# SmoothCapture: Record your app. Film it in real 3D. > Turn a raw screen recording into a launch-ready product video. Auto zoom and a smooth cursor on every take, real 3D devices with one-click camera moves, and animated titles, all on one timeline. Canonical: https://www.smoothcapture.app/ SmoothCapture is a Mac app for product videos. It records your Mac screen, an iPhone or iPad over USB and the iOS Simulator, polishes the footage, films it on real 3D devices and exports MP4, MOV, GIF or transparent ProRes 4444. Recording and editing are free; exporting needs a licence, $49 once or $10/month. [Download for macOS](https://download.smoothcapture.app/SmoothCapture-latest.dmg). ## AI agents and MCP SmoothCapture has an MCP server built in. Your AI agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) can record, cut by transcript, add titles and graphics, direct the 3D camera, write a voiceover and export, all inside the project you have open. ## Record and polish ### Capture - **Mac screen, window, or area**: Pick the full display, a single app window, or a selected area so you start with a clean source and skip cropping later. - **iPhone and iPad over USB**: Plug in an iPhone or iPad over USB and record directly. Go straight into framing, zoom, and export without a separate mirroring toolchain. - **iOS Simulator recording**: Capture a booted Simulator session for repeatable takes, quick tweaks, and App Store preview videos, all on your Mac. - **Camera, mic, audio, and keys**: Layer in webcam, mic, system audio, and keystrokes so the recording already has the explanation baked in. ### Focus - **Smart and manual zoom**: Zoom in on the action. Let SmoothCapture auto-add zooms, or place and tune each one yourself on the timeline. - **Smooth cursor**: Smooth cursor motion, click ripples, idle hiding, and timing controls turn a noisy mouse into one that guides the eye. - **Keystrokes**: Display shortcuts and typed actions in a clean overlay with size, position, opacity, and timing controls. - **Annotations**: Add arrows, lines, shapes, text, and redaction right over the recording to explain a change or hide what's private. ### Edit - **Trim, split, and combine takes**: Cut mistakes, break long clips into parts, import another take, and move scenes around without switching apps. Auto-save and recent projects let you step away and pick up where you left off. - **Control the pacing**: Speed up the boring stretches, keep the moments that matter at normal speed, and shape the rhythm right on the timeline. ### Style - **Backgrounds and canvas**: Pick from built-in backgrounds, solid colors, or your own images. Tweak padding, corners, and zoom in the same take. - **Sizes for every channel**: Switch between landscape, portrait, square, and App Store formats. One project feeds your site, social, and store. - **Webcam layouts**: Place the camera as overlay, fullscreen, or side-by-side. Pick shape, border, shadow, and position, then reframe anytime. ### Audio and captions - **Mix audio in the project**: Balance mic and system audio, mute sources, add overlay tracks, and change volume or speed without another tool. - **Edit captions like text**: Generate subtitles with Apple Speech or FluidAudio, pick the language, open the transcript editor, search, and fix lines before export. ### Export - **High-quality video**: Export MP4 or MOV with full control over resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and codec, up to 4K. - **Transparent exports**: Use ProRes 4444 to export a transparent background for website heroes, promos, or motion design. - **GIFs and web assets**: Make lightweight GIFs and web assets with control over size, frame rate, duration, and loop, perfect for docs and release notes. - **Save, share, or publish**: Save a file, grab a share link, or publish straight to Cloudflare R2 or AWS S3 with progress and a public URL. ## 3D mockup studio Put any recording, video or screenshot on a real 3D iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch, then direct the camera with one-click moves. Studio HDR lighting, glossy reflections, depth of field and a floor shadow ground the device, or drop the background and export transparent ProRes 4444. Flat or 3D is a setting on the clip, not a second app or a re-edit. ## Motion studio Animated text, designed graphics and slides sit on the same timeline as your recording and your 3D shots. ## Pricing Every feature from $49, one time, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. See [pricing](https://www.smoothcapture.app/pricing). ## Questions ### Can I put a video or screenshot I already have on a 3D device? Yes. Open or import any MP4, MOV or image, choose a 3D device, and apply a camera move. It does not have to be recorded in SmoothCapture. More: [3D device mockups](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/3d-device-frames) ### Can an AI agent edit my videos in SmoothCapture? Yes. SmoothCapture includes an MCP server and a command-line tool, so Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or any MCP client can record, cut by transcript, add titles and graphics, move the 3D camera, generate a voiceover and export. Edits land in the project you have open, and each one can be undone. More: [AI agents, MCP and CLI](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/cli-agent-automation) ### Can SmoothCapture record system audio on a Mac? Yes. SmoothCapture captures system audio natively through Apple's ScreenCaptureKit, so you do not need BlackHole or a Multi-Output Device. System sound and your microphone are recorded as separate tracks, so you can balance them after the fact rather than being stuck