Since its inception, gaming had a social aspect to it. Video games are much more fun when you are playing together with your friends, and when you can show off your skills. Unlike computers, the PlayStation 4 has a built-in record feature.

There is no need to use third-party software; you can record clips on your PS4 in-game. Some people might find the process complicated, especially if they are new to the platform. This guide will give you step-by-step instructions and advice on how to record clips on the PS4 properly.

You will soon be able to share clips with your friends and save them for later viewing.

Getting Started

People who don’t know their way around a PS4 might make a mistake and record video over a previous save. If you don’t know all the PS4 controls, you will get all the necessary info here.

Before you begin recording, you need to adjust your PS4 video settings. You can do that by following these steps:

1. Press the Share button on your console controller. For now, you will only use this Share button for video setup, but you will need it again later on. Select “Sharing and Broadcast Settings.”
   
   
   
2. Select the Length of Video Clip option from the menu. The default time of recording on PS4 is 15 minutes, but you can change it to last anywhere between 30 seconds and one hour.
   
   
   
3. Think about the desired length of your clip, select it, and confirm the change.

Now you are ready to record. Let’s proceed to the next step.

How to Record a Clip on PS4

Recording clips is not that difficult. You need to launch your game, and when you start playing, you will be able to start recording. Follow these steps to record a clip while in game:

1. Press the Share button two times, and it will record a video clip that is the length of time selected in the previous section. You should see the symbol pictured below as confirmation that the recording has started.
   
   
   
2. If you’d like to stop recording the clip before the selected time, simply double tap the Share button again. You should get a message saying “Video Clip Saved.”
   
   
   
3. Once you finish recording your clip, it will be saved in the Capture Gallery folder by default. You can access the Capture Gallery through Settings.
   
   
   
4. In the settings menu, scroll down and select “System Storage Management.”
   
   
   
5. Within System Storage Management, select “Capture Gallery.”
   
   

Your capture gallery will be organzied by game; each game will have its own folder of clips.

Possible Complications

If everything goes well, it should be easy to record and view the clip later. However, certain games are tricky and may block the capture options at certain times. Games such as Metal Gear Solid V are designed like this to prevent spoilers to their story. You can circumvent this restriction if instead of using the PlayStation share feature you use a capture card. A capture card is a piece of hardware you can buy at most tech stores and use it to record game clips.

Don’t worry, most games on PlayStation aren’t like that, and even this game only has these restrictions in a few places. You can still buy a capture card if you like, but it is not mandatory.

Save a Recent Video Clip on PS4

Most people aren’t aware that the PS4 is constantly recording video. In case you forgot to double-tap the Share button, have no worries. Your PS4 has got you covered. It is always recording your game play, but the files are not saved unless you want to save them. You can save the last 15 minutes of the PS4’s automated recording by following theses steps:.

1. Press the Share button and hold it. This will bring up the Share menu.
   
   
   
2. Select “Save Video Clip.” Alternatively, press the square button.
   
   
   
3. The video will be saved in the Capture Gallery folder.

A WORD OF CAUTION: you mustn’t double-press the Share button if you want to save the automated 15-minute clips. This will override the clip, and start recording a new clip from the moment you double-press.

How to Trim a Clip on PS4

People who want to share their clips should trim them prior to sharing. Most platforms won’t allow you to upload overly long clips. Also, you don’t want to share boring parts of the clip anyway.

You can trim a PS4 clip from the Capture Gallery by following these steps:

1. Highlight the clip and press your controller’s Options button. Select the Trim option from the side menu.
   
   
   
2. Use your controller’s Directional Pad to mark the beginning of the clip. You will see the timeline of your entire clip, which is divided into snippets. You can change the size of the snippets. This will affect the time skipped with every Directional Pad hit, which is set to default intervals of 10 seconds.
   
   
   
3. Once you have removed the unnecessary parts, press L2 to choose the beginning of the shorter version of the clip. Move through the timeline and press R2 on the spot where you want it to end. Your new clip will be highlighted in orange. When you are done trimming, you can choose to either overwrite the old clip, or save the trimmed clip as new.
   
   
   

How to Share a PS4 Clip

After all that trouble with recording and trimming, it would be a waste not to share your clip on social media. Make sure your PS4 is linked to your preferred social media networks, and follow these steps:

1. Press the Share button on your controller and then select Share Video Clip.
   
   
   
2. Name your clip and add a witty caption or comment explaining the situation. This part is your time to get creative; use your imagination!
   
   
   
3. Choose the social media where you want to share the clip – YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. You can also select the audience that can view your clip, both on PSN and your social media account.
   
   
   

Good Game Well Played

Now you know all about recording, trimming, and sharing your game play clips on PS4. You can make some nice frag movies, funny clips, game play commentary, and video tutorials. The options are endless as long as you are creative enough.

Do you record clips on PS4 for your own viewing pleasure or do you share them? Let us know in the comments below and leave a link to one of your own game play videos.