🎓Tutorials

Hands-on guides for the videos people make most with Swamp Dragon. Each one starts from a fresh recording and ends with an exported file. If you're brand new, read Record your first video first.

#A software tutorial in 10 minutes

You'll make: a 1080p how-to video with silences removed, zooms on every click, a title, a circular webcam and a clean export. Plan: Starter or higher for Trim silence; everything else works on Free.

1. Record with cursor metadata on

   On Home choose Display (or Region around the app), turn on Camera, Microphone and Cursor metadata, then press ⌘⇧R. Talk through the task at a relaxed pace — you'll remove pauses later. Press ⌘⇧R again to stop.

2. Remove silences

   In the editor open Skills and switch on Trim silence. Play the result. If a cut feels too tight, drag the clip edge on the Screen lane outward to bring a little footage back.

3. Cut mistakes

   Find a mistake, press S at its start and end, select the clip between the cuts, and press Delete. The gap closes automatically.

4. Add zooms

   Switch on Zoom to click. Each click now zooms in smoothly. Select any zoom to change its scale or easing, or delete ones you don't need.

5. Add a title

   Move the playhead to the start, open Titles, and click Bold pop. Type your title in the inspector, e.g. "How to invite your team".

6. Style the camera

   Switch on Circular webcam, or click an empty part of the timeline to see the webcam inspector and choose a shape, size and border yourself.

7. Export

   Switch on YouTube tutorial (1080p H.264, 30 fps), click Export, then Export MP4. When it's done, click Show to find the file.

#A course lesson with chapters

You'll make: a lesson with a chapter card for each topic, a lower third introducing you, and captions. Plan: Starter or higher for Chapter card.

1. Mark your chapters

   Play the recording and press M each time you start a new topic. Click a marker on the ruler and rename it in the inspector, e.g. "1 · Setting up".

2. Generate chapter cards

   Switch on Chapter card. A full-frame card with each marker's name appears at each marker. Select a card to change its animation — Blur reveal from the Titles panel is a nice alternative.

3. Introduce yourself

   Shortly after the start, open Titles → Lower thirds → Classic and type your name and role, such as "Sara Kim · Product lead". Lower thirds sit bottom-left, away from a bottom-right webcam.

4. Import captions

   If you have an SRT or WebVTT file (from a transcription service or your LMS), open Titles → Import SRT / WebVTT…. Each line becomes a caption you can restyle; use "Apply to all" to give them the same animation.

5. Export one chapter as a preview

   Put the playhead at a chapter start, press I; at its end press O. In the export dialog choose Range → In → Out to export just that part.

#A product demo for your website

You'll make: a polished, on-brand demo with a padded gradient frame, a kinetic headline, an animated callout and a brand outro, exported for the web.

1. Frame the recording

   Open Effects → Frame. Set Padding to 6–8%, Corner radius to about 18 px, and choose a Gradient background. Turn the Shadow off for a flat look or keep it for depth.

2. Give it a look

   Under Look, try Crisp for sharper UI text or Vivid for punchier colors.

3. Open with a kinetic title

   At the start, open Titles → Kinetic → Word by word and type a short headline like "Ship faster today". Its words appear one by one and zoom out at the end.

4. Transition into the demo

   Press S where the demo starts, then click the + on that cut and choose Zoom in.

5. Call out the key feature

   Follow Point at a button with an arrow and a spotlight.

6. End with your brand

   Set your name, tagline and color in Settings → Brand, then switch on Brand outro Pro.

7. Export for the web

   Choose WebM for an HTML <video> tag, or MP4 for the widest compatibility, at 1080p and Standard quality to keep the file small.

#Point at a button with an arrow and a spotlight

1. Zoom to the button

   Open Zoom, click Add zoom at the moment you click the button, then click the button on the preview to set the focus. Set the easing to Overshoot for a lively move.

2. Add a spotlight

   Open Graphics → Spotlight focus. Drag the spotlight on the preview so it frames the button, and set its start and end on the timeline to match the zoom's hold.

