Creating an educational video for “asynchronous” courses is not complicated. It is simply a matter of recording our explanation as part of the content so that our students can view it as many times as necessary. Fortunately, the ease of use of screen recording software has improved significantly over the years, and it is now possible to create professional-looking tutorials with minimal effort.
Besides tutorials, there are more reasons why you might be interested in recording your screen, for example, if you are doing product demos, needing or offering technical support, or using video calls. In these cases, you can use the default screenshot of your computer, but this will fall short of what you need is to obtain more image quality.
For those cases, you need high-quality screen recording software.
What is screen recording software?
With screen recording software, you can record all (or some parts) of your computer screen.
However, no two tools are the same. Some cannot save the recorded footage to various formats or export it directly to video platforms such as YouTube. Others may have the ability to do all of that but may be missing a feature or two. For example, not all screen recording apps come with an HD screen recorder.
Assessing your recording needs is also crucial. Perhaps you don’t need to record in HD because HD files take a long time to load. And you’re looking to quickly upload a standard-quality video to the web, so HD isn’t a must; Or maybe you’ve recently purchased video-hosting and can do without a YouTube export option.
To choose, you can be guided by the following essential criteria:
- Make it easy to use;
- Record the entire screen, a particular area or a window;
- Allow users to annotate recorded footage;
- Include system and microphone audio;
- Capture images from external sources;
- Have built-in export options;
1. OBS-Studio
OBS is a free screen video recorder that offers HD recording and streaming, with no limits on the length of your videos.
It allows you to capture a part of the screen you want, but it also gives you the option to record the entire screen. Customizable hotkeys help control recording, and an audio mixer lets you seamlessly produce videos with recorded sound.
In addition to intuitive screencasting features, OBS is equipped with live streaming capabilities.
2. Loom
Loom is a good free tool to record your computer screen, being able to show not only a presentation but any educational application that you have installed or a web page. It also allows the recording of audio and your image through the webcam and making annotations on the screen.
The final result has a very attractive design, with your image appearing in a circle instead of the classic rectangle that we are used to. Its strong point is the ability to share your video online in a matter of seconds once recorded, which eliminates the need to download the video file to your computer and then upload it to YouTube or Vimeo.
Another very useful function is the possibility of inserting timed comments at a specific minute of the video, with which you can insert web links at a specific point so that your students expand information or allow them to write their doubts at an exact moment the video.
The videos can have the duration you want, without limit, and with the possibility of eliminating errors at the end of the recording. LOOM is currently free indefinitely for all teachers and students.
3. Screencastify
Screencastify is another screen recording app that works through Google Chrome.
Whether you’re a seasoned video maker or a novice, you’ll find that Screencastify offers all the great options. You can use this tool to record your webcam, full screen, or browser tab only, as well as your voice into the microphone. It also introduces you to annotation tools that help keep your viewers focused on what’s important. Click highlight, draw tool, and mouse spotlight are included.
And once you’ve recorded the screen, Screencastify automatically saves the video to your Google Drive.
4. Sharex
This Linux and Windows-compatible open-source screen recording software are ideal for capturing videos. With no watermarks or length limits, you also have the option to save your file as a GIF.
The video file sharing features are the most significant advantage of ShareX because it is easy to upload recordings to YouTube or other platforms.
Improving screenshots with this tool doesn’t require much effort either. It has a built-in photo editor, which allows you to freely customize still photos the way you want. Not only is it a brilliant screenshot tool, but it can also recognize text via OCR (Optical Character Recognition), record scrolling through an entire web page, and even schedule screen recording.
5. RecordCast
RecordCast is presented as a solution to record and edit videos captured from your screen without the need to install any application. Best of all, free of advertising.
Using the new features of Javascript and HTML, the RecordCast team has developed a very interesting web application for those who work capturing the content of their screens, such as YouTubers or Gamers.
RecordCast is presented as a very interesting alternative when it comes to capturing the content and sound of your screen in video format, to later be able to edit it, either on its own platform or any editor, you have at hand.
Who is it addressed to? Recordcast is aimed at teachers, YouTubers, gamers, or anyone who needs to record their screen content along with the audio.