Screen Capture

[saintchace14]

Hi again all, just looking for some feedback.... I am looking to do my own reviews of software and operating systems, system tools etc, and tutorials which I intend to upload to a YouTube account I will be creating for my blog. I want to capture the activity on my laptop when I install software and test it to show viewers how valuable or poor software is.
What screen capture software is good for this, whether free or paid? I just want to capture the activity on my screen and my voice as I go along and show people how to use the software and may or may not encourage a purchase or a trial as well as teach them how to use programs. Any ideas?

[Makkah]

I used to use Snagit to record, and it works really well. It's $50 though.

[saintchace14]

Just checked out Snagit online. Gonna buy it when I get home online. I have some savings right up that amount which i have been collecting for some time. Gonna use it. it seems like it's worth the money so that should work fine. Have you ever used VMware Workstation 10 or otherwise? I want to test that and do a tutorial on that program on my blog. Gonna capture and upload to YouTube and embed in my blog.

[Makkah]

No, I've never used VMware, actually. Never really had the need to create virtual machines. There's a 15 day trial version of Snagit available, so if you're wondering if it'll play well with VMware, you should give that a shot first. If it's to your liking, then you can drop the $50 on it.

[pezz]

Why use VMware when virtual box is around? -.-

[King_Jay16]

Just checked out Snagit online. Gonna buy it when I get home online. I have some savings right up that amount which i have been collecting for some time. Gonna use it. it seems like it's worth the money so that should work fine. Have you ever used VMware Workstation 10 or otherwise? I want to test that and do a tutorial on that program on my blog. Gonna capture and upload to YouTube and embed in my blog.

VMWare is awesome but overkill for most ppl - especially when free alternatives around

[khat17]

Hold the phone. Don't go buying stuff right off the bat on the first review you see.

What do you want to use the software to do? Capture your desktop to a video? Capture screenshots? Capture gameplay?

For screen captures as images - stills - screenshots - there's lots of things available. LOTS.

Personally I use the last free version of FSCAPTURE. I kinda alternate between that and another one which has practically replaced FSCAPTURE for me..........PicPic. I use the free version of PicPic and it works excellent for all screenshots. For video capture however there's other things you'd have to use.

Personally for gaming captures I use FRAPS. The major issue I have with it is the size of the videos once recorded. Other than that I just re-encode them when done using DivX or some other converter. If you want to get really into it you can use Handbrake and customize EVERYTHING to get your video size the way you want.

Recently for screen capture I purchased Debut Video Capture which actually comes up as an alternative to FRAPS. For that reason I should check it out. While FRAPS can also record your desktop please bear in mind it's meant for game recordings and has been that way for years. I've used Debut Video Capture to snag video from streaming webinars and such and it works like a charm. Record what you hear and such.

Issue I have with software from NCH is though they have something to do every little thing, they tie it together in a sneaky way to get you to buy. The software is good though - mark my words on that.

I notice that SnagIT is made by the same people that make Camtasia. This means the software may be good based on the maker, but probably overpriced. Compare this:

SnagIT - ~$50 - Review
Debut Video Capture - ~$40 - Review

The review gives Snagit a higher rating - and for $10 extra I guess that's not bad. But in the end the final decision is yours. Bear in mind though that the comparison view gives Debut a higher position.

Also see a comparison between Snagit and Camtasia.

You could also check other websites by doing a Google search. Here is an example of a discussion online on the topic -> http://forums.newtek.com/showthread....ture-programs&

For everything listed here, please go to the Alternativeto.net site and check out what alternatives may be listed. Don't just buy without checking out. Hope this info helped.