Notes. On screen recording, from the person making Focal.
Why Focal works the way it does, what changed, and what one developer learned building a screen recorder for Windows. Guides and comparisons too.
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Note 7 min
Focal 1.0: screen recordings that look edited, without editing
Focal, a screen recorder for Windows, is out today. How years of my own bad demos led to it, what a recording is like, what it costs and what it does not do yet.
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Comparison 9 min
Screen Studio for Windows: what to use instead
Screen Studio is a Mac app with no Windows version in sight. Focal, a screen recorder for Windows, makes the same kind of video: zooms from your clicks, a smooth cursor, backgrounds, captions.
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Guide 8 min
How to record a product demo video on Windows
Plan one job per video, script it in sentences, clean the screen and record in sections, then cut, zoom, caption and export. The method I learned one bad take at a time, with Focal as the example.
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Comparison 10 min
Focal vs Camtasia: a recorder that edits itself, or a full editor
Camtasia gives you a full editor with a timeline, callouts, quizzes and a yearly plan. Focal gives you a Windows demo with the zooms and cursor already done when you stop, for $99 once.
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Comparison 9 min
Focal vs Cursorful for screen recordings on Windows
Cursorful is a free browser extension with paid desktop apps. Focal is a Windows app bought once that keeps every recording on your computer. An honest look, from the maker of one of them.
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Comparison 9 min
Focal vs FocuSee: two auto-zoom recorders for Windows
FocuSee and Focal both turn your clicks into zooms on Windows. What FocuSee has that Focal lacks, where Focal goes its own way, and how privacy and price compare, by the man who makes Focal.
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Comparison 9 min
Focal vs Loom: recorded locally or shared from the cloud
Loom turns your recording into a link for your team. Focal keeps it as a file on your PC and makes it look edited. How to tell which job you have, and what each one costs.
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Comparison 9 min
Focal vs OBS Studio for demo videos
OBS Studio is free and can do almost anything, provided you bring the setup and an editor. Focal records a Windows demo that comes out zoomed, captioned and framed, for $99 once.
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Comparison 9 min
Focal vs the recorders built into Windows
Xbox Game Bar and the Snipping Tool record your screen for free, and often that is all you need. What each one records, where the files go, and what Focal adds when the recording is a demo.
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Guide 7 min
How to add captions to a screen recording without uploading it
Caption a screen recording without sending your voice anywhere: a speech model on your computer, lines you can correct, six looks, and captions burned in, as a track or an .srt.
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Guide 7 min
How to add zoom effects to a screen recording
On a phone, a full screen recording is a page of specks. How Focal makes zooms from your clicks, how to shape one by hand, and what makes a zoom look filmed rather than cut.
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Guide 7 min
How to make a GIF of your screen on Windows
A good GIF of your screen is a small region, one action and a few seconds. When a GIF beats a video, the free Windows tools that make one, and how to keep it small and readable.
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Guide 8 min
How to record a coding tutorial on Windows
Make the code readable on a phone, show your shortcuts, spell useEffect right in the captions and cut the pauses where you stared at the error. A developer's guide to coding videos on Windows.
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Guide 8 min
How to record system audio and your microphone together on Windows
No Stereo Mix, no cable, no second device. How Game Bar, the Snipping Tool, OBS Studio and Focal record what your PC plays and your voice at the same time.
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Guide 9 min
How to record your screen on Windows 11, and when you need more
Windows 11 hides two screen recorders in plain sight: Snipping Tool and Xbox Game Bar. Every built-in way step by step, where the files go, what they leave out, and when a demo needs more.
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Guide 7 min
How to record your screen without the cursor on Windows
Turn the cursor off in Xbox Game Bar or OBS Studio before you record, or record with Focal, which leaves it out of the picture and lets you change your mind later.
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Guide 7 min
Screen recording to vertical video for Shorts, Reels and TikTok
Post a wide screen recording as a Short and your app shrinks to a thin strip, or a crop that misses the click. How to plan for 9:16, and how zooms and big captions carry it.
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Guide 7 min
Screen recordings for READMEs, pull requests and bug reports
What GitHub accepts when you drop a GIF or a video into an issue or a pull request, what a README can show, and how to record a clip that explains a change or a bug before anyone asks.
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Note 10 min
The best screen recorders for Windows in 2026, by purpose
The right Windows screen recorder depends on what the video is for. A roundup by purpose, from Game Bar and OBS Studio to Camtasia and Loom, by the maker of Focal, who knows how that sounds.
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Note 7 min
What your GPU's video encoder does for a screen recording
Your GPU has a part that does nothing but encode video. What it does for a screen recording: less CPU, no dropped frames, a quieter fan, faster exports, and what to do without one.
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Note 6 min
Why Focal costs $99 once and not $10 a month
Focal costs $99 once, with a year of updates and no subscription to forget about. What the price includes, why I chose it over a monthly plan, and when a subscription is the better deal.
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Note 7 min
Why Focal records your screen without the cursor
Focal logs the cursor as data instead of baking a jittery arrow into the pixels. That one decision is why the cursor stays smooth and sharp, zooms aim themselves and edits stay open.
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Note 7 min
Your screen recording should stay on your computer
A screen recording catches everything, including the tab you forgot was open. Why Focal keeps yours on your computer, the four things it does send, and what that cannot protect.
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