Limelight

A screen recorder for developer docs and DevRel on Mac

Docs and DevRel teams record the same kind of clip constantly: a 20-second how-to for a doc page, a quickstart GIF for a README, a terminal walkthrough for a tutorial. The keystrokes have to be visible and the clip has to be short and tight. Limelight records with your keystrokes, clicks, and auto-zoom baked in, then exports a small mp4 clip ready to embed.

A good doc clip is short, silent, and self-explanatory — the reader should understand the command without audio. That means the keys you press have to be on screen, the terminal or editor has to be readable, and the file has to be small enough to embed. Doing that with a generic recorder usually means adding KeyCastr for the keystrokes, manually cropping to the terminal, and then converting to a GIF, which is a lot of steps for a 20-second clip you will record fifty times.

Limelight handles the recording end natively. Hit record and it auto-zooms into every click so the active terminal or editor pane fills the frame and stays legible, smooths the cursor, and shows the on-screen keystroke display (⌃⌥2) so every command and shortcut is visible — baked in, no KeyCastr. Use region spotlight (⌃⌥4) to focus on one pane and draw-on-screen (⌃⌥3) to point at a flag or output line.

When you stop, trim to the tight clip in the built-in editor and export an mp4 — small, silent, and ready to drop into a doc page, README, or knowledge base, the same role a quickstart GIF plays. Everything runs offline, which matters when the how-to touches an internal tool or pre-release API. The cursor spotlight is free forever; Pro is a one-time $34 lifetime license (or $2.99/mo).

Why Limelight

  • ▸Keystrokes shown on screen for every command — no KeyCastr to bolt on
  • ▸Auto-zoom keeps the terminal or editor pane legible in the clip
  • ▸Region spotlight and drawing to focus one pane or point at output
  • ▸Export tight mp4 clips for docs, READMEs, and knowledge bases; fully offline
Try it free — download

Cursor spotlight free · from $2.99/mo or $34 lifetime · macOS 14+

Or get Pro — from $2.99/mo · See how it works →

free to start, then go Pro from $2.99/mo or a $34 one-time lifetime license. macOS 14+, notarized by Apple.

FAQ

Does it show terminal commands and shortcuts on screen?
Yes. The on-screen keystroke display (⌃⌥2) shows every shortcut and special key you press, baked into the clip, so a reader can follow the exact command without you adding KeyCastr.
Can I make short GIF-style clips for a README?
Yes. Trim to a tight, silent clip in the built-in editor and export a small mp4 — the same role a quickstart GIF plays in a README or doc page, and broadly supported across docs platforms.
Does it keep the terminal readable?
Yes. Auto-zoom pushes the frame toward where you click so the active pane fills the frame and stays legible, and region spotlight (⌃⌥4) lets you focus on one pane.
Is it safe for internal or pre-release how-tos?
Yes. Limelight runs fully offline with no account and no cloud, so a clip that touches an internal tool or unreleased API never leaves your Mac.

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