HyperCam for Windows

Hypercam captures screen views, keystrokes, and other PC activity that you can use to create manuals, instructional videos, tutorials, and presentations. It's shareware that is free to try for 21 days, though output files have a digital watermark that is removed in the full version. HyperCam is compact and easy to use, but it can record an editable view of your desktop, windows, cursor movements, and other activity in files you can share online or use to create all kinds of digital presentations. It can also record just sound or video. HyperCam requires DirectX 8.0 Runtime or higher. Recent updates include an updated Media Editor, optimized startup speed, and Windows 8 certification.

HyperCam's compact interface has a unique and stylish look that minimizes to the Taskbar, not with a mere icon but with something much cooler: a tiny control set that lets you quickly activate and stop the recording tool, take screenshots, lock the view, and restore the program. The layout displays two tabs, Record and Options; clicking the Options tab toggles open a second, equally colorful and stylish dialog box for configuring Video, Audio, and Interface options as well as Extras like a feature that adds starburst effects to mouse clicks for better visibility, or a slider for mouse click sounds. At the bottom, expanding panels access Help (via the program's Web site) as well as Screen Notes and Recent Records, each with small but welcome preview windows.

HyperCam is easy to use, thanks to the Record section's quick-access Region, Fullscreen, and Window selection tools, which use red outlines and placeholders and give quick access to individual options such as a drop-down list of Windows or the Region tool's Start X and Y coordinates. Clicking the large Record button started things off. File quality is excellent with the registered version, which removes the watermark. We could save recordings as AVI, ASF, or WMV files. HyperCam proved an impressive tool, and actually quite affordable, too.

Editors' note: This is a review of the full version of HyperCam 3.5.1211.29. The trial version is limited to 21 days.