The Logical Blog by IconLogic

TechSmith Camtasia Studio: The Clip Bin and The Library

by Kevin Siegel   

As you add assets to your Camtasia Studio project (such as images, animations, and audio), those assets appear in the Clip Bin.

 

 

Once objects appear in the Clip Bin, you can add them to the Timeline by simply dragging and dropping. (Or you can right-click a Clip Bin object and add it to the Timeline at the Playhead position.) Each Camtasia project contains its own Clip Bin and the Clip Bin moves with the project as you back up the project to a server or other drive.

Unfortunately, you cannot share assets found in one project's Clip Bin with another project. That's where the Library comes in.

 

 

If you need to use project assets over and over, consider adding those assets to the Library. Once an asset is added to the Library, the asset is available to any Camtasia project on your computer.

 

When I teach Camtasia, I'm almost always surprised to learn that even veteran Camtasia developers ignore the awesome array of assets available in the Library. (Or perhaps they just didn't know about the Library's role.) Sure some of the music and effects can be a bit, shall we say, corny, but there's plenty of stuff you can really use in your projects. The assets are free from copyright restrictions so check them out. (As with Clip Bin assets, you can add them to the Timeline by dragging or right-clicking. And you can preview a Library asset by double-clicking... the asset will display in the Preview window at the right.)

 

If you cannot find a Library asset that you like, don't give up. TechSmith provides access to several additional assets online... free. In the image above, did you notice the Get more media link? If you click the link, you'll be taken to a TechSmith site where you can download a ton of additional Library Media. Did I mention it was all free?

 

 

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Looking to learn all things eLearning? Check out these live, online eLearning mini-courses (including a 3-hour introduction to Camtasia).

TechSmith Camtasia Studio 8: A Stitch in Time

by Kevin Siegel   

 

If you select portions of a video clip on the Camtasia Studio Timeline and cut, you have historically ended up with multiple clips. At that point, it's possible to drag the split portions on the Timeline as needed or apply Visual effects. What you cannot do with multiple clips is apply an effect that spans multiple splits. I've always found that shortcoming to be an annoyance when working with Camtasia.

 

Fortunately, TechSmith addressed the issue in Camtasia 8 with a feature known as Stitching.

 

Stitching is enabled by default. You can confirm this by choosing Tools > Options. Select the Program tab and ensure that Enable auto-stitching is selected.

 

 

 

With Stitching enabled, I've selected a portion of a video on my Timeline and Cut it.

 

 

 

When cutting content in older versions of Camtasia, the cut portion of the video would be replaced by a split (two video segments). In Camtasia 8, instead of multiple segments you'll see a stitch between what would normally be two segments. 

 

 

 

And here is where the Stitch feature pays dividends: I added an animation at the beginning of a video. In the image below, you can see that I've actually stretched the animation across the stitch itself (something that isn't possible when you're working with splits). 

 

 

 

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Looking to learn all things eLearning? Check out these live, online eLearning mini-courses (including a 3-hour introduction to Camtasia).

TechSmith Camtasia Studio: MenuMaker

by Kevin Siegel

After producing your Camtasia projects, the net result is a collection of independent web files, scripts, videos and other assets. If you are looking to group multiple Camtasia projects together to create a single course, you'll need to upload the lessons to Screencast.com, YouTube, or a Learning Management System. But if you want to create a website that includes a menu of your lessons, you will need to get a webmaster involved... someone who can create a website that links to all of the produced files that make up your course.

 

If you don't have access to a webmaster, Camtasia MenuMaker will prove invaluable. MenuMaker packages documents, graphics, multimedia files and videos all into a single menu intended to be placed onto a CD-ROM, DVD or other type of drive.

 

Before creating a menu, produce two or more Camtasia projects as videos.

To create a menu, open a Camtasia project and choose Tools > Studio tools > Camtasia MenuMaker. From within the MenuMaker Wizard, select Create a new project using the Wizard and click the OK button.



Next you can choose a Template for your menu. After selecting a Template, click Next.



Find and open your produced videos (in the image below, I've added three videos to my menu).



