Introduction
For those who ever have to include what’s taking place on a tool into one in all your movies, you’ll have to supply that display screen recording. At one finish of the issue scale, you may pretend all of it, and have interaction a workforce of movement graphics artists to recreate a display screen from scratch. On the different, you may simply hit the large purple button in QuickTime Participant. Right here, I’ll take you thru a number of of the instruments you need to use to seize what’s taking place on a pc or cell gadget — there are extra methods to do that than you might need thought.
Display screen recording a Mac or PC with software program
That is most likely the obvious choice, and there are numerous potential candidates.
Beginning with free choices, you possibly can actually contemplate QuickTime Participant if you happen to’re on a Mac, and OBS if you happen to’re on a Mac or PC. QuickTime Participant’s File > New Display screen Recording works fairly nicely, however doesn’t embody audio. OBS is tougher to arrange, and contains many extra choices, however because it’s broadly utilized by the streaming group, there’s loads of assist if you happen to get caught.
For those who don’t wish to fiddle and need extra choices, the most well-liked high-end Mac choice is ScreenFlow, obtainable direct from the developer or from the Mac App Retailer. This mature app can document at big resolutions, document video from linked cameras and audio from microphones, and even features a full modifying surroundings the place you possibly can add textual content and overlays. For those who’re an skilled editor, you may simply resolve to do primary trimming and deal with the remaining in your NLE, however I’ve discovered it useful to make use of ScreenFlow to hurry up sections that I’m going to abbreviate within the edit anyway.
If you’d like to have the ability to zoom in through the edit, remember to document at a excessive decision, at the very least as massive as your ultimate decision, but additionally bear in mind to scale the UI to a dimension that really makes textual content and icons readable. On Mac, remember to use a Retina decision, selecting “seems to be like” 1920×1080 on a UHD or 5K monitor. On PC, use UI scaling to maintain the textual content and icons on a high-res show readable. When exporting, I take advantage of the utmost decision obtainable, to maintain high quality excessive after I reframe in put up, and I actually do desire to output tutorials in 4K if potential — UI and textual content particulars are a lot clearer on a 4K show. For those who’re concentrating on 1080 output, contemplate selecting a good decrease UI decision (“seems to be like” 720p) or zooming in quite a bit.
ScreenFlow has been my device of selection for recording lots of of instructional movies and display screen recordings for YouTube movies over time, and it’s been dependable for me. If it doesn’t give you the results you want, otherwise you’re on PC, contemplate Camtasia as an alternative — it’s a broadly comparable app.
One fast be aware. In case your job is to edit a video convention, don’t depend on the recording function of that software program to do the job. Audio and video high quality can be poor, with low body charge and backbone, and you are able to do a lot better with one of many choices mentioned above.
Display screen recording an iOS gadget with software program
Recording an iOS gadget is fairly simple. In most circumstances, it’s best to swipe down from the highest proper nook, press the document button within the Management Middle, watch for the countdown, after which do no matter you must. (Be aware: if you happen to don’t see this icon in your Management Middle, add it in Settings > Management Middle.) Repeat these steps to cease while you’re completed, then discover the recording in your photograph library. The steps are comparable on Android, however you’ll have to swipe down twice from the highest to begin.
Alternatively, you possibly can join an iOS gadget to a Mac, then use QuickTime Participant or ScreenFlow to document that linked gadget. QuickTime Participant works by File > New Film Recording, after which selecting the iOS gadget as a supply from the drop-down menu subsequent to the document button. (Keep away from suggestions by leaving the quantity management at 0.) In ScreenFlow, you possibly can add the iOS gadget as a supply from the large Plus button on the backside of the New Recording window.
Up to now, this all appears to work fairly nicely for recording your personal display screen, however… what if you must document another person’s display screen, and you’ll’t set up something on their laptop? What if you happen to want most efficiency for the apps you’re making an attempt to document, and the overhead of recording on that very same laptop is noticeable? There’s additionally a query of rock-solid reliability — may it fail? Whereas most of my recordings have been trouble-free, I’ve skilled crashes when the show decision modified, and audio loss when somebody linked Bluetooth headphones and altered the audio output pipeline. There are just a few methods to mess issues up, so that you may wish to contemplate recording with an exterior gadget.
Recording with {hardware}
The useful factor about being in video manufacturing is that you simply have a tendency to gather helpful tools, and if you happen to’ve experimented with exterior recording to your cameras, you may already personal an Atomos or Blackmagic recorder. For those who plug your Mac or PC into one in all these with an HDMI cable, you’ll be capable of document that show with none issues in any respect. You’ll want to mirror that exterior recording gadget with one in all your current screens if you would like to have the ability to see what you’re doing, ship audio out to HDMI if it’s essential, and double-check that the refresh charge is appropriate to your completed venture too. Older recorders just like the Atomos Ninja 2 are restricted on this entrance (1080p30 is as excessive because it will get) and if you happen to can’t management the supply gadget properties, you could be out of luck. Newer {hardware} recorders just like the Ninja V and V+ are extra succesful.
