Ever wondered how people show you so clearly what is happening on their computer, like in the Photoshop Video Tutorials we shared with you? Thanks to screencasting software, anyone can do it. So what's stopping you now from making your own how-to videos? Try out one of these 12 tools and get to making your first video!
Free
AviScreen - As the name would imply, this capture program records the video into AVI files, but can also do BMP photos. It's Windows only and does not record audio.
CamStudio.org - An open source program for capturing your on-screen video and audio as AVI files. Windows only, and absolutely free.
Copernicus - A free program for Macs that focuses heavily on making quick and speedy films by recording the video to your RAM for quicker access. Does not include any support for audio.
JingProject.com - Beyond recording video, Jing allows you to take a picture of any portion fo your desktop, draw on it, add a message, and immediately upload your media to a free hosting account. You are then given a small URL that you can give to whomever needs to see the image or video. Works with Macs and Windows machines.
Screencast-O-Matic.com - A Java-based screencasting tool that requires no downloads and will allow you to automatically upload to hosting. According to their site it works well with Macs and Windows machines, but does have some issues with Linux.
Wink - Screencasting software that focuses on making tutorials with audio and text annotation abilities. Outputs to Flash, PDF, HTML, EXE files and more.
Commercial
Adobe Captivate - While Adobe is almost always synonymous with quality, it also always means it's going to be expensive. Pricing starts at nearly $700.
AllCapture - Capture in real time, add audio during recording or after completion. Can output to Flash, EXE, ASF, DVD, SVCD and VCD. Free trial available, Windows only.
HyperCam - Windows only system for recording screen activity to AVI files along with system audio. Free trial with $39.95 for full version.
iShowU - Offers a wide-range of presets that allows you to record directly into Quicktime and up to 1080P in both NTSC and PAL formats. Also does audio and the file is ready to be published as soon as hit stop. Mac only.
ScreenMimic - Software for the Mac that offers transitions, audio dubbing, can output to HTML, Quicktime and Flash. Free download and $64.95 for the paid version.
