Built by MaxRBLX1 — v1.9.5
PhantomRec was originally released as RetroRec (v1.0 – v1.7). The name was changed in v1.8.
All recordings and settings from previous versions are fully compatible.
PhantomRec is a free, portable, invisible screen recorder for Windows.
It captures your desktop at a smooth 60 FPS with system audio, then converts the recording into a compact, high‑quality file — all without slowing down your computer.
No GPU? No problem. Old laptop? It works.
PhantomRec runs on any Windows PC from Vista to Windows 11, from a dual‑core budget machine to a high‑end workstation.
PhantomRec doesn't care what hardware you have — it cares about your OS, because that determines which capture APIs are available.
| Windows Version | Capture Method | Typical FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 / 11 | GFX (D3D11 zero‑copy) | 60 FPS |
| Windows 8 / 8.1 | DDAGrab (DXGI) | 60 FPS |
| Windows 7 / Vista | GDI (CPU software) | Up to 30 FPS (Lacks Things and Uses Bitblt) |
Fallback chain: GFX → DDAGrab → GDI. If a method isn't supported, PhantomRec automatically drops to the next best option. GDI is the universal fallback.
All capture methods write a lossless master file at the native frame rate. The final video is automatically converted to a constant 60 fps x264 file, regardless of the source frame rate.
PhantomRec uses a two‑stage ghost pipeline — the same architecture that made Fraps legendary, rebuilt for modern lossless codecs.
- The screen is captured and encoded with Ut Video — a mathematically lossless, intra‑frame codec.
- Parallel encoding: uses
-slicesequal to your CPU core count, keeping CPU usage flat at ~5% regardless of on‑screen action. - Duplicate frames are skipped automatically.
- Massive queue:
-thread_queue_size 4096for video and audio, plus-max_muxing_queue_size 50000to absorb HDD write pauses — zero lag, even on slow mechanical drives. - No GPU encoding means the stop button responds instantly — no encoder queue drain freeze.
When you press stop, PhantomRec converts the lossless master to a crisp, compact x264 file at 60 FPS using all CPU cores — when your system is idle.
You get NVENC‑quality file sizes without needing a GPU.
- Your GPU stays 100% dedicated to your game or desktop.
- Recording uses ~5% CPU on any hardware.
- Heavy compression happens when you're done recording.
- Instant stop — no encoder queue drain freeze.
- Smooth output on any CPU from 2008 onward.
- No GPU required. No NVENC. No AMF. CPU only.
| Component | Minimum |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 / 11 |
| CPU | Any dual‑core x86_64 with SSE2 |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| GPU | Any. Integrated. None. All work. |
| Storage | Any HDD or SSD with free space |
No dedicated GPU or GPU hardware encoding required.
- Download the latest release and extract all files.
- Make sure
maxsengine.exe(our pre‑tuned FFmpeg 6.1+ build) is in the same folder asPhantomRec.exe. - Double‑click
PhantomRec.exe— a small always‑on‑top window appears. - Press F10 to start recording. Press F10 again to stop.
- Wait a few seconds for post‑processing — your video opens automatically in Explorer.
🎯 All‑New Stage 1 — Ut Video Lossless with Parallel Slices
Replaced MPEG‑4 Part 2 with Ut Video. Uses -slices equal to your core count for efficient parallel frame encoding.
Constant ~5% CPU, no matter what’s on screen. Writes a mathematically perfect master file.
🔧 Hard‑Drive‑Friendly Pipeline
- Video
-thread_queue_size 4096(was 2048). - Audio
-thread_queue_size 4096(was 512). - Muxing queue expanded to
50000(was 9096) — absorbs even the longest HDD write stalls.
🔇 Perfect Audio/Video Sync
Audio and video now start at the exact same moment using a sync event (hAudioStartEvent).
Works for initial recording and after every pause/resume.
⏸️ Robust Pause/Resume with Segments
Pausing creates a new segment file. Resume continues on a fresh segment.
Supports up to 64 segments per recording session (prevents resource exhaustion).
⚡ Power Plan Lock
Automatically switches to High Performance on launch and restores your original plan on exit — no dropped frames due to power throttling.
🖥️ FFmpeg Console Fix
FFmpeg runs with CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE — guarantees proper CTRL_BREAK handling and eliminates the “accordion effect” timeline distortion.
