Screencasts have definitely evolved over the years and have many uses for people. I use them all the time as in my classroom as well as to show others how to use different software. One thing that I have always found is that good screencasting software can be very expensive. And even though I own a Mac and I can record with Quicktime, it just isn’t the same.
So I set out on my quest to find a good screencasting app that wasn’t going to hurt my wallet and at the same time offer some great features. I think I may have found what I have been looking for in Screenr, a web app that records your screen and so much more. Let me show you around.
Getting Started
When you first get to Screenr.com, you can choose to log in using a wide variety of social network logins ie. Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. Unfortunately, this is the only way that you can create a profile on Screenr and you need a profile in order to take full advantage of the features it has to offer. I would venture to guess that most people would belong to one of the social networks that are listed, so you shouldn’t have any problems logging in.
Different Logins for Screenr
Recording
Once you are logged in, you can now start to create your screencast. When you hit the “Record” button, Screenr will search to see if you have Java installed on your computer. If you don’t, then you will have to install it first in order to use the app.
When you are ready to go, a window screen is displayed on your monitor. You can resize it to your desired area or size by either dragging the edges or using the set screen option sizes that are given to you. Once this is done, if you are going to be capturing your voice as well, make sure that your microphone works by testing it out. Then you are all set to go and you can start recording your screencast. On the free version, you have 5 minutes to record, which for me, is not a problem.
Recording Window
Once you are finished recording, just click the “Done” button and you can now preview your screencast. You can also create a description for it and then publish it for the world to see. Once your screencast gets published it will be transformed into a high definition video. All screencasts on a free account are made public so you don’t have the ability to choose whether it can be private or not.
Publishing your screencast
Getting Interactive
Screenr knows that your screencasts are meant to share with others, so they make sure to give you some tools to help you out with this. You have the option to publish your video to YouTube, tweet it, as well as share out a short URL for it. Screencasts can also be embedded into websites as well as downloaded to your computer.
Options to share screencast
Another great feature that Screenr has built into its web app is the ability to interact with other screencasts. Each video can have comments that people can use to either give feedback or interact with others about it. This is a nice feature to have especially if you are using screencasts for business or tutorials and it gives your audience the option to interact with you.
Commenting on Screencasts
Going Pro
For those of you that need more than what the free version of Screenr has to offer, Screenr Business has been designed for you. It is tailored to those that plan to use Screenr on much bigger level. With the Business plans, there are 4 different options, ranging in price from $19 to $289 a month. Some of the features include private screencasts, unlimited users, analytics, branding, etc. As you can see these features are really geared towards businesses. For people like me that are just looking to do simple screencasting, the free plan is more than enough.
Different prices for Screenr
Conclusion
I have to say, I really enjoy using Screer because it has so many features and, best of all, is free. I really like that they give you a wide variety of social features and a solid way of recording your screen and voice. There is not much that I don’t like about Screenr. Overall, it works well and it is a stable and reliable web app. I don’t need to use it for business, so I can’t say anything about the added features, but the prices do look a little high. I do wish there was another package for users that don’t want to necessarily use it for the business aspect, but want to get rid of the 5 minute limit and maybe some other minor added features.
So, if you are looking to start doing more screencasting, but didn’t want to shell out a lot of money for the software, look no further than Screenr. It works seamlessly and is easy to use and best of all it is on the web, which makes it accessible from any computer I am on. Go check it out and let us know what you think about it in the comments.