CloudApp Review

Detailed Reviews

Does it feel apathetic sending the emails to your colleagues every day? Alternatively, want to share some work with your teammates at once? CloudApp can help you out of this.

CloudApp is a screen recording software which allows you to edit and share images, videos, webcam recordings. You can create GIFS, add annotations, and upload files for your team to access. Through this software, you can easily share your files with some individual or the entire team at once.

Pros

• You can create GIFs.
• You can create a team and can share files with the members.
• You can upload files.
• Integration with other applications.

Cons

• Very few annotation features.

Introduction

You are a boss and might sometimes need to share an image or working of some software with your employee or a group of them. Don’t burn your calories in speaking or writing long emails, record the screen, or capture the screenshot and share it. GIFs have replaced images and emoticons steadily, don’t wait to get any of them through some website. Create one by yourself.

How? “CloudApp” can be one of the answers.

CloudApp comes with various features for editing images, creating GIFs, various sharing methods, and security features which keep your files safe.

There are some extensions to the older features which is something to look. We shall see the functionalities and features in detail throughout this review. Hopefully, we shall make some authentic conclusions regarding the software. Let us begin.

Installing and beginning with the software

Very few issues come in the eye while installing some software in this era of advanced computers. Some software requires your system to have some module or function to run itself. CloudApp is one of them. During the installation, the software asks you to download a “. NET” framework.

You are generally expected to download the latest version of the framework because some issues may generate with the older versions. The installation of the framework is entirely free. The size of the framework is 67 MB which is not very much for the latest PCs.

Once you download the framework, you can create your account by using your email Id and password. You can create your team with this software. We shall discuss this feature in a while.

No other issues arise other than this. If you already have the required framework on your computer, the software does not generate any pop-up and directly leads you to the create account page.

Beginning with the features

Downloading and installing becomes worthless if the software fails to contend you by its features. With this section, we shall discuss the features of CloudApp. We shall try to know the most out of the software.

Its features include capturing screenshot, recording screen, recording a video through webcam and editing them.

The feature which makes it stand out of the queue is sharing. You can create a team and add members in it, and then you can share your screenshots and videos with them. You have various security features to protect them.

There are a few more features that we shall encounter during this review.

Capture the screen

The first feature we shall discuss is capturing the screenshot. As soon as you log into your account, the home screen appears with the first option that allows you to capture the screenshot.

To capture the screenshot, you are required to drag the mouse and select the area of the screen you want to capture.

You can also select the full screen as your capture area; you need to drag the mouse to the end of your screen. Unlike many screen recorders, it does provide a direct ‘full-screen capture.’  You only have the alternative to drag the mouse irrespective of the area you want to capture.

That does not make a difference if seen through a user’s eye because except for the full-screen capture, you need to select the capture area by dragging in every screen recorder as we do in this software.

After capturing the screen, it automatically assigns it a name or more correctly a link and directly opens it in the editing window. We shall discuss editing features in the upcoming sections of this review.

Record your screen

Sometimes, you might need to share not only the content but the process of creating it. You might require showing the complete modus operandi of some feature you use on the computer. You can record the screen for this purpose. Recording screen needs you to select the video icon which allows you to choose the capture area by dragging the mouse.

The white frames at the corners show the area you choose to record.  The blue ‘start’ button allows you to start the recording. To stop the recording, you need to press the ‘Esc’ key.

As you can see in the image above, you have options to record audio, GIF, and an HD video. While you record the screen, all the actions that are being performed on the selected area are recorded, and they show up when the video plays.

Are images boring?

Gone are the days of mere images. Why express merely by using images when you can create GIFs.

You receive several messages to which you want to reply through merely a face expression or some gestures. You might not like to write long notes or email for the questions which require an answer of a single word only.

If you are not good at replying through words, GIFs are for you. This ‘graphics interchange format’ can be recorded through CloudApp. Recording GIF is the next option you see after video recording.

Like the video capturing, it allows you to select the capture area for recording. Once you select the capture area, it allows you to start recording. The action you perform on the capture area during recording is encoded to GIF format when you save the file.

The software saves the GIFs in the same way as it saves other files. You get a link to paste and share the image. We shall discuss it later.

You can create several GIFs yourself to share with your friends or co-workers.

GIFs are neither videos nor images. They cannot have a long run, nor can they be steady like images. The software does not allow you to record GIFs longer than one minute. If you do not stop the recording within 1 minute, it automatically stops the recording and saves it.

