ScreenPal (former Screencast-O-Matic)

ScreenPal (former Screencast-O-Matic) software is used for creating and editing screen recordings.

The video editing application Screencast-O-Matic was renamed to ScreenPal in early March 2023. The application will be updated to the new version on centrally managed University computers later.

Only the application’s name will change with the update and you can continue using the software with the old name.

The instructions will be updated later – at the moment, the instructions still refer to the product as Screencast-O-Matic


The instructions provided by Helpdesk are for the software version 2.3.12.
Some details in the more recent versions and ScreenPals own instructions may be slightly different from those presented in this document.

Information security
Consider information security when you save and share videos created with ScreenPal. ScreenPal is subject to the same rules and guidelines as other tools, such as your e-mail. Read more on information security in Flamma.

We recommend selecting a local drive as the work and storage folder. Using the software with network drive may result in unusual behaviour and crashes.
Read more about selecting the saving location at the end of the instructions.

Deployment

You can install ScreenPal on University Windows computers via the Software Center (Instructions on how to use the Software Center can be found here) or the Managed Software Center (Mac).
Download the software on your home computer at https://screencast-o-matic.com/download

Installation instructions updated on 12 May 2023. The remaining instructions will be updated later.

Installation on Windows computers

  • Install ScreenPal via the Software Center.
  • Start ScreenPal (Start > ScreenPal).
  • ScreenPal opens a browser at https://screenpal.com/screen-recorder?from=app&installed=screenpal.
  • Change the address in the address bar to https://screenpal.com/helsinki and press Enter (1).
  • Section (2) still shows the old name of ScreenPal, Screencast-o-Matic.
  • Tick I agree to the Terms of Service (3).
  • Select an action from the bottom row. In this example, Open the Video Editor was selected (4).
  • ScreenPal starts (1). Tick Always allow https://screenpal to open ... and click Open Link (2).
  • The video editor is launched and you can start working.

 

Launching the software for the first time

We recommend selecting a local drive as the work and storage folder. Using the software with network drive may result in unusual behaviour and crashes.
  • You have no existing recordings. The software will indicate the folder in which the recordings will be saved (1). Section (2) provides instructions on using the software. The actual function buttons are in the top right corner in section (3).

Recording videos

  • Click Record in the top right corner to start recording.
  • You can record events on the screen, web-camera or both at the same time (1). Some of the settings can be changed in the lower section. For example, you can select a standard resolution to be used for the recording or define whether an active window or the entire screen is recorded (2). The software displays the frame (3) within which content is recorded. You can freely resize the frame by dragging one of the corners (4). To move the entire frame, drag it by using the symbol in the centre of the frame (5).
    NOTE! Unlike many other programs, ScreenPal DOES NOT display all open windows on the selection list. First, click an application to activate it and then select the active window as the recording area.
  • In this example, an active window has been selected for recording. The dashed line (1) indicates the area within which events are recorded. Click Rec (2) to start recording.
  • When you want to stop recording, first click Pause to stop recording.
  • Click Done.
  • You can either edit the video immediately (Edit Video) or save it (Save / Upload).
  • Name your recording (1) and click Save As Video File (2).
  • Click Publish.
  • The file conversion may take a while.
  • Click OK.
  • Recordings are saved in a chronological order by default (1). Click the thumbnail preview to edit videos. To move, copy, delete or otherwise process the recordings, first select the Manage Recordings (2) checkbox.
  • Then select the recording and the action you want to perform.

 

Editing videos

  • Click the recording you want to edit.
  • Click Edit.
  • A tool window is displayed on the right. In the Audio section, you can add narration or music to the video. In the Show section, you can define whether the pointer movements are shown on the video, display or hide the web camera image and add captions.

