How to add annotations (arrows, shapes, text) in Screen Studio
You finished a recording in Screen Studio, opened the editor, and went looking for the arrow tool. Maybe you wanted to circle a button, drop a text callout over a step, or draw a rectangle around an important section. You searched the toolbar, the right-hand panel, the menu bar - and nothing. You are not missing anything. Screen Studio does not ship a full annotations layer yet.
This guide covers exactly what Screen Studio supports today for marking up your screen recordings, what is missing, the workarounds people are using, and how to do this in Tight Studio if you need annotations now.
What Screen Studio supports today
Screen Studio has one annotation primitive: the highlight mask. You can draw a rectangle over part of the frame and Screen Studio dims everything outside it, drawing the viewer’s eye to the highlighted region.
That is it. As of May 2026, Screen Studio’s editor does not let you add:
- Arrows pointing from one location to another
- Rectangles, circles, or lines drawn on top of the recording
- Text labels or callouts placed at specific timestamps
- Free-form annotations of any kind
Screen Studio supports captions (auto-generated from your audio via on-device Whisper or Apple Speech), but captions are different from annotations. Captions transcribe what you said. Annotations are things you add to point out, label, or emphasize parts of the screen.
The official feature request: The “Annotation tools” request on Screen Studio’s public feedback hub has 367 upvotes and has sat at “Planned” status for over two years. You can see it here: hub.screen.studio/p/annotation-tools. The Screen Studio team has acknowledged the demand but has not shipped it yet.
Workarounds in Screen Studio
If you are committed to Screen Studio and need annotations on a deadline, there are three workarounds people use. None of them are great.
Workaround 1: Use the highlight mask as a “look here” pointer
This is the closest thing Screen Studio has to a built-in annotation. Place a highlight rectangle over the area you want the viewer to focus on. The surrounding region dims, which functions as a poor substitute for an arrow.
- Works for: “look at this region of the screen”
- Does not work for: text labels, drawing attention to multiple things in sequence, or showing motion (an arrow from A to B)
Workaround 2: Annotate before you record
Some Screen Studio users add annotations to the source before recording instead of after. For example, if you are recording a Figma demo, draw arrows or callouts as Figma shapes inside the file before you hit record. Screen Studio then captures them as part of the screen.
- Works for: pre-planned demos where you know exactly what you will say
- Does not work for: anything that requires the recording to be done first, or annotations that need to disappear and reappear at specific timestamps
Workaround 3: Export from Screen Studio, annotate in another tool
Export your Screen Studio recording as MP4, then import it into a tool that handles annotations: Camtasia, ScreenFlow, Final Cut, Premiere Pro, or DaVinci Resolve. Add the arrows, shapes, and text there.
- Works for: situations where you have time and access to a second editor
- Does not work for: quick turnaround recordings, or anyone who does not own a separate video editor
The two-tool workflow defeats most of the reason people choose Screen Studio (one fast app, no editor needed). And the highlight-only and pre-record options are limiting enough that for most demos and tutorials, the answer is to use a tool that supports annotations natively.
How to add annotations in Tight Studio
Tight Studio is a screen recorder for Mac (and Windows) that ships a full annotations panel. You can add six different annotation types on top of any recording, each with its own start time and end time, so an arrow can appear when you start talking about a button and disappear when you move on.
The six annotation types Tight Studio supports:
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Text | A text label placed anywhere on the frame. Customizable font, size, color, shadow, outline |
| Highlight | A dim-around-region effect, similar to Screen Studio’s highlight mask, with adjustable feather and roundness |
| Arrow | A drawable arrow from a start point to an end point, with adjustable stroke width and arrow head size |
| Rectangle | A bordered or filled rectangle with adjustable stroke width and color |
| Ellipse | A bordered or filled ellipse (circle / oval) with adjustable stroke width and color |
| Line | A straight line between two points |
Adding an annotation
- Open your recording in the Tight Studio editor.
- In the right-hand settings panel, click the Annotations tab.
- Click the type of annotation you want to add: Text, Highlight, Arrow, Rectangle, Ellipse, or Line.
- The annotation appears on the video preview. Drag its handles to position it. For arrows, drag the start point and end point independently.
- Adjust the start time and end time so the annotation appears and disappears at the right moments. The defaults are anchored to the playhead position when you added it.
Styling
Each annotation type has its own style controls in the inspector:
- Text: font family, size, weight, color, padding, shadow, outline, entrance and exit animations
- Highlight: dim intensity (how much to darken the surrounding area), roundness (corner radius of the highlighted region), feather (softness of the edge), color
- Arrow: stroke width, color, arrow head size
- Shapes (rectangle / ellipse / line): stroke width, color, fill, rotation
Timing
Every annotation has independent start and end times, so you can sequence multiple annotations across a recording. For example: arrow appears at 0:12 pointing at a button, disappears at 0:15 when you click, a text callout appears at 0:16 saying “saved”, disappears at 0:20.
Comparing annotation support
| Capability | Screen Studio | Tight Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Highlight mask (dim-around-area) | Yes | Yes |
| Arrows | No | Yes |
| Rectangles | No | Yes |
| Ellipses / circles | No | Yes |
| Lines | No | Yes |
| Text callouts | No (captions only) | Yes |
| Per-annotation timing (start/end time) | N/A | Yes |
| Entrance / exit animations on text | N/A | Yes |
Frequently asked questions
Does Screen Studio plan to add annotations?
Yes. The annotation tools feature request has been at “Planned” status on Screen Studio’s public hub for over two years, with 367 upvotes. There is no public timeline for when it will ship. Until it does, Screen Studio remains a recorder + cursor + zoom + highlight tool, without a general-purpose annotations layer.
Can I add arrows to my Screen Studio recording without leaving the app?
Not currently. The only built-in option is the highlight mask. To add arrows you have to either (1) draw them as shapes in the source before recording, or (2) export and add arrows in a separate editor.
Is the highlight mask in Screen Studio the same as annotations?
No. The highlight mask is one specific effect: dim everything outside a rectangle. Annotations are a broader category that includes arrows pointing at things, text labels, drawn shapes, lines, and callouts. Screen Studio has the highlight mask but not the rest.
Will I lose my Screen Studio recordings if I switch to Tight Studio?
No. You can export your Screen Studio recording as MP4, drop it into Tight Studio, and add annotations on top of the existing video. You do not have to re-record.
Does Tight Studio also support cursor animations and auto-zoom like Screen Studio?
Yes. Tight Studio is the all-in-one screen recorder for tutorials, demos, course videos, and social cuts, with auto-zoom, cursor smoothing, click highlighting, click sound effects, captions, AI voiceover, and the annotations layer described above. The trade-off you would be making by switching is not on these core features.
How much does Tight Studio cost?
Tight Studio has a free tier with limits on Add Clip and shareable videos, plus a Pro plan for unlimited recording, exporting, and sharing. See tight.studio for the latest pricing.