Screencast-o-matic (SOM) Quick Start

These are step-by-step instructions for recording a screencast with SOM. You can also download a PDF version of these instructions that includes screenshots.

  1. Record a new video (for additional help, watch: Welcome to Screencast-o-matic)
    1. Start Screencast-o-matic (SOM) then click the red “Record” button.
    2. Record options: choose “Screen” only or “Webcam” only (record your face), or “Both.” If you choose “Both” you can remove your webcam later.
    3. Size: We recommend “720p” (medium size) or “Fullscreen” (large).
    4. Narration: To record your voice, click the microphone icon. Click on the microphone name to get a pop-up window where you can test the volume of your mic.
    5. Preferences: Click “Preferences” to see the short-cut keys you can use while recording.
    6. Very important: Note the “Pause” shortcut key combo. You will need this as you record.
    7. Click “Rec” and wait for the 3…2…1… countdown. Everything you do from this point will be recorded.
    8. To pause: use your shortcut key, or, if you are finished recording, “Pause” and then click “Done.”
    9. From the pop-up menu choose “Edit Video.” You do not need to save it first. SOM automatically saves your changes as you edit it.
  2. The Editing Screen
    1. Enter Recording Name: click to provide a file name for your video.
    2. Main Video window: where you preview your video as you edit it.
    3. Canvas, Audio, Show: Choices that impact the entire video: size, whether the video has narration, whether the webcam is on or off, whether the cursor is hidden or not.
    4. Timeline and Tools: The play button, the Tools menu, and the Timeline where you can see your audio, and where you can drag the playhead (vertical line) to any specific point in your video.
    5. Done button: click when you are ready to save your video.
  3. Editing tools include cut, copy, insert another recording, speed up or slow down sections of your recording, insert a pause or freeze frame, resize, crop, flip your video horizontally or vertically, add transitions, adjust volume, and add drawing overlays like boxes, arrows, or text on top of your recording. You can learn more about these tools at the Screencast-o-matic Tutorials page.
  4. Using the Tools: Cut
    1. Move the playhead to the beginning or end of area to be cut.
    2. Click on the “Tools” menu and then click “Cut.”
    3. The playhead vertical bar turns red. Select the section to cut by dragging the red playhead bar along the timeline. Or, click on the start or end of the span, then use the arrow keys to reduce or expand the selection.
    4. To preview the cut, click the “Preview” button, click OK to finish the process.
    5. Any time you edit the recording, the video is automatically saved.
    6. After the cut has been made, a dashed red line will show you where the cut was made.
    7. To undo the cut, click on the red playhead, click the red scissor icon, then click “Remove.”
  5. Using the Tools: Hide the Webcam or Cursor 
    1. Move the playhead to where you want to begin hiding the webcam or cursor.
    2. Click the “Tools” menu button and choose “Hide” and then choose either “Cursor” or “Webcam.”
    3. Select the section by dragging the orange bar along the timeline or you can click on the start or end of the span, then use the arrow keys to fine tune your selection.
    4. Click OK.
  6. Save your Video
    1. Click “Done” and choose to “Save as Video FIle.”
    2. Options:
      1. For best results, save as mp4.
      2. Give the video a name.
      3. Indicate where it should be stored.
      4. Chose if the cursor should appear in your recording or be hidden.
      5. Choose whether to add or edit captions at this time.
      6. Choose High, Medium, or Low quality.
      7. Click “Publish.”
  7. Be ADA Compliant: Caption Your Video
    Before creating your next video, remember that, to be ADA compliant, our videos should be captioned. SOM gives you several ways to caption. Consider your workflow, then choose whether you will:

    1. Create captions by pre-writing and reading a script (PDF), the use it as you create your video, or
    2. Create your video first, then have SOM use its speech-to-text option to create the captions for you (PDF) after the video is created.