A screen recording editor for Mac: trim, split, cut and retake
Qreata edits the screen recordings you make in it. Trim the start, split out a detour, cut a false start from the transcript, re-record one wrong step, set the frame, and export an MP4, all in one project on your Mac.
7-day trial · $49 once · no subscription · Apple Silicon · macOS 14+The short answer
Qreata is a screen recording editor for Apple Silicon Macs with non-destructive trim, split, delete and undo, segment speed up to 4×, word-level cuts from a local transcript, editable zooms, blur regions, and Replace Take for re-recording one range. It exports H.264 MP4 at up to 4K. It costs $49 once and is not a full post-production suite: it edits only recordings made in Qreata and has no video import, SRT export, text annotations or noise reduction.
Use it when
The job is turning a raw screen recording into a clean one.
- You want to record and finish a tutorial, demo or walkthrough in the same app.
- Your edits are trims, cuts, a retake and zooms, not effects work.
- You want edits you can undo: a cut that turns out too tight is not a reason to record again.
- You want to pay once: $49 for 3 Macs.
It won’t help when
The work goes past finishing a screen recording.
- You want to edit a video recorded elsewhere. Qreata doesn’t import MP4 or MOV files.
- You need text on video, arrows you can edit after recording, crop, transitions or music. Qreata has none of them; its drawing tools work only live while recording.
- You need SRT or VTT caption files, separate raw tracks, GIF or MOV output, or noise reduction.
- You need 60 fps, or you work on Windows or an Intel Mac.
What can you edit in a Qreata screen recording?
These tools cover the usual path from raw take to finished video. None of them alters the source recording.
| Tool | What it does | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Trim | Shortens the start or end | Setup before you begin talking |
| Split | Divides a clip at a point | Isolating a detour |
| Delete | Removes a selected part | A wrong menu, a detour |
| Undo and redo | Reverses or restores an edit | A cut that turned out too tight |
| Segment speed and mute | Plays a segment at 1× to 4×, or silences it | A long install; a notification sound |
| Blur | Blurs or fills a rectangle for a time range | A customer email, a total, a token |
| Word-level cut | Removes words via the transcript | False starts and repeated sentences |
| Remove silences and filler words | Cuts pauses, “um” and “uh” | Dead air and hesitations between steps |
| Replace Take (Rerecord) | Re-records a range: everything, video only, or voice only | A wrong click or sentence |
| Zoom | Auto-zoom on clicks, or added by hand | Small buttons and fields |
| Cursor | Resize, hide, highlight clicks | Showing where you clicked |
| Captions in video | Burns word-highlighted captions in | Videos watched muted |
| Frame settings | Background, padding, corner radius, camera layout | Fitting the video to where it is published |
Example: an 8-minute raw take becomes a 6:30 tutorial
You record 8 minutes in one go. The first 25 seconds are you arranging windows, and from 3:30 to 4:35 you open the wrong menu and find your way back. One value near the end is typed wrong. The edit:
- Trim 0:00–0:25. The video now opens on your first sentence.
- Split at 3:30 and at 4:35 and delete the 1:05 between them. That brings 8:00 down to 6:30.
- Play across the cut. If the screen jumps too abruptly, undo and move the split to a calmer frame.
- Open the Script panel, cut the false starts at word level, and click Remove silences and Remove filler words.
- Pick Replace Take (the Rerecord tool in the editor), Shift-drag across the range with the wrong value and record it again with the right one. The range has to sit inside one segment and can’t cross a cut; here it is well clear of the cut at 3:30. Fill the whole range: a shorter retake is rejected, a longer one is trimmed.
- Turn on Auto-zoom on clicks, keep the zooms on small controls and delete the rest. Add one by hand where a result appears without a click.
- A customer email is readable at 5:10: pick the Blur tool, click Add region, place the rectangle on the preview and set its time range on the Blur track. Then set background, padding and corner radius, check the camera layout, and export an H.264 MP4.
What does non-destructive editing mean here?
A trim or a delete changes what the finished video shows. It does not erase the recorded material from the project, which is why undo works and why a cut you regret is not a reason to record again. Blur follows the same rule: a region added with the Blur tool, as Blur with adjustable strength or as Solid fill, sits on top of the recording and can be removed at any time.
It also means the project matters more than the export. Keep it. The MP4 is a flattened delivery copy, and the project is where next month’s correction happens.
Can I adjust microphone and system audio separately?
Yes. Microphone and system audio are separate tracks, each with its own Mute and a Volume from 0 to 200%. System audio is always recorded with the screen, so if the app you are demonstrating plays sound that fights with your voice, lower or mute system audio afterwards and leave the microphone alone. A single segment can be muted too; the Segment menu also has Remove voice in selection and Freeze video, which holds the last frame before a fragment while the sound plays on.
That is level control, not repair. Qreata has no noise reduction, so hum, echo and keyboard noise have to be dealt with at the microphone, before you record.
What the Qreata editor doesn’t do
It does not import video: no MP4 or MOV from another recorder, only recordings made in Qreata. There is no crop, no text on video, no annotation layer you can edit after recording (pen, arrow and box are drawn live while recording), no keystroke display, no cursor smoothing, no transitions and no music. There is no noise reduction. Blur has two limits: Qreata does not detect sensitive data for you, and a region added in the editor is a fixed rectangle that does not follow scrolling content. There is no pixelate mode.
Export has no settings dialog. The file is always H.264 MP4 at the project’s resolution (720p, 1080p or 4K) and 30 fps. There is no GIF, HEVC or MOV, no 60 fps, no SRT or VTT file and no export of raw tracks. Captions can be burned into the video.
If your edit list is trims, cuts, one retake and zooms, the 7-day trial will show you in 10 minutes whether this is enough: record 3 minutes, trim the start, delete one detour, retake one step and export.
Questions worth asking
Can I trim and cut a screen recording on a Mac without a separate video editor?
Yes, for recordings made in Qreata. It records and edits in one app: trim, split, delete, undo, segment speed, word-level cuts and Replace Take, then MP4 export. It does not import video files.
Is editing in Qreata destructive?
No. Trim, split and delete are non-destructive and can be undone. The source recording stays in the project.
Can I fix a wrong click without re-recording the whole video?
Yes. Shift-drag the range on the timeline with Replace Take (the Rerecord tool in the editor) and record only that range again. If the narration was right, Rerecord video · keep audio in the Segment menu redoes the picture alone. A normal cut works when the mistake only needs to disappear.
Does Qreata export MP4?
Yes. Export is always H.264 MP4 at 720p, 1080p or 4K and 30 fps. There is no GIF, HEVC, MOV or 60 fps, and no caption files or separate raw tracks.
Is Qreata a full video editor?
No. It is an editor for screen recordings made in Qreata. It has no video import, editable annotations, crop, transitions, music or noise reduction.
Is the Qreata editor a subscription?
No. The Personal license is $49 once for 3 Macs with all future updates, and Team is $149 once for up to 50 Macs. The trial is 7 days with every feature.