Zoom

Video conferencing standard. Everyone has it, everyone knows how to use it. Good enough for most meetings and recordings.

Annotations

Draw on screen during screen shares. Useful for training, walkthroughs, and making a point visually. Underused feature.

Use arrows, not stamps. Stamps leave marks every time you click — they pile up on screen and you have to "Clear All Drawings" to get rid of them. Arrows clean up after themselves: each time you point to something new, the previous arrow disappears. Click the three dots during a screen share, hit Annotate, and pick the arrow tool.

Watch the quick demo — arrows vs stamps in 40 seconds.

Recordings

Record locally for better quality, cloud for convenience. Local recordings give you separate audio tracks—essential if you're editing in Descript later.

Remote Control

You can take control of someone else's screen while they're sharing. Hover over the call, click the three dots, and hit "Request Remote Control." They'll get a prompt on their end — they may need to approve it in their privacy/permission settings the first time. Once approved, you're driving their screen. Great for tech support and walkthroughs where "click over there" isn't cutting it.

See it in action — 30-second demo of requesting remote control.

Screen Sharing

Share specific windows, not your whole screen. Avoids embarrassing notification pop-ups and keeps focus on what matters.

Shared Gallery Speaker View

Best setting for podcast recordings with guests. Shows the speaker prominently while keeping others visible. Good for repurposing into clips.

Stream Deck Integration

If you use Zoom regularly, a Stream Deck with hotkey switches makes controls physical. Map mute/unmute, start/stop video, and screen sharing to dedicated buttons with visual indicators — a red mic icon when muted, green when live. No more accidentally talking on mute because you forgot the keyboard shortcut. Get the Elgato Stream Deck on Amazon →

Limitations

Zoom's built-in recording quality is fine but not great. For professional Podcasts or content you'll heavily repurpose, consider Riverside or Squadcast which record locally on each participant's machine.