# How to make a video screencap? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850 "2008-12-19T02:38:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850/1 "2008-12-19T02:38:21Z")
I’m trying to put together a PowerPoint presentation for use in an environment that lacks Internet access. The point of the presentation is to show various Web site’s (and some other software) functionality — as in mouse movements and resulting effects. I can easily grab screen shots (stills), but have no idea how to capture the entirety of the desktop (or even an open FF, IE7, or Safari) as a movie. Anything out there that’s simple and free? Cheap? We don’t need a lot of wiz-bang features (I don’t think), but can’t have a watermark. Also, they need to be savable in a PP-embeddable format. If it helps, we have XP, OS X, and Linux machines so this can be fairly platform independent (the most experience is with the PC, so that’s the preferred format, with OS X maybe second because I’m still learning Linux). We’re also open to other solutions (e.g., not a straightforward screencap). Thanks, Rhythm ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850/2 "2008-12-19T02:58:43Z")
They’re commonly needed for doing demonstration tutorials, so there’s a bunch of them about. I’m not sure what they’re called (desktop recorders?) but [here’s one](http://camstudio.org/). ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850/3 "2008-12-19T03:01:39Z")
FRAPS, I think, is popular. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850/4 "2008-12-19T03:15:32Z")
FRAPS? Wow, I have that already to track framerates. Now I just need to find out how to get it to record outside of a game. (It’s kind of a runnoff, which will be easier – FRAPS outside a game or CamStudio from scratch!) Thanks!! ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850/5 "2008-12-19T03:20:21Z")
I hope I didn’t give you bad advice. I don’t actually \*have \*FRAPS. Maybe it can only record within the context of an application, but that seems like a strange design decision. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850/6 "2008-12-19T03:22:45Z")
Never used it, but [xvidcap](http://xvidcap.sourceforge.net/) is supposed to be pretty good for linux. Sounds like you’re best off with an XP program though. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850/7 "2008-12-19T03:38:24Z")
I’m not trying to be a jerk with this suggestion, but wouldn’t it be (filesize wise if in no other way) more efficient to capture the “before” and “after” states as still images and use PowerPoint to animate a mouse click? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850/8 "2008-12-19T04:26:17Z")
Thanks for the suggestions. This may actually turn out to be fairly straightforward and easy. ish. The no movies/animated mouse bit is definitely on the table. We’re putting the presentation concepts together at the moment, and are bandying about ideas on how to convey our core messages. Without getting into too much detail, the clients are Buddhist monks with a _very_ modest technological background. They want certain features for a Web site (e.g., uploadable video, thumbnail gallery, database of visitor’s names and comments), and we’d like to show them what we can do/have done. Tying together several stills with an animated cursor will be fairly indistinguishable from the Internet experience, and we’ll have more control over popups/layout. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-video-screencap/477850/9 "2008-12-19T04:53:42Z")
If you’re trying to demo what you can do, couldn’t you put together a web site showing your functionality and run it on localhost without internet access?