10 Free Screen Capturing Tools For Windows, Mac & Linux Updated: August 11, 2018 / Home » Desktop Computer Software You can take screenshots directly in Windows and paste them onto Microsoft Paint, having said that, if you are looking for something feature rich, you will need a third party tool. Snagit combines powerful capture and image editing tools with a quick and easy screen recorder. Screen capture and recording software for Windows and Mac.
Feb 15,2019• Proven solutions
Free video capture software is very useful for capturing high-quality video that you performed on your device like computer, mobile phone or tablet, and meanwhile you don't want to spend much money on buying a paid recorder. These free video capture software are not limited to only a few features but, you can also perform various activities like editing, record video in a different format and much more. You may wonder how can I find an excellent video capture software right now? Well don't worry. To make a job simple for you, here are 10 best free video capture software list and comparison table that will help you in your daily life.
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Comparison Table for the best free video capture software [Quick Look]
Below is a comparison table that can give you some information about the best free video capture software on Windows 10/7/8, Mac and Linux, which listed some key factors for a screen recorder or video capture software such as the ability to customize the screen that you need to record, the quality that you can record, as well as the ability to record dual devices such as webcam and screen together. Besides that, we also pointed out the video editing features and audio recording and editing features that you should consider as well when choosing the video capture software for your Windows, Mac or Linux computer.
Part 1: Best free video capture software for Windows 10
The video capture software listed are for Windows 10, but some of them can also be used on Windows 7 and Windows 8, such as Filmora Scrn and CamStudio. If you are looking for some more video capture software for your windows computer, you can also check our picks of Best Screen Recorders for Windows >>
1.Filmora Scrn
Filmora scrn is a perfect solution in Windows 10/7/8 for recording fast-paced game, live streaming, webinar and videos from 15 to 120 frame per second. This is an excellent video recording software that works amazingly for those who want to create reviews and tutorials.
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Price: Freemium
2.Free Screen Video Recorder
Free Screen Video recorder is one video capture software that is good and useful too in Windows 10. It is powered by various latest techniques which help you share your high-quality tutorials with fans or subscribers.
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Price: FREE
3.Windows 10 Game Bar
Windows 10 comes with various features to make your life easier and convenient. Built-in screen recorder is one of them. By using this built-in feature users don't need to install a third-party application. Though this free screen recorder is designed for Xbox, you also can use it to capture any activity on your screen.
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Price: FREE
4.CamStudio
This video recording software is developed by Rendersoft. CamStudio is one of the best free video captures to record screen objects and create them in AVI format. This piece of software consists of various powerful features, which make your life easier. It offers a variety of features like high definition screen recording, video compression and much more.
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Price: FREE
Part 2: 3 Best free video capture for Mac1.QuickTime
QuickTime media player is another free video capture we want to recommed. This application consists of the clean user interface to help beginners easily record whatever they want. Apart from that, users can also record camera, the screen of you iPhone and audio from your computer or microphone. There is no doubt that QuickTime is the best free software on Mac when we are talking about campability.
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Price: FREE
2.Monosnap
Monosnap is one of the best free video capture for Mac. Whether capturing screenshots and drawing on it or sharing files and recording videos, Monosnap allows you all. The features of Monosnap include
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3.Jing
Do you wish to explain things easily with screenshot captures? Jing lets you capture videos easily at any point of time. This best free video capture for Mac enables you to create visual elements and share it easily.
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Free Screen Capture Tool
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Part 3: Best open source video capture software for Linux1.VLC
VLC is an open source free media player application, so it can be used on both Linux, Windows and Mac operating system. It allows you to play music and video of any format including WMA, AAC, AIF, MP3 and much more on your computer. Unlike other media players, you can use this as free screen video capture software. This media player is one of the best media players available on the Internet with the built-in screen recording features.
Best Free Screenshot App For Mac
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Price: FREE
2.OBS
OBS also known as Open Broadcaster Software is another powerful open source video capture free product. It is a streaming program, you can use this program to broadcast a live stream on Twitch, YouTube, etc. One can also use this as a pretty good screen recording program which works great for gamers to share their gameplay with their subscribers.
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Price: FREE
Part 4: Best plugin video capture
Besides the regular video capture software that you need to install on your Windows, Mac or Linux computer, we have also found some plugins or extensions that you can use to capture the video. Here we recommend the following video capture
1.Loom
Loom is a free screen recorder Google Chrome plugin and Extension mainly popular among YouTubers and bloggers. It allows you to edit, resize and convert the video. It is equipped with modern techniques which make your experience more enjoyable.
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Price: FREE
Conclusion
The demand for screen capture application is rapidly increasing. Most of the people love to share the video on social media network and platform. Free video capture software allow the blogger to share their tutorial video on the Internet without spending a single penny. So, without any hesitation, just pick up one recorder to enjoy your recording journey.
