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Imagine you need to show someone how to log in to an online account or how to use a feature in a product. You could write out an email. Or you could capture your screen and take a few screenshots.
But best of all might be recording your screen.
If you own a modern Mac, there is a screen recorder built-in the QuickTime Player X app. QuickTime can record whatever you have displayed on screen, including video playing on websites. To start recording your screen activities, launch the program and hit the Screen recording button. Alternatively, you can just press F10 in Windows or ⌥ ⌘ 2 on Mac. To draw a capture frame, hold down the left mouse button and drag the cursor. You can resize and move the frame if you wish.
When you record your screen you can include typing the address into your browser and show all your mouse movements and clicks to let people see exactly where to go and how to get there.
You can include video and audio when you record your screen too. Use microphone audio to narrate your video from your computer’s built-in microphone or an external mic.
You can also record your system audio (that’s the sound that comes out of your speakers).
If you’re comparing different screen recording tools, make sure you get a screen recorder with sound recording options built-in.
Screen recording, also known as a screencast, is perfect or creating tutorials, product demos, how-to videos, and other instructional videos. You can even record games or record presentations, or make a YouTube video.
For short, quick recordings
Short, simple recordings that won’t require much editing can be done with something like Snagit (which is what I use most of the time).
For longer, edited recordings
For longer or more complex recordings that may need more editing, something like Camtasia will be better. Camtasia even allows you to enhance the video by zooming in on areas of emphasis, highlighting your mouse clicks, adding text or graphic call-outs and more.
Debut Screen and Video Recorder Free is an easy to use screen video recording software that can record and capture video from almost any source – your computer screen, webcam or even VHS tapes. Screen capture your entire desktop, a single window, or a selected portion. The built-in screen recorder of Filmora9 allows to record the PC screen and record.
Record your screen today!
Download one of our free screen recorder trials to quickly and easily record your computer screen.
Choose the screen recording software you’ll use. As noted above, Snagit is great for simple, short desktop recordings, while something like Camtasia might be better for longer, more complex jobs.
However, recordings made with Snagit can be easily shared with Camtasia and assembled into longer, more complex videos there.
Today, I’ll show you how to record your screen on Windows and Mac with Snagit for simple recordings, and Camtasia for more polished videos.
How to record your desktop screen with Snagit (For screen recordings with minor editing)
Snagit is great for screenshots and quick and easy screen recordings. It’s perfect for when you want videos that look great, but don’t take hours of editing time.
Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Choose what you want to record
First, select the video tab from the Capture Window and make sure Region is selected from the drop-down.
Then, hit the big red record icon.
The Snagit crosshairs appear. Use them to select an area to record.
The selection snaps to the windows you have open…pretty sweet huh?
Step 2: Record your audio
With your region selected, it’s time to make some audio decisions.
To record your voice, select the microphone. And if you want to record the sounds that come from your computer, like the beeps and boops you hear, select this option.
When you’re ready, click record and Snagit counts down. Now, anything that appears in the recording area is captured.
If you want your viewers to see your beautiful face, click the webcam button to toggle between recording your webcam or your screen. When finished, click the pause button to bring up the recording controls
Then click stop.
Step 3: Trim your video
Your video appears right on the canvas, in the tray below and is ready to share.
No waiting for rendering. No waiting for that loading bar. The video is ready to go.
Once you’re finished recording, you’ll probably want to edit it a little. Even the most carefully planned recordings will have something you want to cut out. With Snagit, you can easily trim your recording to remove unwanted pieces.
![Screenshot video recording mac Screenshot video recording mac](/uploads/1/1/8/8/118839891/212031658.jpg)
If you find mistakes or parts you want to remove, make a selection with the playhead, and click cut.
If you’re looking for in-depth, super-powered video editing, Snagit might not be the tool for you (Check out the Camtasia section below).
Snagit is simple, gets the job done and is easy-to-use.
