Make It Easier to Record and Share Videos From Your Screen With the ‘Loom’ Chrome Extension
Suppose you are trying to eliminate a family member’s computer, you want to show a friend some of the problems you have with your system, or you want to make a quick record of some crazy thing that you are about to do in the game. With the Chrome Loom extension, it’s incredibly easy to make and share quick screen recordings right from your browser.
Loom allows you to make simple recordings of a specific browser tab, any open application, or the entire desktop screen. After you install the extension and run the quick setup process, you’ll start by clicking on the Loom icon next to Omnibar in Chrome.
When you do, you will be given the option to record from your webcam, screen, or both – your circular image will appear in the lower left corner, if so:
Initially, you can choose to record the entire desktop screen or just the active Chrome tab. If you choose the first option, the extension won’t necessarily record everything on your screen. You can do this, or target the extension only to a specific app you open:
After you finish your quick recording – which includes any sound played during the capture session, as well as the movements you made with your mouse cursor – you are taken to a screen where you can then download the video you captured. If you’ve previously linked Loom to your Google account, you can also save your creation directly to any folder in Drive.
Loom also lets you add a text description for your video. And if you share the URL of that video landing page with others, they can add comments that automatically link to specific timestamps. If you’re using your video to help someone troubleshoot their system, this is a great (and free) way to offer additional context for any part of your video to help them.
Loom’s terms of service for using the video recording and storage extension are also incredibly generous. According to Loom, you can :
- Use Loom for free;
- Record as many videos as you like;
- Write down as much as you want (there is no time limit ?);
- Keep your videos forever (your access is not canceled!) “;
The only downside to Loom is that the videos don’t have smooth, fluid frame rates, so they are more useful as teaching tools than what you would use to showcase your clips on YouTube or Twitch, for example. That said, given how easy it is to capture a video of your screen and share it with others, Loom is definitely one of the tools you’ll want to have on hand during those periodic learning moments, or just take a quick screenshot of something interesting. … that you want to share with others.