henrywoo/kazam

Kazam2 - Linux Screen Recorder, Broadcaster, Capture and OCR with AI in mind

What it solves

Kazam is a versatile Linux utility designed to handle screen recording, live broadcasting, and text extraction from the screen. It provides a unified tool for users who need to capture their desktop activity as video, stream it to platforms like YouTube or Twitch, or convert visual text into editable digital text.

How it works

Kazam captures screen content using GStreamer and supports both X11 and Wayland sessions (leveraging the xdg-desktop-portal ScreenCast interface for the latter). It records video in formats compatible with H264 and VP8 codecs. For its AI-powered features, it integrates Tesseract OCR and RapidOCR to detect and extract text from captured screen areas. It also handles audio via the PulseAudio sound system and supports webcam overlays.

Who it’s for

Linux users who need a lightweight screen recorder, content creators streaming to Twitch or YouTube, and users who need to extract text from non-selectable screen content.

Highlights

  • Multi-mode Capture: Supports full screen, specific windows, or custom area selection.
  • Live Broadcasting: Built-in support for streaming to YouTube and Twitch via RTMP.
  • AI-powered OCR: Ability to detect and extract text from the screen for editing or saving.
  • Wayland Support: Automatic detection and integration with PipeWire for modern Linux desktop environments.
  • Integrated Audio/Video: Simultaneous recording of system audio, microphone input, and webcam feeds.

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