If you have already created a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint, it's very easy to re-purpose the presentation as eLearning content using either TechSmith Camtasia Studio or Adobe Presenter. Here is how the workflow compares in both tools.
TechSmith Camtasia Studio 8 and PowerPoint
To migrate PowerPoint presentations to Camtasia Studio projects, and then eLearning, you'll need to first install Camtasia Studio and, when prompted, install the Camtasia recording features for PowerPoint. Once installed, the Camtasia recording features are added to PowerPoint's Ribbon (on the Add-Ins tab).
To migrate a PowerPoint presentation into a new Camtasia Studio project, click the Record button (shown above). The PowerPoint presentation opens as a slide show and you click through and narrate the presentation just like you would for a live audience.
When you're finished working through the presentation, press the [escape] key on your keyboard. The recording process stops and a video of the entire presentation is created.
The video automatically opens in Camtasia Studio and is inserted on the Timeline. All you have to do at this point is use the excellent tools found in the Studio to enhance the video as you see fit. (Using Camtasia, you can add callouts, images, audio, Flash hotspots, animations, and even a quiz.)
Once you've finished enhancing the video in Camtasia, you need only choose Produce and Share so your eLearning lesson can be consumed by your learners. During the Produce and Share process, you can output SWFs, MP4 videos, and HTML5-compliant output (allowing the content to be usable on mobile devices such as the Apple iPad).
TechSmith also provides a nifty, free publishing portal known as
Screencast.com. You can post your Camtasia output to Screencast.com for easy learner access.
While the Camtasia to PowerPoint workflow is simple, there is one drawback. During the Camtasia Recording process, it's as if a video camera was pointed at your display. If your timing is off as you click through the presentation, you'll likely need to stop the recording process and start again.
Once the video is added to a Camtasia project, you can perform some simple edits to the video. For instance, you can split the video into multiple segments, and you can crop segments. However, if there's a major problem with the video (perhaps you forgot to click something during the recording process), you'll pretty much need to remove the existing video from the Camtasia Timeline and re-record.
Adobe Presenter 9 and PowerPoint
When working with Adobe Presenter and PowerPoint, there really isn't anything to migrate. After installing Presenter on your computer, the Adobe Presenter tools are integrated with the PowerPoint Ribbon (on the Adobe Presenter tab). Below are the individual tool groups you'll find on the Adobe Presenter tab.
As with Camtasia, you'll use the Presenter tools to add audio, images, videos, and a quiz. Once you're finished, you'll use the Presentation group on the Adobe Presenter group to Publish the Presentation as either a SWF or PDF. (While you can also publish SWFs using Camtasia, you cannot produce a PDF.)
While it might seem like there are more tools on the Adobe Presenter tab when compared with Camtasia Studio, keep in mind that Camtasia creates a recording of the PowerPoint presentation, and then you end up in a new Camtasia project. Once you're working in Camtasia Studio, there are far more tools and options than you'll find on the Adobe Presenter tab.
Summary
I love using both Camtasia Studio and Adobe Presenter. One could argue which of the two tools is better for creating eLearning. If you're starting an eLearning project from scratch (and not using PowerPoint), Camtasia, combined with its suite of tools, is likely going to be your tool of choice. (Although Presenter does come with a nifty standalone tool called Adobe Presenter Video Creator. The tool makes quick work out of recording screen actions similar to Camtasia's Recorder tool.)
If PowerPoint is your eLearning starting point, the advantage has to go to Adobe Presenter. Since the Presenter tools are simply an Add-In to PowerPoint's powerful presentation tools, assuming you know how to use PowerPoint, you only need to learn what the specific tools on the Adobe Presenter group do to create compelling, interactive eLearning. By contrast, once the PowerPoint video is taken into Camtasia, you'll need to be pretty comfortable with the Camtasia Studio interface to produce your video.
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I watched a documentary the other day featuring a number of interviews with different speakers. When each speaker appeared for the first time, text displayed near the bottom of the screen to identify the person being interviewed. In fact, when that person appeared again later in the film, the text appeared again briefly to remind the audience who was talking. When you create a self-video with Adobe Presenter Video Express, you can do the exact same thing to identify yourself.
