Brief Summary
This video provides a comprehensive tutorial on how to use Brilliant, a screen annotation tool for Mac OS. It covers the user interface, basic and advanced tools, key bindings, and differences between the free and paid versions. The tutorial aims to equip users with the knowledge to effectively annotate their screens for presentations, tutorials, and collaborative work.
- Introduction to Brilliant as a powerful screen annotation tool for Mac OS.
- Overview of the user interface, including the left, right, and bottom toolbars.
- Explanation of various tools such as pen, rectangle, circle, line, arrow, text, snip, and move.
- Discussion of key bindings for quick access to colors, stroke width, and tools.
- Instructions on how to use the hand tool, eraser, and settings.
- Comparison between the free and paid versions of Brilliant.
Introduction to Brilliant
Brilliant is introduced as a powerful and user-friendly screen annotator for Mac OS, with a free version that rivals paid alternatives. To get started, users need to download and install the app from brilliant.design. Upon launching the app, users are greeted with a user interface that includes left, right, and bottom toolbars. For basic screen annotation, only the bottom toolbar is necessary, and it can be dragged to any location on the screen.
Basic Tools and Key Bindings
The bottom toolbar provides access to various colors and tools for annotation. Users can select colors like red, blue, and green, and use tools such as arrows and rectangles to draw on the screen. Each action has a corresponding key binding for quick access; for example, Ctrl+R switches the color to red, Ctrl+B to blue, and so on. The stroke width can be controlled using the numbers 1 to 9, with 1 being the smallest and 9 the largest. For even larger widths, the plus and minus buttons can be used.
Advanced Annotation Tools
The video covers advanced tools like the pen, rectangle, circle, line, arrow, and text tools. The text tool allows users to add text to the screen, with adjustable size using numbers 1 to 9. The snip tool allows users to capture specific portions of the screen, which is useful for magnifying smaller details. The move tool enables manipulation of existing elements, such as moving, resizing, and rotating annotations. Holding down the shift key while resizing maintains the aspect ratio of the image or locks the shape to an axis.
Canvas Manipulation and Additional Tools
The hand tool allows users to drag the canvas around, providing an infinite space for annotations. Users can zoom in and out using the trackpad or command plus/minus, and reset the zoom level with command 0. The eraser tool removes annotations, either individually or by dragging across multiple elements. The garbage icon or the C keybinding clears the entire canvas.
Settings and Global Hotkey
The settings button opens Brilliant's preferences, where users can configure various options, such as launching the app on login. The default global hotkey, Ctrl+F, shows and hides Brilliant, allowing users to access the annotation tools from anywhere on the screen. To use the global hotkey, Brilliant needs accessibility permission, which can be granted in the system settings.
Command Pallet and UI Customization
The command pallet, accessible via command shift P, provides access to all features in the app. Users can search for specific actions, such as "highlight," and see the corresponding key bindings. The toolbar can be collapsed to the top or bottom of the screen, or hidden completely using the "show/hide user interface" button. The UI can be toggled using command backslash or by hovering over the green indicator in the top right corner.
Free vs Paid Version
The video explains the difference between the free and paid versions of Brilliant. In the free version, some tools are grayed out and have limited daily uses. Users can check the number of remaining invocations in the command pallet. The paid version unlocks all features with a one-time payment, providing unlimited access forever.
Conclusion and Support
The video concludes by encouraging users to explore Brilliant and provide feedback. Feature requests and bug reports can be submitted via the Discord server, accessible through the Brilliant website. The presenter thanks the viewers and expresses hope that the tutorial was helpful.