On the final screen, give your menu a title and click Finish to create the menu.



And that's it! Of course, if you want to control the look of the menu, there are plenty of things you can do to customize it... but that's a story for next week.

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If you'd like to learn more about eLearning, come hang out in my next eLearning basics mini course. And if you'd like to learn more Captivate, Presenter, or Storyline, we've got a great collection of live, online classes for you.

TechSmith Camtasia: Recording Effects

by Kevin Siegel   

When Camtasia developers need to add attention-grabbing visual affects to a software demonstration created using the Camtasia Recorder, the work is typically accomplished by editing the recording in Camtasia Studio. However, using Camtasia's Effects Toolbar, you can add several attention-grabbing visuals while you are recording your video.

Start the Camtasia Recorder. Enable the Effects toolbar by choosing Tools > Recording toolbars and selecting Effects (click the OK button to close the Recording toolbars dialog box).

 

 

Create a video by clicking the Rec button on the Camtasia Recorder.
After the 3-2-1 countdown, the Effects tools appear on the Recording toolbar.

 

Select the ScreenDraw tool to display different Drawing tools. You can select from among frames, lines, highlights, ellipses and even a pen.

 

At this point, you can use the tools to draw all kinds of shapes on the screen (at the same time that you're creating the video).

 

 

Note: You can erase all of the screen drawings by once again clicking the ScreenDraw tool.

 

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If you'd like to learn more about eLearning, come hang out in my next eLearning basics mini course. And if you'd like to learn more Captivate, Presenter, or Storyline, we've got a great collection of live, online classes for you. 

Camtasia Studio: Animations Made Easy

by Kevin Siegel   

When I teach Camtasia, one of the activities that garners the largest "that's cool" factor is how easy it is to animate any object. During class, we not only animate an object, we get it to grow and rotate while it's flying around the screen. Sound awesome? Here's how to do it:

Insert an object onto the Camtasia stage (you can animate anything... in the image below I've added a rectangle callout, added a bit of text and positioned it in the middle of the stage).

 

Extend the playtime for the object so it sticks around for a bit (right-click the object on the Timeline and choose Duration).  In the image below, I have extended the duration for my callout to 20 seconds.

 

Now for the fun part, to animate the object, position the playhead as far left on the Timeline as it will go.

 

Ensure the object you want to animate is selected and choose Tools > Visual Properties. On the Visual Properties panel, click the Add animation button.

 

On the Timeline, the selected object now sports a blue circle. The blue circle is an animation's starting point.

 

On the Stage, drag the object left to remove it temporarily from the stage.

 

On the Timeline, position the Playhead 5 or 10 seconds to the right of the first blue circle.  

 

On the Stage, ensure that the object is still selected and click the Add animation button on the Visual Properties panel to add a second blue circle to the Timeline.

 

On the Stage, drag the object to the middle of the Stage.

 

In the images below, I've added a third animation (and then, on the Stage, I dragged my object to a third position... and I resized and rotated it to boot... if you're following along, you can add as many or few animations to the Timeline as you like).

 

 

To test the animation, rewind the video and then click the Play button on the Video Preview playbar. 

 

Go ahead, say it... that's pretty cool! If you'd like to see a video demonstration of adding animations to a Camtasia project, check out the IconLogic YouTube channel.

 

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If you'd like to learn more about eLearning, come hang out in my next eLearning basics mini course. And if you'd like to learn about Camtasia, Captivate, Presenter, or Storyline, we've got a great collection of live, online classes for you. 

Learning and Development: Effective Videos, Part 2

by Matthew Pierce  

In last week's article about creating effective eLearning videos, I wrote about video viewership and the ideal length for a video. This week, it's all about keeping viewers interested and the best information to present.

 

Keeping viewers interested

One of the prime reasons that viewers turn off to video is because the delivery of content doesn't engage or appears as boring. The TechSmith Viewer study dug into what makes content uninteresting. There are many ways to be considered boring, just a few of them include: 

• A dull or monotonous speaker
• Content is by nature boring
• The pace of delivery is too slow
• The information is a repeat from earlier delivery of material
• A bad approach has been decided and taken

Overcoming some of these hurdles can be challenging. Audiences can be subjective and depending on your audience size, you may need to determine what is the least problematic approach, without letting the video become too generalized or plain--which will also cause viewers to stop watching.

