ScreenFlow 10
ScreenFlow 10 is a remarkable video editor with many new features that enhance the user's experience with the software. I'm encouraged by the add-ons that Telestream has provided and while ScreenFlow is nearly perfect, I'm hopeful that they will continue to add to their new Animated Title Library and Video Filter options in the future.
- DESIGN
- EASE OF USE
- PRICE
ScreenFlow provides a robust, user-friendly video editor for content creators.
I’ve been a content creator for my entire professional life. I grew up around video production and our local television studio was like a playground for my brother and me. That said, I am no stranger to video editing software. In fact, I got to use one of the first non-linear editing systems ever created. In the past 10 years, my video creations have been focused mainly on product reviews and ScreenFlow has been a big part of that journey.
It’s an incredibly useful piece of software that features professional-grade tools but doesn’t have a confusing interface. The current version of ScreenFlow is version 10 and with its release, developer Telestream has included some great new features as well as some backend software upgrades.
About ScreenFlow 10
ScreenFlow is the leading capture and video editing software for Mac. It has best-in-class screen recording capabilities and a robust, professional non-linear editor. The app is a fully native Mac App and was designed from the ground up for macOS. It’s written using Objective-C and Swift.
With ScreenFlow, content creators can easily create and publish content by simultaneously capturing screen, camera, and microphone recordings. The editor has a customizable title library, video filters, and multi-app recording.
ScreenFlow’s parent/developer company is Telestream. It was founded in 1998 with its headquarters in California and Massachusetts. The company currently has more than 600 employees globally.
Professional editing features
- Highest Quality Recording: ScreenFlow has the best screen recording available – whether you are recording multiple screens at once, or using retina displays
- Built-in Stock Media Library: Spice up your videos with access to over 500,000 unique images, audio & video clips, and more directly from within your ScreenFlow projects.
- iOS Recording: Record your iPhone or iPad screen for high-quality app demos.
- Easy to Learn, Easy to Use: ScreenFlow’s intuitive UI allows everyone to create amazing content in minutes.
- Powerful Video Editing Tools: Add pro touches to your videos with transitions, text animations, video animations, freehand annotations, multi-channel audio, and more.
- Professional Animations & Motion Graphics: Animate graphics, titles, and logos with built-in video and text animations.
- Better Tools for Software Tutorials: Use Styles and Templates to make editing a series of Software tutorials quicker and easier.
- Streamlined Media Management: Organize your projects with nested clips, multi-track editing, markers, color labels, and complete access to media files stored on your computer.
- Closed Caption Support: Use ScreenFlow’s caption editor tool to add, edit and even burn in ADA compliant soft subtitles to your videos.
- More Publishing Options: Directly publish your videos to one of a handful of popular content hosting sites like Imgur, Wistia, Youtube, Vimeo, and more!
- Animated GIF and Animated PNG Export: Create animated GIFs and APNGs from any video project in ScreenFlow.
- ProRes, MP4 Encoding & More: ScreenFlow comes with a number of preset export settings for optimal quality videos.
New Features
- Brand new UI: Customizable toolbar, reworked preference windows, improved timeline functionality, and main menu organization
- Animated Title Library: Select from a range of beautifully animated lower-third and title card graphics
- Recording Multiple Audio/Video Sources: Multiple camera & microphone devices can now be recorded at the same time
- Improved camera recording system: Significant reductions in file size and CPU usage during recording & editing
- Destructive Project Archive: Reclaim space by saving your documents with their unused edits removed
- Redesigned Video Filters Interface: Built-in color effects library and support for importing CLUT (Color Lookup Tables); Automatic background Removal filter
- New Computer Audio Recording System: Apps are now recorded independently, and can be extracted, disabled, and remixed; Lower latency, including new modes for DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software
Pricing & Availability
ScreenFlow is available through the Telestream web store and the Mac App Store for a one-time charge of $149.99. ScreenFlow 10 is a paid upgrade from previous versions. There is tiered pricing depending on what version you are upgrading from (see the price chart below). The Mac App Store does not offer an option for upgrade pricing. Telestream does offer a license transfer option via the ScreenFlow Upgrade Tool.
