YouTube is chock-full of tutorial videos, gameplay demonstrations and video blogs, most of which are recorded via a desktop program such as Sony Vegas, or Camtasia Studio. These programs allow you to both record and edit footage from your computer, offering remarkable control over the process, but sport a rather hefty price tag to boot.
And so what happens if you can’t afford to buy such software? Well, you could turn to free open source alternatives, such as CamStudio, but really you need look no further than to the internet.
Screencast-o-matic is one such service that operates through your web browser, using java to record your screen for you. It can pick-up your microphone, too, should you wish to also record audio, and videos can be uploaded directly to YouTube.
It’s certainly one of the easiest methods of video creation out there, and there’s no download required – assuming you already have java installed. Screencast-o-matic is also cross-platform, since it’s nothing more than a browser extension, meaning that it’s available for Windows, Mac and thus, theoretically, also Linux; a significant benefit when compared to desktop software.
- Recording is simple, as shown
Recording a video is a simple affair; simply click the “start recording” button that’s available on the front page of the website, drag the recording box to your chosen size, don’t forget to set your microphone volume, and then hit Alt + P together. This will start the recording process, and screencast-o-matic will record for up to fifteen minutes in a single take.
Once you’ve finished, simply tap the Alt + P combination again to stop recording. You’ll then be presented with three options: upload to screencast-o-matic, upload to YouTube HD, or save as a video file on your computer. Up until this point, this service doesn’t require an account. However, if you wish to upload your video to screencast-o-matic, then you will need to sign-up. Fortunately, if you are so inclined, it’s free.
Opt to upload to YouTube or to save the video as a file on your computer, then, and you’ll be presented with a slew of options for rendering your work. It’s worthwhile noting that you cannot actually edit the video through the free version of this service, and so if that’s what you’re looking for then you’ll probably want to download the file to your computer and edit elsewhere.
As mentioned above, you will not require an account, or need to pay anything upfront, in order to record video using the screencast-o-matic service. However, if you opt to use the service in this way, i.e. for free, then a watermark including the website URL will feature in the corner of your videos. Should you want to remove this, simply sign-up for a premium account and pay the required $12 per year fee (approximately £8) – a low cost, given the simplicity of this service.
- Available export options
Paying for this service will also entitle you to a number of other useful features; the ability to download the screencast-o-matic software as a program, which can be used outside the browser, various editing tools, advanced recorder controls and also the removal of the fifteen minute time limit for videos.
The editing tools (of which the full list can be seen here; but include transitions, crop, overlay and resize) are unlikely to be of the same depth or quality as those found in a dedicated video editing suite, e.g. those mentioned at the beginning of this article. However, they would certainly be more than enough for the average user, who wouldn’t require the extensive list of tools available in one of the aforementioned desktop alternatives.
You can try screencast-o-matic for yourself by visiting the following website: http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/.
Discussion
No comments yet.