SimpleScreenRecorder

SimpleScreenRecorder is a reminder that simple != light on features. Nay, SSR comes with lots of features. I think if you compare it to OBS, then SSR would be geared more towards casual users.

You're first asked to choose your video settings. Options include capture area, scaling of your resolution, framerate, and mouse capturing. Then, you can choose whether to record audio and, if so, what backend to use and the source of your audio (external microphone? computer playback?).

The next page asks you what format you want. I remember reading on their website that the list when you click on "Other..." is powered by FFmpeg, so even though an option might appear, it may not be supported. After you decide that, you choose your codec, constant rate factor, and whether you want frame skipping.

The last page is where you get to record. You can set a hotkey to record/pause at will. You can preview to see how your settings look, and can go back to change it if needed. You'll also have a log in case something goes wrong (sometimes I forget to turn on the JACK server), and information about your file as you record.

When you finish, just hit the save recording button at the bottom.

...and that's it! Simple, right? It sure lives up to its name.

There's one little thing that I am not sure if I like or dislike, and that is when you are making another video after finishing one, the file name will be the same as the video you just completed. On one hand, I would have expected some default name like "VideoClip_001", then the next video would be "VideoClip_002" or something. On the other hand, if you have your own method of naming your videos, this could cut down on typing time and get you into recording sooner.

If you're just looking for some quick and easy way to record your screen, give SSR a try.

It would have been potentially a great and simple screen recorder, where only pachidermic alternative solutions are present. Unfortunately it has two very bad flaws. 1 you cannot specify the destination folder !!! 2 you are forced to record in .mkv, you can't record i.e in standard mp4 or avi or other "normal" formats ! So I voted 1 hoping to encourage the author to be smarter. Without those flaws, I would have voted 4.