gsr 1.0.4

Gerald's Screen Recorder, a lightweight, motion-optimized screen recorder

Gerald's Screen Recorder (GSR)

A tool to capture your Full 4K Desktop as a smart sequence of high-quality JPEG images.

GSR is a sensitivity-based motion and change recorder that intelligently monitors your screen. It only captures frames when a user-defined level of visual change occurs, or when specific keystroke and mouse activities are triggered, effectively eliminating dead footage and idle moments from your recordings.

🎨 App Icon

GSR's icon—a minimalist neon outline of a still camera body featuring a classic play button in place of the lens—perfectly encapsulates the core philosophy of the application. GSR captures your screen as a smart, optimized sequence of still images (represented by the camera body). However, because it intelligently records frames only when actual visual change occurs, these stills can be imported into Non-Linear Editing (NLE) software like DaVinci Resolve and instantly played back as a seamless, continuous video sequence (represented by the play button).

✨ Features

• Capture Once, Edit Anywhere: Record four applications simultaneously (code editor, browser, terminal, live preview) tiled on a single 4K screen. Crop this 4K master file in post-production into multiple 1080p tracks to create a dynamic "multi-cam" sequence.
• Efficient Capture: Only saves frames when the user-defined level of change is detected.
• Smart Sensitivity: Grid-based detection (Tile Size) allows capturing small changes (like cursors) or ignoring them.
• Frame Rate: Define a maximum capture speed (from 1 FPS up to 60 FPS) to maintain fluid motion without unnecessary overhead.
• Keystroke Trigger: Option to force capture when typing, ensuring no text is missed.
• Mouse Trigger: Option to force capture on mouse clicks, scrolls, or movements.
• Adjustable Quality: JPEG compression control to save space.
• Persistent Settings: Automatically saves and loads your configuration.
• Modern UI: Dark-themed, fixed window interface with keyboard support for sliders.
• Linux Integration: Includes desktop entry setup for system menu integration.

🚀 Installation

The stable release of gsr is available on PyPI.

Because gsr is a standalone command-line application, the highly recommended installation method is using pipx. This ensures the app is installed in an isolated environment without interfering with your system Python packages (especially important on Ubuntu 24.04 and other modern distributions enforcing PEP 668).

# 1. Install pipx (if you haven't already on Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install pipx
pipx ensurepath

# 2. Install gsr
pipx install gsr

# 3. (Optional) Install Linux Desktop integration + Icon
gsr --setup-desktop

To upgrade to the latest version in the future:

pipx upgrade gsr

Alternative Installation methods

(Optional) Standalone AppImage: You can download the pre-compiled GSR-x86_64.AppImage directly from the GitHub Releases page.

(Optional) Build from Source: If you want to contribute, test the app locally, or compile your own standalone AppImage binary:

git clone https://github.com/geraldsnyman/ScreenRecorder.git
cd ScreenRecorder
./scripts/setup.sh
python3 scripts/setup_desktop.py # (Optional) Install Desktop Entry for Linux

To run the application locally from the source code:

./scripts/run.sh

To build the standalone AppImage and PyPI packages yourself:

./scripts/release.sh
# The compiled binary will be located at: GSR-x86_64.AppImage
# The PyPI distribution files will be in: dist/

💻 Usage

1. GUI Mode

Simply run the application without any arguments to open the graphical interface:

gsr
# or locally:
./scripts/run.sh

2. CLI Mode

Providing any configuration flags will bypass the GUI and run headlessly:

gsr -f 30 -q 90 --keystroke --no-show-cursor

Core Options:

• -h, --help: Show program's help message and exit.
• -v, --version: Show program's version number and exit.
• --setup-desktop: Install Linux desktop entry and icon for system menu integration.
• --save: Save the provided CLI overrides to the permanent GUI settings.
• -f, --fps <val>: Override maximum FPS (1-60).
• -s, --sens <val>: Override Sensitivity (0-100).
• -t, --tiles <val>: Override Tile Divisions (1 = Full Screen).
• -q, --quality <val>: Override JPEG Output Quality (1-100).
• -o, --output <path>: Override Output Directory.

Boolean Triggers (use --feature or --no-feature):

• --keystroke: Force capture on key press.
• --mouse-click: Force capture on Mouse Click.
• --mouse-scroll: Force capture on Mouse Scroll.
• --mouse-move: Force capture on Mouse Move.
• --show-cursor: Draw Cursor Overlay on recording.

Cursor Settings:

• --cursor-size <val>: Override Cursor Size (5-50).
• --cursor-style <style>: Override Cursor Style (dot, target, pointer).

3. Controls & Workflow

• Start/Stop: Toggle recording using the GUI, or use Ctrl + Z in your terminal to pause (suspend) a CLI recording, bg to push it to the background, and fg to bring it back.
• Sensitivity Controls: Threshold for motion detection (Higher = more sensitive).
• Tile Size: Grid granularity. Defaults to ~960x540. Smaller tiles = more sensitive to tiny area changes. Use Arrow Keys (Left/Right) to fine-tune sliders.

🧠 Optimization Guide

To achieve the best balance of performance (low CPU) and capture accuracy:

1. Enable "Capture on Keystroke": The most efficient way to capture typing. It triggers a frame save only when you press a key, bypassing the need for intense visual scanning.
2. Start with "Large Tiles" (Slider to Left): Larger tiles (e.g., Full Screen or 960x540) require significantly less processing power than thousands of small tiles.
3. Tune Sensitivity (Threshold):
   • Set Tile Size to Large.
   • Set Sensitivity to Medium/High.
   • If it's capturing too much idle blinking, lower the Sensitivity. If it's missing big window changes, increase the Sensitivity or reduce the Tile Size.

Summary: Use Keystroke Capture + Large Tiles + Medium Sensitivity for the most efficient recording of work/coding sessions.

📖 Documentation & Resources

• Full Launch Plan & Architecture
• Issue Tracker - Report bugs or request features.

📝 License

Freeware. Feel free to use and modify.