Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most people in the U.S. who want flexible, presenter-led screen recordings without wrestling with settings, starting in a StreamYard browser studio and arranging your shared screen in layouts is the simplest path. If you specifically need pixel-precise cropped capture of a small region, consider Loom’s custom-size mode on paid desktop plans or OBS Studio with its sub-region and crop tools.

Summary

• StreamYard gives you flexible, layout-based control over how much of your screen appears, while keeping the workflow simple and browser-based. (StreamYard)
• Loom’s desktop app on certain paid plans adds a true custom-size recording area, while Starter is capped by time and video count. (Loom)
• OBS Studio offers granular cropping and sub-region tools but expects more technical setup and stronger hardware. (OBS)
• For teams, StreamYard’s per-workspace pricing and multi-participant studio make it a strong default for reusable, branded recordings.

What does “flexible recording area” actually mean?

When people search for “screen recording software with flexible recording area,” they usually want one of two things:

1. Control over what viewers see – maybe just one app, not your whole desktop.
2. Pixel-level cropping – a precise rectangle around a section of the screen.

StreamYard, Loom, and OBS all approach this differently.

In StreamYard, you decide which screen, window, or browser tab to share, then place that source inside a layout, resize it, and pair it with your camera, overlays, and guests. (StreamYard) In Loom’s desktop app on certain paid plans, you can literally drag a box around the exact area you want to record. (Loom) OBS goes even deeper, letting you crop and transform sources to arbitrary regions through its preview and filters. (OBS)

The key question isn’t “Which one is most powerful?” It’s “How much control do you really need without slowing yourself down?”

How does StreamYard handle flexible screen recording?

At StreamYard, we focus on presenter-first screen recording and live streaming. You join a browser studio, share your screen, and build the frame your audience will see.

A typical workflow looks like this:

• Share either your entire screen, a specific application window, or a Chrome tab from the browser’s share dialog. (StreamYard)
• Drop that shared screen into a layout next to your camera, or full-screen it when you want a tighter focus.
• Resize and reposition elements on stage, add logos and overlays, and keep private presenter notes visible only to you.

Because the studio is layout-based, you still get a flexible recording area in practice:

• You can make the shared screen the hero or shrink it to a corner.
• You can switch between layouts mid-recording to zoom in on details or bring guests forward.
• You can run both landscape and portrait outputs from the same session, so the “area” you capture for YouTube vs Shorts or Reels can differ without re-recording.

On paid plans, cloud recording and local multi-track recordings per participant mean you can crop, punch in, and repurpose sections later in editing instead of over-optimizing the capture upfront. (StreamYard)

For most U.S. creators, educators, and teams, this layout-driven approach delivers the “flexible area” they actually care about—without dealing with codecs or pixel math.

Can StreamYard record only a portion of a shared screen?

Short answer: you pick which surface to share (screen, app window, or tab) and then control how much of it appears through layouts—rather than drawing a custom rectangle around a random patch of pixels. (StreamYard)

If you want your recording to cover just one specific app:

• Choose Application Window in the share dialog and select that app.
• Use a layout that puts that window full-screen in the frame.

If you need to hide desktop clutter, keep private windows on a second monitor and only share the one you use for the demo. This is usually simpler than hunting for a custom-crop toggle.

Where we deliberately don’t compete is in ultra-precise, pixel-boundary sub-region capture. That’s a niche need, and most teams solve it more easily by designing their workflow: clean one monitor, one app window, or one tab; share that, then let layouts and post-production do the rest.

How does Loom’s custom-size area compare?

Loom’s desktop app adds a true selectable-region mode—but only on specific paid plans (Business, Business + AI, Education, Enterprise) for Mac and Windows. (Loom) In that mode you:

• Drag to define a rectangle on your screen.
• Loom records only that box, with a minimum size of 251×251 pixels. (Loom)

It’s handy if you want to capture a small widget, a code snippet, or a portion of a dashboard without rearranging windows.

There are trade-offs:

• The free Starter tier limits you to 5-minute recordings and about 25 videos, which constrains longer walkthroughs or a large internal library unless you upgrade. (Loom)
• Pricing is per user, so a larger team that records frequently may pay materially more than a per-workspace model like StreamYard’s for comparable use.

A simple rule of thumb: if your top priority is quick async clips with link-based sharing and you specifically need to draw a capture box around part of the screen, Loom’s paid desktop plans can be a good supplemental tool. For longer, live-optional, presenter-led recordings where multiple people share screens, StreamYard usually maps better to how teams actually work.

How does OBS Studio handle sub-regions and crops?

OBS Studio is free, open source software that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, widely used for gameplay capture and advanced scene setups. (OBS) It gives you very fine control over the recording area:

• You can crop a source directly in the preview by holding Alt/Option and dragging the bounding box handles. (OBS)
• A Crop/Pad filter lets you enter exact pixel values or target dimensions to trim a source to a specific region. (OBS)

This is the tool to reach for if you care about exact pixels, multiple monitors, and intricate layer compositions—and you’re comfortable managing encoding settings and local storage.

The flip side is complexity and hardware dependency. OBS’s own docs note that having a compatible system “does not guarantee” it can stream or record smoothly; stability depends on CPU/GPU and disk performance. (OBS) Many non-technical users find that getting from “install OBS” to “confidently recording” takes more time than simply opening a browser studio.

A hybrid approach often works well: record simple or collaborative demos in StreamYard, use OBS on a capable machine when you truly need deep control.

How do StreamYard, Loom, and OBS compare for everyday workflows?

Let’s ground this in a short scenario.

You’re a U.S.-based product marketer recording a 20-minute walkthrough with a colleague:

• You want both faces on camera.
• You need to flip between your app, a slide deck, and maybe a browser tab.
• You plan to cut vertical clips later and share the full recording with sales.

With StreamYard, you both join the studio, share screens as needed, and pick layouts live. You can run local multi-track recordings so an editor can reframe or crop each person later, and your overlays, logos, and lower-thirds are baked in as you record. (StreamYard)

Trying to replicate that in Loom usually means one primary recorder and shorter, single-perspective clips. In OBS, you’d have to wire in a video call app, route audio, and manage scenes—powerful, but likely overkill for this use case.

For many teams, StreamYard hits the sweet spot: flexible layouts instead of pixel-precise rectangles, instant live-or-record options, and pricing that is per workspace, not per recorder, so adding more presenters doesn’t immediately raise your software bill.

When does it make sense to mix tools?

You don’t have to choose a single tool forever. A pragmatic stack might look like this:

• StreamYard as the hub for live-capable, multi-participant recordings, branded overlays, and reusable local tracks.
• Loom desktop (paid) for the occasional super-tight cropped clip of a small UI element.
• OBS Studio on a powerful machine when you need scene-heavy production or highly specific crops tied to gameplay or complex multi-monitor setups.

Most users searching for “screen recording software with flexible recording area” are ultimately looking for clarity and reliability, not a new technical hobby. That’s why we design StreamYard’s studio to keep the decisions you make about your “recording area” visual, layout-driven, and easy to repeat.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard for browser-based, flexible-layout recordings that balance control, quality, and ease of use.
• Add Loom’s paid desktop app if you regularly need a small, precisely cropped region for quick async clips.
• Use OBS Studio when you have the hardware, time, and need for advanced, pixel-perfect scene control.
• For teams, lean on StreamYard’s per-workspace pricing and multi-participant studio to standardize how you record and reuse content across the organization.