With the spike in COVID-19 cases, educators are looking for new ways to create content. According to estimates, video content has taken over print study materials during the COIVD-19 lockdown time. With the help of short video tutorials, teachers were able to teach difficult concepts easily with the help of animations. There are several tools available to record videos but most of them are paid. You will experience lack of advanced features in the free edition, while the trial version comes with a specific time limit. Hence, you can test-drive tools such as Recordcast using which you can easily create videos. We have been working with Recordcast. Does Recordcast meet the expectations? In this review, we will examine the features and working of Recordcast in detail. Towards the end of this review, you will know whether Recordcast is beneficial or not.
Recordcast Features
Reordcast is a tool to record videos. Unlike other competing tools, there is no need to register to work with the Recordcast. You need not have to download any software or login to work with the tool. With the help of Recordcast, you can record both screen & web camera, record only webcam or only the screen by capturing system and microphone. This means you can create videos with screen and your face or only screen. If you would like to record only web camera, you can do so using the tool. You can choose an option depending upon the requirements. In addition to video recording, you can make use of the integrated video editor to trim recordings, add text effects, overlays, dynamic elements, add music, adjust background colors, and much more. The recordings and video files are edited locally. The company reveals that none of the user data are uploaded to the webserver or disclosed to third-party companies. The tool saves the content on your hard disk in WebM format.
Working
To work with Recordcast, you should navigate to the official website and select “Record Free Now” button.
The next step is to choose a recording mode. You can either select screen+webcam, screen only, and webcam only from the display screen as shown below.
We selected Screen Only for the purpose of this review. To proceed, you should select “Next Step” button. Recordcast will now display audio recording options as shown below
If you are using a dedicated Mic, you can select Microphone. If you use System audio, Recordcast will use the Microphone embedded with your PC/laptop. You can also opt for recording without audio. You should note that you can only perform recording for 30 minutes at a time.
The next step is to provide the required permissions to record system audio. You have to select the checkbox from the “Check Share Audio Box” dialog and click on the “Got it” button.
Recordcast will prompt you to choose the item that you need to share. You can select Entire Screen or Window.
You have to select the Entire Screen by clicking inside the large rectangle as shown below. You have to click the Share button to enable Recordcast to start the recording process.
The recording will not start and you can record your screen. You can create a demo of a new software tool including the ability to record PowerPoint presentations. If you are a teacher and recording lessons, then you have to use PowerPoint slides.
You can select Hide to remove the bottom message while recording your screen. If you press the Stop button, Recordcast will display a screen as shown below. You can edit the video by selecting Download and Edit button.
If you select Download and Edit button, you will view an editing dashboard as shown below
You can perform several editing work using the available tools. You can add Text, Background including the ability to insert elements relevant to your video. You can also trim and cut portions from the video using the tools available on the timeline. You can also play the video using the Play button the editor. You can add overlays, logo, intro, and outro as well. If you select the relevant option from the left-side navigation panel, you will learn the usefulness of each of them. You can then use the relevant material as per your requirement.
Once you are finished with the editing work, you have to provide a meaningful name and save the whole project. The next step is to export the project. However, you should login using either Facebook or Google to download the finished video. You can also register manually by providing email and password. You will view the below dialog if you attempt to save without proper login.
If you select the Export button after login, you will view a dashboard as shown below
You have to provide the name for the video and select the resolution. Recordcast provides support for 480p, 720p (HD) and 1080p (FHD) resolutions. We strongly recommend you to use either HD or FHD resolutions if you are plan to upload the video on YouTube. Recordcast will display progress bar as shown below
You should stay on the screen for faster processing. Recordcast will display a message dialog as shown below.
You can download the video by selecting Download Here button. The relevant video will be downloaded and you can upload them to YouTube for public consumption.
Conclusion
Recordcast is a simple cloud-based tool using which you can record videos for online teaching, online learning and for simple demo purposes. There is no need to download and install any software. The entire video capturing and editing work can be completed online with the help of a robust dashboard. Recordcast includes several features not available in other competing cloud video recording tools. The timeline helps you to edit the content easily including the ability to cut unwanted portions. The Plus version enables you to enjoy special privileges like adding custom watermark, 30 minutes video recording, unlimited projects and much more. However, the free version will be suitable for those educators who create short videos and demos. However, if they need to create several videos of up to 30 minutes, then it will be better to invest for the recordcast Plus version. We highly recommend Recordcast if you are on a lookout for a free and fast video recording and editing tool.
Recordcast
Free
Pros
- Simple user interface
- Cloud software
- Excellent video editor
- Privacy protected and Secure
- Comprehensive documentation
Cons
- Custom watermark only in Plus
- Only 480p in free version
