I often see a lot of questions regarding recording software. Which one is the best, what do you use, how's the performance, is it worth the money and any free alternatives? Thought it could be interesting with a more dedicated resource. Not planning to do any fancy OT on the topic or extensive lists, just wanted a place to do some casual discussions and observations / recommendations.
Over the last few years I've been going through quite a few pieces of software, trying to find the one with the smallest performance hit and biggest feature set. My personal verdict on the software I've used;
FRAPS: The grandfather of recording software. Also, the worst option available today in my opinion. It became the 'standard' option because it was the only real option for the longest time and you still see this as the first recommendation when someone asks for recording software.
Pros:
- It has a solid Benchmarking function that lists frametimes etc. which can then be turned into a nice overview with FRAFS Bench Viewer.
- Only recording software so far that is able to hook into GTA IV with an ENB.
Cons:
- Huge performance hit
- Recording FPS tied to game FPS
- Raw recordings, which is pretty pointless and can be a bitch to work with
- I've seen dirty carpets with more options than this
Price: $37
Personal Rating: 2/10
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Bandicam: Not sure how well-known it is, I never heard of it until one day a friend mentioned it to me ( Few years back now ), I then decided to check it out.
Pros:
- Has a little target display that tells you the resolution of the software it has hooked into. This is perfect for me when downsampling, so I know it's running the exact resolution I like and keeps the AR.
- Able to do custom area recording, meaning I can record one of those obscure / locked off video sites and turn the recording into a GIF ( For an example ). Has helped me a lot of times.
- While people might see this is a con, for me it's a pro. When taking a screenshot it freezes for a second. The times I've screenshotted away and FRAPS only to see an empty folder are numerous. So with this, I know the thing took a screenshot.
- Decent options selection compared to FRAPS; custom resolution, quality setting, audio settings etc.
Cons:
- Like FRAPS it's pretty rubbish at recording. Can tank the FPS, the recordings aren't that smooth and there's only a select few games where it magically seems to work "Okay".
- The screenshot freeze. Obviously have to list it as a con as well, because let's admit it could be annoying for some in the long run.
Price: $39
Personal Rating: 5/10 ( Would probably be lower but it's a life-saver as a screenshotter ).
_______________________________________________
Dxtory: A piece of software that quickly gained traction, it was also my go-to program for a long time. Has been getting a lot of praise.
Pros:
- Able to use custom codecs. Here I recommend Lagarith Lossless as it seem to offer the best performance plus a good quality output. I think most people seem to recommend this combination.
- A metric ton of options
- FPS not tied to recording FPS. So even if the recording for some reason struggles, game still runs fine.
- Love the audio options with separate channels for microphones etc. it's editing heaven.
Cons:
- The translation gets iffy at times and poor explanations
- Not super intuitive, so all those options just seem scary. Still things I'm not sure what does.
- There's a random handful of games where it just goes into terrible-mode. Recordings come out at 5FPS, crashes the games etc. I had the problem in DCS World for one.
- Screenshotting and SLI doesn't seem to work well together. I get so many "half-rendered" screenshots, like I'm getting half a framebuffer.
Price: 3600 JPY which at the time of writing translates to around $37
Personal Rating: 7/10
_______________________________________________
Action! ( Mirillis Software ): So the last few months I learned about this, was a bit skeptical as it seemed like one of those "All show, no go" programs with pretty website, pretty interface and big marketing words but would ultimately just suck ... But man I was surprised.
Pros:
- Performance is incredible. The performance hit is what I'd call non-existent, so it's perfect to just have it running constantly when playing to capture those sweet moments
- More options than you can shake a stick at - Basically has the options of all the above except custom codecs, FRAPS' benchmarking and ENB feature.
- Interface is very pleasant to use, everything makes sense or is aptly explained.
- Built-in stream feature, plus a custom option.
Cons:
- They use their own codec which is amazing but seem to have some compatibility issues. It won't play in VLC because it's using a closed box of codecs, however most other video players should play it no problem.
- Spent a long time wondering why the example output in Sony Vegas was garbled. You need to set the preview to not use GPUs.
- The built-in stream feature requires additional payment to use, which is quite scummy. ( One month is $3 / Year is $30 ).
Price: $30
Personal Rating: 9/10
_______________________________________________
Obviously, everything is my own opinion. So I'd love to hear what else people are using, some great free alternatives, perhaps some comparisons etc.
