Getting started

How to use ScreenCameo, from the first launch to a polished video you can paste anywhere, in a few minutes.

This page shows how to use ScreenCameo, from the first launch to a video you can share. ScreenCameo records your screen and polishes it for you. It zooms in where you click, smooths your cursor and puts the video on a background. Everything happens on your Mac, and nothing is uploaded.

Get started with ScreenCameo #

The first time you open ScreenCameo, a welcome window walks you through four steps.

1. Welcome to ScreenCameo: click Get Started.
2. Activate your license: paste the key from your purchase email, then click Activate. The key is checked on your Mac, with no account. This step is skipped if you already activated.
3. Allow access: click Allow next to Screen Recording and turn on ScreenCameo in System Settings. Then click Relaunch ScreenCameo. Continue waits until Screen Recording is on.
4. Microphone, Camera, Keystrokes and Accessibility are listed under Optional — asked when you use them. Allow them now, or let ScreenCameo ask later.
5. You’re all set: check your shortcuts, then click Make my first recording, Explore the demo or Open Home.

Find ScreenCameo in the menu bar #

ScreenCameo lives in the menu bar at the top right of your screen. Look for a small ring with a glint. Click it to start a recording, take a screenshot or open a window.

1. Click the ring icon. The menu has New Recording…, Record with Last Setup, the screenshot options, Home, Open Library, Settings… and Quit ScreenCameo.
2. To open the Home window, choose Home in that menu. Or open ScreenCameo from your Applications folder or Spotlight.
3. When a ScreenCameo window is in front, press Cmd+0 to open Home.
4. Home’s sidebar has four sections: Home, Recordings, Screenshots and Guides.

Make your first recording #

1. Press Option+Shift+5 in any app, or click New Recording at the top right of Home. The Capture Bar appears at the bottom of your screen.
2. Click what to record: Display for the whole screen, Window for one app window, or Area for a rectangle you draw.
3. Click the camera and microphone buttons to pick a camera and a microphone. The first time you pick one, macOS asks to allow it.
4. Click Mac sound if you also want the sound your Mac plays.
5. Click the red Record button, or press Return. For Window, click the window. For Area, drag a rectangle and press Return.
6. A 3-second countdown appears. Press Space to skip it, or Esc to cancel.
7. Show what you want to share. A small pill at the top of the screen shows the time.
8. To stop, press Option+Shift+6, or click the red square with the timer in the pill.

Edit and export your video #

When you stop, the editor opens by itself. It spends a moment polishing: it finds your clicks, smooths the cursor and plans automatic zooms.

1. Press Space to watch it. Zooms and a style are already applied.
2. Change anything you like. Editing basics is a good place to start, and Zoom, spotlight & loupe covers the zooms.
3. Click Export at the top right of the editor, or press Cmd+E. Then click MP4 video.
4. When it says Ready to share, click Copy. Paste the video into Slack, Messages or email.

Get help in the app #

1. Click ? at the top right of any window. In the editor, help opens beside the video and follows what you select. Click Back to inspector to return.
2. Each section of the inspector has its own ? next to its title. It opens help right at that part.
3. Type in the search field at the top of help, such as “webcam” or “vertical”. It finds the right part of a guide.
4. In the editor or Home, press Cmd+K and type what you want to do. Actions and help both show up.
5. Or use the Help menu: search it with Shift+Cmd+/, or choose Getting Started or Keyboard Shortcuts.

Quit or keep it in the menu bar #

Closing ScreenCameo’s windows, or pressing Cmd+Q, doesn’t quit it. It stays in the menu bar, so Option+Shift+5 keeps working. The first time, a note explains where it went.

1. To quit completely, click the menu-bar icon and choose Quit ScreenCameo.
2. To make Cmd+Q quit for real, open Settings (Cmd+Comma) → General and turn off Keep in the menu bar after Cmd+Q.

Shortcuts on this page#

See every shortcut

If something’s off#

I can’t find the menu-bar icon

A crowded menu bar can hide it behind the camera notch. Open ScreenCameo from Applications instead, which shows Home. Troubleshooting has more.

Option + Shift + 5 does nothing

Check the ring icon is in the menu bar. Another app may use the same keys, so pick new ones in Settings → Shortcuts. Fix a shortcut that does nothing.

The recording is black

Screen Recording is off or hasn’t taken effect yet. Turn it on, then click Relaunch ScreenCameo. See Screen Recording permission.

An activation window opens when I try to record

Recording, editing and export need a valid license. Paste your key, or recover a lost key. See Activate your license.