Let’s say that one of your friends turns to you for helping to set a program, there are many ways you can choose to help him. Such as, explain the operation steps over the phone, send an e-mail explaining how to set the parameters, travel to his place and show him what to do, or you can send him a short screencast as the setting guide…
Obviously, the last way is the most logical way to get the problem done.

Just as a screenshot is a picture of the computer screen, a screencast, also known as a video screen capture, is essentially a recording of computer screen and sometimes containing audio narration. It is a powerful tool to demonstrate how to use a program, or to illustrate some complicated procedures that are hard to explain in textual description and static images.

But, how to make an effective screencast?

Firstly, download a record tool. PCHand Screen Recorder could be a good option.

Secondly, set the recording parameters.

Thirdly, start recording the screencast. While recording, you can add an audio narration for your screencast.

At last, when completed, save the screencast as your wish.

Want to make your computer runs more smoothly in recording, here are some tips:

1) Disable your computer’s hardware acceleration.

2) Close the unneeded programs.

If you want a faster solution to a problem, if you want to explain to this kind of issue to your friends more accurate, I think a screencast will be your best choice!

Sometimes, we need to record full screen or a part of a screen when we wanna explain something clearly. This post is dedicated to a free way to record screen – ScreenToaster.

ScreenToaster is operated by Iteria, SARL with offices in the heart of Paris, France. They are a small team of high-skilled web engineers, developing state-of-the-art web 2.0 services for Internet users. They have already raised a first round of capital to actively support ScreenToaster. Look forward to see the on-going development of ScreenToaster.

With ScreenToaster you can:

1) Register & use it anywhere, anytime
No download. And it’s compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux.

2) Capture videos of onscreen action in one click
Record screencasts, tutorials, demos, training, lectures and more.

3) Share stream videos online in Flash
Embed them on blogs and WebPages or send them by email.

Tip:

In the previous article I said I don’t really like web-based screen recorders, because they limit your recording time plus they worked slower for me giving worse quality. But it is free and could help you complete some recording.

Do you ever feel annoying with writing guides? Are you confused how to attract people to take more attention to the demo video of your products? Does anyone would like to make your tutorials more vivid? If yes, I suggest this prefect tool – PCHand Screen Capture Recorder Suite!

What is PCHand Screen Capture Recorder Suite?

PCHand Screen Capture Recorder Suite, the best partner for desktop screen capturing and recording, includes PCHand Screen Capture and PCHand Screen Recorder.

What can PCHand Screen Capture do?

PCHand Screen Capture is an excellent screen capture software to capture anything on the screen with flexible capturing profile and edit the captured images with the powerful build-in editor.

With it, you can
1. Capture a long webpage, an active window, etc.
2. Capture the screen and then sent the captured images the build-in editor.
3. Capture the screen and sent the screenshot to the MS word, PowerPoint or E-mail it directly.
4. Add your company’s mark automatically on all of the captured images.
5. Add caption and edge effects automatically when capture is taken.

What can PCHand Screen Recorder do?

PCHand Screen Recorder is a screen record software to record screen activity into standard AVI video files. If you move the cursor, launch a new program, type some text, click a few buttons, or select some menus, anything that you see on your screen, this screen recorder will be able to record all these and allow you to play them back later on.

With it, you can

1. Record any screen activities with audio to create video instruction, avi tutorials, or video demo to clearly demonstrate your thoughts.
2. Explain how to use a program.
3. WebCam Recording
4. Make game videos to show how cool you are in the game.
5. Share screen activities with your best friends.
6. Record soundtrack to add narration from Microphone and keep synchronous with video.

For Windows:

1) Screen Toaster

Screen Toaster doesn’t need to download and can be Compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux.

Link: http://www.screentoaster.com/

2) Jing

Jing is a screencasting software launched in 2007 as Jing Project by the TechSmith Corporation .

Download Link:
http://www.lockergnome.com/spectocreate/2007/11/14/jing-a-free-high-quality-screen-recorder/

3) BB FlashBack Express

BB FlashBack Express could record your screen, sound and webcams.

Download Link: http://www.tucows.com/preview/399788

For Macs:

1) Snapper Screen Recorder

Snapper Screen Recorder could help you capture a movie of your screen while you are working and is an excellent tool for creating demonstrative animation movies.

Link: http://economy-x-talk.com/snapper/

2)vnc2flv

Vnc2flv is a cross-platform screen recording tool for UNIX, Windows or Mac. It captures a VNC desktop session (either your own screen or a remote computer) and saves as a Flash Video (FLV) file.

Link: http://www.unixuser.org/~euske/python/vnc2flv/index.html

3) Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is the original free and easy way to create a video recording of your screen (aka screencast) and upload it for free hosting

LInk: http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/

Tips:

Screencast-O-Matic and Screen Toaster are online screen video recorder software. I don’t really like web-based screen recorders, because they limit your recording time plus they worked slower for me giving worse quality.

Nowadays, as the high-speed development of Technology, more and more how-to demos jump into people’s eye. Internet possesses much energetic teamwork that is willing to create video tutorials to help others. However, how to create a helpful, effective and demo video is a big problem lying before the video authors.

Want to make your explanation clearer and easier to understand? Now, I want to share some tips to make your videos more popular.

Firstly, make preparation

Before making demo video, you should spend some time to think over. I think this is a necessity for creating videos. For example, should I explain the video step by step or directly show it in words? How to name the video? How long it will take? What component it consists of and which part should I take more attention? Etc. Once these preparations are ready, you will find recording becomes so easy since you’ve already known what to do next.

Secondly, Show key-part in detail

You need to know which part is the most important of your demo video, and then you should show this part in detail. It’s not far enough to create a satisfactory demo video only by directly recording. Try to put some effects into your recording to emphasize the key-point. Such as the highlight cursor, the different color between the right and left mouse-clicks. Only in this way, can you make your video more attractive.

