Making Good Screen Recordings

Let us discuss some basic steps you need to perform to make a good screen using My Screen Recorder.

Planning your presentation

The first step is to have a plan for your screen recording session. To start with, you need to decide whether you want to add voice narration while recording or to record the sound present in the application.

If you're going to record a voice-over narration, it is always a good idea to have some sort of script ready, so you can maintain a steady voice and pace while you record. This script can also contain a sequential list of actions (like opening particular windows), so you don't miss recording something important. You can pause and resume the recording at anytime by using the F8 shortcut key. It is a good idea to use a friendly tone, even for corporate presentations.

When you want to record the audio from the application itself, set up the audio in the following manner:

1. Click on the Tools option on the menu and then click Settings.
2. Select the Audio tab and click on Configure.
3. If you want to narrate with the recording, select Record from Microphone.
4. To record the application's audio, select Record from Speakers. Click on Auto Select to let My Screen Recorder choose the best line for you. While using Auto Select, we recommended that you disconnect the microphone. To choose manually, select the Let me select the line option.

Preparing to record

To get high quality screen recordings, you need to optimize the settings of My Screen Recorder:

1. You first need to decide the screen resolution at which to record. High resolution recordings played back at lower screen resolutions will result in image distortion. It is generally best to determine the lowest screen resolution that your recording will be played back on, and then record at slightly less than that resolution. You can change your PCs resolution by right clicking on the Windows desktop and then selecting Properties > Settings. Under the Settings tab, you can lower the resolution by moving the 'Screen resolution' slider towards the left. If you want to increase the resolution, then move the slider to the right.
2. The next step is to decide the recording size. By default, the Full Desktop is captured during screen recording. If you want to capture only specific parts of your screen, then choose the Fixed Dimensions or Rectangle option from the File menu > Region.
3. My Screen Recorder records the video in AVI format. However, AVI files are large and need to be compressed. Go to Tools menu > Settings > Video tab and select a Compressor. Frame rate and Key Frame rate values also affect the file size and can be changed. The Frame Rate defines the number of frames to record per second. You can make it higher if you want smoother playback, especially for videos containing a lot of motion. However, higher frame rates also result in bigger files. The Key Frame Rate defines how often full frames are saved as AVI files. A high value of key frame rate results in smaller file size but lower quality videos. The default settings of the frame rate and the key frame rate are optimum for most types of recordings, but you may try experimenting with these settings for better results.
4. For smoother recordings, especially of applications having fast action motion or media players, disable hardware acceleration.

Start Recording your Screen Activity

1. In My Screen Recorder, click the Record button on the toolbar to launch the Recording Options window. Please note the keyboard shortcuts for record (F8, by default), stop (F9 by default) and cancel (F10 by default). Check the option Pause before recording starts.
2. Launch the application you would like to record. To start recording, press F8 on your keyboard. You can now run your application while the recording happens in the background. To stop the recording, press the F9 key.