Recording a video for youtube : Fraps vs DXTORY vs Bandicam vs Camtasia

Hello guys,

I have done a couple of video recordings on youtube myself and I thought it would be informative to share some of my insights on how videos can be made.  The series would span over a few points with each post focusing on different aspects of the video making process.

Fraps vs DXTORY vs Bandicam vs Camtasia

I have used Dxtory and Camtasia for a fair bit of time and also tried out the full demo version of Fraps and the semi-functional Bandicam Demo.

Camtasia:

Camtasia is an excellent desktop recording software that can allow you to edit, crop, zoom to any part of your desktop and also record your voice. It is very user friendly and the first video editing software that I tried and liked. It is very good for recording powerpoint presentations or any video that requires step by step explanations.

Pros : 

1. The company has education prices for students and people who use the software for non commercial purposes. I am suggesting that you can either try out the software demo or purchase the educational version of the software prior to upgrading to the full commercial software so that you can get a good 'feel' of the video editing process.

2. Unlike the other 3 softwares, Camtasia includes a video editing software and therefore it feels like a '2 in 1' bundle that makes it more value for your money.

Cons:

1. There has been complaints about issues arising when exporting recordings, particularly gameplay to be edited on Adobe or Sony-based Video editors.

2. The software does not record most video games like Farcry and so on and so forth. ( Disclaimer : I am not sure if they have improved on it with recent patches)

Fraps:

The oldest and most reliable software around. Almost everyone who have a serious interest in video recording have heard of Fraps at some point. It is very reliable. Records gameplay with high clarity together with your microphone and game music.

Pros :

1. Very reliable.

2. Updates to the software are free.

3. Very CLEAR recordings

Cons :

1. HUGE files - This could be a potential game breaker because huge drive space is required. Example : a couple of minutes of recording would bean tens of Gigs of hard drive space.

2. Will, in most circumstances, lower the FPS of your gameplay and cause LAG unless you have excellent computers. Will need to lower the graphics of your game to obtain smooth recordings. 

Bandicam :

This is a program that is made by a chinese company I believe (I could be mistaken but I have seen posts on forums saying that the parent company is a chinese company). Nationality aside, it is relatively reliable. There are much more customizations available as compared to Fraps. You can do screen shots and change the resolution that you would like to record in. By lowering the quality of the recording and / or using different types of compression and codecs you can get reasonably good quality recording without using huge amounts of space.

Pros :

1. Relative good quality of video recorded.

2. You can use different codecs and settings to lower the space needed for recordings.

3. There are clear instructions on their website explaining the steps required to export the video for various movie editors and render them.

4. Will not lag your gameplay like Fraps.

Cons :

1. Slightly lowered quality compared to Fraps - this might be a gamebreaker for some. Especially those very picky regarding the visuals of their recording.

Dxtory:

This is a video recording software by a Japanese company. The mode of payment is in the Japanese Yen. I was fortunate enough to purchase the software when the Yen was a little weaker. Alright, back to the discussion about the software. This software has a lot of customization options as do Bandicam. A couple of those stand out. You can record (SEPARATELY) your voice recording, your gameplay recording or any music in the background for youself. It allows you to select between different audio streams and record them separately for your editing preference in your video editing software such as Adobe or Sony. Another key feature is the ability to record in multiple drives. For video recordings, the quality of your video is not only limited by your Graphics card, it is also limited by the speed at which your computer can 'write' onto your hard drive. By separating the 'writing' process into different drives, you can obtain higher quality recordings because you no longer experience this limitation. 

Pros:

1. Prices might be worth considering as the Japanese Yen is slighter weaker recently.

2. Ability to record to multiple drives simultaneously and no longer will your video quality be limited by speed of your hard drive.

3. Ability to record audio streams separately for editing.

4. Ability to customize codecs to achieve high quality with keeping video size small.

Cons:

1. Regardless of the strength of the Japanese Yen, the software is comparably more expensive than Fraps or Bandicam. Only Camtasia is slightly more expensive.

2. The settings appear to be more complicated.

3. The forums tend to be catered towards their Japanese audience and you may find English conversation a little awkward. However I find that I can still get the support I require.

For those who wish to record their desktop, only Fraps, Bandicam and Camtasia fit the bill. Among which I would recommend camtasia since it has an in-built video editing software so you can save some money instead of having to purchase additional software from Sony or Adobe.

For those who with to record their game play and want no compromises in quality, Fraps is your best friend. To those who seek a compromise then Bandicam and Dxtory are to be considered. I do not recommend camtasia for gameplay recordings.

Summary:

Powerpoint/Desktop recordings:

Camtasia > Fraps > Bandicam

Gameplay recordings :

Dxtory > Bandicam > Fraps

Bandicam and Fraps are pretty close in my opinion but I lean towards Bandicam a little more because of the ability to customize the options and achieve a smaller recording file size.

Do send me a comment if you have questions and I will try to answer them. And do check out my youtube channel if you with to see the quality of Dxtory recordings. My newer recordings are done with different settings and is therefore of slightly better quality.

Signing Off ~

JohnHD