Hey there! Have you ever wanted to capture a computer tutorial? Record your gameplay exploits? Or immortalize an important online presentation? Well I‘ve got your back! 😎 Screen recording on Macs has never been easier thanks to some awesome built-in and third party tools.
In this jam-packed guide, let me walk you step-by-step through the various options, when each shines, plus tips and tricks I‘ve learned from years of video production experience for capturing like a pro!
Here‘s a quick roadmap of what we‘ll cover:
Part 1: Brief history of screen recording capabilities on Mac
Part 2: Using macOS keyboard shortcuts
Part 3: Recording with QuickTime Player
Part 4: Powerful 3rd party software options
Part 5: Comparing the pros and cons of each method
Part 6: Exporting, editing and sharing recordings
Part 7: Top tips for high quality productions
Let‘s start our journey!
A Brief History of Screen Recording on Mac
Before we dive into the methods, some quick historical context! Hard as it is to believe, screen capturing is actually a pretty recent thing in personal computing. Back in the day, long before easy to use software solutions arrived, recording your display required special hardware contraptions to bridge signals from computers to VCRs! 📼
Over the years as OS capabilities improved exponentially, Apple was at the forefront of pioneering simplified screen recording straight from the graphical user interface. The seminal QuickTime multimedia framework introduced the concept of software-based screen captures way back in the early 90‘s!
Initially quality was amateurish – early attempts were choppy 360p recordings at best. But given Moore‘s Law and all, it wasn‘t long before HD became the norm. Still though, QuickTime required some level of user effort to initiate and manage recordings. The game changed more recently in 2018‘s macOS Mojave release, when Apple surprise dropped some wicked easy keyboard shortcuts for near instant capturing built right into the OS itself!
We‘ve come a long way baby! Now crystal clear 4K desktop recording is accessible to anyone and everyone. As creators move projects increasingly online, there‘s certainly no shortage of use cases from casual to professional.
So without further ado, let me break down QuickTime and the latest macOS tools, plus some 3rd party stalwarts that take things to the next level!
Method 1: Built-In macOS Keyboard Shortcuts
For spontaneous situations where you need to capture something right away – a bug repro, an epic headshot, a friend‘s video call – nothing beats macOS‘s newfangled keyboard shortcuts for lightning fast screen recordings!
Introduced in 2018‘s macOS Mojave release, simply tap:
CMD + Shift + 5
And boom 💥you‘re in business! The familiar screenshot toolbar pops up discretely wherever your mouse is. See those handy buttons? 👇
[Insert Image: macOS Screenshot Toolbar]From here you‘ve got a couple options:
- Full display capture 🖥️: Click the monitor icon to record everything visible on screen
- Partial capture 📐: Drag edges of dotted lines to select specific area to record
Once you‘ve chosen your canvas, hover over the red record icon and click to initiate capture! situate yourself on screen, and speak/present as needed. The timer shows you recording duration in progress.
To end, click the square stop icon or use CMD + CTRL + ESC. Just like that, your recording will be automatically saved as an MP4 video to your Movies folder, ready to share!
Use Cases
The macOS recorder is stellar for rapid fire videos like:
- Software glitches/bug capturing
- Spontaneous gameplay highlights
- Quick how-to walkthroughs
- Video call recordings
- And way more!
Limitations
Being geared for speed and convenience, the built-in recorder does lack advanced controls for fine tuning:
- No webcam capture or picture-in-picture
- Can‘t specify output folder location
- No mic/system audio capturing
- Limited editing capabilities
No sweat! For times when you need to level up production value, the trusty QuickTime Player has our back…
Method 2: QuickTime Player
Before macOS keyboard shortcuts existed, QuickTime Player was the go-to for screen recording. Available since the early 90‘s, QuickTime offers a healthy balance of quality, control and simplicity right out the box!
To start recording:
Step 1: Open QuickTime Player (located in Applications folder)
Step 2: Select "File">"New Screen Recording"
Step 3: Click red record button to capture entire display, or drag to select an area
Here‘s where QuickTime starts to differentiate…
Enable microphone audio by selecting input source here:
[Insert Image: QuickTime Audio Input Source]And if you want to capture system audio too (great for video gameplay footage!), tick this box:
[Insert Image: QuickTime System Audio Selection]Webcam video overlay is also just a checkbox away. Size the picture-in-picture window as needed atop your desktop capture!
