After recording a voice-over video lecture with the hardware, you will need a software that does either/or or both of screen capturing and editing installed on your computer. When choosing the software, you would want to evaluate editing features, exported video formats, what is able to be recorded, and compatibility with certain platforms.
This guide includes our recommendations for video recording and editing software and helps you evaluate which tool is most suited (there are benefits and drawbacks to each) to both record and edit your videos. Additionally, we highlight drawing software used to capture handwriting or annotations using a stylus.
For full overview of how to self-capture and share course content using both hardware and software, see this guide: Overview of how to self-capture (and share) course content.
If you have course content or are looking to record content that needs to be edited, consider participating in the remote editing process.
Before you begin
It is highly recommended that you use a computer for screen recording and video editing process. Editing, especially, is a resource-intensive process and requires a good amount of RAM and a decent graphics card (see how much RAM do you need for video editing for more information).
Jump to
Software options to capture and edit your content:
- Screen Capture Software (for quick screen recordings and light trimming of recordings)
- Recording/Editing Software (for more in depth recording and editing (e.g. adding graphics) videos)
- Editing Software (for editing, used in combination with SnagIt or other screen recording tool)
- Drawing Software (Optional; used to capture handwriting or annotations using a stylus)
1. Decision flowchart: What type of software do you need?
Use the diagram below to identify what type of software that we cover in this guide suit your needs:
2. Screen Recording Software
2.1. Screen Recording Software Overview
Techsmith SnagIt software is institutionally licensed - faculty and staff at U of T can download it without charge. TechSmith Snagit can be used to record lecture audio synced with the on-screen display of your computer or laptop. It also offers simple editing tools that allow you to excerpt portions from the lecture. However, unlike TechSmith Camtasia, is does not offer a full editing suite.
TechSmith Snagit creates a local recording on your laptop or computer that can be manually uploaded to a streaming server (the U of T Libraries’ MyMedia service, Microsoft Stream, YouTube, etc.) or file sharing service (i.e., OneDrive) of your choice.
To Download TechSmith SnagIt, visit the Quercus Help > Lecture capture instructional guide (see specifically Get TechSmith Snagit). You do have to authenticate with your UTORid and password (see UTORid Management for assistance).
You can record your PowerPoint presentations, capture voice and your video presence directly in Microsoft PowerPoint app. PowerPoint is available to all faculty and staff at U of T as a part of the U of T's Microsoft 365 license.
See how to record a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint: Record a presentation.
QuickTime Player is a free video viewing, editing and screen-recording application that is natively built into macOS. It has unique features like wirelessly recording your iPhone or iPad screens.
QuickTime Player is only available for macOS.
2.2. Screen Capture Software Comparison Table
| TechSmith Snagit | PowerPoint | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tool in brief | Screen recorder that offers some basic video editing functionality | Part of your Office 365 subscription, provides ability to record audio over slides as you are presenting | Screen, audio, webcam recorder with basic video editing functionality |
| Editing capabilities | Trim, cut | None - can record audio over slides | Trim, split, cut, copy, paste, delete, mute, flip, insert |
| Cost | Licensed for all staff/faculty and students (Download SnagIt) | Included with U of T’s Office 365 subscription; login using Utoronto.ca email required | Free |
| Ideal for: | Quick screen recordings, cutting clips | Recording slides with narration, annotating over slides | Quick edits, splicing clips together, cutting clips, inserting new clips |
| Not ideal for: | Splicing multiple clips together, audio manipulation, annotations | Editing videos, recording anything outside a PowerPoint window | Audio manipulation, annotations |
| Set-up effort | Medium | Low | Low |
| Difficulty to learn | Low | Low | Low |
| Supported file formats | Almost all video formats | Almost all image, audio, and video formats | Almost all video and audio formats |
| Exported file formats | MP4 | MPEG-4, WMV | MOV, M4V, MPEG-4 |
| Webcam recording | Toggle between screen and webcam | Picture in picture | Standalone webcam, picture in picture |
| Microsoft Streams integration | No; requires upload to Stream | Yes, able to publish directly to Stream | No; requires upload to Stream |
| Compatible platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS | macOS |
3. Screen Recording and Editing Software
3.1. Screen Recording and Editing Software Overview
Microsoft Clipchamp is a free user-friendly video editing software designed for creating and editing videos quickly and efficiently. It combines the simplicity of template-driven video creation with powerful editing tools, which makes it suitable for both beginners and experienced users looking to create high-quality videos.
Even though this is a Microsoft product, it is not a part of the U of T's Microsoft 365 suit and will require a separate login. You can log in with your personal email address or with your U of T email address. Keep in mind that if you log in with your U of T email, Clipchamp will not be connected to other Microsoft apps that you have access to with your U of T's Microsoft license.
