CamStudio

There are two things you can do with CamStudio, a free and open source tool for Windows. The first thing you can do is record your desktop to AVI or SWF. This is something you may want to do if you want to create a video tutorial, for example. The second thing you can do with CamStudio is convert AVI files to SWF. This is something you may want to do if you have a video and you want to post it to your website.

As the CamStudio installation file is little over 4MB in size, it will not take long to get said file off the web and onto your computer. Run this file and you will be presented with a setup wizard that will guide you through the steps you need to take to install CamStudio on your Windows-powered machine. The whole thing will go along smoothly and with minimal effort on your part.

There are 3 types of views for the CamStudio interface: Normal, Compact, and Buttons View. In Normal View the application displays the window that shows info on the recording process and the buttons for starting, stopping, pausing the recording, and more. No one, not even a novice user will have any problems getting accustomed to the application’s interface.

CamStudio can record the whole desktop, a window, or a region – you get to choose which. You also get to choose if you want it to record audio from the microphone or from the speakers, if you want the application to minimize itself when the recording starts, where the recording will be saved, if you want to include annotations, and more.
If you already have an AVI file, a video previously recorded with CamStudio or some other video, you can use CamStudio to convert it to SWF.

Released under a GNU General Public License, CamStudio is free and open source.

CamStudio is an excellent desktop recording tool and an ideally suited utility to create video tutorials.