As we discussed in the last section, the video icon could also be used to create GIFs. In the same way, the GIF recording icon can be used to record videos. While recording a GIF, you cannot add any audio to it. When you select to record a GIF, the recording icon automatically gets disabled, which prevents you from recording audio.

As mentioned above, GIFs are generally used to express facial expressions or body gestures you want to use as a reply while chatting with someone. They are a better option than emoticons. One good thing about GIFs in this software is that you can create many of them by yourself.

You can use some of them as secret gestures of your team!

Annotate and edit your files

Capturing a screenshot or recording a video is just the first step. The software knows you like to work with colors and different shapes.

Once you record the video or capture the screenshot, you want to augment it in any possible way. You like to change colors, add different shapes, or you might like to add some quote or text to it. In CloudApp You can also crop and remove some unwanted portions of the image.

The ‘annotate’ feature allows you to achieve all these augmentations.

You can directly select the annotate feature to edit some picture or the software automatically opens the image in the annotation window as soon as you stop capturing.

If you deliberately select ‘annotations,’ the software asks you to select an area to capture.

Once you select the area, you need to capture it which would open in the annotations window.

In this window, you get several options to edit or augment your images. You can draw different shapes, lines of different thickness. You can also crop the image or can add a pixelated effect to your image. You can choose various colors to fill in different ways. The text icon allows you to add some text or quote to the image. Let’s have a look at these features.

The arrow tool

You captured some screenshot and want to indicate some specific part of the image or sometimes, it becomes impossible to crop an image, in such circumstances you can use an arrow to indicate some specific portion of the image.

Naturally, the arrow icon allows you to draw an arrow on your image. The arrow which appears on the screen is wider at the top and narrow at the bottom.

It appears in orange color by default, but you can change its color or can have several arrows of different colors.  

You can have several arrows on an image and cannot use even one. There are not many options in colors. You have only a few colors to choose from.

You have few customizations for the size of the arrow. You can choose the various thickness of arrows according to your need. You can choose a tiny arrow to a sizeable broad arrow. No other customizations are available for them.

The line and the pen

Drawing lines is another requirement while drawing or editing images. The icon below arrow allows you to draw a line on the image.

There shows a pen icon below ‘line’ which allows you to draw any shape of your choice.  You can draw a circle, a square, or any shape of your choice.

Like arrows, you do not have many customizations in shape, size, or color.

You can only have a few options in size and thickness, which are already there in the software. You can neither add nor remove any customization.

Similarly, you do not have many options in color. You can only choose from those which are available there.

Add shape and text

The ‘pen’ allows you to create any shape, but there are two pre-defined shapes in the software, one is oval, and the other is a rectangle. Naturally, the former allows you to create an oval, and the later allows you to create a rectangle.

Like the previous options, the only customizations you have are in the thickness and color of the shapes.

Other than these two shapes, you do not have any other shape to draw. If you wish to draw some other shape, you ought to draw it by ‘pen.’

You can also add some text to the image by text icon.  When you select the icon, it introduces a small rectangular text box. Once you start inserting some text in it, it automatically expands corresponding to the size of the text or number of letters inserted.

You do not have any customizations in the size of the text. You merely can choose a color from the few available in the software.

You do not get any customizations in the font size or font style. Every text you enter appears in the same size and style.

Some of the users do not cherish the lack of customization options while annotating the images.

Crop and other tools

Removing unwanted portions of an image is one of the principal purposes of editing. The screenshot you captured might be exceeding the required length or width, or there might be some unwanted portions in the image that you would want to remove.

The crop tool can help you. With this tool you can remove unwanted portions of the image. While cropping, you need to select the portion of the image that you want to retain and click apply, the unselected portion automatically gets removed from the image, and the remaining portion again appears on the window.

It is the only task that this tool can perform. You get no other customizations with it.

Sometimes, the portion of the image that is unwanted to you is not necessarily removed. You are compelled to retain as well as to hide that part simultaneously.

In such situation, you can choose ‘pixelate.’ The pixelate option allows you to change pixels of your image. When you pixelate some portion of the image, it does not appear clearly; it is not entirely to blur but also is not properly visible.

It can be used to hide the unwanted portions of the image without cropping or removing them from the image. It is a useful tool if you do not want to crop the image. You are only required to select the portion that you want to pixelate, once you select the portion, the software automatically pixelates it.

Like crop tool, you get no other customizations with this tool. 

The absence of eraser might also make things time-consuming. If you draw some line and realized that it is a mistaken insertion, you do not have an eraser to erase it. The only alternative you have is to select and drag the line somewhere away from the annotation window or reopen the window and begin with editing all over again.

