How to Generate Flashcards from a PDF

This is the main Nebulearn workflow: upload a PDF, get a draft deck, edit it, review with FSRS.

For study technique (card quality, tags, daily routine), read the PDF workflow on the blog. This page is the in-app clicks.

Step-by-step

1. Go to Create → Generate.
2. Upload one week's slides (or one chapter). Not the whole textbook.
3. Wait for the AI draft. Usually under a minute for a normal lecture PDF.
4. Review cards in the editor:
   • Delete slide-title junk ("Chapter 4 overview")
   • Split cards with paragraph-length answers
   • Name specific terms (not "important enzyme")
5. Choose a folder and add tags (e.g. midterm-2).
6. Save.
7. Start studying so FSRS schedules reviews.

Free tier limits

• 20 AI generations per week
• 300 saved questions total

One lecture PDF is usually one generation and 40–80 cards after editing. Enough for one or two hard classes on free. Upgrade on pricing if you hit caps during midterms.

What works best

Good upload	Bad upload
Weekly slide PDF	Entire 400-page textbook
Typed lecture notes (paste works too)	Scanned handwriting (OCR varies)
PDF you already skimmed	PDF you never opened

Skim the lecture once before generating. The AI doesn't know what your prof actually tests.

After you save

• 15 min/day on the review queue beats one long session on Sunday.
• Exam week: reviews only, no new cards.
• Study group? Put the deck in a shared folder.

Other ways to add cards

• Import Anki deck
• Import spreadsheet
• Manual editor for typing from scratch