with the mix you captured. More: [Audio and voice-over](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/audio-and-voiceover) ### Is SmoothCapture free? You can record and edit for free with no time limit. A one-time purchase unlocks exporting and share links. There is no subscription, and the licence does not expire. ### What Mac do I need? SmoothCapture requires macOS 15.2 or later. It is a universal app that runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, from MacBook Air to Mac Studio. ### Can SmoothCapture record a physical iPhone or iPad? Yes, over USB or wirelessly — and with device audio either way. Plug in over USB for a full-resolution, lag-free capture, or record wirelessly when a cable is impractical. Because your Mac captures the device's video output rather than running a recorder on the phone itself, the footage comes out with a clean status bar and no red recording indicator across the top — which matters for App Store preview videos, where Apple expects an unobstructed screen. Recording a physical iPhone wirelessly with its audio intact is something no other Mac screen recorder currently does. More: [iPhone and iPad recording](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/ios-ipad-recording) ### Can I record the iOS Simulator? Yes. SmoothCapture records the iOS Simulator directly, which is the fastest way to produce App Store preview videos and demo clips without needing a physical device on hand. More: [App Store preview videos](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/app-store-preview) ### How is this different from the built-in Shift-Command-5 recorder? The built-in Screenshot toolbar records your screen and microphone, and nothing more. SmoothCapture adds system audio capture, automatic zoom on clicks, smooth cursor motion, 3D device frames, subtitles, and a timeline editor, so a raw capture becomes a finished video without moving to another app. ### Do I need to be online to use it? Not to record or edit. Both happen entirely on your Mac, and your files never leave it unless you share them. You need a connection to activate your licence, get updates and share links. ## Features - [Screen recording](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/screen-recording): Record a display, a window or an area, with system audio, mic, webcam and keystrokes. - [Auto zoom](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/auto-zoom): Zooms that follow your clicks and typing, generated when a recording opens. - [Smooth cursor & clicks](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/smooth-cursor): Smoothed cursor motion, click ripples and sounds, cursor styles and lens effects. - [Webcam overlay](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/webcam-overlay): Picture-in-picture, full-screen or side-by-side camera, with background removal. - [Timeline editor](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/timeline-editor): Trim, split, speed up, reorder and join clips, with a track for every effect. - [Captions & transcripts](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/captions): On-device transcription, word-by-word captions and transcript-based cutting. - [Titles & motion graphics](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/titles-and-graphics): Animated titles, 14 editable graphics, slides and titles behind 3D devices. - [Annotations & keystrokes](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/annotations-and-keystrokes): Arrows, boxes, text and redaction blocks, plus an on-screen keystroke overlay. - [Privacy masking](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/privacy-blur): Finds emails, API keys, card numbers, phone numbers and addresses, and masks them. - [Backgrounds & aspect ratios](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/backgrounds): Wallpapers, colours, animated shaders, padding and corners, in any aspect ratio. - [Audio, music & voice-over](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/audio-and-voiceover): Separate tracks, volume regions, music ducking, beat markers and AI narration. - [Export & sharing](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/export): MP4, ProRes with alpha and GIF up to 4K60, App Store sizes and share links. - [iPhone & iPad recording](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/ios-ipad-recording): Record a real device over USB or AirPlay, or the iOS Simulator. - [App Store previews](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/app-store-preview): Preview videos at the exact sizes App Store Connect accepts. - [AI agents, MCP & CLI](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/cli-agent-automation): Let Claude Code, Codex or Cursor record, edit and export. - [3D device mockups](https://www.smoothcapture.app/features/3d-device-frames): Film your recording on a real 3D iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch. - [Motion templates](https://www.smoothcapture.app/templates): One-click 3D camera moves, played live in the gallery. ## Compare - [SmoothCapture vs Rotato](https://www.smoothcapture.app/compare/rotato) - [SmoothCapture vs Screen Studio](https://www.smoothcapture.app/compare/screen-studio) - [SmoothCapture vs Loom](https://www.smoothcapture.app/compare/loom) - [SmoothCapture vs Camtasia](https://www.smoothcapture.app/compare/camtasia) - [SmoothCapture vs ScreenFlow](https://www.smoothcapture.app/compare/screenflow) - [SmoothCapture vs CleanShot X](https://www.smoothcapture.app/compare/cleanshot-x) - [SmoothCapture vs OBS Studio](https://www.smoothcapture.app/compare/obs-studio) - [SmoothCapture vs Snagit](https://www.smoothcapture.app/compare/snagit)