FRAPS

The only thing better than beating someone in a computer game is showing the world evidence of that triumph. Fraps is a video capture program that allows players to record and edit together the highlights of their computer gameplay. In addition to offering users the chance to record in-game antics, the program also offers a screenshot option for capturing important moments, like a winning game or a high score.

One of the advanced features that some players might enjoy is the ability to record frame rate. The number displayed by Fraps can help a player change a game's settings to the optimum level for the best gameplay experience. The name of the program comes from the abbreviation for frame rate: FPS, which stands for frames per second.

Users may choose to use a free or paid version of the program. The free version features a few drawbacks, like a watermark that appears on any recorded video, a 30-second time limit on recordings, and limitations on screen capture formats. However, the free version is probably suitable for anyone who wants to record just a few seconds of screen time or is just interested in taking screen captures of the games they play.

The paid version removes these limitations and allows users to record as long as they want, as long as their hard drive doesn't run out of room. One of the only drawbacks to the program is the size of some of those files. If a player chooses to record several minutes of gameplay, the resulting file will be absolutely gigantic and will require some conversion to a manageable size.

In addition, the program developer suggests that videos up to 7680 by 4800 may be recorded at up to 120 FPS; however, these numbers are largely dependent upon the strength and power of a user's graphics card.