KirokuRecord
Kiroku opens as the Quick Bar, a slim bar for starting a recording without a big window. If you'd rather have a full window, choose the Studio or Classic style in Settings → General → Workspace.
1. Choose what to record
- Screen records a whole display.
- Window records one app window.
- Region lets you drag out any rectangle. Its size shows as you drag.
- Device records an iPhone or iPad connected with a cable.
2. Turn on your inputs
- Microphone records your voice.
- System Audio records the sound your Mac plays.
- Webcam records your camera to its own file, so you can move or hide it later.
macOS asks for each permission the first time you use it. See Support if something stays off.
3. Record, then stop
Click Record or press ⌘R. The recording controls float on screen while you work. When you click Stop, the editor opens with your recording.
Editor
The editor has a preview on top and a timeline below. Each row of the timeline does one job. S1 and Camera are always there; the other rows appear once they have something on them.
| Row | What it does |
|---|---|
| S1 | Your recording, with its sound wave and your clicks (dots on top). Drag its edges to trim. |
| Camera | Focus blocks. Each one zooms the camera to a spot and holds. Two blocks side by side glide from one spot to the next. |
| Magnify | A round loupe that enlarges one spot while the rest of the frame stays put. |
| Callouts | A label pinned to part of the screen, with a highlight on its target. |
| Cut / Speed | Remove a stretch, or speed it up. Sped-up parts export without sound. |
| Captions | Text on top of the video, placed anywhere on the frame. |
Add and adjust
- The toolbar buttons (Focus, Magnify, Callout, Cut, Speed, Caption) add a block at the playhead, and its row appears. On a row, hover an empty part and click the + to add a block there, or drag to draw one at the length you want.
- Drag a block to move it. Drag either edge to change its length. Blocks snap to the playhead, other blocks, and your clicks; hold ⌘ while dragging to turn snapping off.
- Drag a Focus area, Magnify loupe, Callout, or Caption right on the preview to place it.
- Pick Gentle, Smooth, or Snappy motion in the inspector. On a selected block, drag the handles on its sloped ends to change how long it takes to ease in and out.
- ⇧-click or ⌘-click to select several blocks, or ⌥-drag across empty space to draw a selection box. Then move, nudge, duplicate, or delete them together.
While a block is selected and the video is paused, the preview shows the flat frame so you can place it precisely. Press Space to play and see the real effect.
Smart Focus
When a recording ends, Smart Focus looks at your clicks, cursor movement, and app switches, and suggests moments worth a closer look. Suggestions appear as dashed blocks on the Camera and Magnify rows.
- Hover a suggestion and click ✓ to apply it or ✕ to dismiss it.
- Click the suggestion itself to open it in the inspector, where you can apply it as a zoom or magnify, or turn it into a Callout.
Suggestions never change your video until you apply them.
Canvas and formats
The Canvas tab in the inspector sets how the whole frame looks: background, padding, rounded corners, and shadow.
Choose the format there too: Original, 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, or 16:10. It's best to pick the format before you place effects. When you switch, Kiroku refits your recording without cropping it.
Side by side
Add more videos to a project from the Canvas tab to compare them. Each one gets its own row, S2, S3, and so on, where you can slide it to line it up, trim it, and crop it. Kiroku arranges them side by side, stacked, or in a grid, and when one ends, the others ease into the free space. Sound, the cursor, and your webcam come from S1.
Export
Click Export or press ⌘E. Choose a preset, then MP4 or GIF.
| Preset | Shape | For |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 16:9 | Long-form video |
| Shorts, Reels, TikTok | 9:16 | Vertical video |
| Square | 1:1 | Feeds and posts |
| Product Demo | 16:10 | Websites and Mac screenshots |
| Original | Your recording's shape | Anything else |
MP4 files use H.264 video with AAC audio. GIFs are limited to 960 pixels at 12 frames per second and have no sound.
Thumbnails
Move the playhead to a good frame and click Thumbnail in the editor's toolbar. Choose YouTube 16:9, Shorts and Reels 9:16, or Square 1:1, write a headline and a supporting line, and drag the image to frame it. Turn on the safe-area guides to keep text clear of each platform's buttons. Export saves a PNG or JPEG at the platform's exact size.
App Store Screenshots
Choose File → New App Store Screenshot Set (⇧⌘N).
- Pick the display size you're submitting for, such as iPhone 6.9" or iPad 13", in portrait or landscape.
- Add up to ten screenshots by dragging them in or importing them.
- Write a headline for each page. The background, type, and device frame apply to the whole set, so the pages match.
- Click Export Set. Kiroku checks sizes first and warns about anything App Store Connect would reject, then saves numbered PNG or JPEG files at the exact pixel size.
Sets are saved in ~/Pictures/Kiroku Screenshots.
Keyboard shortcuts
Anywhere
| ⌘R | Start recording |
|---|---|
| ⌘N | New recording window |
| ⇧⌘N | New App Store Screenshot Set |
| ⌘O | Open a project or screenshot set |
| ⌘1 / ⌘2 | Record and Projects tabs, in the Studio |
Editor
| Space | Play or pause |
|---|---|
| ⌘← | Back to start |
| ⌘E | Export |
| ⌘D | Duplicate the selected blocks |
| B | Split mode: click a clip to split it. B or Esc to leave. |
| ⌘B | Split at the playhead |
| ⌘= / ⌘− | Zoom the timeline in or out. Pinching on a trackpad works too. |
| ⌘Z | Undo. A whole drag undoes in one step. |
Timeline
Click the timeline first so it has focus.
| ← / → | Move one frame. Add ⇧ to move one second. |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ | Previous or next edit point |
| ⌥← / ⌥→ | Nudge the selected blocks one frame. Add ⇧ for ten frames. |
| ⇧Z | Zoom the timeline to the selection, or fit the whole video |
| S | Turn hover skimming on or off |
Your files
Each recording is a .kiroku project in ~/Movies/Kiroku. It holds your original video and audio, which Kiroku never changes, plus your edits and the input log. Because edits are stored separately, you can reopen a project any time and change anything.
In the Studio's Projects tab you can search, sort, open a project in the Editor or Export it, show it in Finder, or move it to the Trash. For what Kiroku saves and why, see the Privacy Policy.