There are times when you will need to record what you are doing on your computer screen. You might want to catch some steps to make an instruction video, or try participating in Machinima. Here's how.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Using QuickTime (Pre-installed)
Step 1. Open QuickTime Player
This application is located in the folder Applications you, which you can access with the push of a button Shift-Command(⌘)-A, then press the letter Q on the keyboard.
Step 2. Open a recording session
From the menu File QuickTime Player, select New Screen Recording.
Step 3. Click on the red dot in the middle of the Screen Recording window
Step 4. Determine the dimensions of the record
You can click to start recording, or click-and-drag to create a boundary on the part of the screen you want to record. For this article, we will choose a smaller screen area.
- Keep in mind that the larger the screen selection, the more space is required for this recording. Just select as many parts of the screen as you need.
- When you are ready to start recording, press the button Start Recording in the center of the selected recording area.
Step 5. Wait a few seconds
It takes about a moment to start recording. If you see the recording timer start running, you can continue with the parts you captured.
Note: Once recording starts, you will not be able to capture the recording controller screen. This will prevent the screen from appearing in your final movie
Step 6. Finish recording
When you have finished capturing the screen, press the stop button on the recording controller interface, as illustrated below.
Step 7. You can cancel the recording at any time by closing the record controller window
You will be prompted to save your recording or discard it.
Step 8. Your screenshot is done
Your movies can be found in the folder Movies, where you can watch, edit and share them with your friends!
Method 2 of 2: Using Jing (Free Download)
Step 1. Search for the Jing app
Jing is a free image and video recording tool for Mac and PC. Usability is like QuickTime, plus some extra features. We will focus on Jing's video recording capabilities.
Step 2. Download Jing
You can find it on the TechSmith.com site
Step 3. Install Jing. The Jing installer is drag-and-drop
Just drag the app into your Applications folder and open it.
Step 4. Open Jing
When active, Jing will appear like the "sun" in the top right of your monitor. Alternatively, you can choose to install it into the menu bar. Moving the mouse towards the sun will open a menu.
Shown here are options Capture. There is also a choice History, which stores your screenshot tablets, and the. button More, which gives you access to the settings page.
Step 5. Select your capture area
When you select the Capture option, two crosshairs will appear on the screen, displayed with the total screen size.
Step 6. Click and drag
This will free you to choose an area to capture the screen or record.
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From the menu that appears below the selected area, click one of the 4 buttons displayed:
- Capture an Image
- Capture a Video (as in the picture)
- Redo Selection (lets you reselect the selection area)
- Cancel (closes the window)
Step 7. Click on the Capture a Video button
A timer will appear, with a yellow-framed filmstrip delimiting the area to be recorded.
Step 8. Click the Stop button once you are done
The yellow rectangular button on the bottom left is the Stop button. After you finish recording, click the button. You will be shown a video window ready for you to preview.
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The 4 buttons below work as follows:
- Share to Screencast.com. This will allow you to share your video or screenshot file with anyone by saving the file via a service called-guess it-Screencast. You can share this link with anyone for review.
- Save your file. This step will save your video or screenshot to your hard drive, in your chosen location.
- Cancel. This will cancel and discard your recording.
- Customize. This will allow you to set the buttons that are displayed.
Step 9. Your screen recording is complete
Tips
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Jing has several features that come in handy when you select an area to capture with a swipe.
- Swipe, then press the button Shift, and you will be limited by the wide screen capture area with an aspect ratio of 16:9.
- Swipe, then press the button Control, and you will be limited to the default 4:3 ratio.
- Swipe, then press OK button Shift or Control, and then add button Options, then you will be shown all standard capture sizes in either 16:9 or 4:3 ratio, respectively.