CleanShot X is the best screenshot app for Mac. It’s one of my favorite Mac apps, and I’ve already covered all its features in a previous article. The app just received its 5.0 update, and it’s such a massive release that I had to write about it.
CleanShot X already had a built-in screen recording feature, but it was pretty bare-bones. With this update, the app has grown into a proper screen recording studio. You can now record your Mac’s screen, edit that recording, add zooms and backgrounds, and do a whole lot more without ever leaving the app.
So, let’s talk about everything new in CleanShot 5.0.
Meet Studio Mode
The biggest addition in this update is Studio Mode. Standard screen recording is still around and works best for quick, everyday recordings. Just like before, your video is ready to share the moment you stop recording.
Studio Mode is the new option, and it’s built for anything more polished. Whether you want to make social media videos, detailed screencasts, or product demos, Studio Mode is for you. The best part is that you can change almost everything after you’re done recording. So if you forgot to turn on mouse clicks or sounds before you hit record, you can still add them later.
Zooms that do the heavy lifting for you
Once you finish a Studio Mode recording, you land in a brand new video editor, and the first thing you’ll notice is that your recording already has zooms applied. CleanShot uses a smart algorithm to figure out which parts of your video deserve a closer look and places zooms on the timeline for you.
The good news is these zooms are entirely up to you. You can click on any zoom to adjust how far it zooms in and switch between having it follow your cursor or place it manually yourself. You can also choose whether the animation feels smooth or more dynamic.
You can also click anywhere on the timeline to add zoom. You can grab either end of a zoom to stretch or shrink it, and if you push two zooms together, they connect, letting you pan from one position to another. You can also right-click any zoom to tweak it, or clear every zoom on the timeline in one go.
Cut anywhere, not just the edges
In older versions of CleanShot, you could only trim the start and end of a recording. That changes with version 5. Now you can cut anywhere in your timeline using the cut tool. There are keyboard shortcuts too. Press B to grab the cut tool, or hit Command-B to instantly split your video at the playhead.
Make the cursor and keystrokes feel like yours
The cursor is a big part of any screen recording, and CleanShot X lets you customize it properly. You can resize it, change how it looks, and pick how it moves. The natural option slightly smooths out the mouse’s path, while smooth goes all in and cleans things up even further.
Clicks get some love too. Add a subtle press effect that makes it look like the cursor is pushing into the screen, or stick with the classic CleanShot ripple animation, which you can customize with different colors and a filled style. If your cursor tends to sit around doing nothing, you can hide it when it’s idle, and even hide it while you’re typing.
Speaking of typing, if you pressed any keys during your recording, the new keystrokes feature can display them on screen. Resize them, switch between dark and light mode, choose where they show up, and decide whether you only want to see command keys or every single keystroke.
Fine-tune your audio, camera, and background
Audio settings are simple. Choose whether you want your microphone, system audio, or both in the final video. And if you forgot to turn on system audio before you started recording, don’t worry. You can add it back later.
If you recorded your camera, you can resize it, reshape it, move it around, flip it, and even have it shrink slightly during zooms. Or turn it off entirely if you’d rather not show your face.
If you’ve used CleanShot’s background feature for screenshots, video works the same way. Pick from solid colors, gradients, or your own images, then adjust the padding, shadow intensity, and how rounded the corners look. You can even set the aspect ratio depending on where the video is headed. Go with 16:9 for YouTube, or 9:16 if TikTok or Instagram is the destination.
Motion blur and exporting your video
The last customization option is motion blur, set to medium by default and looking great as is. But if you’d rather turn it off or crank it up, that option is there too.
Once your video looks exactly how you want it, exporting is straightforward. Hit the export button, pick your resolution and quality, decide if you want audio included, and you’re done. CleanShot is a fully native Mac app, and it shows in how fast the export runs. You can also save your project file if you want to come back and keep editing later.
The upgrades don’t stop at Studio Mode
CleanShot has always let you press space to capture a single window when taking a screenshot, and now that same trick works for screen recordings too. Do this, and the video editor automatically adds a background for you.
Standard screen recordings also get the new video editor, though with fewer customization options than Studio Mode. You can still add zooms and cut anywhere in the timeline, which is a solid upgrade over the old trim-only system. If you want the full toolkit, Studio Mode is still the way to go.
One more thing worth mentioning is that Studio Mode is available in both CleanShot X Basic and CleanShot X Pro, so you don’t need the pricier tier to try it out. Also, the update is free if you purchased the app in last one year, so you don’t need to pay an upgrade fee. The app also has a redesigned settings panel, with keyboard shortcuts for almost everything covered here.
Final thoughts
CleanShot X 5.0 turns what used to be a basic screen recording tool into a genuine editing suite. Between the smart zooms, flexible cutting, cursor and keystroke customization, and proper backgrounds, this update gives creators a real reason to stick with CleanShot X instead of reaching for a separate video editor. If you’ve been holding off on trying the app, this feels like the right time to jump in.
