If you want free software to record your computer screen and make a YouTube video, start with OBS Studio for capture and choose DaVinci Resolve or Shotcut for editing. There is no single best combination for every creator: your computer, operating system, video format and appetite for learning an editor all matter.
OBS records the screen, application audio and microphone; it is not a substitute for an editing workflow. Resolve offers a broad post-production toolset, while Shotcut is a free, open-source, cross-platform editor that may suit a more direct workflow. Choose the pair that fits what you need to make, then test it with a short recording before committing to a long project.
What to look for in a free screen-recording workflow
A useful workflow has two jobs: capture a clean source recording, then turn it into a finished video. OBS is designed for recording and live streaming, while an editor helps you remove pauses, arrange clips, add titles, balance sound and export a file for YouTube. You can also edit with Shotcut alone in some cases, since its project site lists screen and other capture inputs, but OBS is a dedicated starting point when the main task is computer-screen capture.
Before choosing software, write down what the video needs. A narrated software tutorial may need a readable screen, a microphone track and simple cuts. A gameplay video may need game audio, voice, camera footage and more involved pacing. A lesson or product demonstration may need chapter cards, callouts or a clean outro. The more separate elements you want to adjust later, the more useful it is to keep sources or tracks distinct rather than baking everything into one recording.
Also decide what “free” needs to mean for you. The official product pages describe OBS and Shotcut as free software; Blackmagic Design offers Resolve in a free edition as well as a paid Studio edition with additional features. Specific features and download terms can change, so confirm the current edition details before building a project around a particular effect, format or capability.
| Need | Sensible starting point | Why it may fit | Check before starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated screen recording | OBS Studio | The OBS Project describes it as recording and live-streaming software. | Your operating system, audio routing and capture needs. |
| Broad editing, colour and audio work | DaVinci Resolve | Blackmagic Design lists editing, colour, visual effects, motion graphics, audio post-production, organisation and delivery tools. | Learning time, computer compatibility and free-edition boundaries. |
| Free, open-source editor across platforms | Shotcut | Its project describes it as cross-platform and lists several capture inputs. | Whether its interface and project workflow suit you. |
| Quick short-form social edits | CapCut as a comparison candidate | A Creative Bloq guide positions it towards Shorts and social video. | Current free-tier terms, export conditions and platform availability. |
This is a choice by workflow, not a performance ranking. The product descriptions do not show how an app will run on your particular computer, and no controlled comparison establishes a universal winner. If you are considering vertical clips as well as longer tutorials, decide whether you want a simple sequence of cuts or a more extensive edit before installing tools and learning their layouts.
Capture your screen with OBS Studio
The OBS Project describes OBS Studio as free, open-source software for video recording and live streaming. For a recorded YouTube video, create a scene, add the screen or window source you want to show, and check the audio sources before pressing record. OBS has an official download page with operating-system choices; check it for current instructions rather than relying on an old installer link or tutorial.
A scene is a saved arrangement of sources. For a simple tutorial, that could mean a display or application window, a microphone and desktop audio. If you record a specific application, using a window source can keep other desktop activity out of frame; a full display capture is more flexible when you need to move between apps. The right choice depends on the demonstration, and you should preview the scene to catch notifications, empty windows or a cursor in the wrong place.
OBS is a capture tool, not the whole production. You can record a complete take and do the trimming and titles in your editor, or build scene changes and overlays in OBS when they are part of the presentation. Keeping the first recording straightforward makes problems easier to diagnose. If the audio is too quiet or the application does not appear, fix that at capture time where practical instead of expecting the edit to repair missing information.
A recording is only useful if it can be opened and edited afterwards. Make a short test, stop recording, and confirm that the file exists and plays with both picture and sound. Note where OBS saves recordings so you can find them again. The OBS Project also documents an API for plugins and scripts, but extensions are not a prerequisite for a basic screen recording; start with built-in sources and add complexity only when you can name the problem it solves.
Creators who already use OBS for a live setup can adapt familiar ideas, but a recorded tutorial has different priorities from a live broadcast. You have room to pause, repeat a step or make a second take, so avoid adding live overlays simply because they are available. For a related capture-specific question, see this guide to OBS not offering 4K 60fps for YouTube Live; its live-stream context is different, but it illustrates why capture settings and the intended output need to be considered together.
