neoScreenCapture adds still-image capture, a live preview control, clipboard output, and H.264/AAC MP4 screen recording to VisualNEO Win. It can record the complete virtual desktop, an individual monitor, a rectangular region, a selected application window, or the active window. A recording may include Windows system audio, a microphone, or both, plus an optional webcam overlay.

Installation

Install the com.visualneo.neoscreencapture.vnplugin folder with the VisualNEO Win plugin manager. The plugin targets 32-bit VisualNEO Win and uses Windows GDI, GDI+, DirectShow, WASAPI, and Media Foundation. It does not require FFmpeg or a third-party runtime.

H.264 and AAC availability depends on the Media Foundation components installed with Windows. Windows N editions may require the Microsoft Media Feature Pack.

neoScreenCapture Viewer

Add neoScreenCapture Viewer from the tool palette. The viewer displays the most recent capture and includes compact capture, record, pause/resume, and stop controls. The center button captures and saves the configured source. The red button starts or stops recording.

The VisualNEO style panel controls the host fill, border color, border width, corner radius, and transparency. Capture, recording, audio, and webcam settings are available in the property panel.

Properties

Capture and preview

Property	Purpose
Capture Source	Virtual desktop, monitor, region, application window, or active window.
Monitor Index or Window Title / Handle	Zero-based monitor index, partial window title, decimal handle, or hexadecimal handle.
Region X / Y / Width / Height	Rectangle in virtual-desktop coordinates. Coordinates may be negative on multi-monitor systems.
Include Mouse Cursor	Draws the current Windows cursor into images and video.
Capture Delay	Waits up to 60 seconds before a still capture.
Preview Fit Mode	Contain, cover, stretch, or actual-size display.
Show Capture Controls	Shows the capture and recording toolbar.
Show Capture Source	Shows the most recently captured source name.
Default Capture Path	Image path used when an action does not provide one.
Automatic Capture Format	PNG, JPEG, or BMP for automatically named captures.
JPEG Quality	JPEG compression quality from 1 to 100.
Background Color	`auto` or a hexadecimal color.
Empty Capture Text	Message shown before the first capture.

Video and audio recording

Property	Purpose
Default MP4 Recording Path	MP4 file or destination folder used when recording starts without an explicit path.
Recording FPS	Recording cadence from 1 to 60 frames per second.
Video Bitrate	H.264 target bitrate in kilobits per second.
Recording Audio Source	None, system audio, microphone, or both mixed together.
System Audio Device	Output device name, endpoint ID, or zero-based index. Empty selects the Windows default.
Microphone Device	Input device name, endpoint ID, or zero-based index. Empty selects the Windows default.
System Audio Volume	System-audio level from 0 to 200 percent.
Microphone Volume	Microphone level from 0 to 200 percent.
AAC Audio Bitrate	96, 128, 160, or 192 Kbps.

Webcam overlay

Property	Purpose
Show Webcam During Recording	Enables the webcam overlay for the next recording.
Webcam Device	Camera name, device path, or zero-based index. Empty selects the first available camera.
Preferred Webcam Width / Height / FPS	Preferred camera capture format. The camera may choose its closest supported format.
Webcam Position	Top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right, or custom coordinates.
Webcam Size	Overlay width as a percentage of the recorded screen width, from 5 to 80 percent.
Webcam Margin	Distance from the selected edge in pixels.
Webcam X / Y	Coordinates used when position is `custom`.
Webcam Shape	Rounded rectangle, rectangle, or circle.
Webcam Corner Radius	Corner radius for the rounded shape.
Webcam Border Width / Color	Optional outline width and hexadecimal color.
Mirror Webcam	Mirrors the camera image horizontally.

Still images

Still captures preserve the source pixel dimensions rather than the on-screen viewer size. PNG is the default automatic format. JPEG and BMP are selected from the output extension or the automatic format property.

The virtual desktop includes every monitor and can begin at a negative X or Y coordinate. Use neoScreenCaptureListMonitors to obtain exact monitor rectangles. Use neoScreenCaptureListWindows to obtain visible top-level window titles and handles.

Window capture first asks Windows to render the selected window with PrintWindow. Applications using protected, hardware-overlay, or restricted content may return a black or incomplete image. A minimized application may also refuse to render its current contents.

MP4 recording

neoScreenCapture writes H.264 video and optional AAC-LC audio to a single MP4 file through Windows Media Foundation. Audio is converted to 48 kHz stereo PCM before encoding. System sound is captured from the selected output endpoint through WASAPI loopback; it is not taken from a physical microphone cable.