Maybe this shit has no interest and I just had too much coffee thinking this thread was relevant
On a related note; Can't wait to see ShadowPlay.
Over the last few years I've been going through quite a few pieces of software, trying to find the one with the smallest performance hit and biggest feature set. My personal verdict on the software I've used;
FRAPS: The grandfather of recording software. Also, the worst option available today in my opinion. It became the 'standard' option because it was the only real option for the longest time and you still see this as the first recommendation when someone asks for recording software.
Pros:
- It has a solid Benchmarking function that lists frametimes etc. which can then be turned into a nice overview with FRAFS Bench Viewer.
- Only recording software so far that is able to hook into GTA IV with an ENB.
Cons:
- Huge performance hit
- Recording FPS tied to game FPS
- Raw recordings, which is pretty pointless and can be a bitch to work with
- I've seen dirty carpets with more options than this
Price: $37
Personal Rating: 2/10
_______________________________________________
Bandicam: Not sure how well-known it is, I never heard of it until one day a friend mentioned it to me ( Few years back now ), I then decided to check it out.
Pros:
- Has a little target display that tells you the resolution of the software it has hooked into. This is perfect for me when downsampling, so I know it's running the exact resolution I like and keeps the AR.
- Able to do custom area recording, meaning I can record one of those obscure / locked off video sites and turn the recording into a GIF ( For an example ). Has helped me a lot of times.
- While people might see this is a con, for me it's a pro. When taking a screenshot it freezes for a second. The times I've screenshotted away and FRAPS only to see an empty folder are numerous. So with this, I know the thing took a screenshot.
- Decent options selection compared to FRAPS; custom resolution, quality setting, audio settings etc.
Cons:
- Like FRAPS it's pretty rubbish at recording. Can tank the FPS, the recordings aren't that smooth and there's only a select few games where it magically seems to work "Okay".
- The screenshot freeze. Obviously have to list it as a con as well, because let's admit it could be annoying for some in the long run.
Price: $39
Personal Rating: 5/10 ( Would probably be lower but it's a life-saver as a screenshotter ).
_______________________________________________
Dxtory: A piece of software that quickly gained traction, it was also my go-to program for a long time. Has been getting a lot of praise.
Pros:
- Able to use custom codecs. Here I recommend Lagarith Lossless as it seem to offer the best performance plus a good quality output. I think most people seem to recommend this combination.
- A metric ton of options
- FPS not tied to recording FPS. So even if the recording for some reason struggles, game still runs fine.
- Love the audio options with separate channels for microphones etc. it's editing heaven.
Cons:
- The translation gets iffy at times and poor explanations
- Not super intuitive, so all those options just seem scary. Still things I'm not sure what does.
- There's a random handful of games where it just goes into terrible-mode. Recordings come out at 5FPS, crashes the games etc. I had the problem in DCS World for one.
- Screenshotting and SLI doesn't seem to work well together. I get so many "half-rendered" screenshots, like I'm getting half a framebuffer.
Price: 3600 JPY which at the time of writing translates to around $37
Personal Rating: 7/10
_______________________________________________
Action! ( Mirillis Software ): So the last few months I learned about this, was a bit skeptical as it seemed like one of those "All show, no go" programs with pretty website, pretty interface and big marketing words but would ultimately just suck ... But man I was surprised.
Pros:
- Performance is incredible. The performance hit is what I'd call non-existent, so it's perfect to just have it running constantly when playing to capture those sweet moments
- More options than you can shake a stick at - Basically has the options of all the above except custom codecs, FRAPS' benchmarking and ENB feature.
- Interface is very pleasant to use, everything makes sense or is aptly explained.
- Built-in stream feature, plus a custom option.
Cons:
- They use their own codec which is amazing but seem to have some compatibility issues. It won't play in VLC because it's using a closed box of codecs, however most other video players should play it no problem.
- Spent a long time wondering why the example output in Sony Vegas was garbled. You need to set the preview to not use GPUs.
- The built-in stream feature requires additional payment to use, which is quite scummy. ( One month is $3 / Year is $30 ).
Price: $30
Personal Rating: 9/10
_______________________________________________
Obviously, everything is my own opinion. So I'd love to hear what else people are using, some great free alternatives, perhaps some comparisons etc.
Maybe this shit has no interest and I just had too much coffee thinking this thread was relevant
On a related note; Can't wait to see ShadowPlay.
