How to record a screen demo on a Mac that zooms in on its own
Most screen recordings have the same problem: you record a whole screen at full size, then the viewer squints at a tiny button. The usual fix is to zoom in by hand in a video editor, frame by frame. WyzeMotion takes another route: it watches your cursor while you record and places the zooms for you. Here is how to get a good result, and where it needs your help.
1. Allow one permission
WyzeMotion needs only Screen Recording. Turn it on in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording, then relaunch the app. The microphone and the webcam each ask separately, and only if you switch them on in the recording options.
2. Choose what goes in the recording
Before you start, decide whether to include your microphone, your Mac's system sound and your webcam. Narrating is usually easier live than afterwards, so a microphone is worth turning on for a tutorial.
3. Start, then work normally
Click Start. The window shrinks into a small floating pill that stays above everything and is not captured in the video. Then do what you came to show. Two habits make the zooms land well:
- Pause on what matters. The camera zooms when your cursor stops after moving. Resting the pointer on a button for a moment before clicking it is the signal.
- Move deliberately. A shaky hand is ignored, but constant wandering gives the app nothing to latch onto.
If you want a zoom somewhere the cursor does not stop, press ⌘⇧M to mark that moment yourself. Stop with the pill or with ⌘⇧2.
4. Open the editor with the zooms already placed
The editor opens with the automatic zooms on the timeline. Play the video and watch. The camera eases in and out instead of cutting, and it stays still while your cursor moves around the centre of the view, so the picture does not wobble.
5. Fix what it got wrong
Automatic does not mean always right. A zoom on the wrong spot is easy to move, shorten, stretch or delete, and you can add one wherever you want. If you change the overall settings, you can regenerate the automatic zooms while keeping the ones you placed by hand.
Four settings change how the zooms feel:
- Zoom level: higher is closer.
- Hold time: how long the camera stays in place.
- Entry speed: shorter means a snappier move in.
- Merge nearby zooms: two zooms closer than this become one, which avoids a bouncing camera.
For software tutorials, a moderate level with a longer hold usually reads better than a close, fast zoom.
6. Frame it
Put the recording on a backdrop (Labwyze, Gold, Aurora, Ocean, Graphite or Dawn) and set the margin, corner radius and shadow. If you recorded your webcam, choose its shape, size and border and drag the bubble to one of six positions on the preview.
7. Export, and be patient
Export produces an MP4 when your Mac supports it, and a WebM otherwise. Be aware of one limit: the export plays the video back and records the result, so it takes about as long as the video itself. A one-minute demo takes about a minute, and the app needs to stay open.
What it does not do
WyzeMotion records a whole screen, not a single window or a selected area, and it does not upload anything: the recording is a file on your Mac. Whether the pointer itself shows in the picture depends on how macOS captures the screen, so record a few seconds as a test before an important take.
A quick checklist
- Allow Screen Recording and relaunch the app.
- Decide on microphone, system sound and webcam.
- Pause the cursor on whatever you want the viewer to see.
- Fix the misplaced zooms in the editor.
- Pick a backdrop, export, and keep the app open until it finishes.
