Screencast

Last updated April 15, 2024

A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture or a screen recording, often containing audio narration. The term screencast compares with the related term screenshot ; whereas screenshot generates a single picture of a computer screen, a screencast is essentially a movie of the changes over time that a user sees on a computer screen, that can be enhanced with audio narration and captions.

Etymology

In 2004, columnist Jon Udell invited readers of his blog to propose names for the emerging genre.^[1] Udell selected the term "screencast", which was proposed by both Joseph McDonald and Deeje Cooley.^[2]

The terms "screencast" and "screencam" are often used interchangeably,^[3]^[4] due to the market influence of ScreenCam as a screencasting product of the early 1990s.^[5] ScreenCam, however, is a federal trademark in the United States, whereas screencast is not trademarked and has established use in publications as part of Internet and computing vernacular.^[6]^[7]

Uses

Screencasts can help demonstrate and teach the use of software features. Creating a screencast helps software developers show off their work. Educators may also use screencasts as another means of integrating technology into the curriculum.^[8] Students can record video and audio as they demonstrate the proper procedure to solve a problem on an interactive whiteboard.

Screencasts are useful tools for ordinary software users as well: They help filing report bugs in which the screencasts take the place of potentially unclear written explanations; they help showing others how a given task is accomplished in a specific software environment.

Organizers of seminars may choose to routinely record complete seminars and make them available to all attendees for future reference and/or sell these recordings to people who cannot afford the fee of the live seminar or do not have the time to attend it. This will generate an additional revenue stream for the organizers and makes the knowledge available to a broader audience.

This strategy of recording seminars is already widely used in fields where using a simple video camera or audio recorder is insufficient to make a useful recording of a seminar. Computer-related seminars need high quality and easily readable recordings of screen contents which is usually not achieved by a video camera that records the desktop.

In classrooms, teachers and students can use this tool to create videos to explain content, vocabulary, etc. Videos can make class time more productive for both teachers and students. Screencasts may increase student engagement and achievement and also provide more time in which students can work collaboratively in groups, so screencasts help them to think through cooperative learning.

In addition, screencasts allow students to move at their own pace since they can pause or review content anytime and anywhere. Screencasts are excellent for those learners who just need an oral as well as a visual explanation of the content presented.

Software

Open-source tools like OBS Studio and ShareX exist for both screencasting and livestreaming the recorded video. OBS Studio in particular is widely used for video game live streaming due to its ability to handle additional sources like cameras and microphones.^[9]

Proprietary software programs of note include CloudApp, and Camtasia.

Microsoft's Xbox (app) included in Windows 10 has a screen recorder.

Trial versions of screencasting programs often apply a watermark, encouraging users to purchase the full version in order to remove it. ^[10]

Hardware

An alternative solution for capturing a screencast is the use of a hardware RGB or DVI frame grabber card. This approach places the burden of the recording and compression process on a machine separate from the one generating the visual material being captured.^[11]

In popular culture

The films Unfriended , Unfriended: Dark Web , and Searching contain screencasts that were simulated for the purposes of the film.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media player software</span> Software that can play video and audio data

Media player software is a type of application software for playing multimedia computer files like audio and video files. Media players commonly display standard media control icons known from physical devices such as tape recorders and CD players, such as play, pause, fastforward (⏩️), rewind (⏪), and stop buttons. In addition, they generally have progress bars, which are sliders to locate the current position in the duration of the media file.

A tutorial, in education, is a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture, a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete a certain task.

Screen capture may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fraps</span> Screen recording and benchmark utility for Windows

Fraps is a benchmarking, screen capture and screen recording utility for Windows developed by Beepa. It can capture from software that uses DirectX and OpenGL, such as PC games.

HyperCam is a screencasting program made and created by Hyperionics and Solveig Multimedia. It captures the action from a Microsoft Windows screen and saves it to an AVI or WMV or ASF movie file. HyperCam will also record all sound output, and sound from the system microphone can also be recorded.

This page provides a comparison of notable screencasting software, used to record activities on the computer screen. This software is commonly used for desktop recording, gameplay recording and video editing. Screencasting software is typically limited to streaming and recording desktop activity alone, in contrast with a software vision mixer, which has the capacity to mix and switch the output between various input streams.

