Automatic zoom on click
Every click while recording becomes a zoom. Select one you don’t want and press Delete, or add your own with Add Zoom.
A free, open-source Screen Studio alternative
Loupecast is a macOS menu bar recorder. Clicks become automatic zooms, you cut the parts you don’t need, and export an MP4 or GIF in 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1.
Download
brew install --cask dunzkoi/tap/loupecast
Record, polish, export
When you stop recording, the editor opens right away, with the zooms already in.
Cut editing from the keyboard
Split at the playhead, pick a part to remove, and undo when you slip.
D Split
Delete Cut
⌘Z Undo
I O Set start and end
Settings right in the menu bar
⌘⇧2 starts and stops recording. Exports go to ~/Movies as an MP4 (16:9, 9:16 or 1:1) or a GIF.
- Record an areaPick a rectangle with Record Area… and record only that part of the screen.
- Pause and resumePause from the menu; the paused stretch is cut out automatically.
- Webcam overlayRecord your camera too and show it as a circle in the corner you pick.
- Zoom level and focusSet how far each zoom magnifies, or click the preview to hold it on one spot.
- Speed up clipsPlay a selected clip at 2× or 4×; voices keep their pitch.
- Background presetsGradients, solid colors, or the recording edge to edge.
- Fill the frameIn 9:16 and 1:1 the recording fills the frame, and the crop follows the cursor.
- VolumeSet the computer audio and the microphone separately, or mute either.
- GIF exportA silent, looping GIF for READMEs, issues and docs.
- Copy to clipboardCopy the exported video and paste it into Slack, an issue or an email.
- Countdown before recordingRecording starts after a 3-second countdown; Esc cancels it.
- Record a windowIn Record Area…, click a window to record exactly that window.
- Smooth, larger cursorThe cursor is drawn over the recording; set its size and smoothing in the Effects menu.
- Click ringsA ring spreads from every click in the video.
- Motion blurZooms and pans blur as they move, on for new recordings.
- Zoom in on typingWhile you type, the zoom moves to where the text goes. Needs Accessibility.
- Shortcut badgesShow ⌘ and ⌃ combinations as a badge in the video. Off until you turn it on.
- Background imageUse your own image as the background.
- Rename recordingsName a recording in the editor, and its exports take that name.
- 4K, 30 fps and size limitsExport an MP4 in 4K, at 30 fps, or under 10 MB or 25 MB.
- On-device captionsThe microphone is transcribed on this Mac and exported as an SRT file.
- Captions on the videoShow Captions draws those lines at the bottom of the preview, the MP4 and the GIF.
- Speed up idle stretchesThe hare button plays every 3 seconds or more without cursor movement, a click, a shortcut, typing or speech at 4×. ⌘Z undoes it.
- Cursor fades, then pressesHide Idle Cursor fades the cursor out after it rests, and Press Cursor on Click presses it in. Both are on for new recordings.
A free, open-source alternative to Screen Studio
Screen Studio does more. If you need to record, add zooms, cut and export, Loupecast is enough.
| Item | Loupecast | Screen Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Paid |
| Source code | Open (MIT) | Closed |
| Auto zoom on click | Yes | Yes |
| Cut editing | Yes | Yes |
| Export | MP4 (16:9, 9:16, 1:1) and GIF | MP4 (up to 4K) and GIF |
| Webcam overlay | Yes | Yes |
| Area recording | Yes | Yes |
| GIF export | Yes | Yes |
| Speed up clips | Yes (2×, 4×) | Yes |
| 4K export | Yes (MP4) | Yes |
| Motion blur | Yes | Yes |
| Smoothed, enlarged cursor | Yes | Yes |
| On-device captions | Yes (SRT export) | Yes |
| Network requests | Update checks only, no telemetry | Usage analytics (can be turned off), cloud features such as shareable links only when you choose |
| Requirements | macOS 15 or later, Apple Silicon | macOS 13.1 or later (Apple Silicon recommended) |
Install
Runs on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 15 or later. The app lives in the menu bar, not the Dock.
Install with Homebrew
One line in Terminal.
brew install --cask dunzkoi/tap/loupecast
Install from the zip
- Download Loupecast.zip and unzip it.
- Move
Loupecast.appto your Applications folder.
If macOS says the app is damaged
Loupecast isn’t notarized by Apple yet, so macOS may block it. Run this once:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Loupecast.app
Allow screen recording
The first time you record, turn on Screen & System Audio Recording in System Settings, then quit and reopen Loupecast.
Frequently asked questions
Are my recordings sent anywhere?
No. The only network requests Loupecast makes are an update check against GitHub at launch and then daily, plus the download when an update exists. Recordings stay in ~/Library/Application Support/Loupecast/Recordings and exports in ~/Movies. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no analytics or telemetry. Captions are recognized on this Mac and never sent over the internet.
What permissions does it need?
Screen & System Audio Recording in System Settings. After you turn it on, quit and reopen Loupecast once for it to take effect.
Do I have to allow screen recording again after an update?
No. Since 0.3.1 every release is signed with the same certificate, so macOS keeps the permission after an update. Coming from 0.3.0 or earlier, you may have to turn it on once more: when you start recording, Loupecast clears the old entry once by itself, so just turn it on when macOS asks.
macOS says the app “is damaged” or “can’t be opened”.
That warning appears because the app isn’t notarized. Run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Loupecast.app once in Terminal and it opens.
The menu bar icon doesn’t show up.
macOS may hide new menu bar items when the bar is full. Check Menu Bar in System Settings, or just press ⌘⇧2 to start recording.
Does it run on Intel Macs?
No. It needs an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 15 or later.
All the source code is on GitHub
MIT licensed, with no third-party dependencies. Bug reports and PRs are welcome, and sponsorships fund the next features.