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Open Recorder captures from three kinds of sources: screens, windows, and areas. All three live in the unified Choose Source picker. Open it by clicking the source chip in the recording HUD, or by starting any capture that needs a source.

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The Choose Source picker

The picker shows a Choose what to capture grid with three tabs:
  • Screens: every connected display, with a thumbnail for each.
  • Windows: open app windows you can capture individually.
  • Area: a free-form region you drag out on any display.
Selecting a source stores it on the HUD source chip. Open Recorder remembers your setup for the next capture.

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Screens

The Screens tab lists all connected displays. With a single display, the picker shows one large preview. With more than two displays, the grid scrolls so every screen stays reachable. The current-display shortcuts select the display containing the pointer directly. Screenshots capture immediately; recordings show setup before starting. If that display cannot be resolved, Open Recorder falls back to this chooser.

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Windows

The Windows tab lists open windows with their app name and title. Pick one to capture just that window. Use ⌥ ⇧ 7 to screenshot the active app’s frontmost window, or ⌥ ⇧ 8 to open recording setup for it. If no capturable current window is available, the Windows chooser opens.

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Area capture

The Area tab starts an interactive drag selection. Open Recorder dims every connected display and shows a Drag to select an area overlay on each one.
  • Drag on any display to define the capture region. Area selection is not bound to a single screen.
  • A badge below the selection shows the live size in pixels, for example 1280 × 720 px.
  • Release the mouse to set the area. Screenshot mode captures immediately. Recording mode shows the HUD so you can review inputs and press Record.
  • For precise selection, enable Settings → General → Capture → Adjust selected area before capture. Drag the area or its corner handles, use arrow keys to move it (Shift for ten pixels), then press Return to confirm. Redraw starts a new selection.
  • Press Esc on any display to cancel the selection.
The selection overlay displays over full-screen apps and follows Space changes, so you can select an area inside a full-screen app. If you connect or disconnect a display while selecting, Open Recorder rebuilds the overlay to match the new display layout.