I'm in the process of searching for a good screen cast recording solution on Windows. Since I will be doing presentations on code, it is of the highest importance users can read the text in the video. I also don't expect to get everything in one pass, and would like to add text "bubbles" and other graphics to the presentation. Oh, I want it to be free or low (sub $100) cost.
While there are all-in-one solutions, I found it is easier to separate the process into recorder and editor. For the recorders, there are two choices I highly recommend:
- CamStudio - This is the best little recorder I've found. It's light on the features compared to the others, but many of those features I doubt I'll ever need. Record full screen or a region, and the quality is amazing. Use with the Camstudio Lossless Codec and you're sure to have no problem editing your video. Best of all, it's free as in beer.
- SnagIt - SnagIt is the low cost ($40) capture program by TechSmith. To be fair, SnagIt offers much more than screen recording - it can capture web pages, images, or text and can also allow you to edit them and add graphics and text. Except video, you cannot edit video with SnagIt.
There is a tidal wave of video editing software out there, at all price ranges. I'm sorry to report, at this time I have not found a product, free or low cost, I can fully recommend. Here is the roundup:
- Wax - Wax aims to be an open source After Effects, and looks like they are on their way to achieving that goal. The interface isn't polished, but it gets the job done with an amazing amount of 3D effects is included out of the box. I found it quite easy to chop up my video, copy the current frame, add graphics and text, and save the result. The problem came in under that last part - no matter what setting I tried, even saving uncompressed frames, wax degraded the quality of the video and bloated the file. After testing various codecs and settings, I posted to the forums asking if I overlooked something. No reply yet; I'll update this section later if I do find a fix.
- Wink - Made by the same people who made Wax; although that's hard to believe. The Wink UI feels as polished as anything Abode has created (or bought and put their name on). It's a full solution, record and edit. Instead of video, Wink generates interactive flash - your viewers can click links and navigate around the screencast. Very cool, but while the finished produced and interface are slick, the process is impossible. Wink wants you to take screenshots to build your screencast, though it does have an auto record method. This generates many frames and is hard to work with in the editor. No method to record audio, you can just attach an existing audio file. After playing with this for a while, I couldn't see myself using it very long.
- Avid Free DV - Avid are kings of the old school video editing world; and that's where they should stay if this product is anything they claim to have developed. Buggy - windows kept flying off the screen when I clicked them - and bad support for dual monitors. Not thinking about dual monitors tells me they have no idea how people work with video on a PC. Stick to devices with jog wheels, Avid.
- Multiquence - This is a low cost ($55) multi-track editor that supports video and audio editing. The interface has a charming Windows 3.1 feel but it did pass the quality tests that Wax failed. Passed with flying colors, slicing up and stitching back together my test recording from CamStudio lost no quality. Sadly, the old world charm of the UI wore off when I realized there is no synced preview window. You do not see the frame you are on when editing - a nightmare for trying to decide where to make the cut. From bad to worse, the preview window allows only 4:3 resolutions - since my test footage was in 720x480 the preview window was badly pixelated.
- Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 and Windows Movie Maker - Windows Movie Maker is free with Windows XP, Adobe Premiere Elements is normally $99 but with rebate is currently going for $60 on Amazon. Both of these are aimed at getting Dad to copy home movies from the DV Cam to a DVD. Editing is a pain for screencasts and quality is killed by the lack of save options.
- BB FlashBack Express - A low cost ($40) version of the full product. This is the only one in the list I didn't actually test - when I was downloading the express version I learned the express had all editing features stripped. The full version is $200, out of the price range.
Not a good outlook, eh? Well it's not all bad. There are two free tools to cover the gap:
- DubIt - Made by the people of SnagIt, DubIt is a free audio recording program that adds audio to already captured video. Made to pair with SnagIt, it works great with CamStudio too.
- VirtualDubMod - There are dozens of versions of VirtualDub, but this is the one to go with. It's not a multitrack editor, and it's not going to let you add graphics and text to your video, but it is good at what it does and will let you cut and splice your screencast together. This tool may have a little bit of a learning curve for those not familiar with codes and formats, but it's worth the effort. Even if I found an editor I liked, I would be using VirtualDubMod to do the final encode to get the best quality for the file size.
Well, that sums up the known options so far. Macromedia Adobe Captivate is something I'll give a try, just to see what the high priced end has to offer. Who knows, if I can apply all those tips by Victor from the last blogger's meetup, it will pay for itself!
