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1 Camtasia: Getting Started and Best Practices Compiled by Lauri Rebar, Alyse Ergood, and Kristy Padron FAU Libraries March 31, 2009 Updated May 20, 2011

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Camtasia: Getting Started and Best Practices

Compiled by Lauri Rebar, Alyse Ergood, and Kristy Padron

FAU Libraries

March 31, 2009

Updated May 20, 2011

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This manual has been written to document the basic steps of creating a screencast using Camtasia. Items with this red exclamation in a yellow triangle indicate a step or process that may require advanced skills. Please consider

these steps or processes to be optional when creating a basic screencast. Please also note that Camtasia (like most software & computer programs) has multiple ways of executing various tasks. The ones listed here are basic; if you find another ways of doing a task, go for it as long as it does not get in the way of other Camtasia functions and allows you to create, edit, and produce your screencast the way you want to!

BEFORE RECORDING

1. KEEP THE CONTENT SIMPLE. Screencasts need to be in basic, simple language addressing the main points.

2. OUTLINES and SCRIPTS:

a. First, organize your content by using an outline to identify what needs to be demonstrated.

b. Next, use the outline to organize the script. c. BE CONCISE: Show and tell with conciseness. This will help the length of the

screencast be an acceptable amount. d. Edit outline or script as needed, especially for clarity, conciseness and natural flow. e. Keep recordings, including PowerPoint segments, to a maximum of 3 to 5 minutes in

length.

3. STORYBOARD: Use a storyboard (typically with PowerPoint) to direct your screenshots and transitions from one page to the other. The content of the outline or script should follow what is shown in each screenshot. a. If available, capture screenshots using Microsoft OneNote. Open Microsoft OneNote,

then open up the screen on the web or what needs to be captured. Click the "flying windows" key at the bottom of your keyboard along with the "S" key to save your screenshot. Next, select the area of the screen that you wish to have copied (although the total screen is shown, you select only the portion you wish to be the "screenshot"). From within OneNote, now choose "save as" to save the screenshot file to the location of your choice with the filename of your choice.

b. Add captions to your storyboard to narrate the story. These should be the same captions that you plan to use in the actual recording of narration.

4. POWERPOINT SLIDES: Prepare the PowerPoint slides to use for the screencast ahead of time. a. If any storyboard slides are of good quality, copy them to use in the screencast. b. PowerPoint slides can be embedded in various points of a screencast, and can be

narrated along with the rest of Camtasia screen capture.

5. PRACTICE: Practice speaking into the microphone. Observe how it works with your voice. Notice your pace and pronunciation. You may (or may not) want to adjust these based on

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your observations from practicing. Use Jing, which does not have all of the features of Camtasia, to practice. This can be downloaded at their web page at http://www.jing.com.

RECORDING

Recommended best practices to prepare for and to record a screencast: 1. COMPUTER: Make sure all other programs (email, chat, etc.) are not active. Only open the

specific programs you need for recording, otherwise, pop-up windows and other computer functions may interfere.

2. THE SCREEN: The recorded screen area should include the backwards/forwards arrows

and the URL (Figure 1). This shows how something can be used regardless of web browser, since most have these features.

Figure 1

3. THE MOUSE: Don‟t move the mouse excessively; it is distracting. Move it to demonstrate

where to click or to get it off the recorded area. If possible, move the mouse to the next area you will need to click on during your demonstration.

4. SPEAKING: Practice recording your voice prior to recording. Perform a sound check to

make sure the recording is loud enough and that the quality is acceptable. 5. MISCUES: If you make an audio miscue (or say something incorrectly) while speaking, keep

recording. Pause for a few seconds without stopping the recording, and then repeat what was said incorrectly. Errors can always be removed. It is easier to delete these than to stop recording and re-record every time a mistake is made.

6. SAVE: When you‟re ready, save your work. Save it using a description such as date and/or

take number. 7. AT THE END: Be patient and gentle with yourself and your progress. A screen cast will

require a few takes before you feel at ease with your work and the process.

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Recording a Screen Capture A screen capture is a recording that includes movements and images from a computer screen, such as navigating a web page. This is often used to demonstrate features of a web page. 1. Open Camtasia. From its welcome screen, select 'Record the screen' (Figure 2).

Figure 2

2. The 'Camtasia Recorder' window will open (Figure 3). Select the drop-down arrow next to

„Audio on‟ and select the microphone that will be used.

Figure 3

3. Next, select the area of the screen to record (Figure 4). Go to „Select Area‟ to record the full

screen or to record a custom-made area. Selecting the area next to „Custom‟ will provide a variety of sizes.

