> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.tella.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Zoom in on screen recordings

> How to add and adjust zooms on a screen recording in the Tella editor, to draw attention to what matters.

Zooms draw attention to a detail in a screen recording or uploaded video. They are not available on camera-only clips.

## Open the Zoom tool

1. Open your video in the Tella editor.
2. Click **Zoom** in the sidebar.

The Zoom timeline shows zoom cards over the clip's waveform, with transcript words underneath.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/tella/9igWsDcu1vMh9qSM/help/images/editing/zoom-timeline.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=9igWsDcu1vMh9qSM&q=85&s=110b4be7ab070d983ba2a90e3c72a747" alt="The Zoom timeline with zoom cards over the waveform and transcript" width="1416" height="290" data-path="help/images/editing/zoom-timeline.png" />

## Generate zooms automatically

Auto Zoom can generate zooms from cursor movement recorded by the Tella Mac and Windows apps.

1. Open **Zoom** on an eligible screen recording with no existing zooms.
2. Under **Auto Zoom**, choose a **Style**:
   * **Subtle** — fewer, shallower zooms with longer durations.
   * **Moderate** — a balance between Subtle and Intense.
   * **Intense** — more frequent, deeper zooms with shorter durations.
3. Click **Generate zooms**.

Tella remembers the last style you chose. You can move, resize, retarget, split, or delete generated zooms just like manual zooms.

## Add a zoom to a selected range

1. Drag across the time you want to zoom. You can also click or drag across words in the transcript row.
2. Click **Add zoom**, press `Z`, or right-click the range and choose **Create zoom**.
3. Select the new zoom card. Under **Mode**, choose:
   * **Manual** — use **Target** to choose a fixed focus point, then set **Scale**.
   * **Auto** — follow the recorded cursor movement throughout the zoom.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/tella/9igWsDcu1vMh9qSM/help/images/editing/zoom-controls.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=9igWsDcu1vMh9qSM&q=85&s=38baafbeb44743313cd4a9e49e350bc2" alt="The Manual and Auto controls for a selected zoom" width="350" height="260" data-path="help/images/editing/zoom-controls.png" />

Each selected range must be at least one second long. If a new zoom overlaps an existing one, Tella trims, splits, or replaces the existing zoom so the cards do not overlap.

<Tip>
  Hold **Shift** while dragging to select several ranges, then click **Add zoom** to create one zoom for every range at once.
</Tip>

## Add a zoom from the playhead

With no range selected, move the playhead and click **Add zoom**. Tella creates a zoom up to five seconds long, stopping sooner if it reaches another zoom or the end of the clip.

Hold **Cmd** on Mac or **Ctrl** on Windows while clicking to change the action to **Add until end**. The zoom fills the available gap.

## Work with the Zoom timeline

**Move and select zooms**

* Drag a zoom card to move it, or drag either edge to change its duration.
* Hold **Cmd** on Mac or **Ctrl** on Windows and click zoom cards to select several. You can change their scale, copy or cut them, or delete them together.
* Hold **Cmd/Ctrl** and drag across several cards to select them as a group.
* Press **Escape** to clear range and card selections.

**Navigate precisely**

* Scroll to pan. Hold **Cmd/Ctrl** and scroll to zoom around your pointer. **Shift + scroll** over the timeline zooms too.
* Zoom cards and selections snap to transcript word boundaries, other zoom edges, and the parked playhead. Hold **Option** on Mac or **Alt** on Windows while dragging to turn snapping off.
* Click a card edge or a seam, then press the left or right arrow key to move it by one pixel at the current timeline zoom. Hold **Shift** to move it by 10 pixels.

**Use connected zooms**

Place two zooms directly beside each other to pan between different targets without zooming out. Drag their shared seam to move the boundary while both cards stay connected. Hold **Option/Alt** while dragging the seam to pull them apart.

**Right-click for more**

* Right-click a zoom card to **Split at playhead**, switch between manual and auto zoom, or **Delete zoom**.
* Right-click an empty gap to **Add zoom here**.
* Right-click a selected range to **Create zoom**.

## Copy, cut, and paste zooms

1. Select one or more zoom cards.
2. Press **Cmd/Ctrl + C** to copy, or **Cmd/Ctrl + X** to cut.
3. Move the playhead and press **Cmd/Ctrl + V** to paste.

Tella preserves each zoom's mode, target, scale, duration, and spacing. You can paste into another video, and Tella fits the pasted zooms around existing zooms.

## Split, delete, or reset zooms

* **Split:** Select a zoom, move the playhead inside it, then click **Split** or press `X`. Both halves keep the original mode, target, and scale.
* **Delete:** Select one or more zooms, then click **Delete zoom** or press **Delete** or **Backspace**.
* **Reset:** Use the **Reset zooms** button to remove every zoom from the current clip.

## Combine zooms with layouts

Zooms and layouts can overlap. Use [Layouts](/docs/help/editing/use-layouts) to change how the camera and screen are arranged while a zoom focuses on the important part of the screen.

<Tip>
  Higher scales can look soft if the original screen recording is low resolution. Use the lowest scale that makes the detail clear.
</Tip>
