatically smoother |
| TikTok / Reels / Shorts | 9:16 vertical | 1080×1920 | Export a section, not the whole piece; the first two seconds decide everything |
| Instagram feed | 4:5 | 1080×1350 | Taller than 16:9 in the feed, so the keyboard stays readable |
| X / embeds | 16:9 | 1080p | Keep files lean; 1080p is plenty for timeline playback |
LumaKeys exports all three aspect ratios with audio included. Free exports 1080p with a small watermark; Pro is $99 one-time and exports 4K/60, watermark-free, with batch export. The free beta is open now, and beta testers lock the $69 founding price.
Vertical, without the crop
Most falling-note tools think in 16:9, so vertical means cropping a widescreen render and losing half the keyboard. LumaKeys renders 9:16 natively: the notes, keyboard, and effects are laid out for the tall frame, which is why the exports look composed instead of cut down.
Export a 20–40 second section around the best moment of the piece, and it's ready for TikTok, Reels, or Shorts as-is.
The other ways people make these videos
After Effects + Trapcode Particular
The classic tutorial route for Rousseau-style particles. Maximum control, but you're hand-animating a piano roll in a compositing app: hours per video, and nothing reusable when the next piece comes.
SeeMusic
The best-known dedicated tool, strongest when you want notes composited over real overhead hands footage. Subscription pricing (about $79.99/year), and it doesn't help you learn or fix the performance itself.
Embers
A small indie app that renders genuinely cinematic falling-note videos from MIDI files. Render-only: bring a finished MIDI, get a beautiful video.
Screen-recording a falling-note app
Fast and free, but you're capturing an interface, not producing a video: interface chrome, capped resolution, and no way to fix a flubbed note. Fine for a quick share, not for a channel.
Full landscape of tools: the best Synthesia alternatives, compared
Questions & answers
What software makes falling-note piano videos?
Dedicated tools: LumaKeys (Mac — record, edit, style, and export up to 4K/60 in one app; Pro is $99 one-time, while beta testers lock the $69 founding price), SeeMusic (hands-cam compositing, subscription), and Embers (cinematic MIDI renders). The manual route is After Effects with particle plugins, which offers full control at the cost of hours per video.
How do YouTubers like Rousseau make their piano videos?
The format is a MIDI-driven falling-note visualization with particles and glow, rendered over a keyboard, often synced with real audio or overhead hands footage. Historically that meant custom pipelines or After Effects; today dedicated apps produce the same style directly from a MIDI file or a live recording.
Can I make falling-note videos for free?
Yes. LumaKeys Free exports 1080p with a small watermark, which is enough to test the whole workflow and post your first videos. Fully free alternatives like Piano From Above or Neothesia can display falling notes, but they have no export, so you'd be screen-recording.
What export settings should I use for TikTok and Reels?
9:16 vertical at 1080×1920, and export a short section rather than the full piece. In LumaKeys you pick 9:16 and the section range in the export dialog; no separate video editor needed.
Do I need a MIDI keyboard to make these videos?
No. You can import any MIDI file, record with your computer keyboard, or transcribe a piano recording into notes. A MIDI keyboard makes recording your own playing nicer, but it isn't required.
What music can I legally post?
Your own compositions and improvisations, and your own performances of public-domain works (most classical repertoire: Chopin, Beethoven, Scriabin, and far beyond). For music under copyright — film scores, pop arrangements — you need a license, and platforms may claim or mute the audio. When in doubt, play the classics or your own material.
Sources & proof
Sources checked 12 July 2026. Product details and prices can change.
- Original LumaKeys export demos on this page
- LumaKeys export formats and plan limits
- SeeMusic's piano-video workflow
- Embers' piano-visual workflow
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