Choose an editor: DaVinci Resolve or Shotcut
Resolve and Shotcut both provide a route from recorded footage to an edited video, but they suit different preferences. Blackmagic Design presents Resolve as a suite spanning editing, colour correction, visual effects and motion graphics, audio post-production, media organisation and delivery. Its official DaVinci Resolve page describes the Cut and Edit pages for editing, Fusion for visual effects and motion graphics, Color for colour work, Fairlight for audio, and Media and Deliver for organisation and output.
That breadth can be valuable if your videos need detailed colour work, layered graphics or deliberate audio treatment. It also means more concepts and interface areas to learn than a simple trim-and-title job may require. Blackmagic Design distinguishes its free Resolve edition from the paid Studio edition, which adds features. Check the current edition information for any capability you need; do not assume every named feature or workflow is available on the same terms.
Shotcut is described by its project as a free, open-source, cross-platform video editor. The project lists Windows, Mac and Linux downloads and capture from sources including X11 screen, webcam, SDI, HDMI, IP stream and Windows DirectShow devices. Its official download page is the place to confirm current installers. If you want to keep the workflow in a free, cross-platform editor and do not need Resolve’s wider post-production environment, Shotcut is a reasonable candidate to try.
Shotcut’s capture inputs do not make OBS irrelevant. OBS may be more familiar when you want to arrange a computer screen and audio sources for a dedicated recording, while Shotcut may be enough if its capture and editing workflow covers your needs. Try the simplest path that meets the requirements: one short capture, a title, a few cuts and an export. If you find that you need finer control over colour, effects or audio, evaluate Resolve; if the extra depth adds friction without improving the video, a more direct editor may be the better fit.
Neither editor should be judged by a feature list alone. A long panel of tools is useful only if you need those tools and can learn them without slowing production. Conversely, a simple interface is not automatically a drawback if it lets you finish a clear tutorial consistently. There were no hands-on tests behind these product descriptions, so treat them as a guide to capabilities and confirm the current download, system requirements and feature boundaries yourself.
Match the tool to your computer and operating system
Start with the computer you own rather than an idealised workstation. Confirm that the current version of each application supports your operating system, then check the publisher’s requirements and available storage. OBS’s download page offers operating-system selection and Ubuntu installation guidance. Shotcut identifies Windows, Mac and Linux downloads. A supported download is a starting condition, not a promise that every project will feel responsive on your machine.
Editing can ask more of a computer than recording a simple screen. A long recording, high-resolution source, multiple video layers or effects may be harder to work with than a short clip with a single track. The sources used here do not establish comparative performance across computers, so avoid claims that one editor will run better in general. If your machine is modest, use a small sample project first and see whether basic playback, trimming and export are manageable before recording a full lesson.
Your operating system may influence the capture route as well as the editor choice. If you need to record a particular application, verify that the capture source you plan to use is available and that permissions allow screen and microphone access. On Linux, follow OBS’s current installation guidance for your distribution; on Windows or Mac, confirm that the download is intended for your system. Recheck any required device or access permissions after a system update.
A practical compatibility check is a short end-to-end rehearsal. Record a few minutes of the kind of material you actually make, open it in the editor, add the elements you expect to use, and export a test file. This reveals more than installing an editor and leaving it idle: it checks capture, audio, playback, editing and output together. If that test fails, reduce the project to one screen source and one audio source, then add elements one at a time to find the cause.
Do not treat export settings as a cure for an unstable workflow. A complicated timeline, a large source file or an unavailable codec can create its own problems. Keep an original recording until the final export has been checked, and keep enough working space for both source and output files. If you routinely edit long clips, storage and file organisation should be part of your tool choice, not an afterthought.
Record a clean tutorial or demo
A clean recording starts before you press the record button. Close unrelated windows, prepare the application or page you intend to demonstrate, and silence notifications that could reveal private information or interrupt the explanation. If the tutorial involves signing in, avoid exposing passwords, recovery details or personal account information. A quick preview in OBS is a useful way to catch a visible desktop item before it becomes part of the recording.
Set up a clear audio path. Choose the microphone you intend to use, make a short test, and listen back on headphones or speakers before recording a long take. If desktop audio is not needed, leave it out rather than discovering later that unrelated sounds compete with your narration. If you do need both voice and application sound, check that both are recorded and distinguishable. The exact controls depend on your devices and operating system, so verify the result in the saved test file rather than trusting a meter alone.
