When TechSmith announced earlier this month they were ending support for the free Snagit Chrome extension, users began searching for a new screencast tool.
Snagit is a screen capture tool, that allows you to easily capture screenshots as well as record videos of your screen.
Launched in 1990, Snagit has a long history of use by designers and developers. It was as one of the first screen capture applications and has steadily added new features over time.
When the Chrome extension was launched in 2014, many people started using it. And why not?
It was free and offered similar functionality to the desktop versions.
With this month’s announcement, users of Chromebooks (like me!) or people using other operating systems, will soon need to find a different screencasting tool.
Screen Recording Options and Requirements
Off I went in search of what was available. And like my free tools for taking screenshots post, I had three requirements:
- Free
- Allows me to capture screencasts on my laptop and Chromebook
- Provides option to save to Google Drive
This time I only looked at Chrome extensions. Here are the two extensions I installed and reviewed:
1. Nimbus
Not surprisingly, Nimbus made it high on my list. Since I already use Nimbus for capturing screenshots, why would I install another extension?
To create a screencast, all I need to do is select the Nimbus browser toolbar icon and choose Record Video from the drop-down menu.
The Video Record dialog displays, where I can choose options to record the Mic Sound, Tab Sound, and set the Countdown.
If you don’t enable Mic Sound or Tab Sound, the recording will have no sound.
You can also enable Tab Record, to record video from the current Tab. Or enable Desktop Tab, to record video with another active program (for example, Skype or Photoshop).
Once you’ve finished recording, select the Nimbus toolbar icon and select Stop Record. You can then review the recording, add your comment, and save the video.
If you prefer to use Firefox, check out the Nimbus Firefox add-on.
2. Screencastify
Screencastify is another screencasting tool that has been around for while. It has one purpose and does it well: screen recording.
With almost two million users of the Chrome extension, and a solid four out of five star rating, Screencastify has a solid base of users who are happy with their product.
Like Nimbus, Screencastify offers recording of tabs or the desktop. Start the recording by selecting the Screencastify browser toolbar icon or using the shortcut key Alt + Shift + S.
On your first video, you’ll need to set up camera access and storage options; you can store videos locally or on Google Drive.
Videos are saved in webm format and you can record videos up to 10 minutes long.
One of the things I liked about Screencastify was the short video that launched after I set up my storage options.
The one-minute captioned video gave a quick walkthrough of the options for how to use Screencastify, nicely done! The jazz music in the background made me want to play the video more than once.
Summary
Nimbus is my screencasting tool of choice, since it’s already installed on my devices and offers screenshot and screencasting capability.
But depending on your requirements, Screencastify could be your screencast application of choice. Both Nimbus and Screencastify do screencasting well, and it may depend on which interface you like working in.
What tool do you use for taking screencasts? Share your application in the comments!
