Screencasting

This page will discuss what screencasting is and how it may be used. It will outline some tools and techniques that you can use for screencasting.

Overview

A screencast is a video of your computer screen or of the screen of your mobile device. Usually it has audio with it. Sometime screeencasts may be called screen recordings.

How people use screencasts

Screencasts are frequently used as instructional tools, for example, to communicate how to use a computer programme or how to navigate a website. They may also be used to record data, for example if doing user testing of a website it may be valuable to do a screencast recording to see how the user navigates around the site.

Screencasts usually have audio. If instructional this will be the person explaining what they are doing as they show the steps on screen. If user testing, it may involve the user explaining their thought processes as they navigate a website.

Because screencasts take a video of what is on your screen, you can screencast any media that you show on screen. For example you may screencast a slide presentation, combined with showing websites. You can also often have video of the narrator or instructor to add extra personality or data to the screencast.

Developing - tools, software, a place to record

Software used to make screencasts consists primarily of the screen recorder tool. However audio, video and editing tools are also a consideration. Where you will record is important and a final important consideration is how you will share your screencast (if required) with others.

There are tools in-built in some later model computers. In Windows 10 settings, Game bar allows you to record gaming action or activity from other applications. In macOS Mojave and higher there is an in-built screen-capture tool accessed by pressing Shift + Command + 5

There are many third party software tools for screencasting. Some examples of these are Loom, Zoom, Screencast-o-matic, and Open Broadcaster Software – there are many more. Often there is a free basic version and you can subscribe to get more functionality. Depending on whether you use the free or paid plan for tools such as these, you will be able to record video (screen) and audio with or without webcam, do some editing, and share your recording with others.

Panopto is a popular tool for universities because it can capture several streams of content. For example, you can have a lecture capture stream (view of the instructor), a slide presentation, and a computer screen. It has functionality to insert quizzes into the video and has simple editing features that are easy for a beginner or non-professional to learn.

PowerPoint is also popular with instructors as it provides a quick way to record a slideshow with audio, plus it has transitions and you can embed mini screencasts of your computer screen. It can then be exported as video.

Extra tools you may need depend on your aims and your exisiting computer set up. You may want or need an external microphone for audio or to improve audio quality. You may need a webcam.

A quiet place to screencast is a must. It does not have to be a professional studio, but less background noise means that audio quality improves greatly.

Skilled - Planning a screencast

The amount of planning for a screencast depends on what you are trying to achieve with your screencast. Here are some possible scenarios of screencasts and preparation required.

• If you are recording someone using your website, it may be useful to have a series of tasks or questions for the user to work their way through.

• If you are planning to screencast an online lesson, ensure your lesson plan is prepared and that you ideally have a space to use that is quiet and free of distraction.

• It is also useful to ensure that your status is ‘do not disturb’ on your phone, close programs that have pop-up notifications, hide links on browser toolbars, and even clear the memory and cache of your browser windows and use incognito mode. You never know what random auto-completes are in your history or personal information may be revealed.

• If your platform allows and the online lesson is long, it is also a good idea to put in chapter markers for each section that is a different topic.

• If you are planning on a screencast that will serve as a generic standalone video on a platform like YouTube, more work will be required to prepare.

  • Source video editing software and audio editing software.

  • Develop a script for the voice over. It is worth reading the script aloud as what looks good on paper may be a tongue twister when spoken. Also consider your audience and keep the video short and possibly informal.

  • You may want to identify a person who is willing to do voice over for the video. Often this type of screencast requires video editing, and it can be confronting editing to the sound of your own voice.

  • Test audio recording methods and listen to the quality of the play back. Listen carefully for background machine hum, doors, echo in the room, other people talking, voice over volume and anything else that may be distracting from a good quality recording. Good results can be achieved with a smart phone and/or headphone and a microphone.

  • You may need to consider creating a storyboard of the visuals. Storyboards are used by film and television to visualise the story. You could use storyboards to identify what is important to see on screen, like a close-up on part of a webpage. Identify and source additional artifacts to illustrate your video such as photographs of a space, images of a resource, a file of a logo. Make sure you attribute

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