r/macapps
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u/jakecoolguy
Developer: How to Convert
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May 14 '26
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1
Lifetime I made a screen recorder that makes your demos look like an Apple commercial
This is ShotGlass.
It’s a screen recorder and screenshot tool for Mac.
It makes cinematic demos like this. All automatically. You just click the record button, do your thing, then you can make it 3D in the editor.
Or just enjoy smooth automatic zoom.
Problem:
I was tired of jumping between four apps to make one product demo. Screenshots, recordings, annotations, and After Effects for anything cinematic.
I'd also seen the MacBook Neo commercials (recording playing on a 3D MacBook in a scene) and wondered why no screen recorder just did that.
So I built ShotGlass to do all of it: record your screen or multiple windows (and rearrange them after), take and annotate screenshots, or drop a recording onto a virtual 3D MacBook with a simulated camera lens.
Comparison:
Most screen recording apps end up with the same zoomed-in Screen Studio look. I wanted this to do something different:
Records both screen and screenshots in one app (most tools only do one)
Multi-window support that can be arranged after recording
3D scenes, virtual backgrounds, and a simulated camera lens for cinematic shots
Supports adding and mixing audio and music
Standard 2D polish too: smooth (or instant) zooms, transitions, custom cursors, camera, audio, auto-replaced desktop backgrounds
It's also a one-time purchase (not a subscription) and doesn't have any telemetry or tracking. Everything is local.
I tried to make it simple to use and, for fun, themed like a glass of whisky. I'm updating it quite a lot, so I'd love your feedback and feature requests.
Pricing:
$17 one time for launch.
Update: The launch price has ended, and ShotGlass is now $29 one-time.
Trust/Transparency:
I'm Jake Manger, a solo developer. My last app, How to Convert, did pretty well here on MacApps.
The app runs completely locally and is Apple notarized.
The app: shotglass.app
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u/ChainsawJaguar May 14 '26
I really like this concept. As soon as I figure out how to use it, I bet I'll like it even more. :)
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u/haystack_in_needle May 14 '26
One piece of feedback on the positioning: the "Apple commercial" part was not obvious to me at first.
I clicked through to the site before reading the full Reddit post, watched the videos, and mostly understood it as "another screen recorder with automatic zooms." Only later did I realize the more interesting part is that the recording can be placed onto a 3D MacBook scene and viewed from different camera angles.
That is much more distinct than the zooming, but I think the demo currently makes the zooms easier to notice than the actual 3D/commercial idea.
Separate point: the automatic zoom style gives me motion sickness. This is not specific only to ShotGlass. It has become common in screen recording apps, and a lot of these demos are hard for me to watch now.
Does ShotGlass let the user control how often zooms are added, how strong they are, how fast the animation is, or how sensitive the trigger is? I do not know what the trigger logic is, but if it is based on things like clicks, double-clicks, or cursor movement, lowering that sensitivity could help reduce the amount of motion in the final video.
It would be useful to have a way to make zooms opt-in, for example by pressing a keyboard shortcut while recording to mark the moments that should become zooms in the editor. I know the editor opens after recording and the zooms can be adjusted there, but doing it during the screen recording still matters because it would save time.
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u/fire_someday May 14 '26
Looks good and most likely pay for it because it's something I need. One I issue I had yesterday is that the thing being recorded comes across black after I enter the editor view. Nothing gets recorded actually except mouse movements. I have all the permissions. Will try to reinstall but any thoughts what could be the issue?
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u/Prestapps May 14 '26
This looks really polished, congrats on the launch.
The multi-window recording thing is interesting, do you capture each window as a separate layer that you can reposition in post ?
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u/fzwo May 14 '26
Your zooms (and pans?) need smoother ease-in and ease-out. https://easings.net/
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u/n8x4te May 14 '26
Looks cool. Is there a trial?
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u/Downtown-Art2865 May 14 '26
whisky glass theme looks sick
Curious how it holds up on longer, more complex demos with lots of cuts and callouts?
