As you’re probably aware, screen recording (or screencasting) is a process that allows you to record video footage directly from your screen. It is frequently used to create how-to guides for digital products, but recently has started to be used more often to save other types of content as well.
If you try to use screen recording and find that the quality of the videos that you record aren’t that great, there are a few factors you should be aware of that could be the reason:
- Resolution of the recording
As with any video, the resolution that the screen recording video is recorded in will determine its definition. However unlike other types of videos, the resolution of the recording is dependent on the resolution of the display that is being recorded.
Simply put if you were to record from a 1080p monitor in full-screen, the resolution of the video that you record would be 1080p. Because of that the display acts as a limitation, and if you record a smaller area within your screen the resolution will be less than 1080p.
- Framerate of the recording
Another important factor that affects the quality of screen recording videos is the framerate, i.e. the number of frames per second. Videos that have more frames per second look smoother and more fluid, especially when quick movements are taking place.
While conventionally any framerate of 30 and above is considered ‘good’, a framerate of 60 frames per second is ideal for screen recording videos. The difference in framerates can be seen quite clearly if you compare videos with different framerates side by side.
- Encoding settings
After the video is recoded it will have to be exported and encoded in a format of your choice. When you do encode your video it is important to use settings that match the original recording – especially when it comes to the resolution and framerate.
On top of that the bitrate in your encoding settings should be high enough that compression artifacts don’t appear in your video. The required bitrate will vary depending on the video resolution, framerate, and format.
While these are the three main factors that affect the quality of screen recording videos, there are others that may have a part to play as well. In particular the audio quality as well as the frame and composition could have a big effect on how the video’s quality is perceived.
By being aware of these factors, you should be able to compensate for them when you use video screen capture Mac or PC. Naturally you’ll need a screen recorder that allows you to adjust the recording parameters, and for example you could try Movavi Screen Capture Studio for Mac.
All said and done recording high quality screen recording videos isn’t as difficult as it may appear to be on the surface. In fact it should be quite easy now that you understand which factors you need to concern yourself with.