Colors and other customizations

As mentioned above, there are not many customizations in this software. You do not get many options for color, shape, and size.

By default, the entries you make appear in orange color, whether it is an arrow, a rectangle, or some shape of your choice. Other than orange, you have a choice of a few primary colors. While you draw some shape, you can choose two different colors for its border and the color inside the boundary, but that too does not come with many options. You have those same basic color options with no new customizations.

If you choose some color, all the entries you make from then appear in that color automatically. You are required to choose different color every time if you want your entries to be of different colors.

The highlighted portion in the image shows the options that allow you to choose colors and thickness.

Alike the ‘color,’ thickness also does not provide many options to choose. You have a limited number of options to select the thickness of any line or shape you draw on your image.

You have the option to choose a different color for the boundary of the shape and the color to be filled inside it.

You cannot add any new color or shape to the software. Neither you can change any of the previously available options. You are required to end up satisfying yourself by the few available customizations.

Where can you find your creations?

By capturing and editing images, you create your collection of images. The software stores them in the ‘drop’ section. This section shows all the images that you create, edit, or annotate through the software.

This section also enlists the screen recording videos you that you capture.

The images and videos appear in reverse chronological order; the most recent creation appears first in the list. Whether it is an image or a video, all your creations show up collectively in the same section. No separate sections are there for images and videos.

You have various options associated with the images and videos. We shall discuss these features in a while.

Collections and favorites

‘Drops’ collectively shows up all the images or videos. However, some of you might like to keep some images or videos at some other place. Alternatively, searching for some old images might become cumbersome with ‘drops’ as it might contain several images.

‘Drops’ is the default collection of your creations where the software stores your images and videos if you do not specify any other location. Other than this location, you have the choice to store your creations in ‘collections.’

 In this section of the software, you can create a new collection of the name of your choice. It is like creating albums for photos. Once you create a collection, you can add images or videos anytime. You can create several collections. Alternatively, you can create separate collections for images or videos.

Collections can store as many numbers of images or videos as you want, but this solves the problem partially. You might still need to search for some older images or videos. The favorite section can help you.

You can select some of your creations as favorite and add them into this section. You can access them easily without searching any long lists.

Adding things in collections or favorites allows you to have easy access to them. While annotating, the software asks you to specify the location at which you want to store the annotated image.

Team up and share

Don’t remain confined to merely creating and storing the images and videos. Share them with your colleagues, co-workers, and friends.

In CloudApp, you can create a team of your own, add team members to it and show them all what you’ve got. You can share with the team at once; you can send and share with all members of the team simultaneously. It reduces the efforts of selecting and sending each person individually.

You can add members to the team by entering their email IDs. Once a person becomes a member of the team, he can share anything with the team and have the rights to see what other members share.

Entering some email id does not ensure its participation in the team. You merely can invite some person through their email address, accepting or rejecting the invitation is an exclusive decision of that person. You can invite a person any number of times.

If you teamed up all the employees and want the new employees to join the team automatically, you can use ‘Autojoin domain.’ With this feature, you can create a domain and make it an auto domain. Any email address can join the team through this domain; this does not require an invitation. It reduces the efforts of team members of inviting and then waiting for the person to accept the invitation.

There some customizations and settings we shall discuss in the next section.

Managing the team

Teaming up people together does not cease the liabilities of a team owner. Various management actions are also required for smooth executions of work within the team. The software understands your responsibilities as a team owner; it provides various settings and features to manage the team. The image below shows the features that the software provides for team management.

We shall discuss each feature in brief.

Authentication

Authentication is required to verify the identity of the person who is trying to access the team. Someone can be added to the team with the email id, but the team owner can choose and allow team members to log in through various accounts. Admins and the members can use different ways to log in and access the account.

The image above shows the various authentication measures that you can apply to various members of the team. Owner and members, both can be allowed to login through email and password. Alternatively, the members can log in using their Google account. A configured IDaas can be one of the ways to login. The login methods one is allowed depends on the sole decision of the team owner.

The ‘file’ setting allows you to choose duration until which some file shared with the team remains visible to the members. If you do not want the team members to access some shared file after some specified time, you can choose the time limit, after which the team members cannot access it.

The other option allows you to change the name of the profile. It only allows the team member to change the name of the profile. This name t shows up at the top of the team page.

Storage resources and customize

The files you share in the team are stored in CloudApp Enterprise storage by the software. If you wish, you can change the storage location of the files.

