When you think of the best screen and video recorder and video editors which are on the market, most people will not immediately go to Screencast-O-Matic.
In spite of this, it is actually a pretty useful tool when it comes to screen recordings and editing videos as well as other useful but, limited features like screencasting as well as screen capturing which has plenty of different functions.
However, one of the most common uses of best free screen recorder currently is wanting to know if it will be sufficient to record content for a course, and does it also offer any specific more features which will make your videos user-friendly.
Even if a tool is useful, people also often want to know how user-friendly the tool is to use, since some of the most popular and versatile free screen recorders are held back by an unintuitive interface which makes learning to use them a struggle.
And when it comes to paid software, people of course want to ensure that they are going to get their money’s worth and that the cost of the course is equivalent to what you will get from it.
So, if you are considering getting Screencast-O-Matic, but you want to know if it has the more features for you, and if it is worth buying, this review is what you need to read!
Quick Summary
If you just want a quick verdict on whether Screencast-O-Matic will be the right software for you, let’s just give you a quick answer.
If you want a screen recorder that is pocket-friendly as well as easy to use, but still has advanced features for recording videos and taking screenshots, Screencast-O-Matic is going to be a great option for you.
In Screencast-o-Matic the option of different types of payment plans is a welcome choice to help you feel like you are not overpaying for a service.
The only significant drawback of Screencast-o-Matic is that the video editing software which it offers are slightly lacking and will not compare to any dedicated editing software, so if this is what you are looking for, it is worth looking elsewhere.
What Is The Use Of Screencast-O-Matic
If you did not know Screencast-O-Matic is one of the best screen recorders which also has editing options as well. It is used to capture high-quality screencasts as well as take screenshots and record webcam recording frames.
Screencast-o-Matic is specifically popular with creators of online courses as well as marketers and this is because of how easy it is to use, as well as the robust array of many features it offers.
When looking at Screencast-O-Matic it is important to consider just how advanced the options for video recording it offers are and this is useful to help you make more engaging videos by using many features like annotations as well as CTAs within videos.
There are also options to add narration within the software as well as multiple audio tracks mixing features too.
This is a relatively lightweight piece of software and it is compatible with different devices OS’ like Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS.
As well as this there is also the native integration of other tools and software like Zoom, Slack, Google Slides, Skype, Trello, Sheets, and more which are all great other features to have for marketing, communication and to help improve productivity.
Another great aspect of this product is that you can use it offline easily which is not something other similar applications can boast, and you can also integrate your account with a cloud backup to make sure no content you have created gets lost.
This means you can both backup and save Screencast-O-Matic content from any device which you have it installed on.
Before going on a deep dive into specific other features, let’s do a quick rundown of all the various features included just so you know exactly everything currently offered by Screencast-O-Matic:
- Video recording which can be in three modes; screencasts, webcam, and a hybrid of the two
- Features full screen, partial, as well as multi-screen recording options
- Screenshotting features and annotations
- Lets you include CTAs within your videos
- Lets you zoom and highlight specific parts of your videos
- Good level of sound effects control with narration options
- Includes a good sized library of stock images, stock music, and SFX.
- Simple drag and drop style system audio and video editing
- Features different transitions and animations
- Simple video templates included
- Lets you create amazing videos content channels which are either public or private, or lets you use password protection
- Many third party program integration included to create videos.
Looking at this wide array of various features you can see how this is a tool designed to be perfect for making online courses and similar pieces of content. Now you know what is on offer, let’s explore some of these aspects in more detail.
Features And Benefits Of Screencast-O-Matic
As mentioned in the previous section Screencast-O-Matic has a wide variety of different features to help you with what the service is intended to provide.
We will not go in-depth on all of these, but we will dedicate some attention to the advanced features which require elaboration.
Recording High Quality Interactive Video
As you can imagine, this is the most important aspect of Screencast-O-Matic and it is what it does best. You can make screen recording simple, as well as record webcam videos, or do both of these at the same time using the hybrid recording.
This tool is fast and easy to use and you can even choose to record just a specific section of your screen if you want to keep certain parts of the screen hidden.
There is a simple drag-and-drop user interface designed to make resizing the frame of recording simple and lets you focus on specific sections easily.
You of course have the option to add narration to the videos which you can do with your microphone or instead use computer audio instead. This is perfect if you are making content like tutorials, reviews, lessons, demonstrations, or whatever similar style of content.
On Screencast-O-Matic you have the choice to record at HD, 720p, 480p, or at a custom size, and you can even record 15 minutes of this completely for free with its build-in custom video player.