Step 4: Save or share
When you’re finished with your video, click Share and choose the option that’s best for you. If you’re not sure what to choose, we recommend Screencast.
You get an easily shareable link that you can paste in an email, slack channel or wherever. (Plus, it’s free!)
If you do want to dive deep into editing your videos or want to create a more high-quality video, we recommend Camtasia, the best all-in-one screen recording and video editing software.
How to record your desktop screen with Camtasia (For polished, professional-quality screen recordings)
Step 1: Choose your recording options
To start a recording after you open Camtasia, click the Record button at the top of the tools panel.
This opens the Camtasia recorder, which by default, is set to capture everything that happens on your screen. This is essentially the control center for your screen and audio recordings.
The Camtasia recorder allows you to customize the controls for your recording.
Desktop Video Recording For Macbook Air
Step 2: Choose the region you want to record
Start by selecting a recording area that only includes the relevant screen content you want to record.
For some things, it may make sense to record your entire screen. However, if you’re only showing the steps necessary for a particular piece of software or where to click on a website, you may want to choose to record only that window (or a portion of it), rather than the entire desktop.
You can choose to record the full screen or select a custom region to record.
Note: If you’re doing a full-screen recording, it’s a good idea to clean up your desktop a bit so that it’s not too cluttered or so you’re not revealing anything you might not want the whole world (or at least your customers or colleagues) to see.
Step 3: Record your desktop with audio (if you want to)
If you’re narrating your recording, having a script or at least some talking points is a good idea to ensure you say what you want to say in the way you want to say it.
But for now, just choose which microphone you want to record from or choose to record the system audio from your computer.
Step 4: Edit your video
Camtasia comes with a built-in video editor and it takes just a few steps and some simple video editing tips.
To start, cut out mistakes by selecting them with the playhead, then clicking cut. To trim extra footage from the ends or your recording, drag the end of the clip in.
When you finish editing the video, add your audio narration. With your narration on the timeline, you can use clip speed and extend frame to sync the audio and video in your project.
Here are a few examples of simple edits:
- If you need more time to explain a concept split the clip and use extend frame to essentially freeze the video.
- To speed up a boring part of your recording, add clip speed, then drag the handles to speed it up.
- Or to focus your viewer’s attention, use animations to zoom in on the important parts.
Video Recording App For Mac
Step 5: Produce and share
Finally, think about where your video will live. There are many video hosting options to choose from these days. You can share your video to an online video platform like YouTube, Vimeo, or Screencast, or you can choose to save the video as a local file. You can also share directly to your favorite social media site.
We’ve found that most of our users like to store finished videos on YouTube, especially for external videos. There are many great reasons to put your education and learning videos on YouTube.
?Free Guide: We also have a free guide, if you want to learn our exact tips and tricks on how to make a YouTube video.
BONUS TIPS!
- Camtasia’s advanced (but SUPER-easy-to-use) video editing capabilities allow you to add audio tracks after you record your screen. Whether you want to record your narration after the fact or want to add some music, you can do it!
- Be prepared to record your screen a time or two to get what you want. Almost everyone messes something up along the way. But recording your screen is so easy, it won’t matter if you have to do it again.
- Don’t get TOO hung up on making everything perfect. If you’re demonstrating a process, make sure the steps are clear and easy to follow. If you’re narrating, you can decide how many “umms” and “uhs” you can live with. It also depends on your audience.
- Recordings meant for people outside your company probably need to be more polished than things you’re sending to one of your fellow employees.
- We also have a full list of screen recording tips that you can use to get the best recordings possible.
Record your screen today!
Download one of our free screen recorder trials to quickly and easily record your computer screen.
Best Desktop Video Recording Software
Frequently asked questions
How do I record my computer screen?Screen recording is pretty simple. Once you have your screen recorder (we like Snagit and Camtasia) it’s as simple as 1. Record 2. Edit 3. Share.
How do I screen record with audio?To record your voice, select the microphone. And if you want to record the sounds that come from your computer, like the beeps and boops you hear, select system audio option.
