01
The cursor is too small
A mouse pointer on a shared screen is a few pixels on somebody else’s laptop. People lose it, and you end up describing where it is.
For video calls
Stop saying “see where I mean?”
You share your screen, and everyone looks at a different corner of it. With PenLayer you circle the number, draw an arrow to the button, and the whole call is looking at the same thing.
Download for Mac
Free for 14 days · then from $12/yr
Works with
- Zoom
- Google Meet
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack huddles
- Webex
- FaceTime
Weekly sync · you are sharing ● Sharing screen
The problem
Why it’s harder than it should be.
02
Built-in annotation is patchy
Some call apps have annotation, some don’t, some only on certain plans, and each works differently. Switch apps and you learn it again.
03
Talking through it takes longer
“The second column, no, the one on the right, under the heading…” A quick circle says it in a second.
How PenLayer helps
The tools you’ll reach for.
Circle it
Hand-drawn ellipses and boxes around the exact thing you mean, in colours that stand out on any screen.
Point at it
Straight or freehand arrows, so there is no doubt which button, cell or line you’re talking about.
Highlight a line
A see-through highlighter for a sentence, a row or a line of code, without hiding what’s underneath.
Works in every call app
PenLayer draws on your screen itself, so whatever you share shows the ink. Nothing to install in Zoom, Meet or Teams.
Set up in a minute
Three steps.
- 1
Share your screen as usual
Share the whole screen, or the window you’re drawing on.
- 2
Press ⌥⇧D
Or touch the toolbar at the edge of your screen. Pick a tool and draw.
- 3
Press ⌥⇧D again
The ink clears and your clicks go back to your apps, ready for the next point.
Tips
From experience.
- !
Share your whole screen rather than one window. Some call apps only capture the window itself, and your drawing sits on top of it.
- !
Red and yellow read best on most screens and survive video compression. Keep black for light backgrounds.
- !
Use ⌘Z to take back a stroke without clearing everything else.
Questions
Video calls, answered.
Does it work with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams? +
Yes. PenLayer draws on your Mac’s screen, so any app that shares or records the screen shows the drawing. There’s no plugin or integration to set up.
Can the other people on the call draw too? +
No, PenLayer is for the person sharing. It draws on your own screen, and everyone watching sees it.
Will it get in the way when I’m not drawing? +
No. Until you start drawing, clicks pass straight through to your apps. Only the small handle on the edge of the screen responds.
Does it work on a second monitor? +
PenLayer currently draws on your main display. Share that screen when you want to draw.
Also used for
Try it on your next call.
Free for 14 days, everything on. No card, no account.