Draw on Your Videos

We recently gave the screenshot editor a proper set of drawing tools. Arrows, boxes, circles, text and a freehand pen. The moment they landed, the next question was sitting right there... if we can draw on a screenshot, why not on a video?

So that's what we've done. The same tools now work in the recorder.

How It Works

Start a screen recording (with or without your camera) and you'll find a small toolbar at the top of the preview: arrow, shape, pen, text, undo and redo. Anything you place on the preview is drawn straight into the video, live. Circle a button mid-sentence and your viewer sees the circle appear mid-sentence.

You can also set the scene before you hit record. Drop an arrow on the thing you're about to explain, start the countdown, and it's there from the first frame.

The Pen

The pen is the one we keep reaching for. Click it, pick a colour and thickness right on the toolbar, and scribble. Underline the line of code. Circle the number that matters. Draw the squiggle that says "this bit, right here".

Every stroke is its own layer, so undo removes one stroke at a time, and you can still move, recolour or thicken a stroke afterwards from the sidebar.

Layers, Same as Screenshots

The sidebar carries the same layers panel as the screenshot editor. Select a layer to tweak it, delete the ones you don't want, or clear the lot with one click. Undo and redo work with the shortcuts you'd expect (⌘Z / ⌘⇧Z), and the camera bubble stays fully draggable while you work around it.

One Thing To Know

The drawings become part of the video itself. They're composited into the recording as you make them, which is exactly what makes the live pointing work... but it also means they can't be removed after the fact. If you restart a take, you start with a clean slate.

Annotations you can edit after recording would be a much bigger piece of work, so for now, live and permanent is the deal. We think it's the right trade... it keeps the whole thing simple and immediate, like drawing on a whiteboard while you talk.

If you record walkthroughs, teach, or answer support questions with video, we think this one will quietly earn its keep.

Until next time!

Wouter
Founder