1. Create Instructional Videos with Camtasia in 3…2…1
Slides = bit.ly/camtasia321stemtech

2. Agenda About Camtasia Tips before recording (Project preparation)
Setting up the Camtasia Recorder
Saving and organizing your files
Recommended editing workflow
Produce and share options
Additional resources

3. What is Camtasia?
Create professional-quality videos with Camtasia’s powerful screen recording and video editing tools.
Create training materials, educational content, product overviews, marketing videos, and more.

4. Project Preparation Have a clear plan! Clean workspace
hide desktop icons (=> animated gif =>)
Close programs with notifications
, chat, etc...and silence your phone
Some of these tips might be obvious, but I’m positive that you’ll come up with your own best practices and tips as you create more and more of your own videos.

5. Recording & Audio Best Practices
Recommended microphones
usb headset or desktop mic
Learn to accept the sound of your own voice
yes, that is how you sound ;)
Be aware of your surroundings
fans, traffic, co-workers, doors, etc.
Script, outline, or off-the-cuff
personal preference…and depends on the video project
Recommended microphones:
This is a fairly old blog post (2009), but I think the content is still valid and insightful.
My personal preferences are:
Headset Mic USB = There are plenty of options out there, but I’ve had good luck with the Logitech and Sennheiser brands =
Desktop Mic USB = Audio-Technica AT2020USB =
Note: You can also click the images above on this slide to learn more about these particular microphones.

6. Why Use a Script? Less ramble Length of your video No surprises
Adding captions?
Decide where you want to spend your time
Don’t have time for a script? Try a simple outline instead.
Tip: Be sure to read your script out loud
Plan out exactly what you’re going to say and show to help you keep from straying off topic.
Are you targeting a specific length of video…3 minutes, 5 minutes? Scripts can help you hit that target. Know your time limit to help keep learners engaged.
I generally knew that each page of my script template equaled approximately 1 ½ minutes of audio. This helped me know if my videos were going to be too long…or if I needed to turn it into two separate videos.
Do a dry run through, to eliminate any surprises during recording.
If you want or need to have captions in your videos, having a script can make this process much easier. This can be done by copying your script and pasting it into the caption editor to sync up with your audio on the Timeline.
Choose where you spend your time. Scripts require a time commitment up front, but can save time in the end with less editing.
Sometimes an outline is good enough, and helps you plan out what you want to cover and stay focused.
Reading your script out loud always sounds different than reading it silently while you write it. Reading it out loud helps you make sure that it flows well, and lets you hear for yourself if it sounds like a natural conversation, or like a robot.

7. Understanding File Formats
Record...Edit...Produce
.trec = TechSmith Recording File
.tscproj = TechSmith Project File
.mp4 = Produced Shareable File
File Formats:
The .trec file can be opened and edited on both the Windows and Mac versions of Camtasia. So, if you use both platforms, you can record on one and edit on the other.
The .tscproj file keeps track of all the edits you make to your video project. These edits include cuts, special effects, and additional media imported and added to the timeline.
When you are finished editing, you will need to produce your video into a shareable format. .MP4 is recommended, but you have additional format options (.wmv, .mov, .avi, etc.) in the production wizard if needed.

8. Camtasia Hotkeys Recorder Hotkeys (aka: keyboard shortcuts)
F9 = Start, Pause, Resume Recording
F10 = Stop Recording
Camtasia (Windows) Hotkeys
PDF download
Hotkeys:
Download a PDF with the most common used Hotkeys for Recording and Editing in Camtasia =

9. Sample Project
Record an example video tutorial with the use of a script
Review file formats (.trec, .tscproj, .mp4) and organization process
Recommended editing workflow (save .tscproj, cut mistakes, zoom-n-pan, annotations/callouts, behaviors, audio ‘optional’)
Produce to shareable format
Tips and tricks along the way...
Project = “TechSmith Tutorials”