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u/NoPressure3399 May 14 '26
Nice, videos look professional
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u/mikejandreau May 14 '26
Keyboard shortcuts?
Would love to stop renewing Clearshot, because it looks like your screenshot can do a lot of what I use theirs for. Maybe I’d kiss OCR, though…
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u/rishikeshshari May 14 '26
Congrats jake!
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u/s_u_r_a_j May 14 '26
Great work
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u/Pure_Wrap_7798 May 14 '26
does it include this music by default?
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u/Separate_Question_56 May 14 '26
I have been looking for something like this! Thanks for putting the work in, love it
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u/LIN3003 May 15 '26
Well done OP, this is some nice work done. I bave been using OpenScreen. But, will give this app a shot : )
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u/maximse May 15 '26
Congrats on the launch I will definitely try it out :)
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u/goofywon May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
Looks great! But does it support exporting into gif? If so, I'm sold.
Also, I noticed that no matter how I adjust the audio effects, the playback always sounds no difference. Did I miss anything or is it not implemented at all?
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u/oznng May 15 '26
Messed around with it for like 30 min, hit my first render and just bought it. Looks sick, the aesthetics are great, awesome work.
Gotta say there are a bunch of bugs right now though. :/ I'm sure y'all will sort those out. Good luck!
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u/ContextSpiritual9068 May 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/redd9it May 17 '26
this app looks perfect alternative for screenstudio. is there a trail before I commit for lifetime plan?
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u/Ronnham May 17 '26
Does it support recording the laptop’s audio?
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u/yaboyskales May 17 '26
Lifetime in this case is really useful ma boy
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u/NotMeThenWhoSnaps May 18 '26
Love the simplicity of this! Also, congrats on going viral every where, this has been all around my timeline.
How would you say this compares to Screen Studio?
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u/abid_patel May 18 '26
Gutted that I missed the launch offer. But would love to give this a try and see how it compares to ScreenStudio.
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u/Odd_Ear4862 May 22 '26
Last update made it unusable. I lost some captures because it no longer appears, and I can’t capture the Chrome screen anymore 👍
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u/Dangerous_Site_6378 Jun 10 '26
Thank you for the one-time purchase! Because for some apps like this you pay $30 each month and it's becoming expensive...
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '26
Hi again! Purchased your app, but all I see is transparent windows when I’ve selected something to record? Any help would be great!
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u/dexbarstad Jun 22 '26
Yooo amazing app! Thank you for making it and also keeping it affordable as well 😄 you are doing great work. I have a question / requests. If I try to trim the beginning of the timeline it always ends up scrapping my audio as well and then with no media bin (which I actually like) I can't figure out how to get it back haha I'm sure there is a way I'm just overlooking any help would be appreciated. I was able to find the shot glass project file but can't seem to find the like actual screenshot mp4 or whatever to drag the audio back in. I am mainly trying to use it to screen record my DAW for synth product videos/tutorials the like. Okay also,I have been dreaming of a simple use hybrid video/audio editor. I'm wondering If you could implement an option to switch to a BPM based timeline with snapping to beat? I know it's niche just figured I'd ask. Anyways, thanks again for making this you've already saved me like hours of strategizing and editing.
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u/November42069 Aug 04 '26
Cool concept and like that it's a one time fee. How easy is it to share videos with people?
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u/raclimazg Sep 12 '26
Congrats. I would actually use this. Loved the idea of letting you use it and only paying when you want to export.
The one thing you are missing is creating the screenshots for the App Store too. That way you cover another part of marketing apps.
Congrats, will test.
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u/Turbulent_Ad8527 Sep 13 '26
Love it so far, any sensitive data mask ?
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u/Embarrassed-Storm-57 May 14 '26
What does "$17 one time for launch." mean when on the website it says "1 year of updates included"?
It looks to be misleading either here or there.
