BlogGuide
How to make a launch video in an afternoon
A thirty second recording does more for a launch than three screenshots. The four steps, the tools for each, and what to skip.
· updated Sep 7, 2026 · 3 min read · 5 products
The short answer
Record thirty seconds of the real product with cursor zoom, add one caption per action, put it on a device mockup, export at 1080p and again as a square. TinyRec or Tight Studio record it on a Mac in an hour, Mokkit puts it on a device in a minute, and Animos or Reelfolio cut the social versions. The whole afternoon is four steps, and the script is the part that takes the longest.
The launch page with a short recording converts better than the one with three screenshots, and the recording takes less time to make. The catch is that most makers start recording before they know what they are showing, and the afternoon becomes a week.
Step one, write six lines
The script is six lines, one per action. Open the product. Do the thing it exists for. Show the result. That is three. The other three are the moment before, the moment after and the line that says who this is for. Write them down before touching the recorder, because the recording will follow the script and the script decides the length.
Step two, record with cursor zoom
TinyRec is a native macOS screen recorder with cursor zoom, captions and voice over, bought once. Tight Studio is a free Mac recorder with auto zoom, smooth cursors and AI voiceovers. Either one. The feature that matters is the zoom, because at the size a feed shows a video, a full screen is a blur and a click is invisible. Shotbase is the pick when recording, editing and sharing should live in one workspace on the Mac.
Step three, put it on a device
Mokkit turns a screen recording into an animated transparent device mockup in seconds. Rotato does the same with more control and a 3D scene. The device is what makes a recording read as a product rather than a tutorial, and the transparent output sits on any background you choose on the page.
Step four, cut the social versions
Animos has 25 motion templates for showing design work, exported to MP4. Reelfolio turns screenshots and recordings into a portfolio showreel. Both give you the square and the vertical crops with a title card, which is what X, Threads and Instagram each want. Raylight is the browser option for a proper motion graphic when the launch deserves one.
What to skip
Music, unless you own it. A voice over, unless you have a quiet room. A logo intro longer than one second. Every one of those adds an hour and takes away a viewer.
The rest of the launch is in how to launch a product when nobody knows you yet, the page the video sits on is in what a launch page needs before the day, and the recorders live under Mac apps on the board.
Native Mac recorder with cursor zoom, captions and voice over
Bought once, and the cursor zoom is the feature that makes a click visible at feed size.
Pros
- Cursor zoom and captions built in
- One time price
- Native, so the frame rate holds
Cons
- Mac only
- Complex cuts need an editor
Free Mac recorder with auto zoom and AI voiceovers
The free way to the same result. Auto zoom follows the cursor, the voice can come later.
Pros
- Free
- Auto zoom
- AI voiceover when you want one
Cons
- Mac only
- Fewer export options than the paid recorders
Recording to an animated transparent device in seconds
The step that makes a recording read as a product. Transparent output sits on any page background.
Pros
- Seconds
- Transparent output
- Free tier
Cons
- Limited scene control
25 motion templates that export the social crops
Square, vertical, with a title card, from one project. The feed versions in ten minutes.
Pros
- Templates made for design work
- MP4 export
- Covers the three social sizes
Cons
- Templates look like templates when overused
Recordings turned into a showreel
For the longer cut: a minute of the product for a portfolio page or a pitch.
Pros
- One time price
- Built for screen recordings
- Quick
Cons
- A showreel style, less a launch style
Questions
How long should a launch video be?
Thirty seconds for the page, fifteen for the feed. A feed stops a viewer for three seconds, so the first action has to be visible by then. On the launch page a viewer already chose to watch, and thirty seconds covers the three actions that matter with a moment before and after.
Do I need a voice over?
Captions beat a voice over for a launch clip. Most feeds play muted, a caption per action reads on its own, and a quiet room is rarer than it sounds. TinyRec and Tight Studio both add captions, and Tight Studio adds an AI voice if you want one later.
What export settings work everywhere?
1080p at 30 frames, H.264, under 20 MB for the page. A 1080 by 1080 square for X and Threads, a 1080 by 1350 crop for an Instagram post and 1080 by 1920 for a story. Animos and Reelfolio export these sizes from one project, which is the reason to use them.
