Loom – Screen Recording & Video Messaging

What is Loom?

Loom has transformed workplace communication by making video messaging as easy as typing an email. The platform enables recording screen content, webcam video, or both simultaneously, then instantly sharing recordings through simple links. This asynchronous video approach bridges the gap between time-consuming meetings and easily misunderstood text messages, providing the clarity of face-to-face communication without requiring everyone to be available simultaneously.

The application resonates particularly with remote and distributed teams who discovered during the shift to remote work that not everything needs a meeting, but some things benefit from visual explanation. Loom fills this communication gap, enabling team members across time zones to share updates, explanations, and demonstrations without scheduling synchronous calls.

Recording Capabilities

Loom provides flexible recording options for various communication needs.

Screen Recording

Full screen, individual window, or custom region recording captures whatever visual content needs sharing. The flexibility enables recording specific applications, browser tabs, or portions of screen as appropriate.

Drawing tools annotate screens during recording, highlighting important elements or sketching explanations over captured content. These annotations appear in the finished video, guiding viewer attention.

Mouse highlighting emphasizes cursor movements, helping viewers follow navigation through complex interfaces.

Camera Recording

Webcam recording adds personal presence to communications. The camera bubble positions in corners of screen recordings, showing the speaker while capturing screen content.

Camera-only recording suits personal messages or updates that don’t require screen content. The human connection of video often communicates more effectively than text alone.

Combined Recording

Screen plus camera recording provides the best of both approaches. Viewers see demonstrations while watching presenter reactions and expressions.

Camera positioning and sizing adjust to emphasize either screen content or personal presence as appropriate. Floating bubbles can move to avoid obscuring important screen elements.

Audio Options

System audio capture includes sounds from applications, enabling demonstration of audio features or notification sounds. Microphone audio captures narration and explanation.

Audio can be muted for silent screen captures when visuals alone suffice, reducing file size and simplifying viewing.

Editing Tools

Post-recording editing refines videos before sharing.

Trimming

Start and end trimming removes unwanted portions from recordings. Beginnings with application launching or endings with recording stop can be cut cleanly.

Segment removal cuts internal sections, eliminating mistakes, pauses, or tangents without re-recording entire videos.

Video Enhancements

Filler word removal automatically detects and removes “ums,” “ahs,” and similar verbal fillers. This AI-powered editing creates more polished videos without manual cut-by-cut editing.

Silence removal accelerates pacing by shortening pauses between speech. The result feels more dynamic while preserving natural speech rhythms.

Visual Elements

On-screen text and titles add context without narration. Call-to-action buttons link to external resources from within videos.

Emoji reactions and comments can be enabled or disabled for individual videos, controlling interaction options for viewers.

Sharing and Distribution

Loom simplifies getting videos to intended audiences.

Instant Links

Recordings generate shareable links immediately upon completion. No upload waiting or processing delays interrupt workflow—links work within seconds of finishing recording.

Links copy automatically to clipboard, ready for pasting into emails, messages, or documents. The sharing friction is minimal compared to traditional video production workflows.

Embedding

Embed codes integrate Loom videos into websites, documentation, and learning management systems. Embedded videos maintain Loom functionality including analytics and viewer interaction.

Download Options

Video downloads enable offline viewing or integration into other tools. Downloaded files work independently of Loom infrastructure.

Privacy Controls

Video visibility controls determine who can access recordings. Public videos accessible to anyone contrast with password-protected or workspace-restricted options.

Expiring links limit video availability to specified time periods. Temporary sharing enables collaboration without permanent access.

Viewer Experience

Loom optimizes the viewing experience for recipients.

Web Player

The web-based player requires no software installation for viewers. Recipients click links and watch immediately in browsers.

Variable speed playback enables viewers to accelerate or slow content as needed. Scanning through lengthy recordings becomes practical with speed controls.

Chapters and Timestamps

Chapter markers divide long videos into navigable sections. Viewers jump directly to relevant portions without watching entire recordings.