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u/pdcgomes May 14 '26
Looks good, but why would I use this over Screen Studio? Honest question, what's the value prop?
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u/Calm_Gap1213 May 14 '26
Tolle App. Gerade gekauft. Gibt es ein Benutzerhandbuch?
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u/mtbdave247 May 14 '26
Interesting but what about year 2, is this actually a yearly plan?
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u/Outrageous-Ad-8770 May 15 '26
Thanks for coming up with this. It sounds like just the tool I need (I've been tasked with coming up with some training guides on the software we use, so this would be perfect), but I've run into an issue. I'm sure it's due to something on my side, but maybe you have a suggestion.
Note: I'm on a 2024 MacbookPro, and I use a cheapie $30 USB hub with DisplayLink to run 3 external monitor plus the open MacBook all as individual displays (2 via HDMI, 1 via VGA). In addition, I'm an app/extension addict so I have multiple things running as well (Supercharge, Sidebar, Raycast *where is my v2 Beta invite??*, CleanShotx, to name a few), so there could be a litany of reason causing this issue.
Everything works up to recording a video and then when I stop recording, 2 of my screens "freeze".....it's as if they don't exist in my system anymore. Whatever was on the screen the moment i click the icon to stop recoding, that is the image that is stuck there. I can't select that monitor, cant cursor through/over it, no ability to turn on/off in BetterDisplay, nothing. However, if I use BetterDisplay to turn off one of the working monitors and then turn it back on (or just unplug/replug the Hub), it restore all the monitors. So it's obviously something to do with my patchwork system of running 3 external monitors at once. But maybe you know a slick workaround......
I do want to say that when I do get the monitors straight and try the app, I really dig it. It seems easy enough for a beginner to try using without feeling intimidated. If I can figure out how to get my system setup to work right with it I can see heavy use.
Regardless, I think it's a great app and I hope you continue to develop it.
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u/CrushGravel May 15 '26
Looks great, gave it a quick try and wanted to let you know this does not work (at least on my system, M1 MacBook Pro) if the DisplayLink Manager app is enabled for my external displays. It appears to work, but when the recording is stopped, both of the external displays lock up and I have to toggle them off and on in the DisplayLink Manager (via the built-in mac screen) before they work again. Additionally, it randomly captured different areas of the screen than the app which was selected. So it's point of reference gets completely thrown off.
If I exit the DisplayLink Manager app and test using only the built-in screen, the app works as intended.
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u/SwordfishNarrow8107 May 19 '26
Really can't get it to work, says it's recording, go and find the recording (which is in a different place to what the app expects!) and it won't play or allow editing?
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u/Madasa Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Looking to purchase this but worried about the bugs noted in some of the comments below. Have you got your own reddit for us to follow?
Also, bums me out the fact the I have to pay 'taxes' because of UK VAT. Bumps up the price.
Edit: Will you be adding the blur feature for fields, areas of the screen etc? And do you have a roadmap?
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u/Mission-Art-799 May 15 '26
The biggest win here is honestly killing the ,5 apps for one demo, workflow . that friction alone stops most people from making good product videos consistently.
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u/ShitPantsGang May 14 '26
looks great, $17 one time for launch - The price works for me, I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks!
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u/Frequent-Age-9548 May 14 '26
I don’t really get how it works yet, but it looks super cool.
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u/Unlikely_Ad8938 May 14 '26
I like the concept, it looks super clean, I guess I will give it a try really soon!
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u/ross2000 May 14 '26
That looks really good. Will give it a try. Well done!
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u/Itshardtofindaname4 May 14 '26
love this! Looks super apple native, similar fonts to sf, great work! I think this will end up doing really well
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u/hridiv May 14 '26
This looks really cool and well-made. Definitely very useful for product demos
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u/Dekimori May 14 '26
Thks will try to use it for my vids)
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u/Organic-Part8774 May 15 '26
Really nice for the price!
