Source: Love Mac | Software download link: Excubitor for Mac

Excubitor for Mac is an efficient screen recording and real-time presentation annotation tool designed specifically for the macOS system. It is renowned for its clean interface, low system resource usage, and powerful real-time annotation features, making it highly suitable for educators, remote collaboration, product demonstrations, and content creators. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of its interface, complete workflow, and core techniques.

I. Detailed Explanation of the Software’s Core Interface and Workspace

After launching Excubitor, you will see a compact and feature-rich main interface. It is mainly divided into the following areas:

Menu Bar Integration Icon: After the software starts, an icon will reside on the right side of the screen’s top menu bar. Clicking this icon quickly brings up the core control panel.
Control Panel: Contains recording controls, annotation tools, and settings entry.
- Recording Control Area: Clear “Start Recording”/”Stop Recording” buttons, as well as a recording timer.
- Annotation Toolbar: Provides tools such as arrows, lines, rectangles, circles, highlights, text, number markers, blur, and more.
- Settings & Options: Quickly access recording parameters (such as whether to capture the microphone or system audio), preference settings, and the quit option.
Floating Toolbar (During Recording/Annotation): After you start recording or enter annotation mode, a semi-transparent floating toolbar appears at the edge of the screen (on the left by default), making annotation tools readily available at any time without interfering with the recorded content.
Canvas (i.e., Your Screen): The entire screen is your core workspace. All annotations are overlaid directly on the screen content, delivering a WYSIWYG annotation experience.

II. The Complete Workflow from Creation to Export

Step 1: Launch & Preparation

Open Excubitor from the “Applications” folder or Launchpad. After launch, the app has no standalone main window—only a menu bar icon is visible. Click the menu bar icon and configure the recording options for this session in the drop-down panel:

Select audio source: Click the audio icon to choose “Microphone,” “System Audio,” or capture both simultaneously.
(Optional) Click “Settings” for more detailed configuration, such as video quality, save path, keyboard shortcuts, and more.

Step 2: Start Recording

In the control panel, simply click the “Start Recording” button, or use the default shortcut Command + Control + R. A red recording status indicator will appear at the edge of the screen (usually the top-left corner), displaying the recording time. At this point, the floating annotation toolbar will appear automatically.

Step 3: Real-time Annotation During Recording

During the recording process, you can use the floating toolbar to annotate at any time:

Select a tool: Click the corresponding icon on the floating toolbar (such as the arrow, pen, or text “T”).
Draw: Click and drag the mouse anywhere on the screen to draw shapes or lines. After selecting the text tool, simply click on the screen to enter text.
Adjust properties: After drawing, you can usually click on the drawn shape to adjust its size using the control points that appear, or change the color and line width through the pop-up mini toolbar (usually located next to the shape).
Erase and clear: Use the “Eraser” tool to click on a specific annotation to delete it. The “Clear All” button on the toolbar can remove all current annotations with one click.

Tip: The annotation actions themselves will also be recorded in the video, creating a vivid demonstration effect.

Step 4: Pause and Resume

If you need to briefly interrupt the recording content without stopping, you can use the shortcut Command + Control + P to pause recording. Press the same shortcut again to resume. During the pause, the annotation state on the screen will be preserved, but screen changes will not be recorded.

Step 5: Stop Recording and Auto-Save

After you finish recording, click the menu bar icon and click the “Stop Recording” button in the control panel, or use the shortcut Command + Control + S. Recording will stop immediately.

Excubitor will automatically save the video file to the preset folder (by default, the “Excubitor” subfolder under the “Movies” folder) and name it in the “date + time” format. The software will show a save success notification.

III. Advanced Tips for Common Features

Quick Toggle and Hide the Toolbar: While recording, move the mouse near the floating toolbar to expand it fully; when you move away, it will automatically collapse into a thin edge bar to avoid blocking your view. Press Command + Shift + T to quickly show or hide the entire toolbar.
Shortcut Annotations: No need to click the toolbar—using shortcuts to activate commonly used tools directly can greatly boost efficiency. For example, press Command + Shift + A to switch directly to the arrow tool; after annotating, it automatically switches back to the previous tool (usually the pointer).
Numbered Annotations: When you need to explain something step by step, use the “Number” tool (shortcut Command + Shift + N). Each time you click the screen, the number automatically increments—ideal for step-by-step demonstrations.
Temporarily Blur Private Information: Use the “Blur” or “Mosaic” tool (shortcut Command + Shift + B) to quickly smear sensitive information on the screen (such as passwords or personal names) to protect privacy.
Pin Annotation: After drawing an annotation (such as an arrow), click the “pin” icon on its selected mini toolbar to pin it to the screen position. Even if the screen content subsequently scrolls or changes, the annotation will remain at the original screen pixel position and will not move with the window.

IV. Common Problems and Solutions

Problem 1: No sound in recording

Check audio permissions: Go to “System Settings” > “Privacy & Security” > “Screen Recording” and “Microphone” to ensure Excubitor is checked.
Check in-app settings: Before starting recording, click the menu bar icon to confirm that the audio input source (microphone/system audio) is correctly selected and not muted.

Problem 2: Unable to record a specific app (or full-screen game)

Grant screen recording permission: This is the most common cause. Go to “System Settings” > “Privacy & Security” > “Screen Recording”, find and check Excubitor in the list. After completing this, you must completely quit and restart Excubitor for it to take effect.

Problem 3: The annotation toolbar is gone

Try moving the mouse to the edge of the screen that triggers the toolbar to appear (the left side by default).
Use the shortcut Command + Shift + T to manually toggle its display state.
Check whether the annotation feature was accidentally turned off. Before recording, confirm in the control panel or settings that the annotation feature is enabled.

Issue 4: Recorded files are too large

Go to Excubitor’s “Settings” > “Recording” and try lowering the video quality or frame rate (FPS).
Consider using a professional video compression tool for post-processing after recording.

V. Keyboard Shortcuts Summary (Mac Version)

Function	Shortcut	Description
Start/Stop Recording	`Command + Control + R`	After starting recording, press again to stop
Pause/Resume Recording	`Command + Control + P`	Pause or resume during recording
Quick Stop and Save	`Command + Control + S`	Stop the current recording and save the file immediately
Show/Hide Annotation Toolbar	`Command + Shift + T`	Toggle toolbar visibility in recording or annotation mode
Switch to Arrow Tool	`Command + Shift + A`	Quickly activate the arrow annotation tool
Switch to Pen Tool	`Command + Shift + D`	Quickly activate the freehand pen tool
Switch to Text Tool	`Command + Shift + T`	Quickly activate the text input tool
Switch to Numbering Tool	`Command + Shift + N`	Quickly activate the auto-increment numbering annotation tool
Switch to Blur Tool	`Command + Shift + B`	Quickly activate the blur/mosaic tool to cover private information
Clear All Annotations	`Command + Shift + Delete`	Clear all annotations on the current screen with one click
Undo Last Annotation	`Command + Z`	Undo the most recent drawing or annotation action