How to zoom in on a screen recording on Windows

Two ways to zoom a screen recording

There are two ways to get a zoom into a screen recording:

• After you record. You record the full screen, open the file in an editor, add a zoom where you need one, set where it points and how long it lasts, and export. This is how most editors work, and how Screen Studio works on the Mac.
• While you record. You press a key at the moment you want the zoom, and it is recorded straight into the video. This is how Director works on Windows. When you stop, the video is finished.

Zooming live is faster when you know what you are about to show, like in a demo, a lesson or a tutorial. You can still fix a zoom afterwards: every zoom you trigger lands on a timeline (more on that below).

How to zoom in while you record with Director

1. Pick a screen. Click Choose what to record and pick the screen under Screens. Pick a whole screen rather than a single window, so the zoom can follow your cursor.
2. Choose the shape. Under Output, pick your screen’s own shape, 16:9 for YouTube or 9:16 for Shorts and Reels. The zoom is measured against that frame.
3. Start recording. Press CtrlAltP. Director shrinks to a small monitor in the corner and stays out of the video.
4. Zoom in. Move your cursor to what you want to show and press CtrlAltZ. The video eases in over about half a second, then follows your cursor.
5. Zoom out. Press CtrlAltX to go back to the full frame.
6. Stop. Press CtrlAltP. The MP4 is saved in your Videos folder, under Director, with every zoom in it.

The hotkeys are global, so they work in any app: a browser, VS Code, Excel or your own product. You can rebind any of them in Settings.

How far to zoom

Director zooms 2× by default. You can pick ×1.5, ×2, ×2.5, ×3 or ×4 in its window before or while you record. While a zoom is on, hold CtrlAlt and turn the mouse wheel to go closer or further, from 1.25× up to 6×, in small steps.

A rough guide:

• 1.5× to 2× for a part of an app, like a toolbar or a form.
• 2.5× to 3× for a single button, a menu or a line of code.
• 4× and up for small text, like a cell in a spreadsheet or a version number.

Following the cursor, or holding still

A zoom from CtrlAltZ follows your cursor. Director averages the pointer’s movement, so the camera glides after it instead of copying every small shake.

When you need the camera to hold still, for example while you type, press CtrlAltG to pin the zoom where it is. Press it again and the zoom follows your cursor once more.

Two more ways to aim:

• See where it will land. Hold CtrlAlt for a moment and Director draws a dashed outline of where a zoom would land, before you press Z.
• Near the edge of the screen. With Center at the edges on (the default), the zoom can keep your cursor in the middle even at the edge of the screen, and fills the space past the edge with a dark background.

How to fix or add a zoom after recording

When you stop, the take opens in Director’s editor. Every zoom you triggered is a block on the camera lane.

• Move a zoom by dragging it, or stretch it from either edge to change when it starts and ends.
• Change how far it zooms, from ×1.5 to ×4, and choose whether it follows the cursor or stays fixed.
• Add a zoom with + Zoom, or by double-clicking the lane. Delete one with the Del key.
• Press Re-export. Director writes a new MP4 next to the original, which stays as it was.

Tips for zooms that look good

• Zoom before you click, not after. Press the hotkey as you move toward the thing you are about to click, so the viewer is already there when it happens.
• Move the mouse calmly while zoomed in. The camera follows your cursor, so slow, deliberate moves read better than quick flicks.
• Zoom out between sections. A short return to the full screen shows viewers where they are before the next close-up.
• Use a spotlight when a zoom is too much. CtrlAltS dims everything except the area around your cursor, and CtrlAltD turns it off.

Recording a specific kind of video? See how it works for product demos, online courses and software tutorials.