Loom: all its features

For those of you who have been in the Atlassian ecosystem for a while, you might remember that a couple of years ago, Atlassian made the biggest acquisition in its history so far: the purchase of Loom. A very easy-to-use video messaging platform, with over 5 million videos created per month.

Check out their promo video to get a real sense of what Loom is all about:

Since this acquisition, and over the last two years, Atlassian has worked to ensure full integration between Loom and all the applications in the Atlassian Cloud platform.

Now that it's fully consolidated into the ecosystem, this article summarizes everything you can do with Loom—and what you can’t.

Getting started

Let’s start from the beginning. If you want to start using Loom, just go to the official website and request your free trial: Loom | Video messaging for work | Atlassian

To record videos, you’ll need to grant access to your camera and microphone. And that’s it, from that moment on, you can start recording videos with Loom.

Licensing

Loom offers different types of licenses to suit users' needs:

• Starter Plan (free version): Allows you to record up to 25 videos of up to 5 minutes each and offers basic features like emoji and comment reactions on videos, as well as automatic transcription in over 50 languages. Ideal for individual users who need a simple tool to record and share videos.

• Business Plan: This paid plan is designed for larger teams and offers additional features like video downloads, advanced analytics, integrations with business tools, and priority support. Of course, you get unlimited video recording and no duration limits. One of the most interesting features is the ability to configure your own branding or set access control for videos (so you can see who has viewed them).

• Business + AI Plan: If you want all the features of the Business plan plus AI capabilities, this is the plan for you. It includes smart meeting notes, automatic summaries, and auto-generated video descriptions and metadata, among others.

• Enterprise Plan: For large organizations that require custom features, advanced security, and dedicated support. This plan adapts to the specific needs of each company.

• Special discounts for teachers or students: Users who do not use Loom for commercial purposes but for educational purposes can access any of the above plans with a discount of up to 75%.

Licenses are available as monthly or annual subscriptions, and users can choose the plan that best fits their needs. Loom also offers a free trial for its paid plans, allowing users to evaluate the features before committing.

In conclusion, Loom is a powerful tool for video creation that enhances team communication and collaboration. With its range of features and licensing options, it can adapt to various needs, though it’s important to consider its limitations and associated costs.

Loom features

1. 🗒️ Meeting notes: The idea is that during a meeting, you can focus on what’s happening in real-time.

• a)Loom AI takes care of writing down all that’s discussed and even tracks action items.

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• b) If you couldn’t attend, Loom automatically sends the notes to all participants after the session ends, so you don’t miss anything.

• c) If you store those notes on a Confluence page, it’ll be easier to search and stay organized. You can also link them to the Jira issue you're working on.

2. 🔴 Screen recording: Loom lets you record your entire screen, a specific window, or a browser tab. Perfect for tutorials, presentations, or software demos.

• Camera recording: Users can also record their webcam along with the screen, adding a personal touch and better connecting with viewers.

• Easy sharing: Videos can be shared via links, so users can quickly send their recordings to coworkers, clients, or on social media.

• Video editing: Loom includes basic editing tools like trimming and adding calls to action, making video customization easy. Loom's AI can also help with editing and suggest summaries, titles, and video descriptions. It even removes silent gaps or background noise.

• Viewers can leave real-time feedback with reactions or comments—helpful for knowing if your content is clear, engaging, or needs improvement.

3. 📸 Screenshot capture: If you just want to take a screenshot instead of recording a video, you can also do that with Loom.

• a) After capturing the screen, you can annotate it with comments, shapes, arrows, etc., to highlight specific content.

• b) You can share them via link without needing to download anything.

4. 🔌 Integrations: Loom integrates with many productivity and collaboration tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Notion. Of course, it also integrates natively with Atlassian apps like Jira and Confluence.

• a) From a Loom video, you can create Jira work items or Confluence pages, report bugs, and link them to recorded content. Discover how to do it here.

5. 📈 View analytics: Users can access stats on who watched their videos, how long they watched, and more metrics to evaluate content impact. This helps tailor content to the specific needs of each viewer.

Pros and cons

✅ PROS

• Ease of use: Loom’s interface is intuitive, allowing users to record and share videos with no technical background.

• Time-saving: Video communication can save time and boost efficiency compared to emails or meetings.

• Improved communication: Videos convey tone and emotion often lost in written messages, improving team understanding.

• Accessibility: Videos can be watched anytime, anywhere, giving teams more flexibility.

❌ CONTRAS

• Free version limitations: The free version limits video duration and the number of recordings you can store.

• Internet dependency: A stable internet connection is required to record and share videos, which may be an issue in areas with poor connectivity.

• Privacy and security: Sharing videos online carries the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information if permissions aren't correctly set.

What’s next?

The Atlassian team is already working on upcoming Loom features:

• AI-generated avatars and voices

• Open Confluence pages directly from Loom for even tighter collaboration

• Automatically add images, GIFs, or screenshots to recorded user guides

Here's a real-life example of how Loom works and the different features it offers. You'll see the installation of the app and the Chrome extension, their differences, and the recording and annotation options.

Without a doubt, a promising future thanks to its growing user base, Loom will continue to surprise us.

📩 If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us :)