Zoom effects and cursor tracking
Use zoom effects to bring a small button, field, or action closer to your viewer. You can place zoom keyframes yourself, work with zoom groups, or choose click-driven Auto Zoom before generating the voiceover. Recordings with linked cursor data also support Follow Cursor in zoom groups.
Choose the right zoom control
| Control | What it is for |
|---|---|
| A video's Zoom panel | Adding manual zoom keyframes at a chosen frame. |
| Add Zoom Group in the editor toolbar | Adding a zoom group for the selected video. Select the group to adjust its zoom settings. |
| Effects → Auto Zoom on the Script page | Applying click-driven zoom when you generate the voiceover. |
| Follow Cursor in a zoom group | Using linked cursor metadata to follow the recorded pointer. |
| Follow Video Zoom on an overlay | Making that overlay follow the video's zoom. |
| The Zoom slider beside the playback controls | Magnifying the timeline for editing. This does not make the finished video zoom in. |
The toolbar's Zoom in, Zoom out, and Fit controls change your view of the canvas. To create a zoom effect for viewers, select the video and use its zoom controls.
Check whether your video has cursor data
- Open your project in the video editor.
- Select the screen-recording clip on the timeline. If your project includes an avatar, select the screen recording rather than the avatar clip.
- Expand Video in the properties panel on the right.
- Find Cursor Data. Scroll within the panel if necessary.
Upload JSON means cursor metadata is not linked to the selected video. Linked, with a Remove button beside it, means metadata is already attached.
| Available workflow | Video without linked cursor data | Video with linked cursor data |
|---|---|---|
| Manual zoom keyframe entry point | Available in Zoom | Available in Zoom |
| Zoom groups | Scale, fixed focus, and easing controls | Scale and easing, plus Follow Cursor |
| Cursor-follow zoom | Link matching metadata first | Available through a zoom group's Follow Cursor control |
| Cursor-data entry | Upload JSON | Linked and Remove |
A visible pointer in the footage does not, by itself, confirm that cursor metadata is linked. Check Cursor Data in the editor.
The properties panel keeps cursor metadata and manual zoom controls together. The timeline magnification slider is below it.
Link cursor metadata with Upload JSON
The VideoMule Chrome extension records mouse positions and events alongside screen footage. Its preview offers Download Video and Download JSON. Keep both files from the same recording when you want to retain the footage and its cursor data.
To attach the metadata in the editor:
- Select the corresponding screen-recording clip.
- Open Video → Cursor Data.
- Click Upload JSON and choose the cursor JSON from that recording.
- Check that Cursor Data shows Linked before using cursor-follow zoom.
Use the matching VideoMule recording and JSON as your starting point. The JSON contains recording metadata; it is separate from the video file.
Linked metadata is shown on the selected screen-recording clip, even while the playhead displays another part of the project.
The extension's recording guide describes cursor tracking on regular web pages. Browser-internal pages, such as Settings or a new tab, and movement outside the browser are not tracked. Keep this in mind when planning a recording that relies on cursor-follow effects.
Add manual zoom keyframes
Manual keyframes let you choose the moments at which zoom changes instead of relying on recorded clicks. They are useful for emphasizing a result or a piece of text that the presenter never clicked.
- Select the video clip you want to zoom.
- Move the playhead to the moment you want to work on, keeping it within that clip.
- Expand Zoom in the right properties panel.
- Click Add Keyframe at Frame …. The number in the button identifies the frame targeted by the control.
- Preview the surrounding section as you build your zoom sequence, checking both the framing and the time viewers have to read the detail.
Use the timeline's magnification slider when you need more room to place the playhead. The frame number in the keyframe button and the project's playback time are different readouts; use the preview to confirm the intended moment.
Work with zoom groups
Select a video clip, then click Add Zoom Group in the editor toolbar. To inspect an existing group, click its purple zoom region on the video's timeline track. The right panel changes to Zoom Group.
| Setting | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Scale | Set how far the video zooms in. The value is shown as a multiplier, such as 1.30x. |
| Focus X and Focus Y | Set a fixed horizontal and vertical focus using percentage controls. These are shown for the non-following group. |
| Easing | Choose the character of the zoom transition: Linear, Ease In, Ease Out, or Ease In Out. |
| Follow Cursor | With linked cursor data, use this control to follow the recorded pointer. The button displays the current state, such as Enabled. |
Linear easing gives an even transition; ease-in and ease-out choices soften the beginning, the ending, or both. Choose the motion that best fits the action, then play through the group from before its start to after its end. Check that the important content stays visible throughout the movement.
With Follow Cursor enabled, this group's panel shows Scale and Easing instead of fixed Focus X and Focus Y controls.
Follow the cursor
- Confirm that the screen recording's Cursor Data is Linked.
- Select its zoom group on the timeline.
- Set Follow Cursor to Enabled if you want the zoom to follow recorded pointer movement.
- Adjust Scale and Easing, then preview the section containing the group.
Start with a modest scale. Strong magnification can make nearby labels or the next control harder to see. Judge the effect while the pointer is moving, not only on a paused frame.
Apply click-driven Auto Zoom
Auto Zoom is a generation effect on the Script page. Its purpose is to zoom into clicks as they happen. Follow Cursor is a setting on an individual editor zoom group; the two controls serve different stages of the workflow.
Both depend on cursor data. Auto Zoom builds its zooms from the recorded clicks and pointer positions, so a video without linked cursor data produces none, whatever the switch says. Check Cursor Data on the video clip, as described above, before generating.
- Open your project's Script page.
- Click Effects beside Generate Voiceover.
- Enable Auto Zoom.
- When your script and generation settings are ready, click Generate Voiceover as part of the normal generation workflow.
- Review the resulting zooms in the editor before exporting.
The Effects menu states that effects are applied when you generate the voiceover. Choose this option at that stage of your workflow.
Each zoom is anchored to a recorded click and held while the pointer stays in that area, releasing once you move away or the interaction ends. It follows what the recording captured rather than the script, so review the result against the narration. For footage with no cursor data, place zooms by hand instead, as described above.
Make overlays follow video zoom
A label placed over a specific screen control may need to move with the zoomed footage. A title or general instruction may be easier to read when it stays in place.
- Select the overlay on the timeline. For a text overlay, open Behavior in its properties panel.
- Find Follow Video Zoom.
- Enable it when the overlay should follow the video's zoom, or leave it Disabled for an overlay that should remain independent of that zoom.
- Preview the entire zoom section and check the overlay's position and readability.
Follow Video Zoom controls the overlay. It does not attach cursor JSON or enable Follow Cursor for the video.
Troubleshooting
Add Zoom Group is unavailable
Select a video clip first. The toolbar control is disabled when no suitable video is selected. Selecting a zoom group or a text overlay shows that item's properties instead of the video's controls.
Follow Cursor is missing
Check the screen recording's Video → Cursor Data section. If it shows Upload JSON, attach the matching recording metadata. Then select the zoom group to find Follow Cursor; it is a group setting, not the timeline's zoom slider.
The cursor-follow effect misses part of the demonstration
Check whether that action took place on a regular web page. The extension cannot track pointer movement over browser-internal pages or outside the browser. Use manual zoom for an action that has no cursor tracking data.
The video does not look closer after zooming the timeline
Timeline magnification only changes the editing view. Use the selected video's Zoom panel or a Zoom Group to change the footage's framing for viewers.
An overlay separates from the detail it labels
Select the overlay and inspect Behavior → Follow Video Zoom. Preview the zoom with the overlay visible to decide whether it should follow the footage.
When your preview looks right, save your changes and continue with Rendering and Exporting. For general editor navigation, see AI Video Editor.