Thirdly, avoid unnecessary

Make sure that you don’t move the mouse back and forth or say something irrelevant while recording, because these unnecessary behaviors will bother the users and distract their attentions to the video.

Lastly, do some narration

In many cases, explain in voice brings some incredible effect in video. Now, majority of screen recording software could do this now, such as our PCHand Screen Recorder. Record audio – from the PC or microphone, you can remind people to take more attention to some useful info.

To make demo video smoother and easier in the shortest possible time, try these tips. If you have suggestion, share with us by posting comment.

Want to narrate the steps on the program demo video? Want to keep your voice synchronous with the steps? If yes, PCHand Screen Recorder could help you to create narration-based software demo video with ease.

Follow the steps to use PChand Screen Recorder to record the screen activities with the voice over at the same time.

Step1: Open PCHand Screen Recorder.

Step2: Click “ Audio”, then tick the “Record Audio”.

Step3: Click  to set the Record Resource & Volume.

Select Mic Volume, the sound could be recorded form the microphone.

Step4: Click  or use the hotkey to start recording. Now, you can speak from the microphone while recording.

Step5: Click  or use the hotkey to stop recording.

Step6: Save the recorded file then done!.

YouTube, as the largest video sites on the world, could help you to promote your products in a quick way. Nowadays software product instructional videos on Youtube have become hotter ant hotter. Do you want to show your products? Do you want to record your program demos and upload it to Youtube? If yes, here is a both quick and easy way.

Get help form a step-by-step guide.

Step1: Open the program window that you want to record.

Step2: Launch PCHand Screen Recorder.

Step3: Click on the ‘Select Area’, then choose the ‘Selected Region’.

Step4: You can select ‘Selected window’ or ‘Selected Region’.

If you choose ‘Select window’, then when you move your mouse cursor on the program window you want to record, a red frame will appear on the borders. Click on it to select it as source of recording.

If you choose ‘Select region’, then you should select the region manually. Press ‘Start’ button to select the region. (You can also enter the width and height values manually.)

Step5: Click on   or use the hotkey to start recording. You should keep the program window on screen.

Step6: Click on   or use the hotkey to stop recording.

Step7: Save it.

Step8: Upload to Youtube.

Go to http://www.youtube.com and login, upload the published AVI videos according the upload guide.

Your webcam session is recorded as a standard AVI format which can be displayed by all media players and upload on all the video websites.

Additional Settings :

You can add cursor click display color, highlights, the audio and video parameters into your video. Please see How to use PCHand Screen Recorder.

Do you want to discover much more. Download now.

Do you want to make instruction video to show how to use a program? With PCHand Screen Recorder, you will find it can’t be any easier.

Please do the following steps to start your first recording.

 Step 1: Open PCHand Screen Recorder, select a region for recording.
You can choose full screen, selected window or selected area as your need.

Step 2: Click  or use the hotkeys to record exactly what you want.

While recording, click  or use the hotkeys to pause the recording.

Step 3: Click  or use the hotkeys to finish the recording.

Step 4: Save the recorded file then done!

The simple steps above could help you complete the quick recording, if you want to enrich your video, settings in details as the follow:

Set the Video parameters as your need.
You can optimize your video recordings by choosing the Video Quality, FPS and Mouse setting.

Set the Audio parameters as your need.
It is available to set the audio quality, choose Compressed Format and select the audio resource.

Got it? Make your own instruction video right now!

October 30th, 2009 — PCHand Software announced the release of PCHand Screen Recorder V1. 0.

PCHand Screen Recorder is powerful yet easy-to-use screen record software to create video demonstration. With PCHand Screen Recorder, you could not only record any activities on screen, but also record the audio from PC or microphone. It provides a user-friendly interface and is easy to use. Just several steps and done!

With PCHand Screen Recorder you can

1. Record any activities of screen as you wish.
PCHand Screen Recorder can record any part of the screen or a window or the entire desktop, record your web cam sessions, favorite games, any software on your desktop, any video display on your screen, record audio of whatever you hear, even the left and right mouse clicks and mouse highlights can be recorded to be displayed in your recordings. With it, recording screen can’t be easier than this. Just several clicks, record exactly what you want! First, select area. Second, press “Start” to record. And done! It is fast speed and very easy to use.

2. Records audio from various audio sources – microphone, line-In, CD etc
Now, you will find no more difficulties to add your voice on the video. If your sound card supports it, whatever you hear could be recorded – your voice, click sounds, keystroke sounds etc into your video. It is easy to do this! Just set Volume parameters, select the Volume as your wish, then click “Start”, and the voice can be added and keep synchronous with video!

3. Generate standard AVI video.
With PCHand Screen Recorder, you can get a standard AVI format video, and it is small, lossless and popular to share on YouTube. It is also available to choose video or audio quality.

“Today, we release our PCHand Screen Recorder which could help all users to record any activities on the screen” says Charles, Director of PCHand Software.”So together with PCHand Screen Capture, we have completed our PCHand Screen Suite which will become your best partner for desktop screen capturing and recording. To acknowledge all users’ support, PCHand Screen suite only needs $49.9! “

Price & Product Information:
Price: $39.95USD.
Product Information:
http://www.screen-capture-record.com/screen-recorder.html
Download Link: 
http://www.screen-capture-record.com/download/screenrecorder_setup.exe
About PCHand:
PCHand = PC + Hand
That means PCHand Software will be the valuable assistant of your PC, just as the left hand and right hand of a person.
PCHand Software are focus on providing easy-to-use but professional and powerful tools for most users, including Screen Capture, Screen Recorder, System Optimization, System Maintenance, System Backup and recovery tools.