Step 1 — Install Screenray

Screenray runs natively on Ubuntu 24.04+ (verified through 26.04), Debian 13+, and derivatives like Pop!_OS and Mint, on both X11 and Wayland. Follow the install guide — it's a one-line apt install from the .deb. Screenray is a $30 one-time purchase — no subscription.

Step 2 — Start a capture

Press the global hotkey Super+Shift+4 (or open Screenray and hit record). A recorder toolbar lets you:

Choose what to record — a region, a single window, or the whole screen.
Pick your microphone and, optionally, your webcam.
Set the frame rate and confirm the capture area.

On GNOME (Wayland), Screenray captures the exact region you select with no extra picker dialog — the whole recorder runs as native Wayland windows. Other Wayland desktops use the standard screen-share prompt the first time. In a hurry? Super+Shift+5 skips the toolbar: drag a region and recording starts immediately.

Step 3 — Record

After a short countdown, just do your thing. Screenray captures the screen along with your cursor's movement and clicks — that motion is what powers the automatic zoom later. Click the on-screen Stop pill (or press the hotkey again) when you're done. Your recording is saved as a self-contained clip.

Step 4 — Let the zoom and the Look do the work

The editor opens with two things already applied:

Automatic cursor zoom. Screenray analyses your cursor path and pushes in on the action on its own — no keyframes. You can adjust the smoothness, or add manual zoom moments where you want them.
The Look. Your recording is wrapped in a designed background with padding, a soft shadow, and rounded corners. Swap the background or dial it back any time.

Need to tighten the frame? Use Crop & reframe — the zoom and Look stay aligned to the new region.

Step 5 — Add captions (optional)

Open the Captions tab and generate captions. Transcription runs locally with a Whisper model — nothing is uploaded — and produces word-level timing, so each word highlights as it's spoken. Edit the text directly on the stage by double-clicking it.

Step 6 — Polish the sound (optional)

In the Sound panel you can add a background-music track, balance levels, and toggle noise reduction to clean up mic hiss and room hum.

Step 7 — Export & share

Hit Export and choose a preset: Standard MP4, Vertical MP4 (for shorts/reels), or GIF, with a Low/Standard/High quality slider. Export is GPU-accelerated, so it's fast. The result is a local file you can share anywhere.

That's it — from raw capture to a produced demo without leaving the app. Buy Screenray and record your first one.

How to record your screen on Linux with automatic zoom.