Figure 4

Record

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4. The area selected to record appears normal while the rest of the screen is faded (Figure 5). Use the cursor to move selected area and its size to include what needs to be recorded. Once this is finished, proceed to the next step.

Figure 5 5. Select „rec‟ to begin recording.

6. A countdown will begin before recording starts, as indicated in the black window. Begin your narration when countdown is finished. Select „Pause‟ to stop recording; selecting it again will allow recording from where it was stopped. Select F10 or „Stop‟ to stop the recording process (Figure 6).

. Figure 6

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7. The green lines will turn white-gray while the screencast is being recorded. The bottom black and gray box has the following features that can be used during recording (Figure 7):

Figure 7

8. Narrate the screencast and move through your presentation.

9. Once the screencast has been recorded, select „Stop‟ (see Figure 7).

Stop and Save a Recording

1. After recording has been stopped, a preview of the screencast will play by default (Figure 8).

Figure 8

2. The bottom of the preview window provides some options. Use the following for different purposes:

Save and Edit: opens the preview screencast in Camtasia for editing, and also allows it to be saved.

Length of

Recording

Delete entire

recording

Pause Recording (Select

again to continue)

Stop

Recording

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Produce: saves the capture as a .camrec file, and then opens Camtasia in its „Produce‟ mode; the capture is not edited and will be produced into a media file.

Delete: deletes the entire recording and does not save it

Figure 9

Move Backward: takes the screencast preview to prior sections.

Pause: pauses the screencast preview without closing it. Move Forward: go to content ahead of what plays in the preview. Length of Screencast: gives the length of time of the screencast. Shrink Screen: reduces size of screen, if needed, for viewing.

3. At this point, your screencast is ready to edit, if desired.

RECORDING A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION A PowerPoint presentation can be converted into a screencast with narration. These can be created either by using Camtasia or in PowerPoint. One advantage of recording with PowerPoint is that any notes added to each slide will be imported to Camtasia as captions; see „Captions for instructions on editing them. Best Practices for Preparing a PowerPoint for Recording

The best fonts to use are Arial or Sans Serif, with a font size of 32. Use a dark font on a light background or a light font on a dark background. Use simple

background screens. Check spelling before recording. As you deem necessary, use title placeholders. Use quality, well-cropped images.If used, keep the animations and transitions between

slides simple. o Add your animations and any necessary transitions in Powerpoint. o Use the same type of page transition throughout the presentation.

Steps for Recording PowerPoint: 1. Open a PowerPoint presentation to record (Figure 10). Select the 'Add-Ins' tab, and then

'Record' at the top left of the screen. The PowerPoint window will enlarge.

Delete Produce

Save and Edit

Move Backward Move Forward

Pause

Length of

screencast

Shrink screen to fit

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Figure 10

2. Select 'Click To Begin Recording' in the lower right-hand corner (Figure 11).

Figure 11 3. The recording will begin. Narrate and move through the PowerPoint presentation slides as

you normally would. 4. At the end of the presentation, press the 'Esc' key to end the recording. 5. A prompt will ask if you wish to stop recording or continue. Click 'Stop Recording'. 6. A prompt to save your work as a Camtasia Studio recording file (.camrec) will appear. 7. Name this project, select the file and location to save it in, and click 'Save'.

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EDITING / Pre-PRODUCTION FIRST, LISTEN TO and WATCH THE WHOLE RECORDING. Take note of the areas you wish to remove from the recording by where they occur on the timeline.

Editing a .Camrec File: A .camrec file is an unedited, unproduced screencast file. Here are the instructions for starting edits for a .camrec file. 1. To open a .camrec (an unedited screencast), open Camtasia. Go to „File,‟ then „Import

Media.‟ Retrieve the .camrec file from your drive (Figure 12).

Figure 12.

2. Drop and drag the .camrec file from the Clip Bin area to where you want it to appear in the time line. It should then appear on the timeline as “Video1” (or other number) (Figure 13).

Figure 13 3. At this point, you can begin editing your .camrec file. As you save your work, this file will be

saved as a .camproj file. Be sure to save your work at regular intervals to avoid losing changes.

4. Next, see „Editing Features‟ for instructions on making changes to your screencast.

File

Menu

Preview

Screen

Clip Bin

Imported

Media File(s)

Time line

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Editing a .Camproj File A .camproj is a screencasting file that has been edited. Here are the instructions for editing a camrec file. 1. To open a .camproj (an edited screencast), open Camtasia. Go to „File,‟ then „Open

Project.‟ Retrieve the .camproj file from your drive. The file will open and is ready for editing.

