I built a Chrome extension for screen recording with automatic mouse zoom

Carlos D Moron — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:53:11 +0000

I’ve been building a Chrome extension called Screen Mouse Recorder.

The original idea was simple: I wanted to record product demos and technical walkthroughs without having to spend more time editing the recording than actually making it.

The problem was that most screen recorders solve the recording part, but the editing workflow usually happens somewhere else.

So I decided to build the recording + editing workflow myself.

What it can do
Screen, tab and window recording
Mouse cursor highlighting
Click effects
Cursor tracking
Automatic zoom following the cursor
Smooth zoom transitions
Camera overlay with multiple positions and sizes
Microphone selection
Video trimming
Text/title overlays
Background music
Video framing
Recording library
Cloud storage and shareable recordings
The interesting technical part

The extension is built with Manifest V3, TypeScript and React.

For the backend I’m using Supabase for authentication, database and security policies, while video files are stored in Cloudflare R2.

The recording/export pipeline uses browser APIs such as:

MediaRecorder
canvas.captureStream()
requestAnimationFrame()
getDisplayMedia()
chrome.tabCapture

One of the more interesting challenges was getting the exported video to maintain a stable frame rate while applying cursor effects, zoom animations, camera overlays and other editing operations.

I also had to deal with some fun browser/video edge cases around WebM metadata, duration detection and seeking.

The goal is to eventually make the whole workflow feel more like:

Record → Edit → Export → Share

instead of:

Record → Download → Open editor → Edit → Export → Upload → Share

I’m still actively improving it.

If you're building Chrome extensions or browser-based video tools, I'd be interested in hearing:

What would you improve about this architecture?

And if you regularly record coding tutorials, product demos or walkthroughs:

What is the most annoying part of your current workflow?

Chrome extension: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ldenfjhiiedcdbofkapllglgokegohng

I Built a Chrome Extension That Automatically Zooms Into Your Screen Recordings

Carlos D Moron — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:16:33 +0000

I Built a Chrome Extension That Automatically Zooms Into Your Screen Recordings

While building and documenting my own software, I kept running into a problem:

I wanted to create software tutorials and product demos without spending a lot of time editing the recording afterward.

I specifically wanted the recording to automatically zoom toward the things I was clicking.

For example:

I click a button → the recording zooms toward it.

I move to another part of the application → the framing follows me.

I click something important → the click can be highlighted.

Most screen recording tools can record your screen, but I wanted something that would make the recording feel more like a manually edited tutorial without actually having to edit every zoom.

I tried several tools, including Loom, but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.

So I built it.

Meet Screen Mouse Recorder

Screen Mouse Recorder is a Chrome extension for creating software tutorials, SaaS demos, product walkthroughs and customer support videos.

The main idea is simple:

Record → interact with your software → automatic zoom and cursor effects → finished recording.

Some of the features I'm working with:

Automatic zoom toward clicks
Cursor highlighting
Click effects
Smart framing
Camera overlay
Microphone/device selection
Screen, window and tab recording
Pause and resume recording

The feature that started the project was Autozoom.

I wanted to avoid having to open a video editor every time I wanted to make a simple tutorial.

Why I built it

I build software and frequently need to explain how something works.

A typical workflow was:

Record the screen
Open a video editor
Find every important click
Add zooms
Adjust the framing
Export the video

For a 30-second explanation, that felt like too much work.

I wanted to see if the recording itself could handle some of that automatically.

That's what led me to build Screen Mouse Recorder.

I'm still early

This is a new product, so I'm still experimenting with the experience and figuring out what works and what doesn't.

I'm particularly interested in feedback from developers who create:

SaaS demos
Product tutorials
Documentation videos
Client walkthroughs
Technical tutorials
Customer support videos

Does automatic zoom actually save you time when recording tutorials?

And if you've tried other tools for this, what do you wish they did better?

You can try Screen Mouse Recorder here:

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ldenfjhiiedcdbofkapllglgokegohng?utm_source=item-share-cb

I'd love to hear how other developers currently create their software demos and tutorials.

DEV Community: Carlos D Moron

I built a Chrome extension for screen recording with automatic mouse zoom

I Built a Chrome Extension That Automatically Zooms Into Your Screen Recordings

I Built a Chrome Extension That Automatically Zooms Into Your Screen Recordings

Why I built it