✦Use cases / Industries / Developer tools

Show your developer tool in action.

Record a quickstart in the editor and the terminal, zoom in so the code is readable, and ship the docs screenshots from the same app.

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Made forDeveloper advocatesDeveloper experience teamsTechnical writersFoundersOpen-source maintainers

Developers skip videos that waste their time.

A quickstart has to be fast, readable and accurate. Tiny code on a 4K screen and a rambling voiceover lose people in seconds. Shotbox zooms in where it matters and makes cutting the waffle trivial.

What you'll make

Quickstart videos

From install to first result, with zooms that keep the code legible.

Changelog clips

A short GIF or clip for every release.

Docs screenshots

Whole-page captures of your docs and dashboards, annotated.

How Shotbox helps

Every tool for the job, in one app.

ZOOM OVER TIME clicks
Auto zoom & cursor →

Code you can actually read

Click where you’re typing and the zoom follows, so the important lines fill the frame. Turn the zoom level up for dense editors or down for dashboards.

  • Zooms ease in and out
  • The frame stays still while the content pushes in
  • Add or remove zooms by hand
TRANSCRIPT

Hi, I'm going to show you how the new dashboard actually, let me start again. The new dashboard turns a week of reports into one screen.

Let's start at the top, with the revenue chart. Click it to see every plan.

DeleteKeep only thisRestore
Captions & transcript →

Cut the waffle by editing text

Delete a sentence from the transcript and it’s gone from the video, with the cut placed in the quietest moment. Captions drop the cut words too.

  • Keep only this, for the one clean take
  • Restore cut words with a click
  • Chapters for long tutorials
→
Scrolling capture →

Docs screenshots in one go

Capture a long API reference page, a settings screen or a dashboard as one tall image, then annotate it for the docs.

  • Automatic or manual scrolling
  • Sticky headers handled
  • Opens straight in the editor
CAPTURE
card_declined (402): The card was declined.
→
CLIPBOARD
card_declined (402): The card was declined.
✓Text copied
Copy text from images →

Pull text out of screenshots

Copy the exact error message out of a capture for an issue, or lift a snippet from a screenshot someone sent you. It’s read on your Mac.

  • From Quick Access or the editor
  • Accurate text recognition
  • Straight to the clipboard
Northwind · Onboarding v3Exporting 68% · Cancel ⌘.
Exporting · 3.1× real time
☕ The Mac stays awake
Export →

GIFs for the README and changelog

Export a looping GIF at a smaller size for the README, and a full-resolution video for YouTube, from the same project.

  • GIF or MP4
  • MP4 from 720p to 4K
  • Chapters copied for YouTube
example.com/pricing
Pricing tier · ↑ for the table
Web pages in video →

Your docs in the video

Paste a docs page link and take just the code sample or the parameter table as a card. Choose Scrolling to show the page moving down to the passage you’re discussing.

  • Click a part, or ↑ for what holds it
  • Scrolling with a highlighted passage
  • Desktop or phone view
Studio editor →

Split screen for before and after

Show the old API call beside the new one, or the code beside the result, with one of seventeen split-screen arrangements.

  • Each pane has its own zoom and pan
  • Swap with next
  • Pane sound onto its own lane
Recommended setup

Start with these settings.

CanvasYouTube — 16:9; X / Twitter — 16:9 for clips
Camera layoutScreen only, or Picture in picture
BackdropSlate
Caption styleSubtle bar
TitlesTyped for commands, Lower third for section names
ExportMP4 at 100%; GIF at 50% for the README
Tips

Tips for better results.

  1. Bump the font size

    Increase your editor and terminal font before recording. Zooms help, but large text is still the clearest.

  2. Click where you type

    Zooms follow clicks, not keystrokes. Click in the editor before typing so the zoom lands on the code.

  3. Keep only this

    Did ten takes of the install command? Select the clean one in the transcript and use Keep only this.

  4. Chapters with M

    Press M at each section as you review, then Copy for YouTube puts them in the description format.

How it works

Three steps, one app.

Everything runs on your Mac, and nothing is uploaded on the way.

  1. 1

    Record the walkthrough

    Pointer movement is recorded alongside the video, so zooms can follow your clicks.

    Screen recorder →
  2. 2

    Tidy it by editing text

    Delete a fluffed sentence from the transcript and it is cut from the video.

    Captions & transcript →
  3. 3

    Capture the docs

    Scrolling capture turns a long page into one image.

    Scrolling capture →
An example

Shipping a quickstart video

  1. Record

    Install, configure and make the first call in one take, clicking where you type.

  2. Trim

    Delete the false start and the long pause from the transcript.

  3. Chapter

    Add chapters for Install, Configure and First request with M.

  4. Ship

    Export for YouTube, copy the chapters into the description and export a GIF for the README.

Questions
Does it show keystrokes on screen?

Not at the moment. Zooms follow your clicks, and you can draw on screen or add text titles to call out shortcuts.

Can I record the terminal?

Yes. Record any area, window or display, including terminal and editor windows.

Will the code be crisp?

Recordings go straight from the capture to H.264 with no intermediate re-encode, and zooms crop the source rather than enlarging the frame.

Features you'll use
Auto zoom & cursorZooms follow your clicks, the cursor glidesLearn more →Captions & transcriptCaptions on-device; edit by deleting textLearn more →Scrolling captureA whole page or long chat as one imageLearn more →
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