CamStudio Review
CamStudio Screen Recording Software:
This page provides a
comparison of notable screen casting software, used to record
activities on the computer screen.
This software is commonly used for desktop recording, game-play recording and
video editing. Screen casting 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.
A screen cast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture, often
containing audio narration. The term screen cast compares with the related term screenshot; whereas screenshot generates a single picture of a
computer screen, a screen cast is essentially a movie of the changes over time
that a user sees on a computer screen, enhanced with audio narration
A screenshot, screen
capture (or screen-cap), screen dump or screengrab is
an image taken
by a user to record the visible items displayed on the monitor, television, or other visual output device in use.
Usually, this is a digital image using the operating system or software running
on the computer, but it can also be a capture made by a camera or
a device intercepting the video output of the display.
In the 1980s, computer operating
systems did not universally have built-in functionality for capturing
screenshots. Sometimes text-only screens could be dumped to a text file, but the result would only capture the content of the
screen, not the appearance, nor were graphics screens preservable this way.
Some systems had a BSAVE command
that could be used to capture the area of memory where screen data was stored,
but this required access to a BASIC prompt.
Systems with composite
video output
could be connected to a VCR, and entire screen casts preserved
this way. Screenshot
kits were available for standard (film) cameras that included a long anti-reflective hood to attach between the screen and camera lens, as well as a
closeup lens for the camera. Polaroid
film was
popular for capturing screenshots, because of the instant results and
close-focusing capability of Polaroid cameras. In 1988, Polaroid introduced Spectra film
with a 9.2 x 7.3 image size more suited to the 4x3 aspect
ratio ofCRT screens.
Screenshots can be used to
demonstrate a program, a particular problem a user might be having, or
generally when display output needs to be shown to others or archived. For
example, after being emailed a screenshot, a Web page author might be surprised
to see how their page looks on a different Web browser and can take corrective
action. Likewise with differing email software programs, (particularly such as
in a cell phone, tablet, etc.,) a sender might have no idea how their email
looks to others until they see a screenshot from another computer and can
(hopefully) tweak their settings appropriately.
A monitor or
a display is
an electronic
visual display for computers. A monitor usually comprises the display device, circuitry, casing, and power supply. The display device in modern
monitors is typically a thin film
transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD)
thin panel, while older monitors used a cathode ray
tube (CRT)
about as deep as the screen size. They are connected to the computer via VGA,
DVI, Display Port, Thunderbolt, LVDS or other proprietary connectors and signals
Originally, computer monitors were
used for data
processing while television
receivers were
used for entertainment. From the 1980s onwards, computers (and their monitors)
have been used for both data processing and entertainment, while televisions
have implemented some computer functionality. The common aspect
ratio of
televisions, and then computer monitors, has also changed from 4:3 to 16:10, to
16:9.
. "Computer
technology" and "Computer system" redirect here. For the
company, see Computer Technology Limited. For other uses,
see Computer (disambiguation) and Computer system (disambiguation).
A computer is a general-purpose device that can
be programmed to
carry out a set of arithmetic or logical operations
automatically. Since a sequence of operations can be readily changed, the
computer can solve more than one kind of problem.
Conventionally, a computer consists
of at least one processing element, typically a central processing unit (CPU),
and some form of memory.
The processing element carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a
sequencing and control unit can change the order of operations in response to
stored information. Peripheral devices allow
information to be retrieved from an external source, and the result of
operations saved and retrieved.
Mechanical analog
computers started
appearing in the first century and were later used in the medieval era for
astronomical calculations. In World War II,
mechanical analog computers were used for specialized military applications
such as calculating torpedo aiming. During this time the first electronic digital computers
were developed. Originally they were the size of a large room, consuming as
much power as several hundred modern personal
computers (PCs).
Modern computers based on integrated circuits are
millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy
a fraction of the space. Computers
are small enough to fit into mobile devices,
and mobile
computers can
be powered by small batteries.
Personal computers in their various forms are icons of
the Information
Age and
are generally considered as "computers". However, the embedded computers found
in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and
from electronic toys to industrial
robots are
the most numerous.
CamStudio is an open-source screen-capture
video recording software which is great to create short tutorials, capture your
gaming action, record your web-based activity, and much more. With the
overwhelming popularity of video and video-based sharing sites like YouTube,
video is definitely the way to go when it comes to sharing information online.
CamStudio is one of the most popular
screen-capture recording applications, however, it costs around $299. No doubt, CamStudio a robust platform to record online video and includes a lot of
functionality, but not everyone can afford it at that price. Therefore,
CamStudio is a great alternative for creating online vids, especially for those
who are just venturing out into the world of online video creation.
I've personally used CamStudio since late 2009
and have enjoyed using this free screen-capture software to capture on-screen
video recording. On this web page, I will share my experience using CamStudio
and show you how to effectively set it up to get the most out of this versatile
video-making application. You will also see some examples of videos I've
created using this free application.
