Zoominator: How to Smoothly Zoom & Follow Mouse in OBS Studio
Enhance Your OBS Studio with Zoominator: The Ultimate Live Zoom Plugin
If you use OBS Studio for recording tutorials, gameplay, or live streaming, you’ve likely faced the challenge of showing small details on your screen. In the past, creators had to rely on external tools like the Windows Magnifier or older, complex scripts.
But there is a better way. Today, we’re looking at a hidden gem called Zoominator—a free, open-source plugin that lets you zoom into your sources live while you work.
What is Zoominator?
Zoominator is a lightweight plugin (under 1MB!) designed specifically for OBS Studio. It allows you to zoom into any source—whether it’s your entire display, a specific game, or a window—and have the camera smoothly follow your mouse cursor.
Unlike older tools like "OBS Zoom to Mouse," which required Python and hasn't been updated in years, Zoominator is modern, actively developed, and works natively within OBS on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Why You Should Use It
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Native Integration: No need for third-party apps running over your screen.
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Ease of Use: No Python installation or complex scripting required.
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Professional Feel: It features smooth animations and supports vertical video formats.
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Lightweight: It doesn't bog down your system resources.
How to Install Zoominator
Installing the plugin is straightforward. Follow these steps for Windows:
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Download: Grab the latest zip file from the links below.
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Extract: Right-click and extract the folder.
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Copy Folders: Open the extracted folder and copy the
binanddatafolders. -
Paste into OBS: Go to your OBS Studio installation folder (usually in
Program Files) and paste the folders there. -
Troubleshooting: If the plugin doesn't appear in OBS, navigate to the plugin's
bin/64-bitfolder, copy theZoominator.dllandZoominator.pdbfiles, and move them directly intoobs-plugins/64-bitin your OBS directory.
Getting Started
Once installed, follow these steps to set it up:
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Open OBS and go to Tools > Zoominator.
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Select Source: Choose the display or game capture you want to zoom into.
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Choose Behavior: Set it to "Hold" (zooms only while the key is pressed) or "Toggle" (press once to zoom in, again to zoom out).
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Set Hotkeys: Assign a keyboard shortcut (like
Ctrl + ~) or a mouse button. -
Tweak Settings: Adjust the Zoom Factor (1.75 is a great sweet spot) and animation speed to your liking.
Download Links
Ready to try it out? You can find the plugin at the following official links:
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GitHub: mmlTools/zoominator
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OBS Forums: Zoominator Source Zoom and Mouse Follow
Zoominator is an amazing tool that deserves more than its current nine stars. If you’re a tutorial creator or a streamer, this plugin is a must-have to make your content clearer and more engaging for your viewers!
I’ve also made a video on this topic — you can watch it below.
Check out my other posts, I post useful tutorials and tech tips, maybe you will find something useful 😉.