Filmora Scrn Review [2021]: A Simple But Effective Screen Recorder

In this Filmora Scrn review, I will give you all the details you need to help you decide if it is the right choice for you.

I will also share my personal likes and dislikes about the software after giving it a good test run.

So, let’s get to it.

Note, Filmora Scrn has been replaced with DemoCreator; be sure to read my DemoCreator review to see what’s changed.

What is Filmora Scrn?

Filmora Scrn is a screen recorder and simple video editor created by Wondershare, the guys behind the powerful Filmora video editor.

Available for Windows (10, 8 and 7) and Mac operating systems, Filmora Scrn lets you record your desktop or games in high definition (HD) as well as simultaneously capturing audio and web camera. Videos can also be tweaked with their built-in video editor.

In this Filmora Scrn review you will see why it is a respected software for screen recording and video editing.

Filmora Scrn pricing

The fantastic thing about Filmora Scrn is that it is really, really cheap.

You can either purchase a 1-year or a lifetime licence. Prices are one-time fees, so no recurring monthly plans!

• 1-year licence – $19.99
• Lifetime licence – $29.99

The main difference between the licences is how long you can use Filmora Scrn for. For an extra $10, it is totally worth going for the lifetime licence.

All licences come with free upgrades, tech support and no watermark on exported videos.

Is there a free trial of Filmora Scrn?

Yes, there is a free trail available.

In fact, you can use the trial for as long as you want without any feature limitations. The only restricition is that there will be a watermark on exported videos.

Filmora Scrn features

For such a cheap screen recorder and video editor, you could quite rightly presume Filmora Scrn lacks in the features department. But, you are seriously mistaken.

Here are some of the standout features that come with Filmora Scrn:

• Record screen and camera
• Annotations
• Video settings
• Audio settings
• Cursor effects
• HotKeys
• Various export options

Record screen and camera

When you start the program, you have the option to instantly record a video or go straight to the editor.

Recording video is super easy.

Simply check whether you want to record your screen, audio or camera. You can even check all of the options if you want. Each media will be saved as a separate file.

For capturing screen recordings, you can record the full screen, a custom size or a target window.

The recording dialogue box is also very simple. You can adjust what you want to record or the size of the recording box.

If you don’t want to record straight away, then you can always skip to their editor.

The editor has a minimalist layout, which I like. You can easily find videos, adjust their settings and move them around the timeline.

Editing is not amazing in Filmora Scrn. But, remember, the software isn’t designed as a video editor. Simple editing features are included, but you will want to look at separate video editing software if you want more advanced options.

Annotations

There is a range of annotations that you can add in the Filmora Scrn video editor. These are a selection of text, shapes and images that can be used to add visual prompts onto the video.

In total, there are 88 annotations spread over 6 categories. The categories are:

• Arrows
• Banners
• Blur
• Bubbles
• Captions
• Overlays

I have provided a screenshot containing some examples of annotations in each category below.

There is also a favorites section so you can mark and quickly find your favorite annotations.

Overall, there is a good selection of annotations to pick from. Sadly, there are no animation effects that can be added to them.

Video settings

Each piece of video placed on the timeline can be adjusted through the video settings box.

It’s possible to change the transform (scale, rotation, position), compositing (blending mode and opacity), border (opacity, color and size) and speed properties.

Having the ability to adjust the speed of video clips is really useful when you want to create a timelapse effect.

Audio settings

For each piece of audio placed on the timeline, there are 3 general settings that you can adjust.

• Volume – Change how loud the audio will be
• Denoise – Remove background noise, with 3 levels of intensity
• Speed – Speed up or slow down the audio

I did not expect to see a denoise feature in Filmora Scrn. As someone who records a lot of voice-overs onto videos, this is a super handy tool for removing unwanted noise. You can select how harsh the removal process is (low, medium or high).

Cursor effects

There are 3 cursor effects that can be added to videos captured with the screen recorder. Effects can be added individually or combined.

• Cursor highlight – Display a halo around the cursor to make it more visible
• Left-click rings – Show a ring around the cursor every time there is a left-click
• Left-click sound – Play a sound every time there is a left-click

For the cursor highlight, you can change the color of the desired highlight by selecting a color from a palette, picking a custom color from the screen or entering the color code.

The left-click ring options are the same as those for the cursor highlight. Simply select the desired ring color and that’s it.

For the left-click sound, there is a standard clicking sound added. Unfortunately, you cannot change the sound effect, but you can adjust the volume.

There are also some standard cursor setting that you can change without adding an effect; there are scale and opacity. Changing the scale allows you to make the cursor bigger or smaller. Setting the cursor opacity to 0% will remove the cursor from the video, which is pretty handy!

HotKeys

HotKeys is a feature where the buttons pressed on your keyboard during the video recording will be displayed on the screen. This is useful for highlighting shortcuts during demonstrations.

