CamStudio 2.5 beta

Publisher's description of CamStudio

CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs)

Version 2.5 beta adds recording a region by windows, mouse-button-based visual feedback, true multilanguage support, recording audio from speakers, and a variety of other new features and fixes.

See more CNET content tagged:

AVI,

open source,

video,

PC

Editor's review of CamStudio

We'll give it to you straight. You won't find a zoom feature, a huge variety of compressors or file types, or a video editor in the free CamStudio 2.5 (beta). What you will find is a small, sturdy screencast app that faithfully records your PC in AVI and SWF (Flash) formats. There are many fine features in the intuitive, open source app to recommend it, including an option to highlight the cursor path during a recording session, automatically pan, and record with sound. A brand-new effects menu scoops on the ability to annotate and append videos with comments, a time stamp, and a territorial watermark. Just don't get too crazy all at once.

There's clearly a long way to go for CamStudio to catch up with commercial rivals--most grumble-worthy is the lack of file type support outside AVI and SWF files and the absent editor for trimming, splicing, and optimizing a video. If those aren't strong concerns, this freebie, with its steady playback and modicum of audio and video settings options, will provide the necessary tools for creating quick demos and screencasts.

User reviews of CamStudio

• Average user rating: out of 59 votes
• Your rating: Write your own review

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  CamStudio

  Just what I needed and absolutely free

  by: ComputerJy on 28-Sep-2007 07:01:52 AM

  Pros: It records AVIs and allows the conversion to swf.

  It's so customizable that you can even pick an image to display instead of your cursor.

  Very easy to use

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  CamStudio

  Works perfectly and records great No problems found so far

  by: adkiller2k7 on 22-Apr-2008 09:41:24 AM

  Pros: Records high quality videos, has AutoPanning to make it record a box following the mouse, The site that offers this program also offers CamStudio Codec to decrease file size and gives quality videos, CamStudio is very customizable, its all free!!!

  Cons: Sometimes the settings MAY be incorrectly set up at first, follow Jimmyrcom's video tutorial on camstudio on youtube.com to get the good settings that work perfectly or search for it on jimmyr.com

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  CamStudio

  Wouldn't work

  by: maidensolo on 20-May-2008 10:51:38 PM

  Pros: What did I like? The fact that it's free and the CNet Editors gave an honest and satisfactory review; saying it lacked some things but the basics were there.

  Well, for an xp home user running IE6, it sure didn't do much.

  I could download it, and I could get the Player to install. But the Recorder, the Producer, and whatever else was there wouldn't install because it couldn't locate a file called MFC71.DLL. It suggested I start over from scratch, and download again. I did. Same result. It couldn't find other files but I uncovered them and satisfed it's confusion. But I never could find the MFC71.DLL.

  Cons: I don't like the fact that there are only 3 of us out of 35 who can't function:

  ebby47 had the same problems I did. and

  edddlalo just kept saying "i don't know" over and over. Poor confused guy. He sounded as confused as the software.

  I need a replacement. I do remember finding some cool stuff in business application software, and some people don't think to look there. But i reviewed a kick $** recorder several years ago with great sound quality. Perhaps the business applications have expanded to recording streaming video and audio since lots of video conferencing takes place these days. It's worth a look.

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  CamStudio

  Where is the Audio?

  by: miwi98 on 04-Mar-2008 10:03:33 PM

  Pros: The Video is on point!

  Cons: Can not deselect the "record audio" feature so I have a video but no audio

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  CamStudio

  Quality videos

  by: jorgeletralia on 12-Jul-2008 06:21:15 AM

  Pros: The videos have excellent quality. I've testing some free software, and this is the best.

  Cons: I think the developer must focus in the interface. It's a bit complicated and less intuitive than other I've seen. However, I prefer this little piece of software to others more famous.

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