🧹 Clean Codebase
Removed dead variables and legacy MPEG‑4 quality settings. Pure C core + C++ UI with thread‑safe marshalling.
🎨 UI Improvements
Custom backgrounds, fonts, animated GIFs, font colour/size — all hot‑reloaded from Settings.ini (appearance changes apply instantly; capture settings only apply when idle).
Thread‑safe UI updates (core callbacks are marshalled to the main thread).
🛠️ Stage 2 — Ultrafast CFR Conversion
Post‑processing uses -preset ultrafast -r 60 -fps_mode cfr for fast, consistent 60 FPS output.
No manual thread count — FFmpeg auto‑detects optimal threading.
All settings are in Settings.ini (same folder as PhantomRec.exe).
Edit it while the program is running — changes take effect within 2 seconds (only hotkeys and appearance are applied mid‑recording; capture method and conversion flag are deferred until idle).
[Settings]
Hotkey=F10
PauseHotkey=P
ConvertAfterRecording=yes
CaptureMethod=auto
[Appearance]
Background=C:\path\to\image.png
Font=C:\path\to\font.ttf
FontSize=14
FontColor=16777215| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Hotkey | F1‑F12 for function keys, or a single letter for Ctrl+ (e.g. R = Ctrl+R). |
| PauseHotkey | Same format. |
| ConvertAfterRecording | yes = automatically compress after recording (recommended). no = keep the raw segment files (*_segN_temp.mkv + segments.txt) in the output folder. You must manually concatenate or delete them. |
| CaptureMethod | auto (default), gfx, ddagrab, gdi. |
⚠️ Important: WhenConvertAfterRecording=noPhantomRec does not concatenate or delete the segment files. Instead, it leaves:
- Multiple
*_segN_temp.mkvfiles (each is a lossless chunk of your recording)- A
segments.txtfile that lists these chunks in the correct orderTo turn these chunks into a single playable video, you must manually concatenate them using
maxsengine.exe(the included FFmpeg build).
Open the folder where PhantomRec saves your recordings.
(Default:C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Videos\PhantomRec)In that folder, locate the
segments.txtfile and all the*_segN_temp.mkvfiles.Open Command Prompt in that exact folder:
- Hold
Shift+ right‑click inside the folder window.- Select "Open PowerShell window here" or "Open command window here".
- (Alternatively, type
cmdin the folder's address bar and press Enter.)Run this command:
maxsengine.exe -f concat -safe 0 -i segments.txt -c copy output.mkvWait for the process to finish. You'll now have a single file named
output.mkv— this is your complete recording.You can safely delete the
*_segN_temp.mkvfiles andsegments.txtto free up space.đź’ˇ Tip: Rename
output.mkvto something meaningful (e.g.,my_gameplay.mkv) before moving or sharing it.
- MinGW‑w64 (UCRT64)
- Windows SDK
# Step 1: Compile the pure C core
gcc -std=c11 -O2 -c src/phantomrec_core.c -o phantomrec_core.o
# Step 2: Link with C++ UI
g++ -std=c++17 -O2 -D_WIN32_WINNT=0x0A00 \
phantomrec_core.o src/PhantomRec.cpp \
-o PhantomRec.exe \
-lcomctl32 -lshell32 -luser32 -lgdi32 -lkernel32 \
-ladvapi32 -lole32 -luuid -lksuser -lavrt -lgdiplus -lcomdlg32 \
-lpowrprof
⚠️ -D_WIN32_WINNT=0x0A00is strictly required. Without it, the binary targets XP compatibility and the recording pipeline fails with 0 FPS.
PhantomRec/
├── src/
│ ├── PhantomRec.cpp # C++ UI (Win32 + GDI+)
│ ├── phantomrec_core.c # Pure C11 capture engine
│ └── phantomrec_core.h # Shared header (extern "C" bridge)
├── .gitignore
├── LICENSE
└── README.md
- Streaming — PhantomRec is a recorder, not a streaming tool.
- Webcam overlay — Not supported.
- Per‑window capture — PhantomRec captures the entire monitor.
PhantomRec is free software. Use it, modify it, share it.
Built by MaxRBLX1.
Max'sEngine™ powered by FFmpeg (ffmpeg.org).
Audio capture based on Microsoft WASAPI sample code.