Here are just a few ways you can use this
software:
- You can use it to create demonstration videos for any software program
- Or how about creating a set of videos answering your most frequently asked questions?
- You can create video tutorials for school or college class
- You can use it to record a recurring problem with your computer so you can show technical support people
- You can use it to create video-based information products you can sell
- You can even use it to record new tricks and techniques you discover on your favourite software program, before you forget them
Don't like the sound of your voice? No
problem.
CamStudio can also add high-quality,
anti-aliased (no jagged edges) screen captions to your recordings in seconds
and with the unique Video Annotation feature you can even personalise your
videos by including a webcam movie of yourself "picture-in-picture"
over your desktop.
And if all that wasn't enough,
CamStudio also comes with its own Lossless Codec that produces crystal clear
results with a much smaller filesize compared with other more popular codecs,
like Microsoft Video.
You have total control over the output
of your video: you can choose to use custom cursors, to record the whole screen
or just a section of it and can reduce or increase the quality of the recording
depending on if you want smaller videos (for emailing to people, for instance)
or you can have "best quality" ones for burning onto CD/DVD.
But all of these features would be
worthless if CamStudio wasn't easy to use ... fortunately that's not the case.
CamStudio can be learned in a matter of minutes and comes with a comprehensive
built-in helpfile, so if you do manage to get stuck, you can simply
hit "Help" and get the answers you need.
So where can I get it and how much
does it cost?
You can download and use it completely
free - yep - completely 100% free for your personal and commercial projects as CamStudio and the Codec are released under the GPL (for more details on this
license, click here.)
There are no royalties or any monies
to pay - although if you do use it for a commercial product, I wouldn't say no
to a copy of whatever you produce
Origin
of the term:
In 2004, columnist Jon Udell invited
readers of his blog to propose names for the emerging genre. Udell
selected the term "screen cast", which was proposed by both Joseph
McDonald and Deeje Cooley.
The terms "Screen Cast" and
"Screen Cam" are often used interchangeably, due to the market influence of
Screen Cam as a screen casting product of the early 1990s. Screen Cam,
however, is a federal trademark in the United
States, whereas screen cast is not trademarked and
has established use in publications as part of Internet and Computing
vernacular.
Uses:
Screen casts can help demonstrate and
teach the use of software features. Creating a screen cast helps software
developers show off their work. Educators may also use screen casts as another
means of integrating technology into the curriculum. Students
can record video and audio as they demonstrate the proper procedure to solve a
problem on an interactive whiteboard.
Screen casts are useful tools for
ordinary software users as well: They help filing report bugs in which the
screen casts 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. Screen casts
may increase student engagement and achievement and also provide more time in
which students can work collaboratively in groups, so screen casts help them to
think through cooperative learning.
In addition, screenshots allow
students to move at their own pace since they can pause or review content
anytime and anywhere. Screen casts are excellent for those learners who just
need an oral as well as a visual explanation of the content presented.
Most trial versions of a screen casting
programs often apply a watermark automatically, encouraging users to purchase the full
version in order to remove
it.
Hardware:
An alternative solution for capturing
a screen cast 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.
- A computer program is a sequence of instructions, performing a specific task when executed by a computer. A computer requires programs to function, and typically executes the program's instructions in a central processing unit.
- A computer program is usually written by a computer programmer in a programming language. From the program in its human-readable source code form, a compiler can derive machine code: a form consisting of instructions that the computer can directly execute. Alternatively, a computer program may be executed with the aid of an interpreter.
- A small part of a computer program that performs a well-defined task is known as an algorithm. A collection of computer programs and related data is referred to as software. Computer programs may be categorized along functional lines, such as application software or system software.
- Computer software or simply software is any set of machine-readable instructions that directs a computer's processor to perform specific operations. Computer software is non-tangible, contrasted with computer hardware, which is the physical component of computers. Computer hardware and software require each other and neither can be realistically used without the other.
- Computer software includes computer programs, libraries and their associated documentation. The word software is also sometimes used in a more narrow sense, meaning application software only.
- At the lowest level, executable code consists of machine language instructions specific to an individual processor—typically a central processing unit (CPU). A machine language consists of groups of binary values signifying processor instructions that change the state of the computer from its preceding state. For example, an instruction may change the value stored in a particular storage location inside the computer—an effect that is not directly observable to the user. An instruction may also (indirectly) cause something to appear on a display of the computer system—a state change which should be visible to the user. The processor carries out the instructions in the order they are provided, unless it is instructed to "jump" to a different instruction, or interrupted.
- Software written in a machine language is known as "machine code". However, in practice, software is usually written in high-level programming languages that are easier and more efficient for humans to use (closer to natural language) than machine language. High-level languages are translated into machine language using a compiler or an interpreter or a combination of the two. Software may also be written in a low-level assembly language, essentially, a vaguely mnemonic representation of a machine language using a natural language alphabet. Assembly language is translated into machine language using an assembler.
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