How do you record your iPhone screen?While Snagit and Camtasia can’t record your iPhone screen, TechSmith has a TechSmith Capture app that lets you quickly and easily record your iPhone screen. After you download the app: Step 1. Enable screen recording on your iOS device. Step 2. Set up your screen recorder. Step 3. Record your screen.
How do I record a presentation with narration?While there are a number of ways to record a presentation, my favorite way to record a high-quality presentation in PowerPoint with audio and video is Camtasia.
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Use Shift-Command-5
If you're using macOS Mojave or later, press Shift-Command (⌘)-5 on your keyboard to see onscreen controls for recording the entire screen, recording a selected portion of the screen, or capturing a still image of your screen. You can also record the screen with QuickTime Player instead.
Record the entire screen
- Click in the onscreen controls. Your pointer changes to a camera .
- Click any screen to start recording that screen, or click Record in the onscreen controls.
- To stop recording, click in the menu bar. Or press Command-Control-Esc (Escape).
- Use the thumbnail to trim, share, save, or take other actions.
Record a selected portion of the screen
- Click in the onscreen controls.
- Drag to select an area of the screen to record. To move the entire selection, drag from within the selection.
- To start recording, click Record in the onscreen controls.
- To stop recording, click in the menu bar. Or press Command-Control-Esc (Escape).
- Use the thumbnail to trim, share, save, or take other actions.
Trim, share, and save
After you stop recording, a thumbnail of the video appears briefly in the lower-right corner of your screen.
- Take no action or swipe the thumbnail to the right and the recording is automatically saved.
- Click the thumbnail to open the recording. You can then click to trim the recording, or click to share it.
- Drag the thumbnail to move the recording to another location, such as to a document, an email, a Finder window, or the Trash.
- Control-click the thumbnail for more options. For example, you can change the save location, open the recording in an app, or delete the recording without saving it.
Change the settings
Click Options in the onscreen controls to change these settings:
- Save to: Choose where your recordings are automatically saved, such as Desktop, Documents, or Clipboard.
- Timer: Choose when to begin recording: immediately, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds after you click to record.
- Microphone: To record your voice or other audio along with your recording, choose a microphone.
- Show Floating Thumbnail: Choose whether to show the thumbnail.
- Remember Last Selection: Choose whether to default to the selections you made the last time you used this tool.
- Show Mouse Clicks: Choose whether to show a black circle around your pointer when you click in the recording.
Screenshot Video Recording Mac
Use QuickTime Player
- Open QuickTime Player from your Applications folder, then choose File > New Screen Recording from the menu bar. You will then see either the onscreen controls described above or the Screen Recording window described in the following steps.
- Before starting your recording, you can click the arrow next to to change the recording settings:
- To record your voice or other audio with the screen recording, choose a microphone. To monitor that audio during recording, adjust the volume slider (if you get audio feedback, lower the volume or use headphones with a microphone).
- To show a black circle around your pointer when you click, choose Show Mouse Clicks in Recording.
- To record your voice or other audio with the screen recording, choose a microphone. To monitor that audio during recording, adjust the volume slider (if you get audio feedback, lower the volume or use headphones with a microphone).
- To start recording, click and then take one of these actions:
- Click anywhere on the screen to begin recording the entire screen.
- Or drag to select an area to record, then click Start Recording within that area.
- To stop recording, click in the menu bar, or press Command-Control-Esc (Escape).
- After you stop recording, QuickTime Player automatically opens the recording. You can now play, edit, or share the recording.
Learn more
Video Recording Software For Mac
- When saving your recording automatically, your Mac uses the name ”Screen Recording date at time.mov”.
- To cancel making a recording, press the Esc key before clicking to record.
- You can open screen recordings with QuickTime Player, iMovie, and other apps that can edit or view videos.
- Some apps, such as DVD Player, might not let you record their windows.
- Learn how to record the screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.