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Have you ever guided your grandma, who called asking for help, through zipping a file and attaching it to an email? Like, with words? It's literally painful.
Best Screen Recorders For Mac
Easily capture and share your screen. No training required.
Frequently asked Mac screenshot questions
We’ve shown you how to grab a screenshot, record screen video footage, and create animated GIFs, now it’s time to answer some of your burning screenshot-related questions.
There's good reason why 'show, not tell' is the rule of thumb for everything from UX design to tech support. So if you need to explain to someone how to do things on Mac, there's no better way than a snapshot, screencast, or animated GIF. In this post we'll show you how to do all three.
If your question isn’t answered here, feel free to ask it in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer it there.
How to grab a screenshot on Mac
Everyone knows there's a keyboard shortcut for that, but clearly not everyone remembers what it is, judging by some 100,000 people googling 'how to take a screenshot' every month. To capture your Mac’s screen, you can either rely on the macOS native snipping tool or get third-party software that’s good for the job.
Apple’s keyboard shortcuts to capture a screenshot
Here's a quick reminder for you with the combinations that capture screen on macOS:
⌘ + Shift + 3 to take a screenshot of the whole screen
⌘ + Shift + 4 to capture a selected area
⌘ + Shift + 4 + press Space to take a quick screenshot of the active window.
The resulting image will appear on your desktop as a .PNG file.
With transition to Mojave, the macOS snipping tool became even handier. The new shortcut has been added, and it’s powerful – covering all the controls you need to capture a screen. Press ⌘ + Shift + 5 to launch the panel and see the options. They all are close at hand now.
Once you take a screenshot, it instantly appears at the right bottom of your screen as a floating thumbnail. Without digging around, you can edit, annotate, and share screen captures from there.
Why use a third-party screenshot utility?
These four shortcuts will suffice if you need to quick screen capture for your Mac's visible part of the screen. There is a number of limitations, though:
Luckily, there are some apps that do that, so you should have no trouble finding a good one. Our personal favorites are Capto, a multipurpose screen capture utility for macOS, CleanShot for clutter-free screen recording, and Dropshare to store and share your screenshots.
Try screenshot apps for Mac
Get Setapp to record screen like a pro. It's for everyone to grab videos and screenshots faster than with defaults.
Is it possible to screenshot my Mac remotely?
If you’re away from your Mac but need to grab a screenshot of your home desktop, you can do this by enabling Screen Sharing.
Now that Screen Sharing is set up, you can access your Mac from another computer. To take screenshot of a remote users desktop:
Use snipping tool to capture screenshots
There’s a set of tools that make your screen capturing journey easier. Spolier alert: you can get your hands on the full pack at once.
Use Capto to screen grab on Mac and edit the resulting screenshot the way you like: add captions and arrows, highlight or underline important parts, and what not. When you're done, you can save the screenshot in the format and resolution you need or just share it via Mail, Messages, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
To keep your captures and recordings in one spot, you should try Dropshare. Setapp users get a complimentary plan from Dropshare – 10 GB of free storage. Should you take tons of screenshots for any specific task, your disk space won’t drain. What’s more, Dropshare ensures your content travels safe. You can share your screen recordings as password-protected links.
CleanShot – surprise, surprise – helps you take clean screenshots. With this small tool, you can forget about desktop clutter. In a few clicks, hide the icons and set a custom wallpaper for your screen recordings. Less fuss – more tidy screenshots.
All of these are free to use via Setapp, a subscription service with some 100+ Mac apps.
Change where screenshots are saved by default
Screenshots are automatically saved to your Mac desktop as .png files and named “Screenshot date at time .png,” where “date” is the current date and “time” is the current time. Download junit testing tool for mac.
If you want to save screenshots to the clipboard instead, press and hold the Control key in addition to the screenshot command keys. So, to save a screenshot of the whole screen to the clipboard, press Control + ⌘ + Shift + 3.
There are, of course, third party utilities that can help you change where screenshots are saved too, but you can also do it using the Terminal. Don’t worry, it’s very easy. Here’s how to change your Mac’s screenshot location:
Done! All screenshots you take from now in will be saved in that folder. You can open your screenshots with Preview, Safari, or other image editing tools such as Capto.
How to automatically upload a screenshot and copy the URL to the clipboard after capture?
If you need to share a screenshot quickly online, you’re going to need help from an app.
For single screenshots or video recordings, use Capto or Dropshare. Both make the process simple and both are fully integrated with major cloud sharing providers.
If it’s a GIF that you want to upload, Gifox is the go-to app. Capture your GIF and use Gifox’s drag-and-drop tool to upload your creation to Slack, GitHub, imgur, Google Drive, and more.