You can change the location to ‘Amazon S3 Bucket’. However, it does not come with the software; you are required to buy this product and ought to authenticate yourselves by providing credentials that you see in the image below.

Once, you fulfill the product activation requirements; you can easily switch to this storage and save your files in it.

The other option ‘customize’ allows you to upload a logo of your organization and webhooks. You can also change some custom domain settings and viewer permissions.

The logo appears on the front of the team page. The webhooks you attach, allows the team members to get any information that you share with the team.

Custom domains allow you to create or change some private key or certificate settings.

By default, every member of the team can download the file you shared with the team. Through viewer permission settings, you can limit the rights of the members to only viewing the file, which means they can no more download the file.

This feature is significant in the eye of confidentiality. If an employee of some other department is not rightful to download the file, in that case also, he can gather information from that file.

Not so creative?

So far, we have discussed creating and augmenting images. We saw how you could use various drawing and editing features. But not everybody is creative enough to augment and create images. If you like to share but not creating, you can use the upload feature of CloudApp.

By ‘upload,’ you can share the files that are already saved on your computer. You find the upload option at the right corner of the software screen.

When you select to upload, the software allows you to choose from the previously saved file on your computer. You can choose an image, an editable document, or some PDF file to upload.

Once, you upload some file, it shows up in the ‘drops’ section of the software. If you wish, you can change the name of the uploaded file or mark it as favorite. The software also allows you to change the location of the uploaded file. You can change its storage location from drops to the collection.

Uploading is an essential feature if you use CloudApp for professional purpose. You might need to share some information with your co-workers, say a document or some PDF file. Mailing it individually to everybody would not only be time-consuming, but there is a chance that some of them might not get it. Uploading and sharing it with the team can vanish any such possibilities.

Gather the support of other applications

While using the software, you might feel the need for some other applications to reduce your effort or to improve your work. You might need some DOC application to create an efficiently written note, you might think of an application which helps you in the marketing of your content. You do not require to install them distinctly; you can integrate them with CloudApp and use them.

In the team section, you get an option for integration. Through this option, you can integrate other apps to your CloudApp account. By integration of other apps, you can increase the efficiency of your work. Other apps help you to improve the quality of work.

You get various apps for different purposes. You can also filter your search by choosing a different category. There are various apps for Marketing, Productivity, Development, Sales, Design, Support.

Though you have enough applications to choose, there are still several applications that do not integrate. These applications do not occur in the search list.

Know the software better

We now know almost everything about CloudApp; it is the time to know some of the different features.

When you save or upload some file in the software, it creates a link for that file which can be used to share the file on the internet, or you can copy it to another location. If you use an upgraded version, you can also limit the use and access rights of the link to improve its security.

Other than these features, the settings section is something which cannot be overlooked.

The software allows you to have various settings for different purposes. There are various categories under which you get various options to change the settings of the software.

The general settings allow you to enable or disable the checks for an update. You can also choose the launching of the CloudApp on your system. Under the same category, you can select the mode of sharing of the files which are created using the software.

Another category is ‘shortcuts.’ This category enlists the various shortcut keys for different purposes. You can change the shortcut key if the previously available one does not suit you. You cannot add any new shortcut key, neither can remove the default keys.

The account category allows you to choose various plans for the software.

The last two categories under settings are connection and recording. The former allows you to choose a connection for the CloudApp installed at your computer. You can either have a direct connection or a custom proxy.

The later allows you to change the settings regarding the recordings. You can select a separate location for HD recordings. You can select the recording quality, recording frame rate, and countdown. It also provides a few settings for the webcam setup.

The help section is another important feature. The ‘help’ consists of various user manuals and FAQs to help and support you in case you face any problem while using the software. You can also get the information about your CloudApp account, integrations, roadmap, and security.

Ending note

We went through every feature of the software. Other than the ‘screen recording features,’ some features like creating GIFs, creating and managing the team, sharing with the team are other noteworthy features.

Uploading feature has increased the scope of its utility. One can share the files of the computer.

Perfection does not exist; the software knows it well and abides by it. The integration feature shows it. The software itself might not be perfect for performing every required task; therefore, it allows users to gather support from other applications.

The software lacks in editing or annotating features. The features it provides are very primary and might not satisfy every user. Some additions and improvements in this arena would increase its installations.

The help and setting features seem enough for the smooth running of the software. Being not able to add hotkeys might not suit some users.

If seen through a professional perspective, the software is ready to serve an organization. Except for some limitations, it is worthy of being your workmate.