In the settings, you can change the size (small, medium or large), display certain keys or all keys, position (top or bottom), style (3 styles), color and opacity.

I would prefer to have the option to manually place the HotKeys on the screen, rather than being limited to the top or bottom, but that is just a minor comment.

Here is a preview of some HotKeys displayed (all keys) on a video where I typed ‘HotKeys are cool!’. I cropped the video so that you can only see the HotKeys.

Pretty cool, huh?

Various export options

When it comes to rendering and exporting videos in Filmora Scrn, there are plenty of options available.

To download videos to your device, you can choose various file formats, frame rates and resolutions. The table below summarises the different export options in Filmora Scrn.

You can also change the video and audio encoder and bit rate settings.

When exporting videos, Filmora Scrn also gives you an estimate as to how long the render will take. This is a small yet really useful feature.

As well as exporting videos to your device, it is also possible to directly export videos to YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Twitch.

Each video sharing platform has it’s own options. For example, when exporting to YouTube, you can add a title and description, specify the quality (even 4K!) and add tags.

Filmora Scrn support

Wondershare have created 3 main pillars of support for their software.

• Support Center
• Learning Center
• Community

In the Support Center you will find the Filmora Scrn Guide and some FAQs about the software. The Guide in particular is really useful for learning the ins and outs of the software.

The Learning Center consists of the Wondershare blog and its Video Editing Academy courses. These are mainly focussed on their flagship Filmora video editing software, rather than Filmora Scrn.

The Community section links to the Filmora.io page. This mainly focusses on helping users become successful on YouTube, so if that’s what you want to do then I recommend you check it out.

Overall, the support for Filmora Scrn is okay. The Guide is very useful, however, the other resources are not that focussed on Filmora Scrn.

3 things I like about Filmora Scrn

This is the part of my Filmora Scrn review where I share my likes and dislikes of the software.

Let me start off with the good.

Everything is simple

From recording video to tweaking it in the editor, everything in Filmora Scrn is so simple and intuitive.

Being a massive Camtasia fan, it’s hard not to make comparisons between the two software. If you’ve used Camtasia before, then Filmora Scrn will seem like a stripped back version.

But, that’s not bad.

All the core features you need for a screen recording software and simple video editor are there. There is no overwhelming settings insight.

Great selection of export options

I use screen capture software for quite a lot of things including creating whiteboard animations, making screen casts for my YouTube channel and content for my online courses.

Each of these require different video settings so it’s great to see you have a lot of control during the export process in Filmora Scrn.

The direct upload to YouTube is also a useful feature for me.

It’s cheap as chips

Okay, maybe not chips, but priced at just $29.99 for lifetime access. That’s unlimited future software updates, with no recurring monthly or annual costs.

Well done Wondershare 👏, well done!

3 things I don’t like about Filmora Scrn

Let’s now move this Filmora Scrn review on to my disappointments in the software.

All of these are concerning the editing capabilities of the software, which may seem harsh considering Filmora Scrn is predominantly built for screen capture only. But, I have the share them regardless.

No transitions or animations

I was quite disappointed to see a lack of transitions in Filmora Scrn. I know it is only a basic video editor, but just a few transitions will be a welcomed sight.

Also, since the software does have a decent set of annotations, I was sad to see that these were static. Giving the option to add a simple fade-in or -out would make the world of difference.

Limited video trimming

When I record screencasts, I admit, I make a lot of mistakes, outtakes and quite strange noises. This means that I have to remove these unwanted sections of video to ensure the end product is the best I can make it.

So, for me, video trimming in the editor is essential.

Filmora Scrn does have a split feature that will add a cut at a certain point, but there is no option to highlight certain regions to remove it.

This is part of the reason why I love the Camtasia editor. Their ripple delete feature is a Godsend.

No camera pan or zoom

Another feature I use a lot when I’m editing my videos is the camera pan and zoom effect. This is such a useful tool to use when making tutorials.

Unfortunately, this is not included in Filmora Scrn. I would have to export the video and import it into a different software to achieve this. So, that’s not convenient for me.

Filmora Scrn alternatives

If you want to see some Filmora Scrn alternatives, then I recommend checking out:

• Camtasia (my number 1 recommended; read my Camtasia review to see why)
• Screencast-O-Matic
• Create
• ScreenFlow (Mac users only)

Wrapping up

So, that’s my Filmora Scrn review.

It’s super cheap and comes with everything you need to record your desktop/game and perform basic editing. But, don’t expect amazing editing functions.

If you’re still interested, I recommend downloading Filmora Scrn for yourself. They have a free trial that doesn’t expire. So, there are no excuses not to really.

If you have used Filmora Scrn, or even purchased it, let me know in the comments below what you think about it.

Further reading on SideHustleTeach.com

You will probably be interested in my list of the best screen recording software. Also, as you can tell, I bang on about Camtasia being so great. If you’re interested, you can read my Camtasia review to see why.