Five screencast programs tested
Definitions
For Krut to create a recording, you need to define the area to grab. Window and full-screen settings do not exist, and Krut does not use webcams, should one be present on the system. To define the recording area, you click on the iconized mouse pointer to the right of the Snap button in the small control window, and with a Ctrl+Left-click, drag the mouse pointer from the upper left to the lower right corner of the target area. The target area turns a semi-transparent green. After defining the target, the recording is started in the usual way. If you want a preview (e.g., to check the target area), check the Menu | Preview Window option.
After starting a recording, Krut records until the Stop button in the control window is pressed. Then, a small window displays the encoding, which is a pleasingly quick experience. Krut creates a MOV file that contains both audio and video data in the defined storage directory. Separately, the software stores a sound file in WAV format. Krut does not allow you to change file formats.
Practical Problems
In practice, defining the recording area turns out to be unreliable in Krut: The software failed to integrate the panel strips into the image in various desktop environments, so full-screen recording was not possible. The window recordings only delivered the desired results after defining the recording area multiple times. The video and audio recordings produced were of a good quality, though, and synchronized correctly.
Encoding was quick, but the file sizes in the test were significantly larger, even for a medium encoding quality, than those produced by the other candidates.
Conclusions
The saying "where there is light, there is also shadow" also applies to screencast programs, which meet vastly different requirements in Linux. Kazam and recordMyDesktop are suitable for occasional work, although recordMyDesktop has an outdated operating concept that needs some getting used to. Kazam showed weaknesses in audio recording in the test.
SimpleScreenRecorder is the best choice for professional users. Thanks to the ability to create profiles, this software in particular facilitates the process of creating training videos for which you want to use the same parameters.
If you are looking for a very solid all-around application with a modern interface and intuitive operation, however, Vokoscreen stands out from the test field. You can see that the developers carefully considered which functions are important for professional screencasts and which are not. The software interface is accordingly uncluttered, but without having to compromise on the program's feature set.
Krut is for those who need portable, platform-independent screencast software. This program has a learning curve, and the recording target areas did not always work in the lab.
Infos
- Kazam: https://launchpad.net/kazam
- recordMyDesktop:http://recordmydesktop.sf.net
- SimpleScreenRecorder: http://www.maartenbaert.be/simplescreenrecorder/
- Source code for Vokoscreen: https://github.com/vkohaupt/vokoscreen
- Vokoscreen: http://linuxecke.volkoh.de/vokoscreen/vokoscreen-download.html
- Krut: https://sourceforge.net/projects/krut/
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs