Bytescout Screen Capturing SDK

Recording events on your desktop can either be the winning argument in a fight, solid proof when testing applications or games and even useful when creating video tutorials. Several specialized applications are found around the Internet, amongst which is Bytescout Screen Capturing SDK, a practical utility for video recording of your desktop.

The main window of the application brings up four big buttons buttons, from which two are used for recording. This can be done in a fixed rectangular area of the screen, a region around the mouse pointer or simply the whole screen.

Choosing either mode informs you how to stop the recording process, after which it starts when pressing the “Continue” button. When you consider enough is enough, you select the destination for the newly created file and are offered a preview.

Output quality is flawless, but you are only able to export the file to avi or wmv format. From the “Settings” menu you can choose to include audio in the recording. However, the only sound input method is a microphone, with no possibility to capture application audio.

There is no integrated function that allows you to set a destination folder, leaving you to choose after each recording. The only available hotkey is to stop the process, and it is a shame it cannot be changed or add one for beginning.

Last but not least, even though you are able to record with camera, the function is basically useless. In other words, when selecting this option, you can choose the same three types as for normal mode, and recording is done of the screen, only in a preset video size, regardless of what you pick.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that Bytescout Screen Capturing SDK only manages to do half the job right. It's a powerful utility nonetheless, but even though it makes a good impression at first, it disappoints through its flaws.