For Quick & Dirty, No Fuss, No Muss Screen Capture Video, Nothing Beat Loom
November 30, 2018

For Quick & Dirty, No Fuss, No Muss Screen Capture Video, Nothing Beat Loom

Jack Edward Heald | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Loom

I primarily use Loom to create quick "how-to" videos that have a very focused, time-sensitive requirement. "Here's how to do this particular thing." It's particularly well-suited to that sort of quick & dirty, one-off type of video instruction. Since I have the option of including my built-in video camera as part of the video itself, it helps add that personal touch - the "face" - to the video.

Pros

  • Integrated right into Chrome - If I want to make a screen-capture video of a particular window in Chrome, I just start the Loom extension from within that window. It automatically records the entire window, my audio, computer audio and/or my video camera. In other words, it makes recording a screen capture video fast and almost automatic.
  • I like that it automatically saves it to my Loom account profile and also provides a URL I can send to people. I think the utility of this feature is pretty obvious. The sequence is 1. Start loom 2. click the RECORD button 3. record 4. click the STOP button 5. copy and paste the URL which loom automatically generates.
  • The way they have chosen to provide online organizing of my videos is pretty well executed. I can create folders and move related videos into those folders. This becomes really important when you start creating a lot of videos.

Cons

  • Loom is great for what it does - super quick & dirty screen capture videos. If you want more control over your video production, then the reality is you probably need a more robust tool. It has very rudimentary sound and video editing abilities, and no titling ability. Frankly, I don't consider this lack of features an issue, because I use Loom ONLY for what it is good at and don't expect it to do more.
  • It doesn't do 16:9 format videos. (Unless they've added that feature since I last used it.) That's not a deal-breaker for me, but it could be for some folks.,
  • I'm a sucker for good tools, and Loom solves one very narrow, very specific problem for me - quick, low-production, easy-to-distribute videos. I can't put a number on what it has done for me, but I can say unequivocally that it saves me a TON of time when I need what it does. I will also say that if you try to make Loom do more than it was really made for, you'll end up wasting time. I think of it like a tack hammer - if I need to drive tiny tacks or tiny nails into soft wood, nothing beats a tack hammer. But if I am trying to drive 16 penny nails to frame a house, a tack hammer is a terrible solution. It will work, but there are better ways to do the job.
  • Zoom
I used to use Zoom to do screen capture video - even I don't have someone else in a video conference - just because it does a good job of creating screen captures. But that's not really what Zoom is designed to do. Now, when I need to do a fast, low-production-value, easy-to-distribute video, I use Loom.

For more complex but still relatively quick videos, I use ScreenCast-O-Matic, because it gives me some post-production editing capabilities lacking in Loom. And for really top-notch editing, I use Vegas Pro 14. But neither of these are remotely as fast and easy as Loom.
If you have a user having trouble with something on their web browser, Loom is an awesome way to create video instructions, drop it in an email and send it to them. In other words, you can provide asynchronous video support.

If production quality is less important to you than being able to crank out a bunch of videos in a hurry, there's not much that can beat Loom.

Using Loom

It's dirt easy for the one thing it does exceptionally well. If you think, "hmmm, I should make a quick screen capture of this thing on screen, you can start recording in seconds with almost no additional effort." Once you're done, the recording is automatically uploaded to your account site, and automatically creates a URL you can copy and share with your target audience. From IDEA to EXECUTION to DISTRIBUTION is literally seconds.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Familiar
None

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