Screen Recording

A screen recording is a video of what is displayed on a computer screen. For SaaS and web app demo videos, screen recordings are the standard production method — they are the most natural way to show a software product in use.

On Mac, the built-in tools are QuickTime Player (simple, free) and the Screenshot toolbar (Cmd+Shift+5). Cross-platform options include Loom (simplest for beginners), OBS Studio (most control, free), and ScreenFlow (paid, Mac only).

Best practices for product demo screen recordings: use a clean browser profile with no visible personal data, slow down mouse movements (they always look too fast on recording), record in 1080p, use only the relevant area of the screen (not the full desktop), and prepare the exact path through the product before recording.

For social platforms (TikTok, Reels, Shorts), screen recordings need to be cropped to vertical (9:16). This works best for products with a central content area — tools where the action happens in the middle of the screen translate better than wide layouts.