This means the free version offers completely sufficient for specific uses depending on the content type you want to record. However, upgrading to the paid version will net you some more benefits than just over 15 minutes of recording time.
You will also get control over the frame of the webcam when you are recording hybrid style letting you drag the frame wherever you want it to ensure that the audience will get the best view possible.
You can also directly trim the videos to get rid of any dead time to ensure that the videos will look as polished as possible.
Using Screencast-O-Matic you also have the option to directly add captions onto your video using a compatible caption file, or you can use the speech to text functions which will be able to generate captions with surprising accuracy.
And you even have the option to have blank captions and then edit these as you go along. There is also the option of uploading a script for the video to ensure that narration will be perfect.
You also get the option to save videos in various formats like; MP4, GIF, FLV, or AVI and then download them or to save space you can upload them directly to online platforms like Google Drive or YouTube.
The recording functions of Screencast-O-Matic are perfect for recording digital content, and there is a reason why this software is so popular with all it is able to achieve.
High Quality Editing Tools
There is also a video editor which is included with Screencast-O-Matic and this is a great tool for directly editing the raw video footage you have captured and transform it into something which will be a lot more presentable.
The interface is the classic drag and drop style which is super easy to use and lets you modify your video in a variety of different ways.
We will go more in depth on the video editor at the end, but while it offers a fair array of limited features, it does have some clear oversights, and if you are looking for dedicated editing software, you should be able to find a slightly better product.
Making Annotated Screenshots
The screenshot capture tool of Screencast-O-Matic is very robust, and since capturing high quality screenshots is so important to many different types of online content, the fact the Screencast-O-Matic has such good editing tools for the screenshots is a great way to make them more interesting and engaging.
If you have Screencast-O-Matic running on your device you can use shortcuts to capture specific types of screenshots and you then have the option to directly edit it using a variety of useful tools which make editing the pictures simple.
Sharing Content With Your Audience, and
Using Screencast-O-Matic’s channel feature you have the option to directly or privately share content to your audience which is very useful and the program offers plenty of options when it comes to customizing this step.
Easy Content Organization
The channel system also makes it easy to organize specific content for your audience with the internal organization and management features present.
By using folders you have the choice to order your content by dates, topics, or any other system you desire. You also have the freedom to make an unlimited number of sub-folders.
Pricing And Payment Plans Of Screencast-O-Matic
This is one of the most affordable options when it comes to software for screen recording with video editing capabilities as well.
It is even better considering that the free version is pretty generous as well and nowhere near as limiting as some other free screen recorders, with 15 minutes of recording time up to 720p quality.
There is even a limited version of the editing software also included with the free version as well as some of the channel options as well.
However, to get the best experience possible with Screencast-O-Matic, it is recommended to go for one of the premier plan since the extra features made available are incredibly useful.
For solo deluxe you’re paying $4 monthly, for solo premier you’re paying $5.75, and for a business team, for every authorized users you will be paying $5 monthly. Each of these plans will have unlimited video recording, screenshotting, as well as hosting and editing.
If you are a course creator, we recommend the premier option since it gives you some great different features like the stock galleries and CTAs as well as more backup space.
Pros And Cons Of Screencast-O-Matic
Before finishing, let’s summarize the basic strengths and weaknesses of Screencast-O-Matic!
Easy To Use
The simple interface is a lot more simple to understand than many other screen recording programs, and the rest of the layout is easy to use too.
Unlimited Cloud Storage
The unlimited backup is a great feature to have if you are worried about running out of online storage or losing any important files.
Easy To Share Content
Screencast-O-Matic stands out by making the process of sharing the content natively in the software easy.
High-Quality Stock Library
The stock library has plenty of content to use freely if you have the premier version, and these make content creation a lot more simple and will save money elsewhere.
Mobile And Desktop Apps
If you like being able to access the Screencast-O-Matic website like this elsewhere, you will be happy to hear that the app version of Screencast-O-Matic is great and works in sync with the desktop version for a seamless user experience.
Crashing
The desktop app of Screencast-O-Matic does suffer from semi-regular crashes, but this can easily be fixed by developers.
Limited Editing
If you are looking for dedicated editing software, the editor included with Screencast-O-Matic is not worth getting.
Summary
Hopefully this guide has put into perspective how useful Screencast-O-Matic is and what kind of creators it will be the best for. If you want a powerful screen capturing tool with some neat extra features, we strongly recommend Screencast-O-Matic!
