Video teleprompter with camera and recording
Read your script over a live camera preview, record in the same window, and download the video. It works with a webcam or a phone camera, and the recording never leaves your device.
110 words · about 47 sec at 140 wpm
Opens full screen. Space pauses, arrow keys change speed, Esc closes. Nothing is uploaded — your script stays in this browser.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Space · K · B | Play / pause |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ | Faster / slower (10 wpm) |
| ← / → | Nudge back / forward one line |
| Page Up / Page Down | Nudge three lines (clickers, foot pedals) |
| + / − | Bigger / smaller text |
| M | Mirror |
| F | Full screen |
| R · Home | Back to start |
| Esc | Close |
Wheel or drag to move the text by hand. Tap the text to pause.
How to record a video with the teleprompter
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Paste your script
Paste it into the editor or open a .txt file. Check the read time under the editor so you know how long the take will be.
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Start the camera teleprompter
Your browser asks for camera and microphone access. Allow both. On a phone it uses the front camera; on a computer it uses your webcam.
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Check your framing
Your camera image shows behind the text. Move until your eyes sit about a third of the way down the frame, then adjust text size with + and −.
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Press Record
After the countdown, recording starts and the script begins to scroll together. You do not have to start two things at once.
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Stop and download
Press Stop at the end. The take appears with its length and a Download button. Watch it back, then keep it or record again.
What the camera mode does
Camera preview behind the text
You see yourself under the script, so you notice a bad angle or a stray shadow before the take, not after.
Record and scroll start together
One button starts the countdown, the recording and the scroll. Speed, nudging and pausing all work while you record.
Stays on your device
The video is recorded by your browser and held in memory until you download it. Nothing is uploaded to Short.now.
Reading line near the lens
The reading line sits near the top of the screen, which is where the camera is on phones and most laptops.
Mic audio included
The recording includes sound from your microphone. The browser applies its own echo cancellation and noise suppression.
Same controls as the regular prompter
Speed from 60 to 260 wpm, text size, width, countdown, and keyboard shortcuts. Voice scroll is available on its own page.
Which file format will I get?
The browser picks the recording format, not us. Here is what to expect.
| Browser | File you download | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Safari (Mac, iPhone, iPad) | MP4 | Opens in Photos, iMovie and most editors. |
| Chrome, Edge (current versions) | MP4 | We ask for MP4 first, which current Chrome and Edge support. |
| Older Chrome or Edge | WebM | Plays in Chrome and VLC. Some editors and apps need MP4. |
| Firefox | WebM | Firefox records WebM only. |
The file name ends in .mp4 or .webm so you can tell which one you got.
Converting a WebM recording to MP4
YouTube accepts WebM uploads, so for YouTube you can usually upload the file as it is. For apps and editors that only take MP4, convert it first.
Free options: HandBrake (Mac, Windows, Linux) converts WebM to MP4 with its default preset. VLC has a Convert / Save option. If you use the command line, ffmpeg -i take.webm take.mp4 does the job.
If you want an MP4 without converting, record in an up-to-date Chrome, Edge or Safari.
Tips for a better webcam or phone recording
- Face the light. Sit facing a window or put a lamp behind your screen. Light from behind you turns your face into a silhouette.
- Raise the camera to eye level. Stack books under the laptop or use a phone stand. A camera looking up at you is the most common home-video mistake.
- Use a better mic if you have one. A wired headset or USB mic close to your mouth beats the built-in laptop mic. Pick it as the default input before you start the camera.
- Keep your eyes near the lens. Use the top reading line, narrow the text width and sit a bit farther back. The farther you are, the less your eye movement shows.
- Turn the speed down a notch. Reading on camera often feels faster than it sounds. Try 130 wpm if 140 feels rushed.
- Record a 10-second test. Play it back with sound before the real take. It catches a muted mic or a wrong camera.
- Mark actions in brackets. Cues like [smile] or [show product] are shown in a different color and are not counted in the read time.
Recording several takes
Each new recording replaces the last one, so download every take you want to keep before you press Record again.
For longer videos, record in sections. Put a blank line between sections in the script, read one, stop, download, then press ← or → to move to the start of the next section. Shorter takes are easier to redo and easier to cut together later.
If a take runs long, check the speed. The time-left counter shows how long the rest of the script will take at your current wpm, so you can tell early whether you are on track.
When to use a separate camera instead
Browser recording uses whatever camera your browser can see, usually a webcam or the phone front camera. For the best image quality, record on a dedicated camera or your phone rear camera and use this page only as the prompter. The YouTube teleprompter page covers where to place the screen, and the mirror teleprompter covers beam-splitter rigs.
For vertical clips on a phone, the TikTok teleprompter starts with a layout tuned for 9:16. And if you already have long recordings, Short.now can cut them into captioned Shorts, Reels and TikToks for you.
Recorded a long video? Get the Shorts out of it.
Short.now finds the best moments in your video, reframes them to 9:16 and adds captions, so one recording becomes a week of Shorts, Reels and TikToks.
Questions
Yes. Turn on the camera, press Record, and the script scrolls while your browser records the video. Download the take when you stop.
No. The recording is made and held by your browser on your device. It only leaves when you download it and choose where to put it.
Firefox and older versions of Chrome and Edge can only record WebM. Update your browser or use Safari to get MP4, or convert the file with a free tool such as HandBrake.
Yes. On a laptop or desktop, the camera mode uses your webcam and shows the script on top of the preview. Keep the reading line at the top so your eyes stay near the webcam.
Yes. It records your microphone along with the camera. Pick your preferred mic as the system default before you start.
Recording needs camera access and the browser MediaRecorder feature. If access was blocked, allow the camera in the site settings and reload; very old browsers may not support recording at all.