 

What is the best information to present?

 

Some participants in the study indicated that they actually wanted different information from what was provided in the videos they had seen. This can be subjective as we can't always deliver what they want versus what they need, but we should keep in mind that viewers, especially learners, do tend to have a good gauge of whether the information achieved its objectives. When viewers wanted different information, we found that they were missing details. If the content was instructional in nature, they found there wasn't enough step-by-step instruction. Also, on many occasions the content of the video was not accurately reflected in the description, which can lead the viewer down the frustrating path of starting a video only to discover that it doesn't meet their needs.

 

Finally, viewers indicated that instructional and informational videos were not specific enough. It's easy as a content creator to assume how much any one of your viewers may already know. And since it can be difficult to pre-assess knowledge and deliver just what is needed, testing and being open to feedback from your audience is critical to success.

 

Conclusion

 

As we move into a digital era where video content is becoming king, technical communicators need to find a fine balance between creating videos that achieve their purpose and understanding how their viewers will best consume their content. One cannot exist without the other.

 

The best video will be created by a person who has considered the content, how it is delivered, the amount of details, and even the amount of time to ensure it does not fall flat with viewers. In comparison to entertaining videos, instructional and informational videos need to work a little bit harder to win over audiences; but through a variety of settings, and interesting approaches viewers can stick to your content like glue.

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If you'd like to learn more about eLearning, check out IconLogic's eLearning basics mini course. And if you'd like to learn TechSmith Camtasia Studio, Adobe Captivate, Adobe Presenter, or Articulate Storyline, we've got a great collection of live, online classes for you.

See also:  Learning and Development: Effective Videos, Part 1

Learning and Development: What Makes Videos Effective?

by Matthew Pierce  

 

When you think of what a trainer or instructional designer (ID) does, the first thing that comes to mind is probably not video communication. Nevertheless, video is becoming a larger and more important piece of their workload. While it is still not so common that they will need to work with video daily, it is beginning to have more impact on their daily lives; ID's and trainers will now need to be ready to create videos for their work. 

Because video is growing in usage for the learning and development space, TechSmith Corporation wanted to better understand what makes a great video. If you can determine the attributes that make a video great, perhaps you can reverse engineer those pieces and apply them to your own videos. TechSmith's Viewer Research Study comprised 1900 participants from a variety of roles and industries including financial services, education, government, healthcare, manufacturing, software design and development, and more. The majority of participants fell within the age range of 25 to 64.



Because there are different purposes for videos, questions were asked to help determine what type of video they were thinking of during the research. The types of video were narrowed down to three: Entertainment, Informational, and Instructional. For our purpose, we focused our research on learning from those who were considering informational and instructional video. 

Let the Experiments Begin 

Among the key learning of the research, there are lessons that everyone who is considering creating a video should consider, which when applied will help guide us to creating better and more effective visual content. Like all research, I invite you to run your own experiments and validate the research in your environment and for your particular audience. 

Video Viewership 

With the rise of YouTube, Vimeo, and other video sharing sites, the amount of video being consumed on the web is increasing. According to a report from Cisco, online video users are expected to double to 1.5 billion in 2016. While a lot of video viewership will be focused on entertainment and its increasing ubiquity, not all of it will be. Some portion will be focused on information delivery and instruction. As video viewing increases, there are points you should understand about how to create better videos, which will allow for better engagement and enable you to achieve your end goals. 

Some of the results of the study give insight into viewer habits, which may help you make sure you shape the learner experience. For instance, instructional and information videos are watched most in the morning and the evening. This could indicate that viewers are watching when they feel they have time. This leads to asking, what does the information delivery need that will allow the viewer to get the most from the information? 

Importance of video length 

For a number of years, I have taught people that videos need to be short, concise, and probably no more than three minutes in length. I have found that while this is still the case, it didn't take into consideration what viewers wanted. 

