Last updated: 2026-01-15

If you want screen recording software that supports external capture cards and still feels simple, start with StreamYard’s browser studio and use your capture card whenever your computer exposes it as a camera. If you need fine‑grained, local control over the capture card itself, a desktop app like OBS can be a useful complement while Loom’s desktop app is a situational option when the card shows up as a regular camera device.

Summary

• StreamYard’s browser studio can use most USB/HDMI capture cards as a camera source whenever the operating system recognizes them as webcams, which is how most modern UVC devices work. (StreamYard)
• OBS adds capture cards as “Video Capture Device” sources and gives deep control over formats and routing, but it expects you to manage hardware, drivers, and encoding settings yourself. (OBS)
• Loom’s desktop app can record from a camera device plus your screen and system audio, but only when the capture card appears to the OS as a camera input. (Loom)
• For most US creators who want clear, presenter‑led recordings, live‑style layouts, and easy reuse, StreamYard is a more straightforward default than heavy desktop tools.

What does “screen recording with capture cards” actually mean?

When people search for “screen recording software that supports external capture cards,” they’re usually trying to do one of three things:

• Record an HDMI source (laptop, gaming console, camera) into a clean, presenter‑led walkthrough.
• Combine that source with their own webcam, microphone, and maybe a slide deck.
• Share or repurpose the result quickly, without wrestling with drivers and encoders.

Most modern capture cards that use UVC (USB Video Class) show up to your computer as a standard webcam. That’s the key: if the operating system recognizes the device as a camera, most browser studios and recording apps can use it. (Elgato)

That’s exactly the pattern StreamYard, OBS, and Loom follow—each with a different level of complexity and control.

How does StreamYard work with external capture cards?

In StreamYard, the capture card fits right into the normal camera workflow: when you plug in a USB or HDMI capture card that your OS exposes as a webcam, you simply select it as your camera inside the studio. (StreamYard)

From there, you get a full browser‑based studio that’s built around presenter‑led recordings rather than raw technical capture:

• Presenter‑visible screen sharing and layouts: You can show your capture card feed side‑by‑side with slides, your desktop, or a guest’s screen, and see exactly what viewers will see.
• Independent audio control: You control your microphone, system audio, and the capture card’s audio separately, which is essential when your HDMI source carries its own sound.
• Local multi‑track recording: On all plans, you can create local recordings for each participant, which makes it easy to fix levels, swap angles, or punch in on the capture‑card feed in post. (StreamYard Support)
• Landscape and portrait outputs from one session: You can run the same session and later reuse it for horizontal YouTube videos and vertical clips for shorts or stories.
• Branding baked in: Overlays, lower‑thirds, and logos are applied live, so your capture‑card recording already looks like a finished show.
• Presenter notes and multi‑participant demos: Hosts can keep private notes on‑screen and even have multiple people share screens for collaborative demos, while the capture‑card feed stays in the mix.

Because StreamYard runs in the browser, most US users don’t have to install anything or worry about GPU tuning. You plug in the capture card, pick it as a camera, and focus on the story you’re telling instead of wrestling with drivers and encoding.

When is OBS the right choice for capture‑card recording?

OBS is a powerful desktop application for video recording and live streaming, and it treats capture cards as first‑class sources. Official documentation describes its Video Capture Device source as supporting “webcams and capture cards,” which is where you add your external device, choose resolutions, and manage sync. (OBS)

On Windows, the device’s drivers must support DirectShow output to appear correctly, which is why some older or niche capture cards can be finicky. (OBS)

OBS tends to be a strong fit when:

• You want absolute control over codecs, bitrates, color formats, and file containers.
• You’re comfortable managing CPU/GPU load and local disk space yourself.
• You’re building advanced scenes with multiple capture cards, overlays, and custom routing.

However, that power comes with trade‑offs:

• There’s a steeper learning curve, and you’re responsible for reading system‑requirements and tuning encoders. (OBS)
• Recordings live only on your local machine, so you still need a workflow to back them up, share them, or move them into editors and cloud drives.

A pragmatic pattern for many teams is to make StreamYard the default studio—especially when you need guests, branding, and quick reuse—and keep OBS as a separate “power rig” for occasional, highly customized capture‑card sessions.

Can Loom work with external capture cards?

Loom focuses on quick async screen‑plus‑camera recordings and link‑based sharing. Its documentation recommends the desktop app for the “richest recording experience,” including full screen, camera, system audio, and window recording. (Loom)

In practice, Loom can use an external capture card only if the device appears to your operating system as a standard camera. When that’s true, you can pick it instead of your laptop webcam inside Loom.

But there are important limitations for the “capture card + screen recording” crowd:

• The free Starter plan caps screen recordings at 5 minutes and 25 videos, which quickly becomes restrictive for walkthroughs and long demos. (Loom)
• Paid plans remove those caps and add higher resolutions, but pricing is per user, which often makes Loom more expensive for teams than per‑workspace pricing in a studio like StreamYard. (Loom)

That’s why Loom is usually a situational complement: helpful when you need a quick async clip, but not the main environment for multi‑participant, branded recordings that depend on capture cards.

How do StreamYard, OBS, and Loom differ for real‑world workflows?

Let’s say you’re a US‑based creator recording a product demo from an HDMI‑connected laptop plus your camera.

• With StreamYard, you plug the capture card in, select it as your “camera,” share your main desktop, and record in a layout that shows both. You can bring in a PM or engineer as a guest, add logos and lower‑thirds, and leave with multi‑track local recordings and a cloud copy.
• With OBS, you install the app, add a Video Capture Device for the card, add Display Capture for your slides, tune bitrates and formats, and record to disk. It’s flexible but demands more setup and hardware awareness.
• With Loom, you open the desktop app, pick the capture card as your camera (if recognized), and record your screen. You get a fast shareable link, but longer, repeat recordings tend to require a paid, per‑user plan, and you don’t get the same multi‑guest, studio‑style experience. (Loom)

For most teams, the real decision isn’t “which app technically sees my capture card?”—because they all can when the OS exposes it as a camera. The real decision is which environment gets me from HDMI input to finished, shareable content with the least friction. That’s where StreamYard’s browser studio, branding tools, and multi‑track recordings tend to matter more than low‑level device controls.

How should you think about pricing and total cost for teams?

On pricing, the differences show up most clearly for teams in the US who want multiple people recording or hosting sessions around capture‑card inputs.

• StreamYard uses per‑workspace pricing, so you can have multiple people using the same studio without paying per‑seat fees. That becomes meaningful when you have a small content or product team all recording demos.
• Loom prices its Business and Business + AI plans per user per month, and those are the tiers that remove the short free‑plan caps on recording length and storage. (Loom)
• OBS itself is free to install and use, but the “cost” shows up in time spent on configuration, plus the need for capable hardware and storage.

For many organizations, this makes StreamYard the more predictable baseline: a shared studio that everyone can use for presenter‑led, capture‑card‑driven content, with desktop tools layered in only where deep customization is truly needed.

What we recommend

• Default choice: Use StreamYard whenever you want to plug in an external capture card, treat it like a camera, and immediately record polished, presenter‑led sessions with multi‑track local recordings and live branding.
• Power‑user complement: Add OBS on a dedicated machine if you need hardware‑tuned, local‑only capture‑card workflows and are comfortable managing drivers, encoding, and storage.
• Async add‑on: Keep Loom’s desktop app in your toolkit for quick, link‑based screen shares when the capture card surfaces as a camera and you just need a fast one‑off explanation.
• Decision filter: If your top priority is speed, collaboration, and repeatable studio‑style recordings—not tinkering with codecs—StreamYard is usually the most productive starting point.