How to make Loom-style videos for free: For Mac Users

If you’re looking to create screen recordings on your Mac without paying for expensive subscriptions like Loom, you’re in luck. In this guide, we’ll show you how to achieve the same functionality using QuickTime Player and Google Drive. Follow these simple steps to start recording your screen and sharing your videos for free.

Step 1: Open QuickTime Player

The first step is to open QuickTime Player on your Mac. You can do this in one of two ways:

1. Via Applications: Navigate to your Applications folder and click on QuickTime Player.

2. Via Command+Space: Press Command + Space to bring up the Spotlight search, type in “QuickTime Player,” and press Enter.

Once QuickTime Player is open, you’ll see a blank screen. Ignore this initial window, as we’ll be doing something a little different.

Step 2: Start a New Movie Recording

With QuickTime Player open, follow these steps to set up your recording:

1. Go to the top-left corner of your screen and click on File.

2. Select New Movie Recording from the dropdown menu.

At this point, you’ll see your webcam feed on the screen. You can resize this window to your liking. Typically, a smaller window placed in the corner works well, similar to how Loom positions the recording.

Step 3: Keep the Recording Window on Top

To ensure that your recording window stays visible during the screen recording, you’ll need to adjust a setting:

1. Click on View in the top menu.

2. Select Float on Top.

This will keep your video feed on top of any other windows you have open, which is particularly useful when you’re recording tutorials or presentations.

Step 4: Set Up Your Microphone and Camera

Before you start recording, make sure that the correct input devices are selected:

1. In the movie recording window, click on the arrow next to the record button.

2. Choose your preferred camera (e.g., FaceTime HD Camera) and microphone from the available options.

You can also use your iPhone as a camera via Continuity Camera if you prefer.

Step 5: Start a New Screen Recording

Now that your movie recording is set up, it’s time to start recording your screen:

1. Go back to File in the top-left menu and select New Screen Recording.

2. A small recording window will appear at the bottom of the screen.

Before you start recording, it’s important to adjust the settings:

1. Click on Options.

2. Choose your microphone to ensure that your voice is recorded.

3. Select your preferred save location (e.g., Desktop).

4. You can also enable the option to show mouse clicks, which is helpful for tutorials.

Next, choose whether you want to record the entire screen or just a portion of it. For this example, select Entire Screen.

Step 6: Start Recording

To begin recording:

1. Click on the Record button in the screen recording window.

2. You’ll see a countdown, after which the recording will start.

Now, both your screen and your webcam feed are being recorded simultaneously. You can proceed with your tutorial or presentation as you normally would.

Step 7: Stop the Recording

Once you’ve finished your recording, you’ll need to stop it:

1. Move your cursor to the top of the screen to reveal the menu bar.

2. Click on the small Stop icon in the top-right corner.

The screen recording will be saved to the location you specified earlier.

Step 8: Save the Movie Recording

After stopping the screen recording, you should also stop and save the movie recording:

1. Click on the Stop button in the movie recording window.

2. Go to File and select Save.

3. Choose your desired save location and file name.

Now, both your screen recording and movie recording are saved on your Mac.

Step 9: Share Your Video via Google Drive

To share your recorded video, you can use Google Drive:

1. Open Google Drive and create a new folder for your recordings.

2. Upload the video file you just created to this folder.

3. Once the upload is complete, right-click on the file and select Share.

4. Choose the option to Get link and set the permissions to “Anyone with the link can view.”

5. Copy the link and share it with your audience via email or any other platform.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you’ve successfully created a screen recording with your webcam feed for free using QuickTime Player and shared it using Google Drive. This method saves you the cost of a subscription service like Loom while providing you with all the functionality you need. Happy recording!