Video Screen Capture Tools for Linux

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Screen capture software for Linux (Debian/Ubuntu/Mint) that records a selected region, window, or the entire desktop along with system audio (and optionally microphone) into a standard video file (MP4, MKV, WebM, etc.). Many of these tools also support live streaming, but the primary focus here is local recording of short-to-medium-length clips. All listed programs should be open-source, and available through the official repositories or simple .deb installation.

  • OBS Studio: Professional-grade open-source tool for screen recording and streaming, supports region capture, audio mixing, and plugins; available in Ubuntu/Mint repos via sudo apt install obs-studio.
  • SimpleScreenRecorder: Lightweight app for easy rectangle or full-screen recording with audio; low CPU usage and pause/resume features; in repos via sudo apt install simplescreenrecorder.
  • Kazam: Simple GUI for quick full-screen or area captures with audio; minimal interface, auto-hides during recording; in repos via sudo apt install kazam.
  • VokoscreenNG: Feature-rich recorder with annotations, webcam overlay, and multi-monitor support; cross-platform and actively maintained; in repos via sudo apt install vokoscreen-ng.
  • Green Recorder: Supports GIF/video output, area selection, and hardware acceleration; good for low-resource systems; available via PPA or .deb for Debian-based distros.
  • RecordMyDesktop: Basic CLI/GUI tool for Ogg/MP4 captures with audio; reliable for simple sessions; in repos via sudo apt install recordmydesktop.
  • Peek: Focused on creating animated GIFs from screen regions; lightweight and easy for short clips; in repos via sudo apt install peek.
  • Istanbul: Session recorder for Ogg Theora videos with audio; supports pausing and basic editing; in repos via sudo apt install istanbul.

SimpleScreenRecorder

Installation

sudo apt install simplescreenrecorder

Record a screen rectangle (no black bars)

  1. Launch SimpleScreenRecorder
  2. Choose “Record a rectangle” → click and drag to select the video area
  3. Enable “Record audio” → Backend: PulseAudio → Source: Monitor of your output
  4. Click “Start recording”
  5. Press Ctrl+C in the terminal or click “Save recording” when done

Capabilities

Rectangle/window/full-screen recording, built-in H.264/AV1/VP9 encoding, separate cursor options, live preview, low CPU usage, Pause/Resume, hotkeys.

OBS Studio

Installation

sudo apt install obs-studio

Record a screen rectangle (no black bars)

  1. Open OBS → Scene → Sources → + → Screen Capture (XSHM)
  2. Select display → crop to desired area (Alt-drag edges)
  3. Right-click the source → Transform → Edit Transform → Bounding Box Type: “Scale to inner bounds”
  4. Sources → + → Audio Output Capture → select PulseAudio output
  5. Bottom-right → Start Recording (default hotkey Ctrl+Alt+R)

You can set the Base Canvas resolution (in Settings → Video) to match athe crop size upfront to avoid black bars.

Capabilities

Professional-grade recording & streaming, multi-source scenes, filters, transitions, virtual camera, plugins, advanced audio mixer, NVENC/AMF/VAAPI hardware encoding, studio mode.

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