How to auto‑zoom on every click, in 2D or 3D

Step by step

1. 01

   Choose how the view moves

   Open Settings (⌘,) and go to Device. Under Auto Zoom on Click, keep 3D Motion, the default, or pick 2D Zoom; the difference is explained below. No Auto Zoom turns it off.

2. 02

   Set up the recording

   In the capture bar, choose your camera, microphone and system audio first. Then click Display, Window or Area: a source takes you straight to picking what to record.

3. 03

   Record, clicking where it matters

   Pick the screen, window or area, then click Start Recording or press Return. After a short countdown, work as you normally would, and click on what you want your viewer to look at.

   The first time, macOS asks you to allow screen recording. Once you have, quit and reopen ScreenFlowy.

4. 04

   Stop, and find the zooms waiting

   Press ⇧⌘R or click the red stop button. The editor opens with a zoom on the timeline’s zoom track for every click. Clicks that come close together share one zoom, so the view doesn’t bounce back and forth.

5. 05

   Fine-tune any zoom

   Click a zoom on the timeline to open Zoom Settings. Zoom Size takes it closer or wider, Zoom Effect switches that zoom between 2D Zoom and 3D Motion, and Turn off zoom skips it without deleting it. Drag a zoom to move it, or drag its edges to change when it starts and ends.

6. 06

   Add or remove zooms

   Click an empty spot on the zoom track to add a zoom there, or drag along it to draw one as long as you like. To remove a zoom, select it and press Delete.

7. 07

   Set the pace

   In the Animation tool, Zoom Movement sets how quickly every zoom moves, from Slow to Fastest, and Motion Blur softens the movement the way a real camera would.

2D Zoom or 3D Motion?

2D Zoom suits tutorials and documentation, where people want to see exactly what changed: the recording stays square to the viewer and simply grows around the click.

3D Motion suits product demos and launch videos, and its Effect Intensity can be Subtle, Default or Strong. Each zoom can use either style, switched in Zoom Effect, so one video can mix both.

What the sliders do

• Zoom Size (both styles): how close the zoom goes, up to 4×.
• Edge Snap (2D, Auto): how firmly the zoom keeps the cursor in the middle. At 100% the view rests on the edge of the recording instead of drifting past it; at 0% it pans in proportion, and the cursor keeps its place on screen.
• X Axis, Y Axis and Z Axis (3D, Manual, with Custom ticked under Tilt): the exact tilt and turn of the frame, beyond the presets.
• Perspective (3D, Manual): how deep the space looks. Higher adds depth; lower flattens the picture.
• Position (3D, Manual): where the frame sits, its Z Axis bringing it toward the camera or taking it away.

Perspective and Position appear once you pick a tilt other than Auto; with Auto, Effect Intensity takes their place.

If no zooms appear

• Check Settings › Device › Auto Zoom on Click: with No Auto Zoom, none are made.
• Zooms come from mouse clicks, so an iPhone recording starts with none. Add them by hand on the zoom track.
• Clicks in the final second before you stop are left out.