Camtasia Studio top tips for Software Demos

Fiona has been busy putting together software demonstrations for our Legacy Bridge Technology and shares her top tips on using Camtasia....

Camtasia Studio is the first video editing software I’ve ever experienced, thus my knowledge of video editing was previously limited and restricted.  Initially it was an overwhelming task to gain a full understanding of the software and to manufacture a video which looked and sounded flawless. However, Camtasia is designed in a way which allows the user to complete sophisticated and involved tasks with ease of navigation and expertise. 

My experience of Camtasia has increased significantly after hours of scrupulous editing and re-editing and I have been able to create a polished and professional demo video and presentation video. Hence, I have pieced together a few handy tips which may be useful to somebody who is evaluating the available video editing packages or has decided upon Camtasia Studio for their video production.

Before recording commences there are certain considerations which need to be well thought-out. For example, there’s nothing more frustrating than to be in the midst of a perfect recording only to be interrupted by a phone ringing in the background or an email notification suddenly appearing on the screen.  A contingency plan can be devised prior to recording to avoid this situation. Ensure the recording takes place in a quiet, out-of-the-way room. Also make certain all applications are closed except those specifically needed for the recording; in particular all email accounts should be closed. 

With regards to editing here are a couple of time-saving tips. Adjust the select area dimensions before recording the screen; this will skirt painstaking editing after recording is complete. In the same vein, when recording a presentation video use the cursor liberally and then remove the cursor visibility in the editing process by deselecting mouse cursor visible. It is also possible to achieve the reverse effect and emphasise the cursor by adding a highlight effect. 

A handy hint to make a demonstration video more interesting and dynamic is to add callouts which are ready made shapes such as an arrow, which can be used to visually communicate information and will engage viewer’s attention. Zoom levels are another way to visually convey a message to the viewer. It is possible to zoom and pan to the specific areas of the screen being discussed in the audio adding clarity and understanding to the communication.

Finally, once a recording has been edited and is ready for production, select custom production settings, this will allow variation in the file format for the production of the final video. The file formats available range from avi to mp4. 

All it remains to say is, happy recording!