Overview
Annotations allow you to add visual elements to your videos including text overlays, images, and directional arrows. Each annotation can be precisely positioned, timed, and styled.Creating Annotations
Adjust Duration
Drag the edges of the annotation region on the timeline to control visibility duration.
Annotation Types
Open Screen supports three types of annotations:Text Annotations
Add styled text overlays to your video.- Content
- Font Styling
- Formatting
- Colors
Enter your text in the content textarea. Text supports multi-line content and will wrap based on the annotation size.
Custom Fonts
Add Google Fonts to use custom typography:Custom fonts are stored locally and will be available for all future projects.
Image Annotations
Overlay images on your video.Upload Image
Click “Upload Image” and select a file from your computer.Supported formats:
- JPG/JPEG
- PNG
- GIF
- WebP
Images are embedded as data URLs in the project file, so projects remain portable.
Arrow Annotations
Add directional arrows to point at screen elements.- Direction
- Styling
Choose from 8 arrow directions:
- Cardinal: Up, Down, Left, Right
- Diagonal: Up-Right, Up-Left, Down-Right, Down-Left
Positioning & Sizing
Interactive Positioning
Annotations can only be moved when selected:- Click an annotation to select it (green border appears)
- Drag the annotation body to move it
- Drag corner handles to resize (only when selected)
Annotations use percentage-based positioning (0-100%) so they scale correctly across different export resolutions.
Z-Index & Layering
When multiple annotations overlap:- Annotations stack based on creation order
- Selected annotations are automatically brought to front for editing
- Use Tab to cycle through overlapping annotations
- Use Shift+Tab to cycle backwards
Managing Multiple Annotations
Selecting Overlapping Annotations
Cycle Through
Press Tab to cycle forward through overlapping annotations, or Shift+Tab to cycle backward.
Tab cycling only works when the playhead is within the time range where annotations overlap.
Timeline Organization
All annotations appear on the “Annotation” row in the timeline:- Text annotations show a preview of the text content
- Image annotations are labeled “Image”
- Annotations can overlap in time (unlike zoom or trim regions)
- Click any annotation on the timeline to select it
Color Palette
Both text and arrows use the same color palette with 16 preset colors:- Red, Blue, Green, Yellow/Gold
- Orange, Purple, Pink, Cyan
- Deep Orange, Light Green, Amber, Brand Green
- White, Black, Blue Grey, Brown
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| A | Add annotation at playhead |
| Tab | Cycle to next overlapping annotation |
| Shift+Tab | Cycle to previous overlapping annotation |
| Delete/Backspace | Delete selected annotation |
Export Behavior
Annotations are rendered during export:- Text is rasterized at export resolution for crisp quality
- Images are scaled appropriately for the output resolution
- Arrows are rendered as vector graphics for sharpness
- All positioning and sizing scales correctly to match the export dimensions
Best Practices
Use appropriate font sizes
Use appropriate font sizes
Choose font sizes between 24-64px for 1080p exports. Smaller text may be hard to read, especially after compression.
Limit overlapping annotations
Limit overlapping annotations
While multiple annotations can overlap, too many at once can look cluttered. Use timing to show annotations sequentially.
Use contrasting colors
Use contrasting colors
Ensure text has good contrast with the video background. Add a background color if the video content makes text hard to read.
Keep arrows simple
Keep arrows simple
Use arrows to point at specific UI elements. Consider using multiple arrow annotations with staggered timing rather than one complex annotation.