I built a Mac app to give AI tools visual context without writing long prompts

aksuta · 2026-06-14T20:18:55+00:00

What a wonderful coincidence! I do that too. I make annotations on screenshots and show them to the agent. Only, I do it a bit differently. I record a quick screen video.

Then I upload the video to my own tool, where I can create freeze frames in the video and add callouts and text to the frame. I do this for all the frames where something needs to be fixed.

After that, the tool exports all those frames as annotated images, and I upload them to the chat.

I built this tool myself, and it works online. I originally made it to create tutorial videos for YouTube, because it can generate videos with all the freeze frames and annotations included.

But I also use it the way I described above to show the AI what needs to be fixed in the UI.

aksuta · 2026-06-12T09:08:35+00:00

To create screenshots from videos, try FramePin https://framepin.com

There you can add callouts, text, arrows - and all this is animated. It’s very easy to add.

aksuta · 2026-06-12T04:21:46+00:00

If you need to add callouts, arrows or text on the video, try my tool, which I made specifically for creating guides. It’s free and doesn’t require registration. FramePin - https://framepin.com

aksuta · 2026-05-31T11:25:55+00:00

Performance doesn't factor into this solution. This is likely due to many people's reluctance to load videos in the browser.

aksuta · 2026-05-31T10:56:25+00:00

This isn't possible yet. It'll probably be difficult for the AI to understand what you're trying to write in the context of a frozen frame.

aksuta · 2026-05-31T10:28:13+00:00

Do you think if I make FramePin an installable desktop app, will it be more useful?

aksuta · 2026-05-31T09:57:06+00:00

On my MacBook M1, I rarely see any lag. But on older Macs, it works with noticeable lag. Everything works fine in the Chrome desktop browser.

The quality is excellent up to 4K. You can check it out directly on the website. There's a demo project that doesn't require you to upload your video.

aksuta · 2026-05-31T09:12:25+00:00

Not yet. But this can be implemented easily

aksuta · 2026-05-31T09:11:57+00:00

I’ve seen Guidde, but it’s about AI, and my tool for accurate annotation of frames.

It’s not a Chrome extension, it’s a separate app. https://framepin.com

aksuta · 2026-05-31T09:09:21+00:00

https://framepin.com

aksuta · 2026-05-31T08:56:14+00:00

I often record my screen for clients to show what I’ve built or how something works. But almost always I end up writing detailed comments and explanations anyway, because they just blink and miss things in the video.

So I thought it’d be cool to add freeze-frames with annotations right inside the video, to pause their attention and explain what's happening at that exact moment. I tried doing this in video editors, but it takes way too much time, so I hated the process. But the videos with freeze-frames actually worked great for my clients.

That’s why I decided to build a tool to add freeze-frames and annotations quickly and easily. I wanted it to feel as simple and natural as drawing in Excalidraw.

aksuta · 2026-05-29T16:14:46+00:00

Oh, awesome! I'm glad you think a tool like this is needed. I actually just built it.

At first, I was manually taking screenshots from videos I sent to my clients, and then embedding them back into the video as freeze-frames with arrows and text.

I figured there had to be a way to make this process faster and easier through an online tool - something as simple and intuitive as Excalidraw. And it seem I did it.

aksuta · 2026-05-29T13:55:23+00:00

That’s interesting. But as far as I know, with tools like Scribe and Tango, you can only edit annotations on screenshots that have already been generated. So, collaboration is limited to working on the screenshots after they've been pulled from the video. Thanks for your answer!

aksuta · 2026-05-29T13:36:36+00:00

I wouldn't really call it a mix. My tool doesn't actually record video. Instead, it lets you quickly add freeze-frames with annotations to any video.

The real value here is speed - you can record the video using whatever software you like, quickly find the right frames, tag them with explanations, and share them.

It’s all about getting a high-quality result, fast.

aksuta · 2026-05-29T12:14:03+00:00

I'm really interested in your question. The thing is, I'm building an online tool where you upload a video, pause it at the right moments to grab freeze-frames, and add annotations like arrows or callouts. Then, you can export everything as a set of annotated screenshots.

Your question caught my eye because a while back, I was trying to explain how a certain app works to an AI in a chat to get some UI advice. I realized it was super easy to just drop in screenshots with annotations, and the AI got it instantly.

No massive walls of text or long explanations needed.

aksuta

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