What Factors Affect the Quality of Screen Recording Videos

Considering screen recording basically just records videos directly from a screen, most people expect their quality would be exactly the same as what is displayed. That isn’t actually the case however, because the output is captured in video form – and subject to several other factors that could affect its quality.

If you want to start to improve the quality of your screen recording videos, it is important that you understand the factors that affect it:

Resolution

Just as with any video, the resolution of your screen recording will determine how good its definition is and as such higher resolutions are preferable. However unlike conventional videos you will be limited by the resolution of the display that you’re recording from.

To put it simply the full screen resolution of your display is the maximum resolution that you can record at. If you record a smaller area in your screen, the resolution will be lower – for example, if you’re using a 1080p display the only way to record a 1080p video is to capture the full screen.

Recording frame rate

Another important factor to consider is the frame rate of the video. Typically screen recording videos are recorded at a frame rate of at least 30 frames per second – but increasing that further will make your video look much smoother and more fluid.

In short if the option is available you should try to record at 60 frames per second. It will require more system resources to record at a higher frame rate, but the payoff is worth it.

Additionally it should be noted that the file size of your video will be larger as well.

Audio quality

If you’re just recording the system audio you should have no issues with audio quality, but if you’re recording from an external source it can be a factor. Often screen recording videos capture audio commentary via a microphone, and that can impact their overall quality.

While there are numerous other factors that affect the audio quality, you should try to stick to the basics and keep your microphone still, minimize background noise, and adjust the audio levels if possible. It may be a good idea to invest in a better microphone if you’re going to be recording audio regularly.

Encoding settings

Sometimes the real reason why a screen recording video doesn’t look that great is because of its encoding settings. Ideally you should try to encode a video in the same resolution and frame rate that it was recorded in, and make sure the bitrate is high enough as well.

See how each of these factors can affect the quality of your screen recording videos? If you want to record high quality videos, all you need to do is take into account each of them. Of course you’ll need to be using a video screen capture Mac or PC software that gives you that type of control over the recording parameters, such as Movavi Screen Capture Studio for example.

All said and done recording high quality screen recording videos isn’t that difficult so long as everything is set up right. Even though you may not be that familiar with some of the recording parameters, if you set them up as prescribed above you should be good to go.