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Overview
These are step-by-step instructions for recording a screencast recording with ScreenPal.
Download and Install ScreenPal
Follow these instructions and then return to this article.
- Downloads are restricted to Faculty and Staff only. A free version of ScreenPal is available for basic recordings on the web.
Make an Outline or Script for your Recording
Keep it short. If you’re recording lecture content, do 10-minute or shorter chunks (by topic) so your students can easily (re)find information.
Learn more about creating effective instructional videos.
Record a Screencast
There are two options from which you can select.
Recording a Spontaneous Screencast
If you already have slides or content created that you would like to narrate and publish as videos for students, creating an informal, spontaneous screencast is a good option. Spontaneous recordings provide options for recording your screen, your webcam, or both.
- Launch the downloaded ScreenPal app and click the red Record button in the top right corner. Follow these instructions if necessary.
- Choose whether to record the screen, camera, or both.
- Ensure that you have granted permission for ScreenPal to access your microphone and camera. Follow these instructions if necessary.
Recording a Scripted Screencast (will generate accurate captions)
The Scripted Recording feature allows you to follow the best practice of screencast recording by making audio and video tracks separately. And, starting with a script helps to create a professional product. Scripted Recordings save time because you’ll automatically create accurate closed captions and reduce the need for editing.
Record Word-for-Word to Create ADA Compliant Captions
When recording the audio of your script, if you change a word, add a phrase, or make a parenthetical comment, you must then edit your script to match what you’ve said for your captions to be ADA compliant. Or, you can re-record the audio to match the script as you have written it. Make sure that the written script and the recorded audio match precisely.
- Launch the downloaded ScreenPal app and click the red “Record” button in the top right corner. Follow these instructions if necessary.
- Ensure that you have granted permission for ScreenPal to access your microphone and camera. Follow these instructions if necessary.
- Follow this tutorial.
Editing Your Screencast
In ScreenPal, you have several editing tools available to you, including:
IMPORTANT: Click “Done” when finished editing to save your video.
Access Additional Editing Instructions
ScreenPal has more instructional videos about various editing features. This video editor cheat sheet may also be of use.
Saving Your Screencast
Save your screencast as an .mp4 file and publish it to a place you will be able to find when browsing. ScreenPal files are large. If you save the recording to your hard drive, you may run out of room. We recommend exporting compressed files to OneDrive cloud storage (or an external hard drive).
If your .mp4 file is blurry when viewing, save as a higher-quality file, which will take longer to upload to EchoVideo, but will result in a clearer product.
Upload and Share Your Video in EchoVideo
Follow these instructions to learn how to upload your captioned .mp4 file to EchoVideo and share your video with students. By putting files in EchoVideo, you will avoid Canvas storage quotas.
Want More Training?
Once you get comfortable with ScreenPal, you may want to use more sophisticated features. Check out the entire suite of tutorials offered by ScreenPal to enhance your skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Disk too full error
If you get the DISK TOO FULL error it means your computer’s hard drive is too full so the recorder can’t record. Instead of saving ScreenPal projects to your hard drive, we recommend exporting compressed files to OneDrive cloud storage (or an external hard drive).