- ScreenFlow 9 → ScreenFlow 10 = $49
- ScreenFlow 8 → ScreenFlow 10 = $59
- ScreenFlow 7 → ScreenFlow 10 = $69
- ScreenFlow 6 → ScreenFlow 10 = $79
- ScreenFlow 5 → ScreenFlow 10 = $89
- ScreenFlow 4 → ScreenFlow 10 = $99
According to the developers, there is no difference between the two versions. Some apps have differences based on Apple’s sandboxing restrictions, but ScreenFlow does not have any restrictions between the web store and Mac App Store versions.
ScreenFlow 10 is designed for Apple Silicon & Intel-based Macs running Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey only. A free trial is available. The ScreenFlow Stock Photo Library is available for an additional yearly access fee of $79.99. All media in the library is royalty-free.
Privacy Policy
According to the Mac App Store, ScreenFlow only collects data that is not linked to the user (usage data and diagnostics). The full privacy policy can be found here.
User Experience
As I mentioned above, I’ve been a ScreenFlow user for many years. It never ceases to amaze me how much you can create within this app. Growing up around video editing, we always had different parts of the process (editing, graphic design, animation, etc.) broken up between different applications. ScreenFlow gives you the option to do it all (for the most part) within a single software package.
For example, the basic video editing process is pretty much the same as you would find it in other video editors. There is a timeline where you place your video, audio, and graphic assets and the tools to combine them together have very similar controls that you would find in an app such as Final Cut Pro. The big difference is that without adding a plug-in or extension, you can also add on actions such as a cursor highlight and smooth, easy video scaling and positioning.
I’m used to the FCP process of manually entering keyframes when you want to zoom in or out of video elements. With ScreenFlow, you add a video action and then position and scale your video and the beginning and end of that action. The software handles the rest of the work for you. It’s honestly a lot like magic.
These features are not new to ScreenFlow 10 though. What is new is the sparkling, clean UI and the inclusion of an animated title library, new video filters, a deconstructive project archive option, and the ability to record multiple video and audio sources simultaneously. All of these features are demonstrated in the video we included above but here are some additional thoughts I had about them.
Video Filters: These filters make it really easy to stylize your video elements with just a few clicks. You just highlight your video clip and select the filter you want to use. There are settings you can tweak in the inspector so that the filter is just how you want it. The library is somewhat limited at this time, but I would expect that over time Telestream will add to the options available. There are features like this available in systems like FCP but they are nowhere as easy to adjust as they are within ScreenFlow.
Animated Titles: This might be my favorite add-on with this update because building creative, stylized animations like what ScreenFlow provides is a painstakingly long process. Having these elements at your fingertips really takes the stress off of an editor trying to crank out a piece of content. I love that each animation seems to have customizable elements — such as fonts, sizes, and colors — and that there is room for expansion on this feature, too.
Archive Feature: This is a vital upgrade in my opinion and ScreenFlow makes it so easy! To have the option to simply click ‘Archive’ and have the system do the work for you is remarkable. I love that the dialogue box that pops up gives you an estimated file size and savings. Every editor should have an archival process that they follow and ScreenFlow just made the process a lot easier.
Multiple Video/Audio Input Sources: It goes without saying that this is a must these days. ScreenFlow just made it possible for editors to use the app for events like podcasts. I love that right from the Home Screen you just select your input sources and click record. The fact that Telestream integrated the feature directly into the original recording process was genius in my opinion.
Conclusion
From where this video editor sits, content creation software doesn’t get much better than ScreenFlow. It’s truly impressive because of the number of things you can do with it. It can be used to edit a simple video with one audio track or you can work with multiple video and audio tracks while adding in graphic elements and animations.