Get started with Microsoft Clipchamp: Microsoft Clipchamp for Windows.
TechSmith Camtasia software allows you to create professional-quality videos quickly and easily. It requires a paid license that costs approximately $245CAD a year but is also available for a free trial. If you decide to purchase Camtasia studio, there is an educational discount available. Camtasia Studio is a light media editing suite and will allow you to screen capture your display, record audio and video, and provide editing tools for post-production. It is not as complicated as professional-grade editing suites (like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve) but it's a great tool with useful tools specifically for creating tutorial videos.
TechSmith Camtasia is available for Windows and Mac.
3.2. Screen Recorder and Editing Software Comparison Table
| Microsoft Clipchamp | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tool in brief | Screen recording and video editing tool that offers an intuitive, template-driven creation with advanced features for users of all levels | Screen recording and video editing software designed for creating professional-quality videos with ease |
| Editing capabilities | Available with a free plan:
|
|
| Cost | Free; Premium plan available |
Individual subscription license is $246.44CAD/year; Education pricing available |
| Ideal for: |
|
|
| Set-up effort | Low | Low |
| Difficulty to learn | Low | Medium |
| Supported import file formats | MP4, MOV, WEBM, AVI, DIVX, FLV, 3GP, WMV, VOB, DCM, and MKV See full list of supported import formats |
MP4 (MPEG-4 H.264 codec), AVI, WMV, MOV (QuickTime), M4V, GIF, JPEG, and more |
| Exported file formats | MPEG-4 (.mp4) video file and the frame rate will be 30fps Export videos in 480p, 720p, and 1080p resolutions with a free plan Save a 15-second video as a GIF |
MP4, GIF, M4A |
| Webcam recording | Yes; Learn more about Online webcam recorder |
Yes, picture in picture; Learn more about recording & editing camera videos (picture-in-picture) |
| Compatible platforms | Windows Also runs in Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome web browsers that can be installed on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebooks. Go to app.clipchamp.com to access the web app |
Windows, MacOS See minimum system requirements |
4. Editing Software
4.1. DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve has a free version of its software available for download. It mimics most of the functionality available in the industry-standard tool suite, Adobe Creative Cloud. The catch with this application is that it is highly complex, has a steep learning curve, and requires a very good graphics card and a computer with a lot of RAM to run effectively.
DaVinci Resolve is available for Windows, Mac, and iPad.
If you wanted to use DaVinci Resolve, you could use SnagIt to record your screen and then import that video capture into DaVinci for editing.
4.2. iMovie
iMovie is a capable video editing application that comes pre-installed with macOS and is available for iPad and iPhone as well. It has all the bells and whistles for producing high-quality videos.
iMovie is only available for Apple devices.
If you are on Mac, you can use the built-in app, QuickTime, to record your screen and audio and then import the video to iMovie for editing. See Record your screen in QuickTime Player on Mac.
5. Drawing Software
5.1. Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote is a digital note-taking app that is part of the University's O365 license. It is available to you via this license for no charge. This is a cloud-based option that allows you to share the content you are working on live. This means that you could share the link to your OneNote notebook to your synchronous session and have students see you developing content in real time (you can even enable it so that they can edit with you! Use this option strategically!). See 10 great ways in which OneNote earns its place in your classroom
5.1.1. How to Login to Microsoft OneNote
- Go to your O365 homepage and select OneNote from your list of apps.
- If OneNote is not visible, you might have to select on "All Apps" to expand your full options.
5.2. Freeform
Freeform is a free drawing app with infinity canvas and collaboration features. It comes pre-installed on the latest Mac, iPhone and iPad. Its collaboration feature allows you to share the canvas with other people to either only view or draw on the board live, though only Apple users can access this feature.
If you have an iPad and an Apple Pencil, you can record the iPad screen and your voice as the same time. For more information, visit Apple's documentation, “Take a screen recording on iPad.”
Freeform is only available for Apple devices.
5.3. Sketchbook Pro
Sketchbook has gone free! This software has a lot of features that most drawing tools do not have (for example, importing images, layers, add ons, etc.). If Camtasia is the light version of Premiere Pro, then you might consider this the light version of Photoshop/Illustrator. This would be great for projects where you have some baseline content (diagrams, slides, etc.) where you'd like to add annotations or other graphics.
5.4. Smoothdraw
Another free option is Smoothdraw. Smoothdraw is well known because it is the software that is used to create the videos you see on Khan Academy. It is not the most modern looking tool but it works!
Smoothdraw is only available for Windows.
Don't forget! You can always get help setting up your recording process by contacting the by setting up a 1-1 consultation with the team at the FASE Education Technology Office.