# ShotGlass: one macOS app for polished product demos

> A single macOS app that replaces a screenshot tool, screen recorder, annotation app, and After Effects for producing polished product demos.

Published: 2026-05-20
URL: https://daniliants.com/insights/shotglass/
Tags: screen-recording, macos, product-demos, video-editing, screencapture, indie-software

---

## Summary

ShotGlass is a single macOS app that replaces a stack of tools (screenshot, screen recorder, annotation, After Effects) for producing polished product demos and screencasts. It auto-zooms, swaps cluttered backgrounds, adds smooth cursor motion, and can composite recordings onto a 3D MacBook for Apple-ad-style output. Pricing is a one-time $29 personal license or $39/year for 3 Macs with commercial use.

## Key Insight

- Replaces 4 separate tools for demo creation: screenshot tool + screen recorder + annotation app + After Effects.
- Records video without the cursor, then re-adds it with smooth synthetic motion, enabling automatic zooms, transitions, and clean cuts.
- Built on Apple's native ScreenCaptureKit + AVFoundation (same frameworks as QuickTime), so overhead is low: ~15% CPU and ~160 MB RAM at 4K @ 60 fps on M-series Macs.
- 3D MacBook compositing (recording playing on a virtual MacBook with simulated lens) is a differentiator, most screen recorders don't do this in-app.
- Fully local: zero tracking, telemetry, or analytics. No files or data leave the machine.
- Try-before-buy model, free to use, pay only when ready to export.
- Built by an independent developer (a PhD student); offers discounts for students, accessibility needs, and lower-income countries on request.