How to add callouts to a video
Last updated 2026-10-31
A video callout is a shape or label that points the viewer at one part of the frame: a circle around a button, a box around a number, a highlight over a line of text, or a short label with an arrow. Add it on a layer above the footage, bring it in when you mention the thing and take it away after. In Woven Video, a Mac editor, callout shapes come from the Shapes library.
Which callout fits the job
Each callout shape has a job. Pick the one that matches what you are pointing at, and keep the same color and line width for every callout in the video.
| Callout | Use it for | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Circle | A button, a face or a small object | Leave a gap so it doesn't cover the target |
| Box | A number, a form field or part of a screen | Round the corners to match the interface |
| Highlight | A word or a line of text | A see-through color keeps the text readable |
| Underline | A word on a slide or a page | Draw it on as you say the word |
| Arrow | Something small or easy to miss | Point from open space, not across the subject |
| Label | Naming a part, such as a pill with a word on it | Two or three words at most |
Time callouts to what you say
A callout should arrive on the word that names its target and leave when you move on. Circles, underlines and arrows read well when they draw themselves on. Boxes and labels suit a quick pop or fade.
- Arrive on the word. Start the callout as you name the thing, not before.
- One at a time. Viewers follow one callout easily and lose track of three.
- Hold, then clear. Keep it up while you talk about the target, then take it off before the next point.
- Zoom for small targets. If the target is tiny on a phone screen, zoom in on it while the callout is up.
Callouts in tutorials and product demos
Callouts do most of the work in tutorials and product demos: circle the control, zoom to it, then show the result. Keep one style for the whole video, so viewers learn what a callout means.
On a vertical video, keep every callout inside the safe zone, away from the edges where the app draws its own buttons.
Common mistakes
Most callouts that don't work hide the target or stay too long.
- Covering the target. A filled box over a button hides the button. Use an outline, or a see-through highlight.
- Too many colors. Pick one callout color that stands out from the footage and keep it.
- Outlasting the moment. A callout left up after you move on points at the wrong thing.
- Hairline outlines. A thin outline that looks fine on a laptop vanishes on a phone. Go thicker, or add a soft shadow.
Add callouts in Woven
Ask in chat and the agent places each callout and times it to your words: "circle the Export button when I say export". By hand, the Shapes library has callout shapes on two shelves. Basic has Rectangle, Pill, Circle, Line and Arrow. Hand-drawn has arrows, a circle, an underline, a scribble, torn paper, a highlight, a burst, a star and a check. Text at the top level always draws above shapes, so a label on a pill needs no layer work.
Ask in chat
- Circle the Export button at 0:12 and have it draw on.
- Run a see-through yellow highlighter over the second line of the slide while I read it.
- Put a pill label saying 'New' next to the button and pop it in.
- Box the price, then zoom in on it.
Or do it by hand
- 1Open the Shapes library. Click the + (Add) button in the toolbar and choose Shapes.
- 2Add the callout. Click Circle, Underline or Highlight on the Hand-drawn shelf for a sketched look, or Circle or Rectangle on the Basic shelf for a clean shape. It lands at the playhead for 3 seconds.
- 3Fit it to the target. Drag and resize it on the canvas so it surrounds the target with a little room. Basic shapes start filled, so for an outline raise Stroke in the Style tab and pick a Stroke color first, then set Fill to None.
- 4Add a label. For a pill label, add a Pill shape and a text box on top of it, select both and press ⌘G, so they move and animate as one.
- 5Animate it. On the Animation tab, set In to Draw for circles, underlines and arrows, or Pop for boxes and labels, and set Out to Erase or Fade Out. Drag it on the timeline so it starts on the word.
Common questions
A shape or label that draws attention to one part of the frame, such as a circle around a button or a highlight over a line of text.
Add a circle outline above your footage, size it around the target and give it a draw-on entrance. In Woven, use the hand-drawn Circle from the Shapes library, or a Basic Circle turned into an outline, and set In to Draw.
Put a see-through highlight over the text, or underline it. In Woven, the Draw tool's Highlighter brush is see-through, the Hand-drawn Highlight is a solid marker you can turn down with Opacity, and the hand-drawn Underline can draw on as you read the line.
Add callouts on a layer above the footage: arrows, circles, boxes, highlights and short labels, each timed to what you say. In Woven they all come from the Shapes library, and the Draw tool covers anything freehand.
No. A callout stays where you put it. Use callouts on steady shots such as screen recordings, or keyframe a callout's position to follow the move.
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