For screen demonstrations, make the important interface area easy to read. Close side panels that are not part of the lesson, move the cursor deliberately and pause briefly after important actions so viewers can see the result. Narrate what you are doing rather than relying on a fast sequence of clicks. If a step is easy to miss, capture a second take or plan a title card rather than trying to explain a mistake with a hurried edit.
Keep the recording format aligned with the final video. A normal horizontal desktop tutorial is usually simplest when captured in the same general shape as the intended video. A short vertical clip may need a different composition; make sure the important screen content remains legible after cropping. Avoid setting a capture target purely because a number looks impressive. Readability, a clean frame and sound that can be understood matter more to the viewer than a setting you cannot sustain through the full recording.
Build a repeatable file habit. Give each recording a name that identifies its topic and take, and store project media together or in a folder structure you can understand later. Keep a separate copy of source footage until you have checked the final video. When a recording is incomplete or an editor project refers to a moved file, a clear folder structure saves time and makes it easier to resume work on another day.
For a channel that publishes recorded material in a continuing schedule, capture and editing are only part of the publishing decision. The article on using multiple recorded videos in a 24/7 educational YouTube stream considers how a channel may use a set of prepared videos; it is a separate question from making a single edited screen tutorial. Likewise, if you are planning a replay between in-person events, this guide to running a YouTube event replay channel covers that channel format rather than recommending an editor.
Edit, export and check the YouTube video
Editing is where you turn a useful recording into a watchable explanation. Remove false starts and long pauses, but leave enough time for a viewer to follow each step. Add a title or callout when it clarifies the action, not simply to decorate the frame. If narration and desktop sound compete, adjust their balance in the editor. Resolve includes dedicated audio post-production tools in Blackmagic Design’s product description; Shotcut can be a more direct option when your audio needs are basic.
For a tutorial, check the opening, middle and ending as separate moments. The opening should identify what the viewer will learn. In the middle, check that no cut removes a necessary step or cursor movement. At the end, remove dead time and make any next action clear. These are editorial checks, not features tied to a particular application. Both editors can be evaluated against the same short sequence so you can judge whether their timeline and controls match your working style.
Export a test before committing to a large project. The final file should have picture and sound, play from start to finish, and use an aspect ratio and resolution that suit the intended video. Check that text remains readable and that no black gaps, frozen frames or accidental desktop material appear. Listen to the beginning, a section with speech and the end; a file that exports successfully can still contain a missing audio source or a cut in the wrong place.
YouTube’s upload and processing options can change, so consult current official guidance when you need a specific format or delivery requirement. Do not assume an editor’s default export is the right choice for every video, but do not re-encode repeatedly without a reason either. Keep a known-good original and the editor project until you have confirmed the uploaded version. If a YouTube upload looks blurry, the guide to three practical fixes for a blurry YouTube live stream addresses a live-stream problem; for a recorded upload, first inspect the exported file and YouTube’s processing state.
If your end goal is an always-on channel, do not confuse an edited recording with the live operation that may follow it. The editing tools produce a video file; they are not, by themselves, a 24/7 publishing arrangement. StreamNeo can remove the need to leave your own computer running when you want an uploaded video to continue as a YouTube live stream, but it does not edit the recording or replace the need to prepare and check it.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
What is the best free screen recording and editing software for YouTube videos?
There is no universal winner. OBS Studio is a practical dedicated capture tool, with Resolve or Shotcut as editing choices depending on your computer, operating system and need for advanced colour, effects or audio work. Make a short test with the kind of video you plan to publish before settling on a workflow.
What free software can I use to record my screen and edit the video?
Use OBS to capture your screen and audio, then open the recording in DaVinci Resolve or Shotcut to trim it, add titles and export it. Shotcut also lists screen and other capture inputs, so you can check whether its own capture route meets your needs. Confirm current downloads and free-edition terms on the projects’ official pages.
Can I use OBS to record YouTube videos and edit them?
OBS can record your screen, but its main role is capture and live streaming, not editing a finished video. You can use OBS for the recording and an editor such as Resolve or Shotcut for cuts, titles, audio adjustments and export. Always play back a short test recording before making a longer one.