Captura

There are plenty of applications out there that offer screen capture capabilities, but open-source alternatives are often just as good. In any case, it is always a good idea to look at the free options at your disposal.

Captura is an open-source program that comes with a pretty impressive set of features, and it is not at all difficult to use. It allows you to record video and audio from your desktop or input devices, capture keystrokes and mouse clicks, and even take screenshots.

You can use this program to record the entire desktop, a specific window or a certain area of the screen. When capturing content from a single window, the application still records the entire screen, but only the window is visible.

Audio can be captured from a selected output device or a connected microphone, and the program can even mix sound from multiple sources.

For capturing screenshots, you can set up global hotkeys for grabbing images of the active window, the entire screen or just the desktop. Configurable hotkeys are also available for video recording.

This program is particularly well-suited for those who wish to create video tutorials that show, for instance, how a certain application should be used; this is because it offers you the option of displaying keystrokes and mouse clicks in the output video.

Since Captura is capable of grabbing video and audio from webcams or external microphones, you can even provide explanations while you are recording.

However, it is worth noting that this program does not support DirectX video recording, so you cannot use it during your gaming sessions.

For the most part, Captura will be left to run in the system tray, and you can use the configured hotkeys to start or stop recording, as well as take screenshots.

The user interface features a simple layout, and the settings are fairly self-explanatory. A user manual would still come in handy, but it isn’t terribly important.

Captura is a good choice for users who need a desktop capture utility, especially those who wish to record video tutorials. It can grab video, audio, keystrokes and mouse clicks, with or without the mouse cursor, as well as take screenshots.