Tools for Screencasting

I have been doing longer screencasts these days. Some of them are for private consumption, and some are public. I am yet to master it fully. But I have come a long way. These are the tools that have helped me.

OBS - Open Broadcaster Software

I have been using Open Broadcaster Software for recording the screencasts. I have a dual monitor setup, and I record everything on my second screen. The primary screen is for my reference and any other work that I need to do at that point. I also bring in the camera when I think my appearance is required. I usually use an external microphone - BOYA BYM1 for it, and it works pretty well. I have been using OBS for sometime now. I have setup different profiles for different scenarios. I have not mastered it. But I can say I can use it well now. All in all its a must have tool.

OBS Studio - Free and open source software for live streaming and screen recording.

OBS on Github

kmcaster

When you are doing screencasts, it's pretty challenging to convey the keyboard shorts and mouse clicks. Even though at times, I verbally mention the shortcut, I often forget. But recently, I have started using kmcaster, which puts a widget on the screen that will visually show the mouse and keyboard keypresses. It makes everyone's job easy.

Java-based on-screen display (OSD) for keyboard and mouse events. This program displays keyboard and mouse events for the purpose of screencasting.

kmcaster

OpenShot

I don't edit much. I do edit out some unnecessary parts. You will still see me making mistakes and fixing them in the video. Most of my screencasts are about software development or demoing them. Making mistakes (bugs) and fixing them is part of the process. So in a way, what other people would consider a mistake and edit them out. I don't. Often they add to the information.

When I want to edit, I usually use OpenShot. It's a FOSS video editing tool, and it's a visual editor. It is as easy as Audacity to use.

OpenShot Video Editor is an award-winning free and open-source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows, and is dedicated to delivering high quality video editing and animation solutions to the world.

OpenShot on Github

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