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Introducing Screen Capture Software

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Summary

We introduce a number of screen recording software options for capturing moving image and audio activity on a computer screen.

In this advice document we highlight a range of available software and the key features of each to help you make an informed decision. This advice document is a companion to Screencasting: Broadcasting On-screen Activity that introduces screencasting, why you may want to use it and benefits for teaching and learning.

Introduction

The need to explain actions on a computer is difficult and time consuming. The use of screen capture software reduces such complexity by giving you the ability to visually show your actions and use audio narration and other features for a better experience. Each screen capture recording software presented in this document has different key features that will influence your decision when choosing one. Before picking the software you must consider what your intended outcomes, are as this will naturally support your software feature requirements and ultimately which software to use.

Reasons to use screen capture

A full explanation of the benefits of using screencasting is available in the companion advice document Screencasting: Broadcasting On-screen Activity but a quick overview of uses is:

Software demonstrations
Pre-recorded support material
Fieldwork support
Recording teaching sessions (lectures etc)
On-screen walkthroughs for training and tutorials
Assessment (learner demonstrating and/or teacher feedback)
Producing enhanced video podcasts
Producing material for distance learners
Learners themselves using screen recording software for the above

Key features of screen capture software

In order for any software to be considered screen capture software that is suitable for screencasting it must have the minimum basic key feature: record screen activity that can then be played back. For teaching and learning purposes, simply recording screen actions will rarely be of use in isolation. From the above list ‘reason to use screen capture’ above we need to identify further key features:

Record screen activity that can then be played back AND
The ability to record audio simultaneously during recording

The two key features above will serve many beginners first exploratory uses for screencasting.

However once we have played around with basic recording most of us will have further feature requirements:

Record screen activity that can then be played back
Ability to record audio simultaneously during recording
Overdub or replace audio post-recording
Edit screen capture recording and audio
Export recording in a variety of formats

At this point we introduce a number of solutions that will need our possible uses of screen capture and our software feature requirements. Some of the software has more features available and these are noted below as ‘additional features’.

Picking which software to use will depend on platform (Apple/Windows/Linux/web-based), budget and available software features.

Tip – Store all original media and associated files

It is a good idea to store the original assets to a screencast as this will allow you to re-use them in the future including re-exporting.

General requirements

All screen capture software allows you to record what is happening on the screen and this is the minimum expected of this category of software. In order to use screen capture software you will need a computer that can handle the software. Most screen capture software does not require the latest and fastest computers to work, however some older/slower computers will struggle to record and results will be poor. Ensure that you check the required software specs and/or try the free trial versions first. You will need to consider purchasing:

A computer meeting the software specifications
An optional microphone if audio is required (See our microphone guide advice document)
Optional headphones/speakers to playback audio
An optional webcam to record you

Screen capture examples

The section below provides examples of screen capture software that we have used and are also common or useful to the education sector. This list is not exhaustive nor are these recommendations, it is meant to bring to your attention a range of different options.

CamStudio

Free screen and audio capture offering the `core functionality required to produce a screencast.

Key features

Record screen capture
Record audio during recording of screen capture

Additional features

Video annotation

Export formats

Avi
Adobe Flash (swf)

Trial version: It is free to use
Cost: Free

URL: http://camstudio.org/

ScreenToaster (free online tool)

Free web-based screen and audio capture that doesn’t rely on platform or require software to be installed.

Key features

Record screen capture
Record audio during recording of screen capture

Additional features

Online web service – Works wherever you are with an internet connection
Upload straight to Youtube
Add subtitles

Export formats

Quicktime (.mov)
Adobe flash (.swf)

Trial version: It is free to use
Cost: Free

URL: http://www.screentoaster.com

Adobe Captivate

Screen capture with additional features including the ability to produce quizzes, making it a interactive tool beyond screen capture.

Key features

Record screen capture
Record audio during recording of screen capture

Additional features

Edit tools for your recordings
Text-to-speech
Embed in Adobe PDF files
Some intergration with other Adobe products including Photoshop
Microsoft PowerPoint import functionality
Quiz tool
Branching – To allow multiple scenarios dependent on your choices

Export formats

Avi
Adobe flash (.swf/flv)

Trial version: 30 days free trial
Cost: £ 198

URL: http://www.adobe.com/products/captivate/

Techsmith Camtasia

Screen and video capture with the ability to edit and add a variety of effects and filters.

Key features

Record screen capture
Record audio during recording of screen capture

Additional features

Edit tools for your recordings including live preview
Microsoft PowerPoint presentations toolbar – Record directly within presentation
Zoom and Pan – Get up close on part of the recording for extra clarity
Allows importing of other digital media including images and animation
Closed captioning (subtitles)
Add talking head
Clickable hot spots to allow interactivity
Quiz tool

Export formats

Flash player compatible (MP4/FLV/SWF)
iPod/iPhone/iTunes (M4V)
CD/DVD/lossless export (AVI)
Silverlight-compatible WMV
QuickTime (MOV)
RealMedia (RM)
Animated GIF
Audio only (MP3)

Trial version: Free 30 day trial
Cost: $100 - $200 (mac/pc)

URL: http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp

Silverback

Silverback was designed to record a users interaction using the computer. It provides screen capture, audio and video capture as well as any mouse/keyboard click capture. It is Apple mac only.

Key features

Record screen capture
Record audio during recording of screen capture

Additional features

Records mouse clicks
Records users reactions – uses apple built-in camera

Export formats

Quicktime (.mov)

Trial version: free 30 day trial
Cost: $49.95

URL: http://silverbackapp.com/

To conclude

The use of screen capture has value for many disciplines and uses in education as highlighted above and in our companion document. Once you have created the plan and direction of each resource, the above choices of software will allow you to create basic or full feature screen capture (screencast) resources.

For teaching and learning screen capture can be a powerful and cost/time effective means of communication or assessment. Examples of uses include ‘marking assignments’ and ‘providing instructional direction’.

Finally, it is worth re-iterating the advice:

“…Although screencasting software is not necessarily expensive, it still pays to try before you buy. Most screencasting software have trial versions that often run for 30 days. Alternatively, several free screencasting software/web services exist which may fit your needs, especially if you are new to screencasting.”

If you want to give screencasting a go but still aren’t sure where to start, please do get in touch via our FREE helpdesk.