The output may be a complete .mp4 file name or a folder. For a folder, neoScreenCapture creates a timestamped neoScreenCapture_*.mp4 file. VisualNEO external-file markers such as !C:\Videos\ are accepted and removed automatically.

When Recording Audio Source is both, system sound and microphone input are mixed using their independent volume settings. Use a headset when necessary to prevent speakers from feeding back into the microphone.

Pause discards video and audio captured during the paused interval and removes that interval from the output timeline. Resume continues with contiguous timestamps. Stop finalizes the MP4 file before returning.

The webcam is composited into each screen frame before encoding, so the output remains one ordinary MP4 video stream. For the most reliable result, select a webcam format no larger than needed for the overlay. A camera can normally be opened by only one application at a time.

Actions

All commands use the neoScreenCapture prefix. Results are written to [neoScreenCaptureResult] and [ModernPluginResult].

neoScreenCaptureListMonitors returns monitor bounds and primary status as JSON.
neoScreenCaptureListWindows returns visible window titles, handles, and bounds as JSON.
neoScreenCaptureCaptureDesktop captures and saves the complete virtual desktop.
neoScreenCaptureCaptureMonitor captures and saves one monitor by index.
neoScreenCaptureCaptureRegion captures and saves a virtual-desktop rectangle.
neoScreenCaptureCaptureWindow captures and saves a window by title or handle.
neoScreenCaptureCaptureActiveWindow captures and saves the foreground window.
neoScreenCaptureRefresh updates the viewer from its configured source without saving.
neoScreenCaptureGetInfo returns source, dimensions, recording state, audio settings, webcam settings, and output information as JSON.
neoScreenCaptureSave saves the current capture as PNG, JPEG, or BMP.
neoScreenCaptureStartRecording starts MP4 recording with the configured audio and webcam options.
neoScreenCaptureStopRecording finalizes and closes the MP4 file.
neoScreenCapturePauseRecording pauses recording and omits the paused interval.
neoScreenCaptureResumeRecording resumes recording with contiguous timestamps.
neoScreenCaptureCopy copies the current capture to the Windows clipboard.
neoScreenCaptureClear clears the viewer.
neoScreenCaptureListAudioDevices returns active system-audio and microphone endpoints as JSON. Its optional argument is all, system, or microphone.
neoScreenCaptureListWebcams returns available camera names and device paths as JSON.
neoScreenCaptureSetWebcamVisible shows or hides an overlay while a webcam-enabled recording is active, or sets its initial state before recording.
neoScreenCaptureSetWebcamPosition changes the overlay position. Custom position accepts optional X and Y coordinates.
neoScreenCaptureSetAudioVolumes changes the system and microphone levels for the current or next recording.
neoScreenCaptureSetAudioMode selects none, system, microphone, or both for the next recording.

Changing the audio source or webcam device requires starting a new recording. Webcam visibility, webcam position, and audio volumes can be changed while recording.

Events

Screen Captured reports source, path, and image dimensions.
Screen Capture Saved reports the saved path and dimensions.
Screen Capture Copied fires after clipboard output succeeds.
Screen Capture Cleared fires after the viewer is cleared.
Screen Capture Error reports capture, export, audio, webcam, or recording failures.
Screen Recording Started reports path, dimensions, FPS, bitrate, audio mode, and webcam state.
Screen Recording Stopped reports the finalized path and frame count.
Screen Recording Paused reports the current recording path.
Screen Recording Resumed reports the current recording path.
Webcam Visibility Changed reports whether the overlay is visible.

Example publication

Open demo/neoScreenCapture-demo.pub after installing the plugin. The publication contains a configured viewer and controls for still capture, clipboard output, recording, pause/resume, audio-source selection, webcam visibility, and webcam position.

The demo defaults to audio and webcam disabled so it opens on every computer. Use its Mic, Webcam On, and position buttons before recording to exercise the additional features.

Privacy and performance

Screen, microphone, system-audio, and webcam captures can contain private or protected material. Applications should obtain consent and clearly indicate recording state. The viewer uses a red recording indicator and changes its record button to a stop symbol while recording.

Large multi-monitor desktops, high frame rates, high-resolution cameras, and webcam compositing increase CPU, memory, and disk usage. Reduce FPS, bitrate, capture dimensions, or preferred webcam resolution on lower-powered systems.

Protected video or audio may be unavailable to capture. Windows privacy settings can also deny microphone or camera access.

Implementation and license

neoScreenCapture uses Windows GDI, GDI+, clipboard APIs, DirectShow, WASAPI, and Media Foundation. It introduces no separate capture SDK, encoder, or redistributable dependency.