You can change the mapping of the function and add other hotkeys that allow you to pause the recording or start a recording as well. The only hotkey that is set by default stops the recording when you press Ctrl-Shift-S. Here you can select what to record, full screen, region or window, if you want to record sound, and if you want to record the stream of a web cam.īefore you hit record, I'd suggest you open the options first as you can look up hotkeys here among other things. The recorder interface displays three options to you. Here you also find tutorial videos that you can watch to learn the program this way, and a link to the help manual to look things up there. That does not necessarily have to be a bad thing though, for instance if you just want to record the screen and use video editing software to edit the recording afterwards.Ī program wizard is displayed on first launch that links to the core program features. There is also no support for annotations or video editing, and as far as effects are concerned, only cursor highlighting is available. You can for instance only export screencasts to avi or Flash video, but not to mpeg4, quicktime or other formats that the commercial versions support. The Express version is limited in what you can do with it. The Express version of BB FlashBack is free, while the standard and professional version are not. Free video screen capture software programs Free Programs The list is divided into free video screen capture programs and commercial programs. While all can be used to record the desktop and activity on it, only a few come with capabilities to record computer games or full screen activities.

Not every software application is suited for all situations though. They can be used to create product demonstrations, tutorials, or even game videos that are quite popular these days on video hosting sites such as YouTube. Screencasts are used in a variety of situations. That does not mean that some programs are not available for other operating systems as well, or available as online services, but the main focus is Windows here. This guide reviews screencast solutions exclusively and will concentrate on solutions that are available for the Windows operating system. The term screen capture may refer to taking a screenshot of the desktop or part of it, or a screencast which is a digital recording that records activity over time.

Snagit video capture failed