All three apps are included for free with a Setapp subscription to download and use at your leisure.
Can I change the default name of a screenshot in Mac?
Mac screenshots are automatically given a default name of “Screen Shot” plus the date and time that the screenshot was taken. The format isn't very search friendly, especially if you take a lot of screenshots.
Fortunately, you can change the file name to something more suitable with a command line.
Now, whenever you take a screenshot, it will be saved under your chosen name. If you want to get rid of the date and time, swap out the command in step 2 for “defaults write com.apple.screencapture 'include-date' 0.
What software can I use for stop-motion screenshots of my Mac desktop?
For professional looking stop-motion videos (which we’re guessing is what you want), use Capto.
Not only is it a high-quality video editing tool, it features everything in one place so that you can capture multiple screenshots and drag-and-drop them in order of succession. The app even lets you add annotations, text, and apply arrows for greater personalization. Plus, when you’re done you can upload videos directly to your YouTube, Tumblr or Evernote accounts.
How to record screen activity in a video
Now, when you create tutorials, tech reviews, or bug reports you want to be able to demonstrate everything that happens onscreen in motion. In such cases, a simple snapshot won't do. Fortunately, there are a hundred and one apps for that purpose, including Apple's own built-in screen recorder QuickTime.
To make a screen capture video with QuickTime, do the following:
After you record the video, you can use File and Edit menus in the menu bar to finalize some basic editing, rename the video, and choose where to save or share it.
Better alternatives to using QuickTime Player
There are pros and cons to using QuickTime Player for screen recording. Like most default apps, QuickTime is free and easy to use. You can also record audio through either your Mac’s microphone or an external one, and choose whether or not to show the mouse pointer on screen.
But as many default apps go, QuickTime Player is also somewhat limited in its functionality. The only choice for editing recordings once they’re complete is to trim the beginning and ending. There’s no option to add titles, additional images, or call-outs. If you want to record your Mac’s system audio, you’ll need additional software to re-route it, so QuickTime thinks it’s coming from an external microphone. Finally, when you’re done recording, the only option is to save it as a movie file — you can’t share it directly to YouTube, for example.
To seriously edit the video you've recorded, you'll need to use another piece of software, so you might as well save yourself the trouble and use one app for both screen capture and post-production.
If you want to know how to record video on Mac easily, try the Capto app we mentioned earlier. Unlike QuickTime, it lets you record screen activity, webcam video, computer audio, and voiceover all at the same time, as well as choosing between recording a portion of your screen or the entire display.
Capto boasts much more editing power too: you can add captions, graphics, and other elements that come in handy in explanatory videos. On top, you can mute, fade in, or fade out both of the audio recording tracks to get professional sound without clicks and keyboard noise.
Here's how to record video from your screen with audio:
Now the video is saved in Capto and is ready for editing. You can play with controls on the left to tweak the sound, trim, add annotations, highlight specific areas, adjust the size and placement of the camera video, and so on.
If you are not sure whether you want to purchase Capto yet, you can try it free on Setapp and decide whether or not it works for your video making needs. A collection of the best Mac apps, Setapp also features complementary tools like a video converter, media player, YouTube downloader, and about 100 more for a monthly cost way lower than buying the apps one by one.
How to capture screen in animated GIFs
While GIFs may be mostly familiar to you from your Twitter feed, they are a surprisingly good way to make animated screenshots for quick how-to's and issue reports. Oftentimes they work even better than video, because they are lightweight and will be automatically played in your email or Slack message. Plus, you can use them in tutorial articles like this one without adding too much weight to the page.
Apple hasn't embraced GIFs yet, although with emoji in the Touch Bar already being a thing, you might as well expect a GIF maker in the next macOS update. For now, however, you're going to need a third-party tool for animated screen capture.
Gifox is one cute little app that does the job well. It lives in your menu bar, so when you need animated screenshots, just open it and record a GIF in a few clicks. Gifox gives you plenty of control over how fast your GIF plays, how many times it repeats, and how high the quality is. You can even add a fancy shadow to it.
All that makes creating a GIF screencast pretty easy. Here's how you do it:
The app will save your GIF to the folder you choose in Preferences, or to your Dropbox/Google Drive account if you connect it. Like Capto, Gifox also comes with Setapp and is free to try.
Try all these apps for free
Get a huge set of top apps for taking a screenshot or record video in macOS. Best utilities in one pack, give it a go!
Free Screenshot App For Mac
So sign up for Setapp now to use both for a week and see how you like them.
Besides, Capto and Gifox, there are over 150 apps on Setapp that make life easier for people looking for audio recording, saving a screenshot, and creating video tutorials and manuals. Get yourself equipped and share some screen activity — be it a screen grab on Mac of a strange bug the QA guy at work has to see or a quick how-to for your tech-unsavvy loved one.
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