OpenScreen is a free, open-source screen recorder and video editor designed for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Created as a community-maintained continuation of the original project, it focuses on high-performance native capture, local AI processing, and a professional editing feature set without paywalls or watermarks. The tool uses platform-native APIs—ScreenCaptureKit on macOS and Windows Graphics Capture on Windows—to ensure low-overhead, high-fidelity recording. It features a robust GPU-accelerated compositor (utilizing Metal, Direct3D 11, or wgpu) which ensures that the real-time preview matches the exported output exactly. OpenScreen is fully MIT licensed and prioritizes user privacy by keeping all recording, transcription, and rendering processes local to the machine.

The core functionality of OpenScreen centers on a comprehensive editor that includes a timeline-based workspace for managing clips. Users can record their screen, windows, system audio, and webcam simultaneously. Once recorded, the footage can be manipulated through a variety of non-destructive editing operations such as trimming, speed ramping, zooming, and adding annotations. The software supports local, on-device transcription using the Whisper model, allowing for rapid caption generation and even editing the video by modifying the text transcript. Users also have access to an AI agent for smart editing, which operates on a bring-your-own-key basis for optional advanced features, keeping the core functionality entirely offline.

Some of the key features are:

• Native Capture: Uses system-level APIs on all platforms for high-quality, high-frame-rate recording with minimal CPU impact.
• Local AI Transcription: Integrates local Whisper processing for transcription that works offline after the initial model download.
• GPU Compositing: Employs native hardware acceleration for live previews and rapid final video exports.
• Editable Cursor Data: Allows for custom styling, smoothing, and animation of the mouse cursor post-recording on Windows and macOS.
• Versatile Timeline: Supports multiple clips, reordering, speed adjustment, and per-clip cropping with a non-destructive workflow.
• Annotation Tools: Offers text, image, arrow, and blur annotations to enhance the educational or instructional value of the videos.
• Project Persistence: Uses .openscreen project files to maintain editability of all layers, ensuring full flexibility for future updates.
• No Watermarks: Delivers clean, professional-grade output with no usage caps, subscriptions, or paywalls.

To use OpenScreen, users first configure their capture settings using the floating HUD or the dedicated recording pre-flight interface. After capturing a take, the user enters the Studio, where media can be trimmed, zoomed, and annotated in the timeline mode. The inspector panel provides fine-grained control over individual elements, such as webcam layout, cursor effects, and caption styling. Projects can be saved locally as files and re-opened at any time, allowing for iterative refinement before the final render. The application is built to be accessible to everyone, with pre-compiled binaries available for most major Linux distributions, macOS, and Windows.

Some common use cases include:

• Software Demonstration: Recording complex workflows in applications while using automatic zoom regions to highlight specific actions.
• Instructional Tutorials: Creating step-by-step guides with integrated webcam footage, clear captions, and visual annotations for improved clarity.
• Product Walkthroughs: Assembling multiple screen takes into a cohesive presentation with speed ramps and smooth transitions to improve pacing.
• Privacy-Focused Editing: Performing secure screen recording and transcription in sensitive environments where data cannot leave the local machine.