Create Video Screencasts Using Recordmydesktop

Why brand a video hide capture, aka screencast? Some possible reasons are:

• Create a software demo.
• Capture a video game session for playback later.
• Keep a tape of what transpires on the estimator screen.

I practise screencasts mainly for recordkeeping. As a result, I don't hold off to edit the output video, for example, to obfuscate sensitive data, or to insert call-outs to depict attending to specific hide areas.

The tool I role is the command-line programme recordmydesktop. It is a basic, no-frills screencasting programme which offers video together with well capture but no editing features.

To install recordmydesktop on Debian/Ubuntu:

 $ sudo apt-get install recordmydesktop 

Record entire screen

 $ recordmydesktop --no-sound --delay v -o myfile.ogv 

Notes on ascendancy options:

1. --no-sound is specified because I don't desire to tape a soundtrack for the video.
2. With --delay 5, actual recording is delayed for v seconds after the ascendancy is run. This curt delay gives yous fourth dimension to properly setup the hide earlier recording starts. For example, yous may desire to minimize the window inwards which yous execute recordmydesktop.
3. By default, the output file is named out.ogv. You tin alter the file mention using the -o option, but the file extension must hold out ogv. recordmydesktop entirely outputs ogv video files. If yous desire to upload the output video to YouTube, role a video converter to convert from ogv to ane of the YouTube supported video formats - e.g., avi.

To halt the recording, press the Control-Alt-s keys. This activity automatically starts the encoding process. Depending on the length of the video, encoding tin accept a patch to complete. After yous halt the recording, yous cannot resume recording the screen.

To temporarily recess the recording, press Control-Alt-p. You tin resume recording past times pressing the same keystrokes again.

Record a region

 $ recordmydesktop --fps xv --width 1038 --height 777 -x 88 -y 96 --no-sound --delay v -o myfile.ogv  

--fps specifies the frame rate, the release of frames to capture per second. To avoid choppy videos, role a sufficiently high frame rate. xv fps is inwards full general skillful enough.

To capture a rectangular portion on the screen, yous need to explicitly specify its place together with dimensions. The --x together with --y options define the offsets inwards release of pixels from the upper left corner of the screen. The --width together with --height options specify the dimensions of the portion inwards release of pixels.

To assistance yous decide the offsets together with the dimensions, role the xwininfo command.

1. Open the target window.

   If the portion yous desire to capture is an existing window (say a browser window), precisely opened upward the window.

   Otherwise, opened upward a novel window, nation a bash terminal. Re-size the in conclusion window to own got the same size equally the capture region. Relocate the window to the capture portion on the screen.

2. Run xwininfo without whatsoever argument.
3. Click within the target window.
4. Look for the next fields inwards the ascendancy output:

    $ xwininfo ...   Absolute upper-left X:  88   Absolute upper-left Y:  96 ...   Width: 1038   Height: 777 ... 

GUI screencast programs

If yous prefer a GUI-based app, yous may role gtk-recordmydesktop (a front-end for recordmydesktop), or kazam.

gtk-recordmydesktop tin hold out installed similar this:

 $ apt-get install gtk-recordmydesktop 

With the GUI front-end, yous no longer need to manually calculate the dimensions, or the x together with y offsets of the capture region. Instead, precisely click together with drag to define a rectangular region.

In summary, recordmydesktop is a slap-up screencasting tool which allows yous to video-capture your hide amongst or without sound. However, it does non own got the editing features to add together text call-outs or obfuscate sensitive hide contents - features which are critical for creating video tutorials. If yous are aware of a video capture tool that does both recording together with editing, delight brand a comment.

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