How to turn a screen recording into a demo video
A raw screen capture shows everything at once and highlights nothing. A demo video points the viewer's eyes at the right pixels at the right moment. Here's how to get from one to the other in about a minute — free, with no timeline editing.
The four steps
- Get your recording. Any capture works — macOS's Cmd-Shift-5, Windows' Win-G, OBS, Loom, or a browser tab recording. Don't worry about mistakes at the edges; dead time gets cut later. Aim for under ~15 seconds of real action, in MP4, MOV, or WebM (up to 200MB).
- Upload it to Dollycut and describe the point. One line is enough: "show how the Slack alert gets configured." The description steers where the virtual camera looks, when it zooms, and what it lingers on. You can leave it blank — motion-based directing kicks in — but a written intent gives noticeably better framing.
- Let it direct. Dollycut finds the action, plans camera moves (zooms, pans, holds), trims dead time to your chosen duration (10–30s), and renders a clean, loopable clip. Every decision lands in a declarative Shot Plan you can download, edit, and re-render deterministically.
- Export for where it's going. MP4 for landing pages and social, WebM as a smaller modern alternative, GIF for GitHub READMEs and emails where video players don't auto-play. Pick 16:9 for web pages, 1:1 or 9:16 for social feeds.
Tips for a demo people actually watch
- One workflow per clip. "Configure the alert" is a demo; "tour of the whole app" is a screensaver.
- Keep it short and loopable. 10–24 seconds that loop cleanly beat two minutes that don't get watched.
- Be specific in the intent. "Show the retry settings modal" frames better than "show the app".
- Match the aspect to the placement before exporting instead of cropping afterwards.
Other ways to do it
Manual editors (Camtasia, Screen Studio, DaVinci Resolve) give full control — you place every zoom by hand on a timeline. Great results, but expect 30–60 minutes per clip and a learning curve. Auto-zoom recorders (Cursorful, FocuSee, Pointerful) add zooms while you record, but you have to capture through their tool — existing footage can't be used, and re-recording a flow rarely comes out as natural as the take you already have. Dollycut sits in the third spot: it works on footage you already have and decides the camera work from your written intent. It's free and open source.
Common questions
How long should a product demo video be?
10–30 seconds for a landing page or README. Attention drops fast: show one workflow, cut everything else, and make it loop cleanly.
Do I need editing skills?
No. Dollycut works from a plain-language description and adds the camera work automatically. Manual editors give more control but take longer to learn and use.
What format should I export?
MP4 for landing pages and social, WebM for smaller files, GIF for READMEs and emails where video won't auto-play.