ScreenCam is a screencast tool for Microsoft Windows that is used to author software demonstrations, software simulations, branched scenarios, and tutorials in .swf format. ScreenCam was primarily targeted at users who need to create video-oriented instructional materials who were not multimedia authors or video capture technicians. It was very easy to use, having a 'VCR-like' interface and requiring no knowledge of digital video editing, or the concept of 'frames' of a movie, because it used a different paradigm for creating the screen movies. It can also be used for creation of screencasts and conversion of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to the Adobe Flash format.

Snagit is screen capture and screen recording software for Windows and macOS. It is created and developed by TechSmith and was first launched in 1990. Snagit is available in English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish versions.

BB FlashBack is a Windows-based screen recording program, distributed by Blueberry Software. It allows the user to add text effects, cut and paste movie footage and edit mouse movements. Recordings are initially saved in a proprietary format which can be opened and edited in the associated editor. Once editing is complete they can be exported to Flash, AVI, and a variety of other formats. A PowerPoint plug-in is also deployed with the program's installer. A freeware version of this program was released in April 2009.

Camtasia is a software suite, created and published by TechSmith, for creating and recording video tutorials and presentations via screencast, or via a direct recording plug-in to Microsoft PowerPoint. Other multimedia recordings may be recorded at the same time or added separately. Camtasia is available in English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese versions.

A screenshot is a digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by the operating system or software running on the device powering the display.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jing (software)</span> Retired screen sharing software

Jing was a screencasting computer program released in November 2007 as Jing Project by the TechSmith Corporation. Users must create an account before they can use the software, which must be installed on their computer. Its simple format and the ability to upload captures instantly have made Jing useful in virtual library references.

ScreenFlow from Telestream, Inc. is a screencasting and video editing software for the macOS operating system. It can capture the audio and video from the computer, edit the captured video, add highlights or annotation, and output a number of different file types such as AIFF, GIF, M4V, MOV, and MP4.

Pixetell was an online communication and collaboration tool for producing and sharing screencasts, or short videos that present the contents and activity on their computer screen. Its developer, Ontier Inc., was acquired in 2011, but it was not publicly disclosed what company acquired Ontier and its product Pixetell. The service was discontinued in May 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandicam</span> Screen capture and screen recording software

Bandicam is a closed-source screen capture and screen recording software originally developed by Bandisoft and later by Bandicam Company that can take screenshots or record screen changes.

OBS Studio is a free and open-source, cross-platform screencasting and streaming app. It is available for Windows, macOS, Linux distributions, and BSD. The OBS Project raises funds on the platforms Open Collective and Patreon.

SimpleScreenRecorder is a Qt-based free and open source multithreaded screencast software made for Linux and Unix-like operating systems which can handle similar tasks FFmpeg/avconv and VLC does.

ShareX is a free and open-source screenshot and screencast software for Windows. It is published under the GNU General Public License. The project's source code is hosted on GitHub. It is also available on the Microsoft Store and Steam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adobe Presenter Video Express</span> Software

Adobe Presenter Video Express is screencasting and video editing software developed by Adobe Systems.

CloudApp is a cross-platform screen capture and screen recording desktop client that supports online storage and sharing.

References

↑ Udell, Jon (15 November 2004). "Jon Udell: Name that genre". InfoWorld. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
↑ Udell, Jon (17 November 2004). "Jon Udell: Name that genre: screencast". InfoWorld. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
↑ "Definition of ScreenCam". PC Magazine: Encyclopedia. Ziff Davis. 9 May 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
↑ "Definition of Screencast". PC Magazine: Encyclopedia. Ziff Davis. 9 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
↑ McCracken, Harry (9 May 1994). "Lotus' ScreenCam is Easy Multimedia". InfoWorld . 16 (19). InfoWorld Media Group: 121. ISSN 0199-6649. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
↑ Braun, Linda (2007). Listen up! Podcasting for Schools and Libraries. Medford, New Jersey: Information Today, Inc. ISBN 978-1-57387-304-8.
↑ Notess, Greg (2006). Teaching Web Search Skills . Medford, New Jersey: Information Today. ISBN 978-1-57387-267-6.
↑ "Audiovisual formative feedback in online quizzes and essays" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
↑ Wilde, Tyler (4 December 2012). "How to stream games with Open Broadcaster: a fast, free livestreaming application – News – PC Gamer". PC Gamer. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
↑ "Top 3 Free Screencast Software To Create High-Quality Videos You Must Know". eLearning Industry. 29 September 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
↑ "Automate Video Capture for Screencasting". Archived from the original on 16 April 2009.