Limelight
What is a Screencast Tutorial?
A screencast tutorial is a recorded video of your screen that walks viewers through a task, feature, or workflow, usually narrated as you go.
A screencast tutorial captures what happens on your screen while you explain a process, so learners can follow along at their own pace. It pairs the visual of your actual app or website with spoken or written instructions, making it ideal for software how-tos, onboarding, and teaching.
A screencast tutorial differs from a live demo because it is pre-recorded and editable, and from a plain demo video because its goal is instructional rather than promotional. It also differs from a webinar, which is a scheduled live session rather than a self-paced recording.
Tutorials live or die on whether viewers can follow your cursor and the exact keys you press. Limelight is a macOS screen recorder built for this: hit record and it captures your screen and exports a finished, cinematic video itself, auto-zooming on every click and smoothing the cursor. It also shows a cursor spotlight (⌃⌥1), an on-screen keystroke display (⌃⌥2) of the shortcuts you trigger, and freehand drawing (⌃⌥3) — all baked into the tutorial, so learners see exactly what you pressed.
Why Limelight
- ▸Pre-recorded, self-paced screen video built to teach a task
- ▸Combines on-screen actions with voiceover or captions
- ▸Different from live webinars and promotional demo videos
- ▸Limelight records and exports the tutorial itself, with cinematic auto-zoom plus a keystroke and cursor overlay baked in
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
- What is the difference between a screencast tutorial and a demo video?
- A screencast tutorial is instructional and teaches viewers how to do something, while a demo video showcases a product to persuade. Both can be screen recordings, but their goals differ.
- Do I need special software to make a screencast tutorial?
- You need a screen recorder. Limelight is a full one for macOS: it records and exports the finished video itself, with cinematic auto-zoom and your keystrokes, cursor spotlight, and drawing shown on screen.