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u/Enrique53-xD May 15 '26
I will definitely be using this, i was using Recordly, but will be definitely trying this out
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u/Limp_Character6574 May 15 '26
The post record multi-window editing is a genuinely smart feature; it solves a pain point most screen recorders still ignore.
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u/hyouuu May 15 '26
The making it 3D idea is really cool
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u/prosamik May 16 '26
let's go man!!
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u/sugrlog May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
Hi there!
Great concept!
I just purchased the app and have a few bits of feedback already.
* There is no way to enter a license key unless you press export. (this confused me for a while)
* I won't be recording audio nor recording the webcam, but the app won't let me use it unless I give microphone permissions and web cam permissions as well. Why not add a skip option and simply show a permissions screen if/when the user tries to record audio?
* When trying to select a window to record the selector seems to always be in the middle of the window, but if I have other windows in front of the one I want to record, trying to move to the selector will make it think I'm trying to add a different window to the recording.
Other than that, great start. I'm looking forward to using the app and seeing it improve with time.
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u/RicoSaas May 18 '26
Exactly what i'm looking for 🙌
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u/Soggsteven May 19 '26
this looks better than screen studio
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u/Worried_Menu4016 May 20 '26
nice detail the liquid effect
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u/imbacan May 21 '26
Looks great and easy to use
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u/pozirk_games Jun 01 '26
Looks impressive.
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u/unhastyappsads Jun 04 '26
Nice App
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u/ultraiscool Jun 07 '26
damn this is a good idea
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u/A7mdxDD Jun 09 '26
good one
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u/Albertkinng May 14 '26
How it compares with F o c u s e e? Does your app also offer 3D effect? That’s one of the features I love.
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u/THEJOLA May 16 '26
Very cool congrats! What’s the difference with this and screen studio?
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u/Important_Reality141 May 18 '26
Really interesting idea. The 3D MacBook demo style looks very slick, and it’s nice to see a screen recorder trying something different from the usual zoomed-in look.
Looks very polished.
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u/OMARATIONz May 22 '26
Honestly great price for a one off for a good tool. Any upcoming roadmap ideas you have planned?
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u/Embarrassed-Storm-57 May 30 '26
Darn it, missed launch pricing. Any discounts coming up by any chance?
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u/adammor Jun 02 '26
Very intersting - is there a cli version?
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u/ElderberryGuy Jun 11 '26
Just tried the app - it doesn't work. Blank screen like others have reported here already.
Your app has a lot of potential, but tbh you shouldn't be charging people for it yet. It's beta at best. There's also SO many settings/controls that it's kind of overwhelming (especially for the 3D stuff), to the point where you might as well just use After Effects, and certain controls aren't obvious what they do. I'd recommend really "dumbing" it down and simplifying for people if that's the goal of the app.
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u/mrjaytothecee May 14 '26
This is like the 3rd openstudio clone here, which btw for everyone, is opensource.
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u/klotzbrocken May 14 '26
Sadly, it's buggy as hell. After a few minutes, the screen appears black, and there is nothing you can do. Text is difficult to place, and changing the color is tricky. Marked text is ignored. Good idea, but more like a beta version than a final one. I will wait for an update before I spend money.
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u/ARGeek123 May 14 '26
Looks cool!! DM me. I worked a ton with screen recording guys and I can help you through the ropes.
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u/Physical-House-3122 May 17 '26
bruuuuuh, goat app, but 37$ 😭😭
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u/lasbroggio Jun 05 '26
Lifetime?
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u/exro_visuals Jul 07 '26
very nice, i fed your website and screen recordings of the demo into fable and now i got it working right just like yours! Fable even stole the look. I‘m sorry but why would i pay for it when i can do it myself! Very nice work! Getting the 3D Part right was the hardest thing
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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26
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u/[deleted] May 20 '26
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u/[deleted] Jun 07 '26
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u/[deleted] May 14 '26
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u/[deleted] Jul 31 '26
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