I have some favorite teachers on youtube whose tutorials are extremely valuable to me. It's like sitting in on a class and watching a demo instead of having only the textbook.

Besides, I may not remember where I put the written instructions. I always have my computer or phone
handy for reference.

There are good tutorial writers, and some not so good. Ditto for youtubers. Whoever communicates in a style I can understand is a gift.

I like written tutorial and have a tendency to write and underline/highlight what I want to remember. I also like videos for some things so guess for me either is OK.

I definitely prefer written instructions when it comes to quilting or sewing, maybe that is a result of learning to sew clothing from patterns. I like to be able to go over the instructions and refer to them mid seam if necessary. Until I have a unit or block down pat, I like to have the book open to that pattern so I can ensure I am putting the units together in the correct orientation. I also enjoy looking at quilt pattern books just before falling asleep in bed. Any how to quilting videos I have watched like MSQC or so many others, they simply don't move quick enough for me. I realize they assume they are always teaching a beginning quilter but for the most part I find video tutorials redundant and painfully slow moving. By the time they get to the guts of the issue, my brain has already tuned out.

But the first time I had to retime my Innova I was soooo thankful for the YouTube video they had out there. It made it a lot easier for me but I did review the video at least 3 times before proceeding. Same goes for other home type fixes or replacing parts on an appliance.

For me, I prefer a written tutorial. I also like photos to accompany it if parts of the process are not as easy to explain. I only go for a video tutorial if it is the only thing available.

That being said, I love to watch Jenny from MSQC as an exception. I think she’s just so bubbly and fun to watch.

Feline fanatic, Youtube videos have a slider along the bottom. I just grab that and zoom along to the useful parts. It's incredible how many of the videos have painstaking minutes-that-seem-like-hours of people just sewing seams. We get that part! I also zoom through the signature intro music that several of the popular Youtube people use at the beginning. It's excruciating to watch/listen to that time after time. It reminds me of all the old time TV shows that had catchy tunes taking up space at the beginning and end. We couldn't speed it up back then, so everybody remembers "I Love Lucy", "The Addams Family" etc.. Some we liked. How about "MASH" or "Peter Gunn" or "Rawhide"? (All of those are on Youtube, too, probably. ) I wonder if Jenny Doan got the idea for the squeaky bird from the end of the Addams Family theme. To get us all in the mood to sew Halloween projects, here's the Alfred Hitchcock theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt4N9argVi8

Like many others, preference depends upon the subject.

Once upon a time when I was studying mechanical engineering part of the course was Technical Writing. It was harder than imagined but I still get seriously annoyed at poorly written instructions.
I prefer written instructions for patterns, equipment lists, measurements or anything numerical. For practical instruction, YouTube works well for me.

Video, if done right, is faster, gets straight to the point and no written instruction are necessary. I find videos produced by engineers are the best. As well-meaning as the YouTubers are, some videos are so poorly done, I find myself shouting “Stop bloody waffling” or “Get your hands out the way!”. A good video gives me an opportunity to observe other things such as behaviour of the materials and how a craftsman holds or moves a tool. Written instructions don’t have that subtlety. And don’t forget the importance of sound.

HettyB

Rose- P, I totally agree, video tutorials are not dumbing down at all. They just don't work for me as well as written directions. My husband uses video tutorials all the time and it works for him. I love to watch MQSC tutorials while I wash the dishes, but if it is a quilt I think I might honestly make, I go ahead and buy the digital pattern. :)

Love the instruction video's I learned how to work my Sprinkler system and it's rain sensor system....anytime I need to know I find what I want including how too' on quilting...

I prefer written instructions (which almost always have pictures). Every once in a while I'll want to see something specific and will find a video on it, but I usually find the particular part of the video rather than watching the whole thing.

My problem with videos is that it's hard to figure out if they're worth watching without actually watching them, and they're often very long. Long is fine if they're covering a lot of ground, but often most of the video is spent chatting or showing things that really don't need to be shown (if the video is not about how to cut things out with a scissors, then I don't think it should show the person cutting things out with a scissors, IMHO). With written instructions I can more easily skim through them and skip the parts I'm not interested in.

Just the other day I found a video on something I wanted to see, and it included how to thread the needle (hand sewing) and how to tie a knot in the end of the thread. It must have been intended for someone who had never sewn before, but that makes it tedious if you have. By the time it got to the part I wanted to see I was seven or eight minutes in (which admittedly only took two or three minutes of my time to find).