Do you know what factors affect the quality of videos that you capture using a screen recorder? Contrary to popular belief just because you’re recording what’s on your screen it doesn’t mean the quality turn out to be an exact replica of what you see.
Screen recording videos are no different from any other type of videos, and multiple factors can affect their quality. That being said there are 5 important factors in particular that you need to be aware of:
- Video resolution
The resolution of the video that you record will play a key part in its quality and will affect its definition. Higher resolution videos have better definition, while lower resolution videos may appear unclear or even pixelated.
Unlike conventional videos the resolution of videos recorded via a screen recorder is based on the dimensions of the frame that is being recorded. If you record a frame that is 1920×1080, the resolution of your video will be 1920×1080.
- Aspect ratio
Essentially the aspect ratio is connected to the video resolution and is the ratio of its width to its height. If the aspect ratio of the video is not the same as the display it is watched on, its quality may be affected. It may be stretched to fit which could distort its image, or black bars may pad it on either side.
The most common aspect ratio right now is that of HD videos, which is 16:9 – however there are others that you may run into as well, such as square (1:1), vertical (9:16), or the older broadcast standard of 4:3.
- Frame rate
The video frame rate is the number of frames that are in each second of the video. With a higher frame rate and more frames in each second, any movement in the video will look much smoother.
High quality videos are expected to have a frame rate of 28 or higher – but a frame rate of 60 can make a big difference. That is especially true of screen recording as most monitors have a refresh rate of 60Hz.
- Audio quality
If a screen recording video is only recording the system audio, the audio quality is not much of a factor as the data is recorded flawlessly. However if audio from external devices is recorded (e.g. a microphone) it can play a big part in the quality of the overall video.
There are a lot of factors that can influence the audio quality, including the microphone quality, background noise, and so on. Taking steps to improve the audio quality is important however.
- Encoding settings
Last but not least the settings that are used when encoding the video can affect its quality as well. The resolution and frame rate should be the same as the video was recorded in, and the video bitrate should be based on both of them as well as the format that is being used to encode the video.
Regardless of whether you’re using screen recording as a video grabber or to create video content – the factors above will apply to the quality of videos that you’re able to record. It is best if you set up your screen recorder accordingly, and for example you should be able to adjust the frame rate, aspect ratio, resolution, and encoding settings in Movavi Screen Recorder.
If you do make it a point to manage all of the factors listed above, you should end up with a high quality video that has good definition, looks smooth, and sounds great. Overall it isn’t that difficult to pull off, and once you get the hang of it you should have no trouble emulating it in the future.
