Screencastify provides a handful of annotation tools that you can use during a tab or desktop recording. These tools give you lots of options for customizing and enhancing your screencasts.
Once you enable the toolbar, you can:
- Drag the toolbar
- Use the focus mouse
- Spotlight what you are clicking on with ✨ fireworks✨
- Use a pink circle to highlight
- Create a rectangle border in your presentation
- Relate to your students with fun emojis! 😍 💯
- Easily erase!
- Clear your entire screen
- & very quickly turn on an embedded webcam
To get started:
After you have enabled ON (toggled to pink), the show drawing tools in the
Screencastify icon ( 
) menu under show more options, the annotation toolbar will appear in the bottom left-hand corner of your browser tab. This toolbar is where you can utilize each of the fun tools in the toolbar.
You can retract this toolbar at any time by clicking the 
icon or hide it by pressing Alt + T for Windows and Option + T for Mac.
To drag the toolbar:
You can now drag the annotation toolbar around your screen to place it at your convenience. Locate the 
icon on its left, click over to drag the toolbar, and release it to set the toolbar.
To use the focus mouse:
Click the 
icon to shine a spotlight on your mouse.
The Keyboard shortcut is Alt +F for Windows and Option +F for Mac
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The Focus mouse tool is particularly helpful for showing your audience how to navigate a website or perform an action.
Let's start the ✨ fireworks ✨:
When you click the 
icon to enable this tool, fireworks will appear every time you click 🎆
The Keyboard shortcut is Alt +x for Windows and Option +X for Mac
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Add a fun element to your recording and capture your viewer's attention with this tool.
To click with a pink circle:
Click the 
icon to show a pink circle around your mouse when you click it. This is enabled by default.
The Keyboard shortcut is Alt +C for Windows and Option +C for Mac
To draw with the pen tool:
Click the 
icon to enable the pen tool. The pen tool allows you to draw anywhere in your browser tab. After you select this tool, you can select a color. You can also change the thickness of the pen stroke by pressing the up/down arrows on your keyboard.
The Keyboard shortcut is Alt +P for Windows and Option +P for Mac
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You can quickly wipe all the annotations on your screen by clicking over the icon 
To create your own rectangles:
Click the 
icon to create a rectangle. Select from one of the color options for the rectangle line. Click on the screen to start creating the rectangle size of your choice and release once you've reached the size you wanted.
The Keyboard shortcut is Alt +R for Windows and Option +R for Mac
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Use the rectangle option to focus the viewer's attention on a particular text or object that you are presenting. Drawing a rectangle is fast and neat!
To add fun Emojis:
Click the 
icon to add stickers to your recording. You can also change the size of the sticker by pressing the up/down arrows on your keyboard.
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Use the stickers when recording feedback videos for your students!
To access the eraser:
Click the 
icon to enable the eraser. You can then erase any drawings you made using the pen tool. When you're finished, click the 
icon to return to a regular cursor.
The Keyboard shortcut is Alt +E for Windows and Option +E for Mac
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You can also change the thickness of the eraser by pressing the up/down arrows on your keyboard.
Use the Keyboard shortcut to return to a regular cursor Alt + M for Windows and Option +M for Mac.
To clear your screen:
To erase all of your pen drawings with one click, simply click the icon.
The Keyboard shortcut is Alt +Z for Windows and Option +Z for Mac
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Use this feature with the pen, rectangle, and stickers to quickly clear your screen.
Finally to quickly embed your webcam:
Activate your camera from the Recording Control Panel. 
Then, you will be able to toggle your webcam on and off during a recording on the toolbar.
Click the 
icon to embed your webcam into a corner of your recording. Click it again 
to turn your webcam off.
The Keyboard shortcut is Alt +W for Windows and Option +W for Mac
Prefer to see this all in a video? We're partial to video, too!😁 Check out the whole process on the Screencastify Help YouTube page.
What's Next?🧐
It's time to: