Spotlight Tool (Mac)
Call attention to an area by dimming and/or blurring the rest of the image.
Note: Spotlight and other tools in the Snagit Editor toolbar are available to annotate images. To draw your viewer’s attention while you record video, try Screen Draw. To enhance video you have already recorded, share your video to Camtasia Editor.
Add a Spotlight
- Click the Spotlight tool in the Snagit Editor toolbar.
Note: If the tool is not visible in the toolbar, click the More dropdown to select the tool. See Customize the Snagit Toolbar.
- Select a spotlight shape in Tool Properties.
- Click and draw on the Canvas to select the spotlight area.
- Complete any of the following to edit the spotlight area:
- Click and drag to move.
- Click and drag a white handle to resize.
- Click and drag the green handle to rotate.
- Adjust the Color, Opacity, and Blur properties to achieve the desired effect. See Tool Properties.
- When you are finished with the Spotlight tool, click the Move tool in the toolbar to select, move, edit, or delete objects you added to your image.
Note: Windows users can achieve a similar effect with the Selection tool and the Spotlight & Magnify effect. To learn more, see Add Effects.
Tool Properties
Edit the properties to customize the tool.
Tip: Edit all spotlights at the same time.
In Tool Properties, click Select All (Spotlight), then edit the tool properties as needed. You must have Snagit for Mac version 2025.3.0 or later.
Shape
Select a rectangle, rounded rectangle, oval, or polygon shape for the spotlight.
- To spotlight with the rectangle, rounded rectangle, and oval shapes, click and drag on the canvas.
- To spotlight with the polygon shape:
- To create the first side of the polygon, click on the canvas to add the first two points.
- Continue to click on the canvas to add additional sides.
- Double-click the canvas to stop drawing the polygon.
Color
Click the dropdown and select one of the following to set the background color for the image surrounding the spotlight:
- Click to select a preset theme color or color from the palette.
- Enter a Hex or RGB value.
- Click the Eyedropper button and then click to select a color from anywhere on the screen.
Opacity
Drag the slider to adjust the transparency of the background color surrounding the spotlight.
Blur
Drag the slider to adjust the clarity of the background image surrounding the spotlight.
Apply only to text
Select to apply the spotlight only to text rather than to the entire selection.
Tip: Save tool customizations as Quick Styles.
After you edit tool properties, save your customization as a Quick Style for future use. See Quickly Access Favorite Styles and Tools.
Get Snagit
The best screen capture software for professionals
* Have Snagit 2024 or earlier? Check out our previous version help.
