Need to mark a detail while presenting or teaching without leaving the current screen? Epic Pen lets you draw, write, and highlight over other applications as they remain open, so annotations appear during the explanation.
Annotating a live screen
Epic Pen places marks over the content already on screen, including slides, charts, documents, and browser windows. Draw a line under a key phrase, circle a part of a diagram, or add a handwritten note while continuing to show the original material.
The toolbar provides pen, eraser, and highlighter tools. A text tool and shapes tools offer other ways to label or emphasize content. Keyboard shortcuts give quick access to tools and functions during a lesson or screen-sharing session.
Which tools suit a presentation or lesson?
Fading ink is available for marks that should disappear after appearing on screen. The highlighted cursor option draws attention to pointer movement, while separate stroke sizes let the drawing tools make marks of different widths.
For a blank surface, Epic Pen can bring up a whiteboard or blackboard. Ghost mode lets users work with shortcuts while leaving the screen free of the toolbar. A screenshot tool is also included for capturing screen content.
Colors and annotation workflow
Epic Pen's color palette supports color-coded marks—for example, using different colors to distinguish parts of a mechanism or ideas on a chart. The Basic edition lists 16 colors, and Pro lists 24.
A typical workflow is to open the material to explain, choose a drawing or highlighting tool, and mark the relevant details as they appear. Erasing provides a way to remove marks during the session; the whiteboard and blackboard modes provide a change of surface when the underlying application is no longer the focus.
Pros
- Pen, eraser, and highlighter tools for live screen annotations
- Fading ink and highlighted cursor options
- Shortcut-operated ghost mode keeps the screen clear
- Instant whiteboard and blackboard modes
Can Epic Pen annotate a presentation while it is open?
Yes. It draws and highlights over other applications, so presentation content can stay visible during the explanation.
What is ghost mode in Epic Pen?
Ghost mode lets users operate with keyboard shortcuts while keeping the toolbar off the screen.
Does Epic Pen include a blank drawing surface?
Yes. It has whiteboard and blackboard modes that can be activated during a session.