Loom
Loom is a screen recording extension for Chrome that gives people the ability to create and share media. Create your own videos using your camera, screen view, and audio. Then users can share the videos with colleagues, family, and friends. It can be used professionally for training or just for enhanced video chats. Loom is an easy way to send messages when email doesn't make sense.
- Convenient Access - Chrome throws a Loom button onto the browser toolbar so that recording is only one click away
- Viewing Options - Decide if your video will show your screen only, your screen and video, or video only
- Easy installation on Google Chrome using your Google account
- Conversational interface turns would-be clunky setup into a breeze
- Tab Only option for clean, professional-looking videos
- Receiver can view Loom videos without installing
- Doesn't work with other web browsers
- On a laptop with 2 cameras, Loom defaulted to the outward-facing (wrong) camera
- Doesn't work offline (i.e. cant record videos for later without an internet connection)
- Focus of intro content is on laptop and desktop use, while mobile and tablet use takes a backseat
After using Loom, one wonders why we haven't encountered this kind of program before. It's ridiculously easy to install. The extension is available right away and the first video is recorded within minutes. The combination of recorded audio, recorded video, and recorded screen activity is powerful. As soon as the first one's done, my mind is racing to make a list of every situation where I can use Loom instead of combining two other (typically less-than-compatible) applications. Perhaps most appealing is the ability to have full-screen and face-to-face communication without being connected simultaneously. For folks who work with international clients, Loom is a life-saver. It removes the need for coordinating time zones and live connections all together. Loom turns visual-heavy communications into a convenient exchange. Think work Skype call with screen sharing except not at 3:00 in the morning. On the downside, perhaps the design is too simplistic. Loom is so minimalist that when I was finished recording, I couldn't find a stop button. They've either sacrificed some user friendliness here or there is a slight bug. Also, it seems like an obvious choice to push Loom for mobile device users. Running this application on a tablet would be a dream. Yet, this kind of marketing content is absent from Loom's website. Still, Loom is a solid application. It's a decent fit for remote workers of all kinds and it can easily be used for fun as well. It's one of those times when the utility of the software is immediately obvious.
I love loom! My assistant is in the Phillipines and I create video screen share trainings constantly for communication of the tasks I need him to do. now that they offer recording in HD+ I can probably drop snagit or screenflow and just use loom for recording all of the videos for my online course!
To be honest Loom is a great idea, but I find it's really hit and miss as to when it actually will or won't record. Some days there is nothing I can do that will allow recording to take place. The next day it's fine again. The flaky nature of the extension leaves me wanting more.
When the program works it is good BUT I had to turn off my antivirus to download it and now everything has gone insane on my laptop. I'm going to have to reformat. I was warned that there was a virus. I contacted the support but to date I haven't had a response (3 days later) I'm in the process of making sure everything is backed up before I reformat. This is atrocious as my laptop is my business. Maybe just having the chrome extension would be ok but I need to be able to work offline as well as online. My opinion is based more on the company than the program. I've only been able to record 3 videos so far.
I usually love Loom, but over the past few months it has become increasingly inconsistent. Videos will stop recording part way through, or it will say it can't record at all, or audio doesn't record properly. It's not the end of the world, but it is a productivity-slayer as I either have to re-record the full video or start a new recording and send multiple to my clients, which doesn't look professional.