REFLECTION OF CAMTASIA STUDIO 6 DEVELOPMENT
Another project that had been assigned to us is Camtasia Studio. This is a group assignment where we have to develop an on-screen record tutorial. It is either voice record only / webcam + voice record or on screen PowerPoint. The idea is to be to show exactly what's on your screen to anyone, anywhere. Imagine it’s that easy! We have decided to choose the ‘on-screen record tutorial’ where we are showing the tutorial of how to make ‘Picasa Tutorial’ using Camtasia Studio 6. The tutorial is not only does the recording process but it also allows us to edit and add up some very cool features such as callouts. Smartfocus features are also available either automatically/manually where it will auto focus according to our mouse movements. It’s actually rather hard to do this if your mouse keeps on moving all over the page. However, the Camtasia project has increased my knowledge and skill in information and communication technology.
What is Camtasia Studio?
Camtasia Studio is a screen video capture program, published by TechSmith. The user defines the area of the screen or the window that is to be captured before recording begins; it is also possible to capture the entire screen area. You can also talk, and use a videocam.
CONTENT PRODUCTION
1) Recording
The presenter carries out all steps of the demonstration in sequence and is able to jump from one application to another without interrupting the recording process. The presenter is able to stop recording with a hotkey combination at any time, at which point the software renders the input that has been captured, and applies user-defined settings, such as when and how to display the cursor. Newer versions of Camtasia offer the option to draw a circle around the cursor whenever the mouse is clicked, to better illustrate the actions of the presenter.
2) Post-production
After the presentation has been captured, the presenter is able to revise it by cutting and/or pasting different parts, as needed. In addition, the presenter is also able to overlay their voice, as well as sound effects or music onto the presentation. Camtasia allows audio recording while screen-capturing is in progress, so the presenter can narrate the demonstration as it is carried out. Most presenters, however, prefer to wait until they have finished the screen-capture, and then record the narration from a script as the application is playing back the recorded capture.
3) Deployment
The program allows files to be stored in its own proprietary format, which is only readable by Camtasia itself; this format allows for fairly small file sizes, even for longer presentations. Camtasia also allows the generated video stream to be exported to common video formats which can be read by most computers, even if the Camtasia software is not installed, such as MPEG-2 or MPEG-4.
4) Reviews
Long rendering times and excessive consumption of system resources during production are cited as some of Camtasia Studio's shortcomings, especially for older versions. PC World described Camtasia Studio as "the premier screencasting tool", which, though "powerful," can be "a little overwhelming at the start".In an evaluation of Camtasia Studio 6, IT Reviews commented that it made "producing professional screen tutorials much more convenient than before."
