IMPORTANT:

As of 2023, ScreenPal/Screencast-O-Matic is being phased out.

Staff & faculty are recommended to use WeVideo: Information or OBS: Quickstart Guide for any future screen recording needs.

Please reach out to itech@plu.edu for any questions and help past the above linked quickstart documents. 

When Screencast-O-Matic is launched, the window below will appear.

To record a screencast:

1. If using an external webcam or microphone, plug it into the computer.
2. Click the red Record button to the top-right. This will initiate a recording-standby mode and a black-and-white boundary will appear. Everything in the boundary will be captured, and anything outside of it won’t be.
   
3. Click-and-drag the handles on the sides and corners of the boundary to resize it as desired. Click-and-drag the four-pointed arrow from the center of the boundary to relocate it.
4. A window titled “Record”, which has settings, should appear. If not, click the settings button from the pop-up, which looks like a gear. Adjust the following as desired:
   
   • Recording mode: set to record the screen, webcam, or both.
   • Max Time: set the desired recording time, if desired. Otherwise, select None.
   • Size: preset boundary size options, such as 480p, 720p, 1080p, and Fullscreen. If the boundary is resized manually with the handles, dimensions will be displayed.
   • Narration: check audio levels and adjust the microphone input, if applicable.
   • Computer Audio: enables sounds from the computer to be recorded. Requires additional setup.
   • Preferences: adjust keyboard shortcuts, the countdown timer length, and other options.
5. When ready, click the red Rec button to record. The recording will begin after a brief countdown. The colors of the boundary will change to red-and-white during recording.
   
6. When done recording, click Pause and then Done to stop recording. Then, select an option from the pop-up:
   • Save/Upload: launches a basic editor with options for saving the record as a video. Select this if advanced editing isn’t necessary or desired. Then, see Screencast-O-Matic: Publishing to Video for publishing instructions.
   • Edit Video: launches the full editor. Select this option for adjusting the webcam, adding overlays/highlights, cutting out sections, etc. See Screencast-O-Matic: Editing Mode  for editing instructions.

To pause recording, such as to take a break, click the Pause button. When ready to continue, click Rec again to continue recording.

To start a recording over, click Pause and then click the trashcan button. Click the Rec button again to start the new recording.

Webcam

To enable webcam recording, select either the Webcam or Both option in the recording settings. A webcam preview window will appear, which shows the webcam feed. The webcam preview window itself will not be recorded, but the feed will be. The position of the webcam feed can be set in editing.

To move the webcam preview window, click-and-drag it to a new location or click one of the position options to the lower-left of the window.

Guide Index

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Need support? Contact itech@plu.edu or visit www.plu.edu/itech.