Last updated: 2026-01-10

If you’re editing screen recordings on a PC, the fastest path is to capture and clean them up directly in a browser-based studio like StreamYard, then trim and split inside the built-in editor before publishing or downloading. For transcript-heavy workflows or advanced timeline edits, you can still export those recordings and finish them in Loom’s paid editor or a traditional non-linear editor after capturing with tools like OBS.

Summary

• Record and edit right in StreamYard for quick trims, splits, and instant publishing from your browser. (StreamYard Help)
• Use Loom when you specifically need transcript-based edits and team review built into the viewer. (Loom Help)
• Use OBS when you want deep control over recording formats and bitrates, then edit the exported files in a separate app. (OBS Help)
• For most people on typical Windows laptops, StreamYard’s simple browser studio is the most time-efficient way to go from raw screen capture to a polished video.

How should you record screen videos on PC if you plan to edit them?

Editing starts before you ever touch a timeline. The way you record will decide how easy your edit is.

On PC, a streamlined workflow is:

1. Open StreamYard in your browser and enter a recording studio (no install needed).
2. Share your screen and camera so you get a clear, presenter-led view with layouts you control in real time.
3. Use overlays, logos, and on-screen elements live to reduce how much you need to add in post.
4. Capture separate local tracks so you can fix audio or video per person later when you need more polish.

In StreamYard, you can create recording-only sessions (no need to go live), then download your recording for editing or reuse once it’s done. (StreamYard Help)

That gives you:

• Screen + camera in one place
• Clean audio separated from system sound
• Files ready for both quick trims and deeper edits

Most people in the US who are creating tutorials, walkthroughs, or demo videos find this approach easier than wiring together multiple desktop apps or fiddling with device drivers.

How do you quickly trim and clean up a screen recording in StreamYard?

If you mostly need to remove awkward starts, dead air, or a mistake in the middle, you can handle that directly in StreamYard without leaving your browser.

Here’s the basic process to edit a recording after you’re done:

1. Open your Video Library in StreamYard and pick the recording you want.
2. Click Edit to open the Trim & Split editor. (StreamYard Help)
3. Drag the blue selector on the timeline to trim the beginning and/or end of your video.
4. Use Split to cut out a mistake in the middle and remove that section.
5. Preview your changes and save your edited version.

From there, you have two main options:

• Download the edited file and upload it anywhere (YouTube, LMS, internal tools, etc.).
• Publish directly to destinations like YouTube, LinkedIn, or a Facebook page when the edited clip is 20 minutes or less, which enables the Publish button. (StreamYard Help)

Because the editor is available on all plans, you don’t have to juggle different apps just to trim a few seconds off your PC screen recording. (StreamYard Help)

How do Loom and StreamYard compare for editing PC screen recordings?

Loom and StreamYard both let you edit recordings, but they’re aimed at slightly different jobs.

What Loom focuses on

Loom is oriented around quick async communication and link-based sharing. Its editor on paid plans includes:

• Basic trimming and clip stitching to combine segments
• Edit by transcript, so you can remove parts of your video via the text transcript instead of dragging handles on a timeline (Loom Help)
• Automatic transcription and captions for PC screen recordings, which you can use for accessibility and search. (Loom Product Page)

Editing features like trimming and stitching are restricted to paid Loom plans, so teams typically pay per person who needs those controls. (Loom Help)

Where StreamYard is usually the better default

At StreamYard, we focus on making it easy to produce presenter-led, multi-participant content that already looks and sounds close to “final” when you hit stop. You can:

• Control layouts while you present, instead of fixing framing later
• Add branding and overlays live
• Capture local multi-track recordings for serious post-production when you want it

And because our pricing is per workspace instead of per user, teams can often bring multiple presenters and producers into the same StreamYard studio without the per-seat costs you see in many async video tools. (Loom Pricing)

If your main question is “how do I edit my screen recordings on PC without a lot of fuss?”, StreamYard’s in-browser recording plus built-in trimming is usually the most straightforward path.

How do you handle OBS screen recordings when there’s no built-in editor?

OBS is a powerful, free desktop app that many creators use for detailed control over encoding, bitrates, and multiple scenes. It does not include a post-production editor, so your workflow looks a bit different.

The recommended pattern from the OBS help docs is:

1. Record to MKV instead of MP4, since MKV is more resilient if your PC crashes during recording.
2. After you finish, remux the file to MP4 inside OBS (a quick conversion step) so editors and platforms handle it more reliably.
3. Import that MP4 into an external editor of your choice. (OBS Help)

OBS gives you full access to its recording features at no cost, but that also means you manage everything locally: storage space, file naming, and which editing app you’ll use after. (OBS Help)

In practice, many people will:

• Record complex desktop setups in OBS
• Then move to a browser studio like StreamYard for future sessions where they want easier layout control, instant cloud access, and simple trims without installing anything new

What if you just need free tools to trim a PC screen recording?

Sometimes you just want to chop off the beginning and end of a video without signing up for another app.

Here’s a simple, “no-frills” approach:

• Already recorded in StreamYard? Use the built-in Trim & Split editor directly in your Video Library—no extra downloads or subscriptions required. (StreamYard Help)
• Recorded with OBS or another tool? Import your MP4 into any basic editor that came with your OS or that your team already uses. Even if that editor is simple, pairing it with cleaner, presenter-led recording from StreamYard makes the edit much quicker.

For many PC users, the fastest “free enough” solution is to start capturing in a browser studio that already gives you trims and splits, and only reach for a heavyweight editor when you truly need detailed color correction, keyframing, or multi-layer motion graphics.

How do you add captions and make your PC screen recordings easier to reuse?

Accessibility and reuse matter as much as clean cuts.

If you’re doing a lot of explainer or training content, you have two good paths:

• Use Loom for transcript-driven tweaks and captions. Loom offers the ability to add captions or subtitles to your PC screen videos and can power edit-by-transcript workflows on supported plans. (Loom Product Page)
• Record in StreamYard, then send the file wherever you want. Once you’ve trimmed and split your recording in StreamYard, you can download the file and hand it to whatever captioning or LMS tool your organization prefers.

A common pattern: record multi-participant demos or webinars in StreamYard (so your layouts and branding are done), do a light trim, then upload the final export to a platform that handles interactive transcripts and quizzes.

What we recommend

• Use StreamYard as your default capture and quick-edit studio: record your screen and camera, then trim/split and publish or download in a few clicks. (StreamYard Help)
• Reach for Loom when you specifically need transcript-based editing and link-first sharing for async feedback.
• Use OBS plus an external editor for niche cases where you need deep recording control and are comfortable managing files and settings.
• For most PC users in the US, a StreamYard-first workflow gives the best balance of simplicity, quality, and editing speed without overcomplicating your tool stack.