I also want to say that this version of the software is optimized for M1 Macs. I have a 2020 MacBook Air with the M1 processor and editing was a breeze. I was shocked when I exported my 9-minute video and it only took a couple of minutes to build out. ScreenFlow 10 is totally worth the upgrade. It just keeps getting better.
For more information, visit telestream.net, Facebook, and Twitter.
2 Comments
When I visit a review for a screen capture software, I would expect a review about its screen capturing capabilities. Does it capture the audio, are there any issues while capturing video and audio? What format does it output? Does it capture from multiple screens? And anything else. If you want to review its video editing capabilities, that is a bonus. Looks like you have not used the software at all and are reviewing based on the literature provided on their website. Pathetic review.
I’m sorry that this review didn’t cover everything you wanted to know about Screenflow 10. I focused on the video editing aspects of the software and the added features since the previous version for that specific function. We have reviewed different versions of Screenflow in the past which I did link to in the review. It is primarily software for screen-casting/video editing. It combines a traditional video editor with screen-recording functions. Screenflow is a very robust piece of software with many, many features and as such, it has a very thorough User Manual (https://www.telestream.net/pdfs/user-guides/ScreenFlow-10-User-Guide.pdf) with more than 200 pages of documentation.
To answer your questions, I have referenced different sections/pages in the user manual to ensure that you (and anyone else who is interested) has all the information available.
Does it capture the audio, are there any issues while capturing video and audio?
Yes, Screenflow can capture audio from your screen recording. You also have the option to import audio or record VoiceOver tracks. I personally haven’t experienced any issues capturing video and audio at the same time.
Section: Installing Telestream Audio (page 22)
To capture computer audio, ScreenFlow must install the Telestream audio driver. ScreenFlow starts the installation process automatically if you attempt to record computer audio without the driver installed. There is a complete walk-through of how to install and configure this feature in the User Guide.
What format does it output?
There are several different export options/formats which I have outlined below. In addition to exporting your project as a video file, Screenflow also offers the option to publish directly to Vimeo, YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox, Wistia, Box, and Imgur.
Media Export and Project Archiving (chapter, starting page 131)
Export Presets (most can be customized)
Web – High: Encodes video in H.264 using the x264 codec, with AAC audio
Web – Low: Encodes video in H.264 using the x264 codec, with AAC audio, for low bandwidth
HEVC: Encode as video in HEVC / H.265 with 16-bit 48kHz AAC audio.
Lossless – ProRes with Alpha: Encodes a lossless file in ProRes 4444, including a clear alpha channel and stereo audio.
ProRes 422: Encodes ProRes 422. Click Customize to select profile: 4444, 422HQ, 422, or 422LT.
Lossless – Audio Only: Encodes an uncompressed audio-only AIFF format ideal for additional editing.
AAC – Audio Only
iOS App Preview: Exports according to Apple’s guidelines for App Store previews (30 fps ProRes 422 with stereo AAC 16-bit 48khz).
iPhone X Optimized/ iPhone X Screen Fill/ iPhone/ Apple TV/ Instagram: These export options are configured based on the recommended video specifications for these devices. They cannot be altered.
Animated GIF/ Animated PNG: Can customized settings (frame rate, colors, loop, dither, strength)
Does it capture from multiple screens?
Yes – you can record multiple desktops. When you select ‘desktop’ as your recording input, you have the option to record from any or all of them.
The recording input options include Desktops, Video Cameras, Microphones, and Built-in Audio.
Setting Recording Options (page 28)
“If you have multiple displays connected, you can record on any or all of them. Desktop video and computer audio are combined into a single clip, and added to your project as an SCC file.
If you have additional displays to record, click the Plus (+) button and a new Record Desktop from drop-down menu will be added. The newly added menu provides a Minus (-) button enabling you to remove this menu.
If the number of displays being recorded matches the number of displays connected to the user’s system, the Plus (+) button on the first row will be disabled, letting you know you cannot add any more displays for recording.”