The display of gesture movies is disclosed to assist users in performing gestures. Gesture movies can be short, unintrusive, and available on demand. A list box can appear in a pop-up window or preference panel, containing a list of gestures that can be displayed. If a user clicks on a gesture in the list, a video, movie or animation of the gesture being performed appears in one box, and a video, movie or animation of the action being performed on a particular object is displayed in another box. Thus, a hand can be shown performing the selected gesture over a touch sensor panel, while at the same time, and synchronized with the gesture being displayed, an object being manipulated by the gesture is displayed.