Timeline

  • A timeline is displayed at the bottom of the window. Drag the pointer (1) to go to the video section that you want to edit. Click Tools (2) to open the tools menu.
  • In the next picture, you can see the audio track (2) displayed on the timeline (1). Use the Audio menu on the right to add narration or music to your video. All audio and video tracks are displayed on top of each other on the same timeline. The pointer (3) indicates the point on the video where you are at.
  • You can annotate your video. Place the pointer at the point to which you want to add a highlight or insert text, images or other elements. Use the Tools menu to add video clips or narration or otherwise edit the video.
    In this example, an arrow is added to the video. Click Tools > Overlay > Arrow.
  • The location and duration of the added element is indicated on the timeline with blue colour (1). You can change the location and increase or decrease the duration by dragging the blue pins. Use the functions displayed above the timeline (2) to preview the annotation you added (click Play) and to accept or cancel it. Click the question mark to open the video tutorial provided by ScreenPal. The preview in section (3) displays the arrow that was added, with the controls for editing it displayed next to it on a blue background. You can move or resize the arrow and change its position by dragging it with the mouse. Click OK in section (2) when you are happy with the result.
  • The point at which the arrow was added is now displayed in yellow on the timeline (1). To edit or remove the arrow, click the arrow (2). The tools displayed in the previous picture will then be available to you.

 

Adding captions

  • To start adding captions, click CC in the bottom right corner of the window. Select Captions from file to add captions from an existing text file, select Speech to Text to use speech recognition or enter the captions directly to the video (Blank captions). The last option is probably the easiest way and it is the default selection. Click Start.
    NOTE! SPEECH-TO-TEXT uses Google’s service, with speech recognition taking place in a cloud service. Keep information security in mind when using this feature!
  • Move the pointer (1) to the point at which you want captions to start. Click Sync Point (2). A new time stamp for the point in question is added to the window on the right (3). Enter the captions below the stamp. The text you enter is also displayed in the video (4). Continue by moving the pointer and by adding text. When you are ready, click OK (5).

 

Adding audio

  • You can add audio and music to your videos. Click the note icon in the bottom right corner. In the window that is displayed, you can add existing archived clips or select an audio file from your computer by clicking Import Music. You can install Audacity software from Software Center for easy recording and editing of audio files. 

Adding user rights on Mac

If the software has not been previously used, the Mac system asks for additional rights. Select Open System Preferences.

The System Preferences window opens. Check the box in front of the ScreenPal text.  

After checking the box, the system will ask you to quit the software (ScreenPal). Click Quit Now.

After this, you can close the System preferences window and open ScreenPal. It should now be fully functional.  

Image and video library

  • The software includes a free image, music and video library from which you can add material to your videos.
  • To add images, select Edit > Tools > Overlay > Image > Stock Library.
  • To add videos, select Edit > Tools > Insert > Video > Stock Library.
  • To add music, select Edit > Music > Stock Music.

Selecting the file for saving the event's recording

It is recommended to select a local drive for saving the event’s recording. The programme may not work properly and might crash when using online file storages. When selecting the location for saving the recording, consider the fact that not everything will be backed up. Read more here under the section “Saving files on a workstation”). You must make sure yourself that the files will be backed up.

You can change the saving location used by ScreenPal in the following way:

  • Click on the arrow pointing down at the end of the file path. Select Browse.
  • Open This PC (1) and double click on OSDisk (C:) (2).
  • Double click on LocalData.
  • The LocalData folder may have several subfolders. Click on the folder named after your username (1). The whole path of the file can be seen in the Folder name field (2). Click on OK (3). 
  • The saving location has been changed.

Installation on your home computer (Win 10)

  • Log in at https://screencast-o-matic.com/download
  • Click Download Install.
  • Click Save File
  • Save the installer file on your computer. Installers are usually saved in the Downloads folder.
  • Locate the file on your computer and double-click on it. In this example, the file is called InstallScreencastOMatic-2.0, but your version number may be higher.
  • Click Next.
  • If your computer is used by more than one person, you can select either Install for anyone using this computer or Install just for me. Click Install.
  • If you want to quickly access the software from your desktop, check the box Create Desktop Shortcut. Click Finish.
  • The software will launch.

Continue setting up the software as you would on university computers by following these instructions. (In section Click I have a Team Plan)

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