Add a background, padding and rounded corners to a screen recording
A raw capture runs edge to edge. In Qreata’s “Layout” panel you pull the recording in from the edges, round its corners and choose what sits behind it: a color, a gradient, a blur or a photo from your Mac.
7-day trial · $49 once · no subscription · Apple Silicon · macOS 14+The short answer
Qreata puts a Mac screen recording on a background with padding and rounded corners. In the editor’s “Layout” panel, “Padding” runs from 0 to 100 and “Corner radius” from 0 to 48, and the background is a Color (20 presets or a hex value), a Gradient (8 presets with an angle), a Blur (strength 5–50) or a Photo from your Mac. Everything is editable after recording. There is no shadow and no device frame. $49 once.
Use it when
The video is shown next to designed things and a raw capture looks unfinished there.
- The clip goes on a landing page, in a launch post or in a pitch deck.
- You record a single window and want it to sit on a brand color, not on your desktop.
- A series of videos should share one frame: the same padding, corners and background.
- You want to decide the look after the take, and change it per destination.
It won’t help when
You need framing tools Qreata does not have.
- You want a drop shadow under the recording. There is none.
- You want a MacBook or browser frame around it. There are no device frames.
- You want the screen recording reframed to vertical or square. The canvas keeps the recording’s shape.
- You want to crop part of the screen out. Qreata has no crop tool.
Background options: color, gradient, blur and photo
The background shows in three places: around the recording once “Padding” is above 0, in the corners once “Corner radius” is above 0, and around screen and camera in a Left or Right camera layout. There are four types, and you can switch between them freely; the choice is stored in the project and drawn into the MP4 on export.
| Type | Options | Works for |
|---|---|---|
| Color | 20 presets, or any hex value | A brand color or a neutral backdrop for docs |
| Gradient | 8 presets, with an adjustable angle | Launch clips and social posts |
| Blur | Strength 5 to 50 | A soft backdrop with no hard colors |
| Photo | An image imported from your Mac | A campaign image or your own wallpaper |
How to add a background and rounded corners to a screen recording
All of this happens after recording, so capture the way you normally would.
- Record your screen. “Window” is the usual source when you plan to add a background, because the recording is then one clean rectangle.
- Open the recording in the editor and go to “Layout”.
- Raise “Padding” from 0. The recording shrinks inside the frame and the background appears around it; the scale goes to 100.
- Set “Corner radius”. 0 keeps square corners and 48 is the roundest setting. Any radius above 0 shows the background in the corners, even with padding at 0.
- Pick the background type. For Color choose one of the 20 presets or type a hex value; for Gradient choose one of the 8 presets and set the angle; for Blur set the strength between 5 and 50; for Photo import an image from your Mac.
- Play a few seconds at the size the video will be shown. Padding makes the recording smaller within the same frame, so check that small text still reads.
- Export the MP4. To make a second version for another destination, change the settings and export again.
Example: one recording, two looks
You record a 90-second clip of a new reporting screen with the “Window” source at 1080p. It is going to two places: the hero section of your landing page and a step in your help center.
For the landing page you set “Padding” to 40 and “Corner radius” to 16, choose Color and type your brand’s hex value, for example #0F172A. The window now floats on the same dark tone as the page. You export it. For the help center you set “Padding” and “Corner radius” back to 0 so the interface fills the frame and every label is as large as it can be, and export again. Same take, two MP4s, about a minute of work between them.
With the camera in a Left or Right layout, the background also shows around the screen and the camera, even with padding at 0. The camera layout is set in the same panel.
How much padding and corner radius should you use?
Padding trades detail for presentation. The export stays at the recording resolution, so every step of padding gives the interface fewer pixels. Decide by where the video is watched.
- Help center or documentation: “Padding” 0, “Corner radius” 0. Readability beats decoration.
- Landing page hero or a launch post: moderate padding and a visible corner radius, on a color that matches the page.
- Dense interface, such as a spreadsheet or code: keep padding low and add a zoom on the part that matters.
- Full-display recordings: a little padding is enough. A whole desktop already contains its own wallpaper and menu bar.
- A series: write down the three numbers (padding, radius, hex) and reuse them, so every video matches.
What the built-in Mac recorder gives you
Shift-Command-5 records the screen as it is and saves a .mov to the desktop. Apple’s screen recording article describes no background, padding or corner settings, and QuickTime Player’s editing covers trimming, splitting, rearranging and rotating. To put that recording on a background you would take the file into a separate video editor and build the frame there.
If your videos live in documentation, the free recorder’s edge-to-edge picture is the right look and you don’t need this feature. It earns its place when the same recordings also have to appear on marketing pages.
Limits: no shadow, no device frames, no reframing
Qreata’s canvas has four background types, padding and a corner radius. It has no drop shadow, no device frames such as a laptop or browser mock-up, no crop tool, and it does not reframe a screen recording to vertical or square. If those are the look you are after, this is not the tool for it.
Export is always an H.264 MP4 at the recording resolution and 30 fps. To see the result on your own interface, spend 10 minutes in the 7-day trial: record one window for a minute, set padding, radius and your hex color, export, and drop the file into the page it is meant for. The license is $49 once for 3 Macs.
Questions worth asking
How do I add a background to a screen recording on Mac?
In Qreata, open the recording in the editor, go to “Layout”, raise “Padding” above 0 or set a “Corner radius”, and choose a background: Color, Gradient, Blur or Photo. The built-in macOS recorder has no background setting.
Can I round the corners of a screen recording?
Yes. “Corner radius” in the “Layout” panel goes from 0 (square) to 48, and you can change it after recording.
Can I use my own image as the background?
Yes. The Photo background imports an image from your Mac. The other types are Color (20 presets or hex), Gradient (8 presets with an angle) and Blur (strength 5–50).
Does Qreata add a shadow or a MacBook frame?
No. There is no drop shadow and there are no device frames. The canvas offers background, padding and corner radius.
Can I turn a screen recording into a vertical video with a background?
No. Qreata does not reframe a screen recording to another aspect ratio. Vertical and square frames exist only in the camera-only “Just me” mode.
Is the background feature included in the price?
Yes. It is part of the editor: $49 once for the Personal license on 3 Macs, with a 7-day trial that includes every feature.