TechSmith Camtasia Studio Reviewed
Computer Screen Recorder and Presentation Recording Software Review
Dec 17, 2008
Camtasia Studio from TechSmith is a complete presentation recording solution that allows the user to save streaming media from the internet by recording the computer screen, edit video and audio captures, and publish polished media in a number of file types for a wide variety of formats including youtube, iPhones and HD (High Definition) quality video.
Since its launch in 2002, Camtasia Studio has undergone many improvements to stability and functionality as TechSmith continue to keep abreast of user demands and improving screen capture technologies. Now on version 6, the latest Camtasia Studio update includes many advanced features while maintaining the user-friendly interface and simple workflow familiar to millions of Camtasia Studio users.
TechSmith Camtasia Studio Workflow
The Camtasia Studio workflow is started from the moment the program is launched, and consists of four fundamental elements:
- Record: Capture a specified area or the whole screen using the Camtasia Studio screen recorder.
- Edit and Enhance: Polish the captured video in the Camtasia Studio editing suite.
- Produce: Save the presentation to the required format.
- Share: Burn the finished product to disk, produce as a video or upload it to TechSmith's screencast.com hosting service at the click of a button.
This seemingly simple process belies the underlying complexity of the software, and the interface is elegantly designed to make the recording and editing process an intuitive software-led process.
AVI Screen Capture and More
One of the new functions in Camtasia Studio is the Project Settings feature. This allows the user to record media that will be prepared for a specific purpose, such as uploading to a blog or youtube, optimize for cd or dvd, or set custom dimensions for other purposes.
With custom settings, the finished recording can be saved to several different formats, including web-ready Flash MPEG-4 or SWF files, iPod-capable M4V files, Microsoft PowerPoint PPT files, and industry-standard file types such as AVI, RealMedia, QuickTime MOV and audio MP3 files.
Presentation Recording Made Easy
Camtasia Studio has the added feature to liven up presentations and videos using Flash hotspots and callouts. Callouts are attention-drawing graphic symbols that can spotlight an area of a recording using animated pointers, highlights and speech bubbles which are added with a simple drag-and-drop operation.
Flash hotspots add interactivity to a movie. Flash hotspots can be used to:
- Allow viewers to open a website page from a link within the movie.
- Allow viewers to rewatch a section of the presentation.
- Enable downloads from within the movie.
- Navigate through different sections of the recording.
Camtasia Review Summary
While there are cheaper screen recorder software alternatives, such as HyperCam or Mr Captor, there is no desktop recording program on the market that approaches the functionality of Camtasia Studio. Stable, user-friendly and well-supported by TechSmith, Camtasia Studio offers a full recording and editing environment that utterly justifies the retail price of $299 per seat.
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