Zoom, spotlight & loupe

ScreenCameo zooms in where you click and type. Change those zooms, add your own with one key, or point at a detail without moving the view.

How zooms work #

A zoom pushes in on part of your screen for a while, then glides back out. When you stop recording, ScreenCameo’s auto zoom adds zooms wherever you clicked or typed. You can change any of them, delete them, or add your own exactly where the cursor is.

Want the short version first? The auto-zoom feature page shows it in action. Zooms work with the cursor effects and the camera bubble, which shrinks while you zoom in.

The Motion tab #

Every zoom setting lives in one place. Press Esc so nothing is selected, then click Motion in the toolbar, or press Cmd+2.

Zoom to the cursor #

1. Move the playhead to the moment you want: click the timeline, or press Space to pause there.
2. Press Z. A purple block appears on the Zoom lane, aimed at where your cursor is at that moment. It starts a little before the playhead, so the view has already landed when you get there.
3. Prefer the mouse? Double-click an empty spot on the Zoom lane (a dashed + Zoom block shows where it will go), or click Add zoom in the Motion tab’s list.

Aim it and choose how close #

Select a zoom while the video is paused. The preview shows the whole screen with a white rectangle and a purple dot. The rectangle is exactly what fills the video when zoomed in; the dot is where the camera aims. The orange label shows the zoom level: 2× means twice as big.

1. Drag the purple dot, or the middle of the rectangle, to aim somewhere else.
2. Drag a white corner to resize. A smaller rectangle means a closer zoom.
3. For an exact level, click a tile under How close: 1.25×, 1.5×, 2×, 2.5×, 3× or 4×. Or drag Zoom level, up to 6×. New zooms start at the last level you picked.
4. Click Preview zoom at the top of the preview to see the result without playing, or hold Option for a quick peek. Click Edit area to go back.

Follow clicks or Fixed point #

Each zoom either follows the action or holds still. Pick one with the two tiles under Where it looks, or right-click the zoom.

Zooms near the edge of the screen snap to it, so corners are easy to show.

When and how long #

1. The view zooms in at the block’s left edge and back out at its right edge.
2. Drag either edge to start earlier or later, or to change the length. Drag the middle to move the whole zoom.
3. Right-click a zoom for Disable, Follow clicks, Fixed point, Zoom level, Instant animation, Edit area on preview, Duplicate and Delete.
4. Double-click a zoom to switch it off without deleting it.

How zooms move #

These settings in the Motion tab change every zoom at once.

Automatic zooms #

1. Press Esc, open the Motion tab (Cmd+2) and find Automatic zooms.
2. Auto zoom on clicks & typing turns them on or off.
3. How close sets how far they go in: Calm (up to 1.5×), Balanced (2×) or Close (2.5×).
4. Re-generate plans them again and keeps the zooms you added or edited.
5. Remove automatic zooms deletes all of them at once and keeps yours.

Spotlight instead of zoom #

A spotlight keeps one area bright and dims the rest. The view doesn’t move, so it suits a busy screen you want to stay on.

1. Press H, or right-click the Zoom lane and choose Add spotlight here. A yellow block appears.
2. Drag the rectangle on the preview over what you want to show, and drag its corners to resize it.
3. Turn up Outside blur to soften everything outside the spotlight as well. Off only dims it.

Loupe instead of zoom #

A loupe holds a round magnifying lens over one spot while the rest of the page stays still. A small detail gets big, and viewers never lose their place.

1. Select a zoom and click Loupe under Effect at the top of the inspector. Or press Cmd+K and choose Add a loupe at the playhead.
2. Use How close to set the magnification. 2× to 3× reads best.
3. Under Where it looks, Follow cursor makes the lens glide after your pointer; Fixed point keeps it on the purple dot.

The list of zooms #

The last section of the Motion tab lists every zoom and spotlight in timeline order, with its time, length and level. Auto marks the automatic ones. Click a row to select that zoom; the switch on each row turns it off without deleting it.

Speed up typing #

When a recording has long stretches of typing, a bar above the timeline offers to speed them up. Click 2×, 3× or 4×. The Typing section of the Motion tab offers the same at any time, and Play all typing at normal speed undoes it.

Shortcuts on this page#

See every shortcut

If something’s off#

Too much zooming

Set How close to Calm, choose the Focused follow style, or click Remove automatic zooms and add only the ones you want with Z.

A new recording has no zooms

Check Settings → Recording → Create zooms automatically, then click Re-generate in the Motion tab.

The Typing bar never appears

Turn on Detect typing & shortcuts before you record. It can’t be added to a recording afterwards.