Investigation

Your screenshot, highlighted

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Format (important)
Preview doesn't change the file

You'll download 1920×1080, 3.5 s, with no background (.mov).

Screenshot Highlight Animation — Zoom on a Document

Upload a screenshot of a study, an article, a document or a tweet: it comes in as a sheet with a shadow and a slight tilt, the camera pushes in on the area you choose and marks it with a yellow highlighter, a hand-drawn box, an underline or a spotlight that dims the rest. With a source line and an optional label with an arrow. Without an image, a sample document comes out with its line highlighted. The go-to move of Vox and Johnny Harris style documentaries.

  • 16:9
  • 9:16
  • 1:1
  • Transparent background
  • Full HD
  • 26 editable fields

What you can change

  • Style
  • Your screenshot
  • How the area is marked
  • Area: center, left ↔ right (%)
  • Area: center, top ↕ bottom (%)
  • Area: width (%)
  • Area: height (%)
  • Lines of text inside the area
  • Source line
  • Label with arrow
  • Sample document title
  • Line marked in the document
  • Document header
  • Highlighter color

Plus the typeface and an optional letter outline, in every template.

Screenshot Highlight Animation — Zoom on a Document: a frame of the animation
A frame of the animation with its sample text. Scroll up to edit it live.

How to use it in your editor

Export it without background and put it on a track above your clip: the animation plays over your video.

  • CapCut

    1. Export «without background»: you get a .mov with transparency.
    2. On desktop, drag it to a track above your clip. On the phone, use Overlay → Add overlay.
    3. If your app shows a black background, export «with your clip» instead and import the MP4 as your video.

  • Premiere Pro

    1. File → Import the .mov.
    2. Drag it to V2, above your footage on V1.
    3. The transparency is kept: move, scale or trim it like any clip.

  • DaVinci Resolve

    1. Import the .mov into the Media Pool.
    2. Place it on Video 2, above your clip.
    3. If you see black instead of your clip: right-click → Clip Attributes → Alpha Mode: Premultiplied.

  • Final Cut Pro

    1. Import the .mov.
    2. Connect it above the primary storyline (shortcut Q).
    3. Final Cut reads the transparency on its own.

Questions

Do I need After Effects or a plugin?
No. You edit «Your screenshot, highlighted» right here in your browser: type your text, choose colors and format, watch the live preview and export a video file that works in any editor.
What file do I get?
Either a ProRes 4444 .mov with a transparent background, to place over your footage, or an MP4 with your own clip behind it. In 1920×1080 (16:9), 1080×1920 (9:16) or 1080×1080 (1:1); 2× (4K) is optional and costs double credits.
Is it free?
Editing and previewing are free and need no account. To export you sign in with Google; during the open beta, new accounts get export credits at no cost.

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