Gemini Notebook Full Course: Master "NotebookLM 2.0"

00:00 Introduction et Évolution de l'outil

Paul J. Lipsky : gemini Notebook formerly Notebook LM has become one of the most powerful free AI tools you can use but Google has packed so much into it that it's actually gotten pretty difficult to know where to start and how to get the most out of it the newest version can do deeper research analyze your own data create PowerPoints and Excel files right from the chat and turn those same sources into podcasts videos infographics and more.

That's a lot and when you first open Gemini Notebook it's not always obvious which features matter or how they all fit together so this video will be a complete course on how to use Gemini Notebook. My goal is to show you every single feature inside of Gemini Notebook and to walk you step by step from how to get started with it as a complete beginner to how to use its most advanced capabilities.

02:00 Structure du Tableau de Bord

To get started go to notebooklm.google.com this is included with your Google account so as long as you open it in the same browser you use for Gmail or Gemini it should open right up under that account. This is the main dashboard this is where you'll find all of your notebooks you've already created. If you're brand new to this you won't have any notebooks yet except for the ones up here that are supplied by Google.

Each notebook is broken up into three columns. The column on the left are all of the sources, this is what makes up the knowledge base for the notebook. What makes Gemini notebook so unique is that all of the AI knowledge that is used when you are chatting with the notebook or creating things are grounded in the sources that you provide. Over here in the middle column we have the AI chat... and then over here on the right is studio this is where you can create things.

05:00 Importation et Recherche de Sources

The first thing it'll ask you to do when you create a notebook is to add in the sources. You can upload files, add links to websites or YouTube videos, add things for Drive or even paste in text here. All you have to do is copy down the URL come over to Gemini Notebook and click on this button right here that says websites and you can paste in that link.

If you're completely at a loss as to where to start because you don't have any sources then that is when you want to use the research tool. Right here on the left you'll see that there's an option to either do fast research or deep research and this can find information and sources from the web to bring them into the notebook. Gemini Notebook can't use every website as a source (paywalls etc.). When that happens, click on 'remove all failed sources'.

08:00 Organisation et Personnalisation du Notebook

As time goes on your list of sources is going to grow and it can become unwieldy. That's when you want to use the auto label feature. It will use AI to automatically group your sources together (e.g. section for fruit cultivation, section for general gardening).

Up here at the top you'll notice it automatically created a title. You can easily rename it. Under that we have a summary. Click 'customize' to change the title, set a custom summary, and upload a background image. What I usually do is go over to Gemini and ask it to create an image for me, then download and upload it here to make it easier to find on the dashboard.

11:00 Maîtrise du Chat et Configuration

The chat is where you can chat with the AI that has access to all of the knowledge in your sources. It tells you how many sources are being used. You can change this by coming over to the sources on the left and unselecting any sources that you don't want the chat to use. If I only want to use one YouTube video as the source of truth, I can just select that one.

To further refine responses, configure the chat: define conversational goal (Default, Learning Guide, Custom instructions) and response length. I usually switch it to shorter because Gemini Notebook tends to give longer responses than I need.

14:00 Le Studio – Audio Overviews et Mode Interactif

Now let's talk about Studio, my favorite and arguably the most fun part. You can generate 9 different kinds of assets: Audio overviews, slide decks, video overviews, mind maps, reports, flashcards, quizzes, infographics, data tables.

For audio overviews, there are four formats: Deep dive (lively conversation between two hosts), Brief (shorter overview), Critique (expert review), and Debate. You can tell the AI hosts what to focus on. One really cool feature is the interactive mode. You can actually interrupt the podcast and interact with the AI hosts by clicking the waving hand icon and talking to them!

17:00 Le Studio – Slide Decks (Diaporamas)

While we wait for audio to generate, let's make a slide deck. There are two formats: a detail deck and a presenter deck. A detail deck has all of the information and stands on its own. A presenter deck is much more sparse; information is intentionally left out so the presenter can talk over it.

Note: Some features may only be unlocked with a paid subscription (Pro or Ultra).

19:00 Le Studio – Video Overviews

For video overviews, there are three choices: Cinematic videos, explainer, and shorts. Cinematic videos use Gemini behind the scenes to plan a rich story arc with planned images/videos. Explainer videos are like a PowerPoint with an AI voiceover. Shorts are vertical (9:16) formats great for Instagram or YouTube.

For the explainer videos, you can choose visual styles like retro paint or watercolor.

21:00 Le Studio – Outils Visuels et Écrits

Next we look at mind maps, visually structuring information. Then text reports (Briefing document, study guide, blog post).

Flashcards are great for students. You can mentally answer, flip the card, and if you need more info click 'explain' for the chat to clarify. It keeps track of your progress. It will give you a full report of topics where you struggle, and you can generate new quizzes or flashcards specifically targeting your weak points.

25:00 Le Studio – Infographies et Tables de Données

Infographics convey information visually. Gemini Notebook offers nice visual styles (Sketch notes, Kawaii, etc.). You can choose orientation (landscape 16:9, portrait 9:16, square) and level of detail (standard vs concise). Data tables are basically Excel files with different columns and rows generated based on your prompt.

27:00 Gestion, Révision et Exportation des Assets

Inside the Studio generated files, you can share, rename, or download them (e.g. MP3 for audio). Slide decks are unique: you can revise them. You can type out changes you want to make to each slide (e.g. "make it blue instead", "remove those words") and it will generate a revised deck. You can also export decks to PDF or PowerPoint. Data tables can be exported directly to Google Sheets.

32:00 Organisation Avancée du Tableau de Bord

On the dashboard, you can delete, rename, or pin notebooks. Collections are how you organize notebooks into virtual folders (e.g. 'Home' or 'Outdoors'). A single notebook can exist in multiple collections. You can toggle between grid view and list view.

35:00 Analyse de Données et Génération de Fichiers

Advanced capabilities: Using a notebook to analyze family budget data (local files + shared Google Docs). Adding a Google Doc is neat because it stays updated automatically if family members change it. Each notebook has its own private cloud compute running, allowing agentic work. You can ask it to analyze expenses and generate a PNG pie chart, or a Word Document report directly from the chat.

39:00 Recherche Web Contextuelle par Chat, Partage et Intégration

You can search for new web sources directly in the chat, and it takes your existing context into consideration. Share notebooks with specific emails or make links public. Finally, deep integration with gemini.google.com: You can view your notebooks from the main Gemini interface, start chats there, and those chats will sync back into the NotebookLM interface as a source. They go both ways perfectly.