If you've ever needed to produce a video for use on a web site, it can be difficult to know what format to use. AVI videos can be played on almost any computer, but they are very large. A streaming format such as Flash is a far better option, but it can be expensive and complicated to produce.

CamStudio may be just the program you are looking for. The program can be used to record onscreen activity as an AVI video which can then be converted to SWF using a built in tool. You can record a voice over or, if you prefer, add annotations to videos. You have the option of recording the activity on the entire desktop, or just in a single window, and when the recording is complete, you can configure the video format according to how the file is going to be used - high quality, low compression for use on CDs and DVDs, and a smaller more compressed video for use online.

CamStudio has numerous uses. Small businesses can produce videos to introduce customers to the company, while organisation can record tutorial videos for viewing by employees or customers. For anyone selling online, the program provides an easy way to record product videos to help tell customers a little more about what is for sale.

Note that this is the portable version of CamStudio.