Virtually all screen recording applications create videos by taking a series of screen captures and combining those captures, or frames, into a continuous series. These applications all approach recording and editing in a slightly different way, but there seems to be two main recording methods.

1.       Full-motion recording: A continuous stream of frames is captured at a preset frame rate, such as five frames per second. These frames are then compiled and presented in the editor as a single video clip.

2.       Action-Based Recording (my word, not an industry term): A frame is created when a user performs an action, such as a mouse click, in the software. Most action-based recorders show cursor movement between frames to avoid a slide show-style presentation. The collection of frames is then presented individually in the editor. 

Basically, full-motion recording is actually recording your screen while action-based recording is taking screen shots at critical moments.

Generally speaking, each method has its advantages. Full-motion recording ensures the smoothest video and captures screen activity that may not be tied to a user-initiated action.  For example, full-motion recording will capture a video playing on screen where action-based recording would not. Action-based recording, on the other hand, keeps the frames captured to a minimum and allows editing of each individual frame.

You are probably wondering by now how this relates to DemoWorks…

DemoWorks uses a unique sampling process that combines the best of both worlds. We call this Smart Full-Motion Recording. DemoWorks allows you to set a sampling rate, which is really a frames-per-second setting. When recording, DemoWorks will start with an initial frame and then compare the screen, at the set interval, to the last frame. If the screen has changed, it will record a new frame. If the screen has not changed, it will not create a new frame. Furthermore, if a user action is initiated, a mouse-click for example, a frame will immediately be created. All this happens many times a second.

So, if DemoWorks is set at five frames per second, it will check the screen at 0.2 second interval to see if the screen has changed. If anything is different, even a single pixel, a new frame will be created.  Also, if a button is clicked, a frame will instantly be created. The mouse position is logged the entire time.

When the recording is stopped, all the frames and mouse path are presented in the editor. The user then can edit, duplicate, hide, or delete individual slides as well as the mouse path.

Now you are wondering why Smart Full-Motion Recording is better than the two methods described above…

It keeps the number of frames captured at a minimum while preserving video quality and “smoothness.” It also allows you to see the movie frame-by-frame in the editor. The end result is a top quality recording that is easy to edit and has the smallest possible file size.

Find out more about what you can do with DemoWorks and download a trial at www.componentone.com/demoworks.