OBS Studio 0.16.4
Jane Hoskyn recommends new programs that won’t cost you anything
https://obsproject.com What you need: Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10
Record video clips of whatever is playing on your computer screen, using this free new program from the open-source Open Broadcaster Software project.
Real-time screen recording has umpteen potential uses. Most obviously, it lets you capture live or on-demand video from any internet source, then save the recording. It’s an easy way to capture short clips from your camcorder videos. You could create a video to illustrate a computer problem you’re having, or your own how-to video about Windows 10 for less computer-savvy friends and family. Or even a video of the route to your house, using your mouse cursor and Google Maps.
OBS Studio makes it easy to do all these things, but its many settings are initially bamboozling. After some exploring, we configured OBS to export small video files of good quality (see our steps below) and then found the recording process quick and straightforward. Fill the window with your video source, click to start recording and then again to stop. The finished video appears immediately in your Videos folder.
Advanced options include combining clips using transitions; recording two or more video sources in one window; adding narration using a powerful audio mixer; automatically capturing streams from Youtube and other online sources using the OBS browser extension; and streaming your own live broadcasts.
There’s no user guide, and you may be disappointed by the lack of Adobe-style video-editing tools. But for a completely free program, OBS Studio really impresses us. It’s a great free alternative to Camtasia, which costs £185, and an even better junk-free alternative to all those “free” Youtube-downloading tools that fill your PC with adware. OBS Studio’s installer does include a safe browser extension for recording streams, but you can opt out by unticking Plugins. Find more extensions on the OBS Studio Plugins page ( www.snipca.com/22457).
1
Click Settings, then Output, and choose ‘mp4’ from the Recording Format dropdown menu. Click Video to choose output resolution. Click Apply, then OK.
2
The default video source, Display Capture, records your screen. Double-click it for options such as recording your mouse cursor. Click ‘+’ to choose a different source.
3
To crop the OBS program window, drag the red border so only your video source fills the box. If you have two monitors, you can record fullscreen using one monitor.
4
Click Start Recording to record. OBS Studio records your screen in real time. Click Stop Recording to stop. The video saves automatically to your Videos folder.