Make Your Own Training Videos with Camtasia Studio
If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to train users on software (and who isn’t these days?), consider Camtasia Studio, screen recording software from TechSmith. (Price: $299)
Camtasia is easy to learn and fun to use. You simply record what’s happening on the screen as you speak the narration into a microphone. Depending on the length of the video, it’s often easier to record small chunks of your video at a time and then stitch them together during editing. When you edit the video, it’s easy to pan and zoom smoothly, so you can focus on the parts of the screen that are important. During editing, you can also add titles and transitions, edit the audio track, etc.
After you have recorded and edited the video, you can produce it in several different formats—Flash video, AVI file, MOV file or even a YouTube compatible format. You can also produce the video optimized for viewing on an iPod, iPhone or blog.
We have begun preparing instructional videos for some of our clients. For example, one of our clients, Diversity Resources, produces a beautiful online multicultural diversity calendar annually. The calendar has a lot of functionality that some customers might never discover, so we created a video tour of its features. You can check this out here.
We have also produced some instructional videos on Microsoft Outlook. Take a look at these examples:
Creating a Distribution List in Outlook
Creating a Signature in Outlook
Creating E-mail Folders
Creating Rules in Outlook
Using Flags in Outlook
If you want to try it out, TechSmith offers a fully-functional trial copy that works for 30 days. You can download it here.
If you are interested in producing some instructional videos for your users and need some help, please give us a call. We can produce the videos for you, or we can teach you how to use Camtasia, if you prefer. We hope to be adding some group Camtasia classes to our next schedule.