3. Add an arrow

   Click Pointing arrow. In the inspector, set Start X/Y to where the arrow begins and Length X/Y so its head touches the button. It draws on and floats gently.

4. Add a label

   Open Titles → Floating tag, type "Click Invite", and drag it next to the arrow.

5. Check the timing

   Play it. Graphics should appear after the zoom lands and disappear before it zooms out — drag their edges to adjust.

#Move the webcam out of the way

When a menu or dialog opens under your webcam bubble, slide the camera aside and bring it back.

1. Select the webcam

   Click the Webcam lane's name on the timeline.

2. Keyframe the start position

   Put the playhead just before the menu opens and press K.

3. Move it

   Move the playhead half a second later and set Move X to about −45% in the Transform section (or drag the camera on the preview).

4. Bring it back

   After the menu closes, add a keyframe, then another half a second later with Move X back to 0. Choose Ease in-out for both.

#Speed through the boring parts

1. Isolate the slow part

   Press S at the start and end of an install, upload or page load.

2. Speed it up

   Right-click the clip → Speed → 4×. Audio keeps its pitch; you may want to mute it for that part.

3. Hold on the result

   Put the playhead on the finished screen and press F to insert a 2-second freeze frame, so viewers can read it.

4. Smooth the cuts

   Click the + on each cut and choose Fade through black or Blur, or apply one to every cut from Effects → Transitions.

#A GIF for docs or a README

1. Record a region

   Choose Region and draw tightly around the UI you're showing. Keep it under 20 seconds.

2. Mark the loop

   Press I and O around the part that loops well.

3. Add a click ripple

   Graphics → Click ripple at each click helps viewers follow along without sound.

4. Export GIF

   Choose GIF and Range → In → Out. GIFs are silent, at most 960 px wide and 15 fps, which keeps the file small.

#Replace your camera background

1. Before recording

   Open Camera style → Background and choose Blur, or Image and Add image….

2. Check the preview

   The live preview shows the effect within a second or two. Good, even lighting gives the cleanest edges.

3. Change it later

   In the editor, the webcam inspector has the same background controls. The original camera track is untouched, so you can switch back to Original at any time.

#Edit with Claude Code over MCP

Plan: Starter or higher (Unlimited for skills, blur, audio and undo). You need: Claude Code installed.

1. Connect

   In Swamp Dragon open Integrations, switch on MCP integration, choose the Claude Code tab and click Copy. Paste the command into your terminal and press Enter.

2. Open your project

   Open the recording in the editor so you can watch the edits happen.

3. Ask for an edit

   Start Claude Code and try:

   Look at my Swamp Dragon project "Onboarding walkthrough".
   Add a chapter card at each marker, a word-by-word title at the start,
   an overshoot zoom on every click, and a fade-through-black transition on every cut.

4. Review and undo

   Each change appears on the timeline. The inspector notes which tool ran; press ⌘Z to undo anything you don't like.

More prompts and the full tool list: MCP integration.

#Build a house-style skill

Plan: Pro or higher.

1. Open the builder

   Go to Skills in the sidebar and click New skill.

2. Add steps in order

   Trim silence (threshold −38 dB) → Zoom to click (scale 2) → Circular webcam (size 16) → Chapter card → YouTube tutorial.

3. Save

   Name it "House style" and click Save skill.

4. Use it on every recording

   In any project, switch on House style in the Skills tab. Switch it off to undo all five steps together.

#Continue in Premiere Pro

Plan: Pro or higher.

1. Make your cuts in Swamp Dragon

   Cuts carry over to Premiere as editable cuts on every track.

2. Export the package

   Click Export → Premiere package and choose a folder.

3. Import

   In Premiere Pro choose File → Import… and select the .xml file in the new folder. Screen is on V1, camera on V2, mic on A1, system audio on A2.

4. Read the report

   Compatibility report.txt lists zooms, titles, blurs and the webcam layout, which you recreate in Premiere — or export an MP4 from Swamp Dragon to use as a reference layer.