QuickTime even allows basic trimming of recordings, handy for chopping out mistakes. Compared to MP4s from the macOS recorder, QuickTime MOV files are equally high quality while still being reasonably sized for sharing.
One heads up! Unlike the macOS recorder, QuickTime screen capture does NOT work over remote desktop connections – the video feed will appear all black 😵
Use Cases
QT Shines for recordings like:
- Narrated software tutorials
- Picture-in-picture game streams
- Informational business presentations
- Video calls to save for later
Limitations
QuickTime is local desktop only (no remotes) and still lacks some advanced features like:
- Multi-source mixing
- Transitions/chroma key
- Multi-track sequencing
- Automated scheduling
For truly professional productions, third party apps kick things up a notch!
Method 3: Advanced Third Party Software
When your video vision calls for supreme levels of polish and control – snazzy multi-source composites, Hollywood effects, multi-track sequencing – tools like Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) and ScreenFlow answer the bell.
Sure QuickTime meets many typical screen recording needs, but power users with complex requirements still turn to heavyweight third party solutions like these for unparalleled creativity.
Some seriously awesome features include:
Webcam Mixing – Chroma key your face over footage! Lower third banners! Picture-in-Picture! Green screen backgrounds! Multiple cam switching! Possibilities are endless.
Device Mixing – Record and sync footage from multiple desktops, mobile devices, game consoles!
Video Effects – Transitions, Text/images, face filters, scene switching. Make things pop.
Audio Mixing – Fine tune system sounds, microphone feeds, streaming music in real time.
Editing Capabilities – Trim, splice and sequence clips on multi-track timelines with frame-level precision control.
Formats – Export videos optimized for different sharing platforms (YT, Facebook, Instagram etc).
As you can see we‘ve come a long way from basic software captures! However, added power inevitably requires an investment of time to learn. These advanced tools cater more to dedicated video craftspeople versus casual clickers.
But for professional live streams, viral-worthy tutorials, and commercial video projects, OBS and ScreenFlow deliver big time.
Key Differences At-a-Glance
| Feature | Keyboard Shortcuts | QuickTime Player | 3rd Party Software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use Case Examples | Spontaneous needs, gameplay highlights, personal video calls | Narrated tutorials, informational presentations, picture-in-picture gameplay | Advanced multi-source productions, pro live streams, commercial video projects |
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ |
| Control/Features | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Video Quality | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Audio Quality | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Editing Tools | ⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Hardware Requirements | Lower | Medium | Higher |
And there you go, a high level view of how the main options compare!
Now that you‘ve captured epic footage, let‘s briefly cover what‘s next!
Exporting, Accessing and Sharing Your Recordings
A key final step after recording is getting your videos off your Mac ready for editing or sharing!
By default, the macOS recorder saves captures as MP4s here:
Finder > Movies
Meanwhile, QuickTime Player‘s MOV files go to:
Finder > Desktop
For third party apps, export destination depends on preferences you set.
Once exported though, your recordings become accessible like any other video file on your system for further processing!
Options:
- Edit in iMovie, Final Cut Pro
- Combine with other clips
- Upload to YouTube/Social
- Add to presentations
- Email to friends
- And more!
Sky‘s the limit.
Top Tips for Quality Recordings
Over the years, I‘ve learned some best practices the hard way when it comes to achieving quality desktop video captures! Here‘s a handful of pro tips:
✔️ Use keyboard shortcuts to avoid mouse clicks interfering
✔️ Add the on-screen recorder to your Mac‘s Dock for quick access
✔️ Adjust capture area to balance quality and file size
✔️ Record voiceovers/audio locally instead of over mics when possible
✔️ Use an external camera for best possible picture quality
✔️ Pause other intensive system processes before capturing
✔️ Test performance beforehand when recording demanding games/apps
✔️ Play back a short sample before committing to a long recording!
Hopefully these help you sidestep some gotchas!
Okay my friend, we‘ve covered a ton of ground here on everything from a short history screen recording on Mac to step-by-step walkthroughs of QuickTime and macOS built-in tools. From beginner to advanced setups, you now have all the knowledge needed to start capturing awesome videos of your desktop antics!
Let me know if any other questions come up! Until next time 😊