2. Next, see “Editing Features” for instructions on making changes to your screencast.

Editing Features When editing your screencast, be sure to frequently save your work. 1. CUTTING: Use the timeline to make basic edits to the video and image clips. Remove

mistakes and long pauses; the timeline can indicate where audio is low or none.

a. To remove a particular part of a recording, go to the timeline. Move the green box pointer to the beginning of the section needing to be removed, and then do the same with the red box pointer to the end of what should be removed (Figure 14).

Figure 14

b. Next, select the right button on your mouse to show an options window. Select „Cut‟ to

remove the section marked in light blue. The light blue area will immediately disappear.

Useful Tips for Cutting:

Oops! Do you want to undo a cut? Select „Control+Z‟ or go to the „Edit‟ menu and

select „Undo.‟

IMPORTANT: When applying edits, they are applied to parts of a clip unless specific

tracks are locked. To do this, select the padlock next to any clip to the left of the timeline.

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2. ZOOM-n-PAN: This feature is also available in the editing mode. Zoom-n-Pan can be added to particular areas of an screen needing to be viewed more closely or to have greater emphasis.

a. On the timeline, select the area where you would like to have the Zoom-n-Pan feature begin and end (Figure 15).

Figure 15

. b. Next, click on 'Zoom-n-Pan' and then „Add keyframe.‟ Determine how much

magnification is necessary for the particular area by using your cursor to change the size of the screen and where the emphasis should be (this is indicated by the gray lines). Adjust the start and end of this feature as needed.

c. The „Duration‟ feature in Zoom-n-Pan can control how fast an area is magnified or returned to its regular view.

d. To return the screen back to its original view, select on the timeline where this should

happen. Select „Add keyframe‟ again and set the screen view back to the desired size.

Zoom-N-Pan

Tab

Add keyframe

Size Screen

Timeline

Duration

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3. CALLOUTS: Callouts are graphics that appear in a video to draw attention to important processes or features. They can be added during the editing process. Be sure to save your work throughout this process.

Figure 16

a. Select the „Callouts‟ tab. The shapes of callouts that are available will appear along with customizing features (Figure 16).

b. Use your cursor to drag the playhead to the place on the timeline where callout(s) will be used.

c. Select „Add callout‟ and then select a shape for your callout. It will appear on the preview screen. Use „Border,‟ „Fill, „Effects,‟ and „Rotation‟ to change its appearance. Click your cursor on the callout to move it on the screen or change its size.

d. To adjust the length of time for the callout to appear, go to the timeline. Under the „Callout‟ section of the timeline, select the callout you wish to change. A double arrow will appear; click the cursor and adjust the arrows to the desired length of time for the caption (Figure 17).

Figure 17

e. Additional callouts can be added by repeating these steps.

4. CAPTIONS: Create and edit your captions at this time. They can be adjusted through the

„Captions‟ tab (Figure 18).

a. First, write your captions for the tutorial in Word. b. In Camtasia, select the 'Captions' tab. c. Position the playhead at the desired location on the timeline. d. Click „Add Caption.‟ A new caption text box appears. Type or paste your text into the

text box. The caption will appear on the timeline and in the „Preview Window‟ as you type.

Add callout

Callouts

Playhead

Timeline

Callout editing features

Callout

Edit size

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Figure 18

e. A caption will appear on the timeline as a black box with white font. f. To create an additional caption, move the playhead to where the new caption should

appear. Next, select “Add Caption‟ and paste text. This will separate it from a previous caption.

g. To edit a caption, select it. Use the arrows that appear on either side of it to shorten or lengthen the amount of time it appears; this can also be used to move a caption to a different spot on the timeline (Figure 19). Edits may be necessary for a caption to appear in synchronization with what is being narrated and demonstrated.

Figure 19

h. Select the „Clip Bin‟ or „Library‟ tab to exit the captions feature.

5. ADD MARKERS: Use markers in longer screencasts if you plan on creating a Table of Contents.

On the timeline, place the playhead where you want to add a Marker. Next, go to the „Edit‟ menu and select „Markers‟ and then „Add Marker.‟ A window will appear that allows you to name your marker.

6. SPLITTING / INSERTING ADDITIONAL .CAMRECS: How to split a screencast‟s content in order

Captions Tab

Playhead

Add Caption

Text Box

Preview

Window

Caption &

Individual

Captions

Library Tab

Clip Bin Tab

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to insert other (or updated) content into the timeline (Figure 20). a. Put the placehead on the timeline where the split should take place. (Figure 14). This is done by placing the mouse on the timeline where you want to add the new content. b. Next, click the right button on the mouse. c. A menu will appear. Select "Split".

