 Recording Programs  Fraps  HyperCam  Editing Programs  Windows Movie Maker  Adobe After Effects  Conclusion

 There are many programs which you can use to record videos on your PC.  Programs that record what’s on your screen are called “screen-casting” programs.  I’ll talk about two of them, Fraps and HyperCam.  These two are arguably the most commonly used PC screen recording programs used world-wide.

 Fraps is a benchmarking, screen capture and real-time video capture utility for DirectX and OpenGL applications.  So, Fraps is used to record video game footage, and it can also measure your computers performance with that game.  Fraps comes with a free version, with which you can only record up to 30 seconds of footage at a time. It also causes you to have a watermark at the top of your footage.  The paid version of Fraps let’s you record for as long as you want, without the watermark. It costs $47 AUD.

 HyperCam is a screen recording program that captures the action from a Microsoft Windows screen and saves it to an AVI format.  It’s primarily used to create software demonstrations, tutorials, walkthroughs, and other similar tasks. (e.g. A tutorial on Adobe Photoshop)  HyperCam has a free un-registered version which leaves a watermark at the top-left corner of the screen and asks you to register on every start-up.  The paid version costs around $40 AUD, and lets you record without the watermark.

 There’s countless video editing software available.  Which software is the best? It depends on what type of video you’re editing, and what you intend to use the video for. (e.g. Tutorial, Machinima, Music Video)  All video editing applications have different features that separate them from each other.  I’ll talk about two different types of video editing software, Windows Movie Maker and Adobe After Effects.

 Windows Movie Maker is a video creating and editing software which is included in Windows Me, XP and Vista. Can be downloaded to Windows 7 for free from Microsoft’s website.  It’s a relatively simple video editing program which has some simple effects, transitions, timeline narration and an audio track.  Due to the audio track, you can also use the program as a basic audio editor.  New effects can be made or existing effects modified by using XML code.  Development stopped after the release of Vista and a replacement is included with the free, Windows Live Essentials.

 Adobe After Effects is a digital motion graphics editing software which is primarily used for creating motion graphics and visual effects.  AE allows users to animate, alter and compose media in 2D and 3D with various tools. Using this software you can create cool effects such as lightsabers, lightning, levitating objects, etc.  AE operates in a layer-oriented fashion. This allows for the creation of some fairly complex special effects.  You can test AE with a free 30-day trial. If you like the software you can buy the newest CS5 version for only $1,671 AUD (including GST).

 If you’re looking to record and/or edit a video, decide what type of video you’re making.  For recording games, Fraps would be your best choice due to it being made specifically for that purpose.  For making a video tutorial, HyperCam is a simple yet effective program that most people prefer to use.  Movie Maker makes it very simple to move around video segments to alter the video to how you want it, and it’s great for adding some simple effects.  If you want a video with some more complex special effects, try After Effects. It’s expensive, yet still one of the most used editing programs in the world.

Credits: Beepa Pty Ltd. Hyperionics & Solveig Multimedia. Microsoft. Adobe Systems. Myself.