There are many video recording and editing tools available, ranging from simple to advanced. This guide focuses on the U of T Academic Toolbox and provides an overview and feature comparison of three easy-to-use video recording and editing tools available at no cost to faculty, staff, and students:
The information on this guide will help you decide which tool is best for recording and editing your videos. It covers key factors like editing features, export formats, recording capabilities, and platform compatibility.
Microsoft Stream and Clipchamp update
Microsoft has unified Stream and Clipchamp into a single video platform within Microsoft 365. This change is being rolled out gradually, so you may still see both names referenced for a time. Moving forward, the Stream brand will be phased out, but its key video features (like captions and transcripts, interactivity, and sharing options) are now part of Clipchamp.
In practice, this means you can use Clipchamp for both video editing and video management within Microsoft 365. Your videos will continue to be stored in OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams.
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1. Overview of recording and editing software in the U of T Academic Toolbox
For most teaching needs, the video recording and editing tools available within the U of T Academic Toolbox will be sufficient. If you require extended options (including some free and some paid options), see our guide to additional recording and editing tools.
If you are looking for tips on how to record content, see our guide on how to self-capture (and share) course content. For help with editing existing or new recordings, consider participating in the remote editing process.
1.1. TechSmith Snagit
Snagit is a user-friendly screen recorder that offers some basic video editing functionality.
- Best suited for: Quick screen recordings for short tutorials (e.g., process or software walkthroughs), splicing clips together, and quick edits that are limited to trimming and cutting parts of the recording.
- Not ideal for: Videos that will require in-depth editing, captioning.
1.2. PowerPoint
MS PowerPoint offers simple recording and editing features to create narrated slide presentations and export them as videos.
- Best suited for: Lecture recordings or slide-based tutorials, quick trimming at the end and/or beginning of recording.
- Not ideal for: Editing videos, general screen recording (i.e., anything outside a PowerPoint window).
1.3. Clipchamp
Clipchamp (included in the U of T Microsoft Office 365 subscription) offers a comprehensive set of recording and editing tools for video and audio recordings. It is integrated with OneDrive and SharePoint.
- Best suited for: Creating videos with templates, using editing features that include trim, join, transitions, filters, text overlay, audio controls, screen/camera recording, and text-to-speech. Adding interactive elements such as forms (quizzes) and call outs to videos.
- Not ideal for: Projects requiring advanced or highly specialized editing (e.g., complex animations, cinematic effects, or multi-layer media production).
2. Comparison table of recording and editing tools in the U of T Academic Toolbox
| TechSmith Snagit | Clipchamp | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Licensed for all U of T staff, faculty, and students (Download SnagIt) | Included with U of T’s Office 365 subscription; login using @utoronto.ca email required | Included with U of T’s Office 365 subscription; login using @utoronto.ca email required |
| Recording capabilities |
|
|
|
| Editing capabilities | Trim, cut, combine video clips (see Editing a Video in Snagit) | Trim (see Trim a video, music clip, or sound clip in PowerPoint) | Trim, Cut, Transitions, Text, Music, Effects (see How to edit a video in Clipchamp) |
| Interactivity options | No | No | Yes; |
| Supported file formats | Almost all video formats | Almost all image, audio, and video formats | Almost all image, video, and audio formats |
| Exported file formats | MPEG-4 | MPEG-4, WMV | MPEG-4 |
| Accessibility options |
To generate captions, upload your Snagit recording to Clipchamp. |
|
|
| Microsoft integration | No; Requires upload to Clipchamp |
Yes; Export and share to OneDrive/Sharepoint |
Yes; Export and share to OneDrive/Sharepoint |
| Compatible platforms | Windows, MacOS | Windows, MacOS | Windows, MacOS (Desktop app available only for Windows; Mobile app is available for iOS devices) |
The tools in the above table are what we are describing as "light" editing options - if you're looking for more robust options, or have a particularly complex project (or are just really into video editing), see our guide to additional recording and editing tools.