What Is A Screen Recorder And How Do You Start Recording Your Computer Screen?

Screen recorder is a handy tool you can use to record video on your computer, your phone for various purposes. A screen recorder is sometimes called screen recording software or screen recording tool. All these name represent the same meaning. That’s not to mention many other concepts people use to divide the screen recorder into other names, based on its usage such as game recorder, Skype recorder or screen capture software and so on. It’s not worth figuring out what the real meaning of a screen recorder but concentrating on what it can do is much more important I think.

What A Screen Recorder Can Do?

Whether you are using a smartphone or a desktop computer, the screen recorder is capable of doing the same stuff:

Record video on your device. Technically, this program works as a digital camera, located inside your device and shoot your screen in every second. The number of image this camera can shoot per second is called frame per second (FPS). FPS stands for frames per second, a measurement for how many consecutive images a camera can handle each second.
Take screenshot on your device: Using the same technique, a screen recorder can help you take a screenshot on your device in different size, area. It’s much more simple process than recording video as it is only 1 shot.

These are the main functionality of a screen recorder. However, when time goes by, developers realize that they can add some more features to make recorded videos, images more instructional. That’s when they add annotation tools to the screen recorder. I am mentioning about an all-in-one screen recording software. This kind of program often comes along with many advanced features such as built-in annotation tools and video editing suite.

What More A Screen Recorder Can Do?

We all know that the most common usage of a screen recorder is to show other people what’s happening on your device screen. It can be a software bug you want to report or an error message you would like to share with the developer. That’s when all-in-one screen recording software comes in. Here are what more a screen recorder can do:

Record voice-over from your microphone. If the video is not clear enough, you can add your voice to tell them how you feel from your microphone.
Adding texts, shapes, arrows, numbers to recorded videos and images.
Cut, trim unwanted parts of the recorded videos if you don’t want to make it shorter.
Convert the recorded video into other formats so that it can play on different player.

So you know some basic knowledge about screen recorder, right? In the next part, I will show you how to start recording your computer screen with different tools. Don’t leave this post!

How To Start Recording Screen On Your Computer – 10 Professional Tips You Can Use

1. Choose a good screen recorder

There are plethora of screen recorders on the market you can choose. It’s not a big deal to get a simple screen recorder for free now. However, there are only few all-in-one screen recorder you can use for free. One of them is ActivePresenter of Atomi System. This is the program I have been using for over 3 years now. It has all you tools you need to capture your computer screen whether on Windows or Mac. I suggest you also try it. Here are a review of ActivePresenter (Don’t forget to subscribe to Elearning Supporter official YouTube channel). Download ActivePresenter here

2. Draft a script

A script is as important as a screen recorder. If you would like to avoid recording over and over again, then you should always draft a script. It can be short and contain only the main ideas if you have prior experience. However, for the first time, prepare your script as detail as possible.

3. Practice twice times before you start recording

Once you have your draft script, make sure that you practice at least twice time before you start your recording. You don’t have to record screen with narration at the same time. It is no problem to add your narration in ActivePresenter after you finish recording your screen.

4. Clear your desktop and close all applications before you start

To avoid distracting your audience, make sure that you hide all important information on your desktop and close all running applications before you go. It’s good to clear the desktop by removing all the icons and shortcut on the screen into a folder before you hit the record button.

5. Record everything on the screen – Full screen

Once everything is ready, remember to choose record in full screen. That would give better recording quality. You can crop the size of the video in later steps if you want easily with ActivePresenter.

These are some of the best tips to get a good screen recording video. Now you may want to learn how to start and stop recording with ActivePresenter, right? Watch this video.

Need more useful screen recorders?

Elearning Supporter is a trusted place for you to read review about free and paid screen recorders. We help people choosing the best screen recorder that suite their need. If you need any further detail about any software, let us know! We are here to help you. Don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more valuable post notifications in the future!

Good luck!