Automatic chapters use AI to detect topic changes and create chapter markers. Manual chapters enable precise section definitions.

Transcription

Automatic transcription generates text versions of video content. Transcripts enable searching within videos, accessibility compliance, and reading instead of watching when appropriate.

Transcript editing corrects errors in automatic transcription, ensuring accuracy for important communications.

Comments and Reactions

Timestamped comments attach viewer feedback to specific video moments. Discussions reference exact points rather than vague time references.

Emoji reactions provide quick, lightweight feedback without requiring full comments. Reaction analytics show audience response patterns.

Workspace Features

Team features support organizational use of video communication.

Shared Libraries

Workspace video libraries organize team recordings for collective access. Categories and folders structure large video collections.

Permission controls determine who can view, edit, or delete workspace videos. Role-based access matches organizational hierarchies.

Brand Customization

Custom branding applies organizational colors, logos, and styling to video pages. Professional presentation reinforces brand identity.

Custom thumbnails replace automatic captures with designed images, improving video presentation in link previews.

Admin Controls

Administrator dashboards manage workspace settings, user permissions, and security policies. Bulk operations simplify large-scale management tasks.

Usage analytics reveal adoption patterns and identify opportunities for improved video communication.

Integration Ecosystem

Loom connects with commonly used workplace tools.

Communication Tools

Slack integration enables recording and sharing directly within Slack channels. Video messages become part of team conversation flow.

Email integrations insert videos into messages with automatic thumbnail previews. Recipients see video content without leaving email clients.

Productivity Tools

Notion, Confluence, and documentation platform integrations embed videos within team knowledge bases. Visual explanations supplement written documentation.

Project management integrations attach videos to tasks and issues, providing context for work items.

CRM and Sales Tools

Salesforce, HubSpot, and CRM integrations track video engagement for sales communications. Viewing data informs follow-up activities.

Use Cases

Loom serves various communication scenarios.

Team Communication

Status updates, project explanations, and feedback delivery work well as asynchronous video. Team members consume content when convenient rather than attending meetings.

Training and Documentation

How-to videos, process explanations, and onboarding content benefit from visual demonstration. Videos capture institutional knowledge that text struggles to convey.

Sales and Customer Success

Personalized video messages outperform text for outreach. Product demonstrations and proposal walkthroughs engage prospects more effectively than documents.

Engineering and Product

Bug reports, feature demonstrations, and code walkthroughs communicate more clearly with visual context. Complex technical information transfers more reliably through video.

Pricing Structure

Loom offers tiers for different usage levels.

Starter (Free)

Free accounts include limited recording length and storage. Individual users and light users may find free capabilities sufficient.

Business Plan

Business subscriptions remove limits and add workspace features, analytics, and integrations. Teams using video regularly need Business capabilities.

Enterprise Plan

Enterprise adds advanced security, admin controls, and dedicated support. Large organizations with compliance requirements need Enterprise features.

Comparison with Alternatives

Screen recording options include various approaches.

OBS Studio provides powerful free recording but requires technical setup and lacks cloud sharing.

CloudApp offers similar quick sharing but with different feature emphasis.

Vidyard focuses more specifically on sales video with CRM integrations.

Loom’s strength lies in the combination of recording simplicity, instant sharing, and viewer experience optimization.

System Requirements

Desktop App: Windows 10+ or macOS 10.15+

Chrome Extension: Chrome, Edge, or Brave browsers

Mobile: iOS 14+ or Android 8+

Web Recording: Modern browsers with screen capture support

Conclusion

Loom has effectively created a new communication category that sits between synchronous meetings and asynchronous text. The friction reduction in creating and sharing video enables communication that would otherwise require scheduling meetings or writing lengthy explanations. For teams that have adopted video messaging, Loom often becomes indispensable for the clarity and connection it brings to remote collaboration. The generous free tier enables individuals and small teams to experience the benefits, while paid plans scale to enterprise requirements. Anyone finding meetings excessive or written communication insufficient should consider whether Loom’s approach might improve their team’s communication effectiveness.