10. Editor – Recommended Workflow
Save .tscproj (located under the File menu)
Note: Autosave feature under Tools > Options menu
Cut out mistakes on timeline
Zoom-n-Pan
Add Annotations
Add Behaviors (optional)
Edit Audio (optional)
Remove noise, adjust volume levels, etc.
File > Save Project as… Save your project early so that it turns on the “Autosave” feature that will recover your video project if you have computer failure.
Edit > Preferences > Program Tab = Autosave every… “change 2 minutes to 1 minute”
Make a selection on the Timeline using the “Red” and “Green” tabs connected to the playhead. Click the scissors icon to ripple delete the selected media, and everything from the right will slide left on the Timeline.
Position the playhead on the Timeline where you want to zoom into your video. Add Zoom-n-Pan animations and adjust the amount of zoom at that point in the video. Continue adding Zoom-n-Pan animations as needed on the Timeline.
Annotations are layered on top of the video to help draw attention to specific content. You can customize each Callout and position it in the Preview Window…as well as control how long it’s visible by adjusting it on the Timeline.
Behaviors can be added to annotations or other image and video clips. Once added, edit the “In, During, and Out” properties if desired.
Audio Effects - drag and drop onto audio clips to adjust audio properties.
TIP: If you ever make a mistake while editing, or want to move back in time a few steps, the Undo button is a good friend to have. ;) It helps take the fear out of editing…since you can always Undo something if it doesn’t look quite right.

11. Record a PowerPoint Presentation Using the Camtasia Add-in Toolbar
Tutorial:
When you install Camtasia, one of the installation screens asks if you want to install the PowerPoint Add-in for Camtasia. If you say yes, a Record toolbar appears under the Add-ins Tab in PowerPoint. This allows you to record any of your PowerPoint Presentations without having to use the Camtasia Desktop Recorder. Once you finish recording your presentation, you are prompted to save it, and open it in the Camtasia Editor. You can then edit your recording just like any other video project, and produce it out to share with anyone.

12. Produce and Share
Any interactive features in your videos (quizzing, hotspots, closed-captions, table-of-contents) requires hosting on Screencast.com, or producing as an .MP4 with the Smart Player and hosting on your own website.
Host the SmartPlayer on your own Website (Blog post) -
When you’ve finished editing your video, click on the “Share” menu and select Local File... to launch the Production Wizard.
Production Wizard:
When you expand the drop-down menu in the Production Wizard, the top options are direct outputs to some cloud hosting services. If you select one of these and click “Next”, you will be prompted to login to your account on the next screen. Just follow the steps, and your video will render out and upload directly to your account…ready to share.
This section contains MP4 presets to quickly give you a produced file to share with others. You can choose to produce an “MP4 only” file, or an “MP4 with SmartPlayer”. The SmartPlayer is from TechSmith, and it allows any interactive features that you added to your video (i.e. Quizzing, Closed-Captions, Hotspots, and a Table-of-Contents) to playback correctly. This same SmartPlayer is what’s used on our Screencast.com service. For more information about the TechSmith SmartPlayer, you can visit these links.
Host the SmartPlayer on your own Website (Blog post) -
The Custom Production Settings option allows you to select a different file format other than MP4. It also walks you through how to customize the audio and video settings of your produced video.

13. Create a Table of Contents
Here is a 12-minute video tutorial that walks you through how to create a table of contents (TOC) for your Camtasia videos. Note: This was created for v8 of Camtasia, but the process is similar for v9.
(11:56)
Note: Utilizing the table of contents feature in your Camtasia videos requires hosting your video on Screencast.com, or producing as an .MP4 with the TechSmith Smart Player and hosting your video on your own website.

14. Continue the conversation
bit.ly/tscconversation

15. Additional Resources Camtasia tutorials Free product trials
Free product trials
TechSmith Fuse - mobile companion app for Snagit and Camtasia
*Education Pricing
$169 new purchase | $84.50 upgrade from earlier version

16. Let me know if I can help...
Ryan Eash | Learning and Development Specialist
TechSmith Corporation |
(517) x589 Desk | (252) Cell
Slides = bit.ly/camtasia321stemtech