These recorders aren’t low cost, however one other field you may personal is the ATEM Mini Professional, which might take an HDMI enter and document it in reasonably compressed 1080p to a linked USB SSD. You possibly can finesse the info charge with software program, however if you happen to want a better decision (or pristine ProRes recordings) then this isn’t the field you’re searching for. Nonetheless, if you must document a whole day’s value of PowerPoint displays, it’ll do the job simply high quality. Plug the pc into enter 1, be certain it’s chosen, plug the SSD into the USB-C port, hit document, and don’t contact the rest. (Be aware: the ATEM Mini Professional ISO can document all 4 inputs without delay, however 1080p continues to be the utmost decision potential.)
Alternatively, a much less handy however extra versatile choice is to make use of an HDMI enter gadget like an Elgato HD60 S+ with ScreenFlow and even QuickTime Participant on a second laptop. Whereas this introduces extra factors of failure, it permits recording of a number of sources without delay in a extra configurable manner. Irrespective of which recording choice you go along with, it’s a good suggestion to document an audio feed together with the presentation. This isn’t solely backup, it’ll make it straightforward to sync your display screen recording up with actual video in a multicam later. Take a look at early, and convey choices.
However grasp on! In case your plan entails inserting your recording gadget within the sign path between the presenter and a projector, you possibly can anticipate some push-back from the in-house AV workforce. Despite the fact that most recorders embody a pass-through, the AV workforce will bear the blame if you happen to unplug the mistaken cable, press the mistaken button or undergo tools failure.
To maintain everybody comfortable, I’d counsel buying an HDMI splitter for subsequent to nothing from eBay. These tiny, button-free bins absorb one sign and put out two, retaining the AV workforce comfortable whereas providing you with a clear choice to document from. They’re low cost, so deliver a spare.
One different be aware if you happen to’re recording display screen at a stay occasion: document a wider angle that features the presenter alongside the projected presentation you’re recording — even when the publicity is compromised for the presenter, the display screen, or each. That shot offers you a grasp supply for syncing all angles, and if the presenter bodily strikes to the display screen to level at one thing, you possibly can swap to the vast angle if you must. Ideally, your presenters ought to be utilizing the mouse cursor to focus on gadgets, not pointing at a bodily display screen that the streaming viewers can’t see, however not each presenter will bear in mind within the second.
If the consumer received’t allow you to document, cost extra
If it’s not potential to document the display screen with {hardware} or software program, you might need to resort to alternate options which might be painful for you and for the consumer’s finances. For a convention, the place two days of displays weren’t recorded stay, I’ve needed to export the unique PowerPoint and Keynote decks into nonetheless photos or movies, then place lots of of slides appropriately in time to match the stay video. That is, as you possibly can think about, a horrible, tedious course of, made worse by the truth that I used to be given outdated variations of a few of these slide decks and needed to recreate some lacking slides.
For sanity’s sake, if in any respect potential, document the presenter’s laptop straight. It’s the one technique to assure that your completed video matches what was proven on the day.
Fancy choices
Generally, you must present one thing fancier than a full display screen recording. In case your venture entails creating an animated model of a display screen, with a mouse pointer clicking and transferring home windows round, you may discover it simpler to animate it reasonably than recording it stay — particularly if you happen to’re working with unfinished property.
A spectacular device for individually capturing all the things on a display screen — even when obscured — is the free app ScreenToLayers. When triggered, it doesn’t simply seize a flat picture, however captures each merchandise individually right into a layered Photoshop doc. Separated gadgets embody the cursor, each particular person menubar icon, your dock, your wallpaper, and each window in each utility that’s seen.
A layered PSD is ideal for importing into Movement or After Results and controlling each a part of a pretend display screen recording. You possibly can conceal all these menubar icons and your dock, then keyframe the proper mouse actions. However you possibly can take it additional — carry and rotate your home windows into 3D and fly by them, add lighting and shadows, or use Movement’s simulation behaviors to create complicated animations with out fuss. It’s nice.
Conclusion
If you must present somebody how one can fill in a digital kind, document stay displays alongside actual video, or wish to educate individuals software program expertise, display screen recording is a vital a part of the method. For those who don’t do it, you’ll must go along with utilizing a digicam to document a display screen (which by no means seems to be good) or static slideshows that require much more effort. You probably have the fitting {hardware} then recording is painless, however be sure to’re not inflicting anybody else any issues. Software program recording is nice by yourself gear, however may be difficult on anybody else’s. If you must document a display screen as a part of an expert shoot, {hardware} recording is the way in which to go. Simply bear in mind to deliver just a few further cables, chargers, and HDMI splitters.
