Uploaded May 2014 | Updated September 2026, 16 hours ago
This is a software review for two free programs that let you draw on screen just like you see CBT Nuggets do in their presentations.
So this video is a tutorial on how to do a good tutorial, but also a quick and dirty review of Epic Pen and ZoomIt as these are
the free tools we are using to draw on screen to help bolster and make more professional our YouTube or in person presentations.
Epic Pen @ Sourceforge
sourceforge.net/projects/epicpen
ZoomIt @ Microsoft Technet
technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897434.aspx
Also the software I used to record this presentation is OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)
OBS Homepage
obsproject.com/index
(Big thanks to all the software developers for all you do, especially the OBS Team)
Also a shout out to CBT Nuggets they have been a good resource to help me get several of my IT certifications.
CBT Nuggets Homepage
cbtnuggets.com
Now about this video:
A short chat about why I think on screen annotations is a great idea, and how implementing this into your videos or presentations could help take you up to the next step.
I encourage a lot of high level things to make your presentations better, but this one is free and only takes trying so definitely try to add it to your videos if you can and a shout out to me if this helps you is greatly appreciated!
The software itself.
Epic Pen - Freeware must be installed, very light weight, very responsive.
Pros
Easy to Use
Works great with a tablet (Wacom or other)
Maintains a live desktop behind your drawings
Cons
Lacks a few of the neat features ZoomIt has
ZoomIt - Freeware, runs sandboxed no installer needed.
Pros
Has additional markup like rectangles, arrows, and ellipses
Has text so you can type instead of write
Can zoom in on your screen to help show fine detail that would be hard to see without a full size video and often detail is lost in video compression when encoded and then again when sent to YouTube so a zoom can help compensate for that loss in quality.
Cons
Does not respond well to my Wacom tablet
Background is static when marked up so no live desktop behind your annotations.
This is a software review for two free programs that let you draw on screen just like you see CBT Nuggets do in their presentations.
So this video is a tutorial on how to do a good tutorial, but also a quick and dirty review of Epic Pen and ZoomIt as these are
the free tools we are using to draw on screen to help bolster and make more professional our YouTube or in person presentations.
Epic Pen @ Sourceforge
sourceforge.net/projects/epicpen
ZoomIt @ Microsoft Technet
technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897434.aspx
Also the software I used to record this presentation is OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)
OBS Homepage
obsproject.com/index
(Big thanks to all the software developers for all you do, especially the OBS Team)
Also a shout out to CBT Nuggets they have been a good resource to help me get several of my IT certifications.
CBT Nuggets Homepage
cbtnuggets.com
Now about this video:
A short chat about why I think on screen annotations is a great idea, and how implementing this into your videos or presentations could help take you up to the next step.
I encourage a lot of high level things to make your presentations better, but this one is free and only takes trying so definitely try to add it to your videos if you can and a shout out to me if this helps you is greatly appreciated!
The software itself.
Epic Pen - Freeware must be installed, very light weight, very responsive.
Pros
Easy to Use
Works great with a tablet (Wacom or other)
Maintains a live desktop behind your drawings
Cons
Lacks a few of the neat features ZoomIt has
ZoomIt - Freeware, runs sandboxed no installer needed.
Pros
Has additional markup like rectangles, arrows, and ellipses
Has text so you can type instead of write
Can zoom in on your screen to help show fine detail that would be hard to see without a full size video and often detail is lost in video compression when encoded and then again when sent to YouTube so a zoom can help compensate for that loss in quality.
Cons
Does not respond well to my Wacom tablet
Background is static when marked up so no live desktop behind your annotations.
