Project settings for screen recordings in FCP

I understand the UI might look too much at first, but it's easier to use than you think.

1. Set up the Settings as I shown in my screenshots.
2. Under "Sources" in the main UI add a "macOS Screen Capture" source and set it to match your display resolution and 60 FPS.
3. Click "Start Recording" at the bottom right.

I believe if one spend 20 minutes in OBS one will be much better at producing better screen recordings in the future, so I believe it's worth it if one creates screen recordings regularly. :)

NEVER use QuickTime Player for screen recording if you're going to import a screen recording into Final Cut Pro (or any editing software for that matter). Why? Well because it records in a variable frame rate. Final Cut Pro works with constant frame rates. This will make editing the footage harder since it will de-sync with audio and other elements in the Final Cut Pro project a few minutes into the video. Elements might jump around when exporting and it can be a nightmare. Instead, use a screen recorder that support a constant frame rate, like the super popular and open-source OBS instead: it allows you to set a locked resolution (try to match your screen resolution) and FPS.

QuickTime Player records in a VFR (screenshot from Mediainfo).

OBS allows you to lock the resolution and FPS, resulting in a CFR which is better for video editing.

I recommend setting these video encoding settings in OBS for making the video file easy to edit in Final Cut Pro.

I have discovered a setting in OBS which gets rid of recursion (a word I had never heard of until you wrote it, although I was familiar with the effect) without recourse to a second monitor.

With macOS Screen Capture selected click on the "Properties" tab (arrowed left) and select "Hide OBS from capture" (arrowed right).

Finally click "OK".

I don't do anything too special when screen recording with QuickTime Player. I do set the record area to be a bit larger than the project settings and try to get close-ish to a 16:9 ratio since that's what the final project will be. QT will dump the screen recording on the desktop. Move it into your project's media folder and then import into FCP. Try a few tests to see what works for your particular project.

I have just tested it and it's far more advanced than QT Player. It dumps the video file on the desktop by default.

PS Don't hesitate to ask for help however simple the question may be . . . I do it all the time.

Once again your advice appears spot on and I approve of anything that is FREE.

However, I dabbled with OBS last year and discovered that although it is highly capable it also has quite a steep learning curve which may not suit the OP who might find QT is good enough.

Incidentally, as is my custom, I have completely forgotten everything I learned about OBS . . . I can't even remember why I started using it in the first place!

Well, that's recursion for you :-)

If you are recording your screen, which is showing the OBS interface of you recording your screen...

Of course, this problem goes away when you are recording something other than OBS's own interface - as seen in your nice video.

One similar situation is if you try filming yourself directly in front of a mirror. Your camera captures the mirror reflecting the camera...

One way around it is to use a dual screen setup. Put OBS on one display and have it record the other display.

This way you could look at and interact with OBS while recording something else, and no recursion is involved.

I make no claim to have written the following . . . it was produced instantly by AI after a google search for "Screen recording on a Mac".

Record Mac Screen

You can record your Mac screen using built-in features or third-party software. Here are the methods:

Built-in Method

1. Press Shift + Command + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar.
2. Select “Record Entire Screen” or “Record Selected Portion” to choose what you want to record.
3. Click the “Record” button to start recording.
4. To stop recording, click the “Stop” button in the menu bar or press Command + Shift + 5 again.

Additional Options

• To record audio from your Mac’s microphone or an external microphone, go to the Screenshot toolbar options and select the desired microphone.
• To record a specific portion of your screen, select “Record Selected Portion” and highlight the area you want to record.
• To trim and save your screen recording in different resolutions, use QuickTime Player.

You could just go into System Settings and see what resolution your screen is set to.

Then set your FCP Project to those dimensions.

Pretty easy.

We've done many QT screen recordings and have never had any issues in FCP. Perhaps it depends on the captured material -- ours have primarily been UI walkthroughs.

Ian R. Brown wrote:

I have just tested it and it's far more advanced than QT Player. It dumps the video file on the desktop by default.

PS Don't hesitate to ask for help however simple the question may be . . . I do it all the time.

I don't understand, Ian, what is "far more advanced than Quicktime Player"...

if you are in Quicktime Player and do File->New Screen Recording, the effect, AFAICT, is the same as that of pressing Command-Shift-5. It shows you the very same interface. What am I missing?

And sorry for going off on a tangent, but keeping on the subject of screen recordings: besides clicking the Stop button that appears on the menu bar, does anyone know of a way to stop the recording, perhpas using a keyboard shortcut? I can't find one but someone on another forum was adamant that one existed.

Ctl+Cmd+N is the indicated shortcut in QT Player itself. Aside from that, it's all the same QT Player controls. And pressing Shift+Cmd+5 a second time does NOT stop the recording, but pulls up an outline to focus in on a regular screen shot.

Mea culpa . . . once again I am spreading the proverbial product of the bull.

These are not features I use as I have ScreenFlow and my only experience with QT Player was with "New Movie Recording" which I got mixed up with "New Screen Recording".

Having checked (which I should have done originally) I have discovered that they are indeed the same.

BenB wrote:

Ctl+Cmd+N is the indicated shortcut in QT Player itself. Aside from that, it's all the same QT Player controls. And pressing Shift+Cmd+5 a second time does NOT stop the recording, but pulls up an outline to focus in on a regular screen shot.

As it turns out (and I still can't find it documented anywhere), Command-Control-Escape does work to STOP the recording - at least it does in Sonoma for me.

Someone told me that this no longer works in Sequoia, though. I can't upgrade just yet, so I don't know. Can anyone test?