Figure 20

d. What will appear is a split in the timeline. Your screencast will be able to play as

usual and without interruption. The split allows you to insert additional .camrec files.

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DISTRIBUTING & COPYING Sometimes, a .camproj may be edited by more than one person. To transfer or copy this type of file, all .camrecs that are part of a .camproj file must be included in any file copy or transfer. Here are some recommended best practices:

1. Save the .camproj onto a disk or flash drive. Do this while the .camproj is open. Save it but direct it to be saved onto the disk or flash drive. This ensures that the .camrec files transfer and are saved to the disk or drive. Dropping or dragging a .camproj from one file to another does not correctly transfer files.

2. When prompted, select the option to 'Copy source clips to project folder.‟

3. Confirm that all files successfully transferred; open the .camproj file on your disk or flash drive on another computer. If the file opens without error messages, you are successful! Otherwise, return the disk or flash drive to the original computer and repeat with the .camproj file open.

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PRODUCTION Production is when a .camproj is converted into some type of media file. These instructions will convert this into an .mp4 file which can be played on many platforms and devices. 1. Open the .camproj file you wish to produce in Camtasia Studio. 2. Review the audio and video along with additions such as callouts, Zoom-n-Pan, and

captions. Make sure everything is how you want it. 3. To begin producing, go to the „File‟ menu and select „Produce and Share.‟ 4. Window 1: Welcome to the Camtasia Studio Production Wizard. Select the option „Web,‟

then, select „NEXT‟ (Figure 22).

Figure 22

5. Window 2: Where would you like to save your video file(s). Give the Production name and then select where on your computer you want it to be saved. Unselect „Organize produced files into sub-folders‟ but keep the rest checked. Select „Finish.‟

6. The next window to appear will be „Rendering project.‟ It will show how far along the

screencast is in converting into a media file. 7. The screencast should automatically play once production is completed. 8. The Production Results window will show. Select „Finish‟ to close the process. Congratulations! You have produced a complete Camtasia screencast!

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POST-PRODUCTION / POSTING TO THE WEB Once a Camtasia screencast has been produced into a media file, it can be distributed in a variety of ways. It can be e-mailed (depending on file size and the e-mail system‟s capacity) and copied onto memory drives. A completed screencast can also be posted on the Internet. One way to do this is to upload it to a video hosting site such as YouTube. An additional way is to upload it to a server and create links to access the screencast, or to embed the screencast onto a page (Figure 23).

Figure 23: Link to screencast (left), Embedded on web page (right)

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GENERAL STEPS IN USING CAMTASIA

REFERENCES, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & WEB SITES

We would like to acknowledge the contributions made by the following websites and other resources, which were invaluable to our learning experience with Camtasia.

TechSmith, creator of Camtasia (www.techsmith.com). Includes links to documentation, help guides, and downloads of trials (good for training, but lack editing features). Camtasia Studio 7 Documentation (includes helpguides, manuals, and online help) http://www.techsmith.com/learn/camtasia/documentation7.asp

eLearnspace, a learning lab focused on assisting organizations develop integrated learning structures to meet the needs of global strategy execution (http://www.elearnspace.org/), also offers eLearnspace blogs and EduTech blogs from their website.

Virginia Tech University, Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning, provides tutorials and documentation "Learning to Use Camtasia" (http://www.iddl.vt.edu/instructors/camtasia/)

University of Washington, Health Links, How-To, Camtasia Tips and Tricks. Great tips and How-To's, includes both scripted information and video. (http://healthlinks.washington.edu/howto/camtasia/)

El Centro College Libraries provides many links, tutorials and other information on Camtasia and podcasting. (http://www.elcentrocollege.edu/Library/links/faculty.html)

1. Pre-Production

Assign Roles

Draft Outline of Content

Create Storyboard

Submit Content to Supervisors

for Review

2. Production

Record Screencast

3. Editing

Cut Miscues

Add Zoom-n-Pan

Adjust Volume

Adjust Timing of Captions

Add Branding Slides

4. Post-Production

Convert to Media File

Final Review by Supervisors

Post to Library Website and

YouTube.com

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Higher Education Best Practices, with multiple explanations and links, hosted by TechSmith (http://www.techsmith.com/community/education/highedcasestudies.asp)

Lib20 wiki includes many resources about screencasting in general and focuses on the many different ways to produce screencasts. This is a valuable tool, allowing users to see the finished product as created by the many different software programs available, both free and for-cost. (http://lib20.pbwiki.com/resources-screencasting)