ScreenKiteScreenKite|Guide
    • Installing ScreenKite
    • System Requirements
    • Setting Up Permissions
    • New Recording
    • Continue Recording
    • Recording Full Display
    • Recording a Window
    • Recording an Area
    • Webcam & Microphone
    • System Audio
    • Recording iOS Devices
    • Keyboard Shortcuts
    • Sharing Screenshots
    • Project Editor Overview
    • Timeline & Tracks
    • B-Roll Library
    • Trimming & Splitting
    • Text-Based Editing
    • Appearance Customization
    • Scene Transitions
    • Background Music
    • Device Frames
    • Preview Quality
    • Editor Settings
    • Auto Zoom
    • Configuring Zoom Settings
    • Agentic Video Editing
    • Word-Level Generated Captions
    • AI Chat Assistant
    • Export Settings
    • Export to Final Cut Pro (FCPXML)
    • Common Issues
    • Permissions & Access
    ← ScreenKite homepage
    Guide/Editing

    Appearance Customization

    Canvas Background

    ScreenKite places your recording on a styled canvas. The Inspector sidebar lets you choose from four background types:

    Solid Colors (7 presets + custom)

    ColorRGB
    Black#000000 (default)
    AccentBlue(0.35, 0.54, 0.99)
    AccentPurple(0.62, 0.41, 0.96)
    AccentOrange(1.0, 0.56, 0.31)
    AccentCoral(0.98, 0.46, 0.38)
    AccentGolden(0.95, 0.65, 0.25)
    AccentGreen(0.34, 0.81, 0.47)

    Plus a custom color picker for any hex color. The picker button displays the currently selected color as its fill — not a static rainbow gradient. A small rainbow badge at the bottom-right corner opens the macOS system color panel. When the custom picker is the active selection, a 2 px white selection ring appears around the button.

    Custom color picker button in the Inspector color swatch grid, showing the active selected color as the button fill, rainbow badge at bottom-right, and white selection ring indicating it is the active choice

    ✅

    The background color preview in Inspector now correctly preserves the selected color when you click between swatches — the custom picker no longer resets to black after switching away and back.

    Gradients (5 presets)

    GradientDirection
    SunsetPurple → Pink (diagonal)
    WarmthOrange → Red (diagonal)
    GoldenGold → Rust (diagonal)
    NordBlue → Dark Blue (diagonal)
    AuroraCyan → Magenta (diagonal)

    Wallpapers

    6 built-in gradient wallpapers: AuroraGrid (default), SoftMesh, VioletMist, OrangeGlow, GoldenHour, CoralDream.

    Additional wallpaper sources:

    • Desktop — remote wallpapers downloaded from the ScreenKite asset library
    • System — macOS system wallpapers
    • Imported — your own custom wallpaper images

    The Inspector shows wallpaper thumbnails (120×90px) with a shuffle button to randomize and an import button to add your own.

    Transparent

    Select the Transparent swatch — a checkerboard pattern with a slash-circle icon — to remove the canvas background entirely. When selected, a 2 px white border ring appears around the swatch.

    Inspector Background section with the Transparent swatch selected: checkerboard pattern swatch with slash-circle icon and white selection ring, other color swatches visible in the grid

    When you choose Transparent, the status bar displays: "Transparent background exports require ProRes 4444."

    💡

    Transparent export locks the format to QuickTime MOV (ProRes 4444 + Alpha). See Export Settings for format and codec details.

    Background Blur

    A blur slider (0–50) applies a blur effect to the background behind your recording content.

    Padding

    Add space between the recording and the canvas edge:

    • Range: 0–200px (4px steps)
    • Reset button appears when non-default

    Corner Radius

    Round the corners of your recording:

    • Range: 0–100px (2px steps)
    • Reset button appears when non-default

    Drop Shadow

    Add depth behind your recording:

    • Toggle: Enable/disable shadow
    • Radius slider
    • Opacity slider

    Camera Border Color

    When the Custom border style is selected in the Camera inspector, a color picker button appears in the border swatch grid. The picker seeds its initial color from the stored border hex value, falling back to the current accent color if none is set. Picking a new color updates both the camera border and the global accent color simultaneously.

    ✅

    Use ⌘+Z to revert a border color change — each color pick creates a discrete undo snapshot.

    Alignment Guides & Snapping

    When positioning overlays on the canvas, alignment guides and snapping help you place elements precisely. Guides appear as you drag an overlay near the center or edges of the canvas, and the overlay snaps into alignment automatically.

    Device Frames

    ScreenKite offers an expanded catalog of device frames with more models and sizes. For details on available frames and how to apply them, see Device Frames.

    ✅

    All appearance changes preview in real-time. Every change creates an undo snapshot, so use ⌘+Z to quickly compare before and after.

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    ← Text-Based Editing

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    Scene Transitions→