The data from the research indicates that for instructional and informational videos a higher percentage of viewers actually prefer longer videos (with the range varying between four to fifteen minutes in length). When looking at those that were flagged as good or great videos, the length of instructional and informational videos can sometimes be up to 10 minutes in length.



The length of the video may seem surprising; but with more context, it is understandable why a viewer would prefer a longer video. Think about the information you might want to deliver or something you would want to teach; it can be often difficult to condense that information down to a one to three minute video. In addition, other data points indicate that viewers want the right information that will guide and direct them. If the video has too little or too much, they aren't going to want to view it. While it's a difficult balance to achieve, you can solve the problem by asking appropriate questions. You need to understand the problem, and what information or instruction will help to provide the solution.

A number of survey participants indicated that they stopped watching a video because it was not the expected information, the wrong topic, boring, or uninteresting content.



As you start creating videos, remember you have flexibility in the length; but if you provide too much information that is not directly helpful or relevant, the video will be less effective.

Next week: Keeping viewers interested, and the best information to present.

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If you'd like to learn more about eLearning, check out IconLogic's eLearning basics mini course. And if you'd like to learn TechSmith Camtasia Studio, Adobe Captivate, Adobe Presenter, or Articulate Storyline, we've got a great collection of live, online classes for you.

See also: What Makes Videos Effective, Part 2

eLearning: Adding Videos to eLearning... The Results

by Kevin Siegel   

 

Last week's poll about how eLearning developers work with the storage demands of video in eLearning garnered several responses. Here are the results:

Which eLearning development tool do you use the most?

• Adobe Captivate
• Adobe Presenter
• Articulate Storyline
• Articulate Presenter
• TechSmith Camtasia Studio
• Other (please specify)

While many developers use two or more of the tools listed above, the majority of respondents use Adobe Captivate the most (56%). Second was Camtasia Studio (24%) followed by Articulate Storyline (16%).

When adding video to your project, which option are you using?

• Video stored on your computer or network
• Your corporate media server (or a server you created on your own)
• A media service
• Other (please specify)

Most developers (54%) store the videos on their computer or server. Media service placed second (38%).  

If you set up your own media server, tell us your story. Specifically, what hardware and software did you use? What did it cost to set up?

Top comments about this question: "Previously attempted to do this with Adobe's Flash Media Server but it was too complicated and expensive. Did Windows Media Streaming as it came with Windows Server years ago. Generally due to cost, I have customer setup private Vimeo account and stream from there. We're getting a beefy streaming service setup (Kaltura)."

"We have a central server for our L&D team, run by operations."

"IT set-up MediaMill for us... and we set-up YouTube channels."

If you're using a media service, which one are you using?

Top responses:

• Amazon 
• YouTube
• Kaltura

Respondents were able to select any or all of the options above. Most selected the first two (creating or including videos feature themselves/talking head or video of industry-related tasks). Plenty of people also said that they use video of a demo already created in an eLearning authoring tool.

Fundamentals of Designing and Developing Cost-Effective eLearning

When: September 22-25
Where: McCormick Place, Chicago (Part of the Online Learning Conference Certification program)

There are multiple tools available that will let you create compelling eLearning content including Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, TechSmith Camtasia Studio, and Adobe Presenter. But which tool is the best, most affordable option for your needs?

Once you select your eLearning tool, what's next? How do you get started creating your first eLearning content? Once you start, how long is it going to take you to finish? What's the real cost for your effort? Are there hidden costs? How will you be able to measure the effectiveness of your eLearning?

Join IconLogic's Kevin Siegel for an intense, tool-agnostic, hands-on workshop where you'll get a jump start on  building your first eLearning course.

Among other things, you'll learn:

• Strategies for building effective eLearning
• The eLearning development process
• How to create an eLearning script and/or storyboard
• How to get started on creating eLearning content using Captivate, Storyline, Camtasia or Presenter

More information.

eLearning: Adobe Captivate and Microsoft PowerPoint

by Kevin Siegel   

What came first, the chicken or the egg? Wait... before answering that, let's rework that classic question with this: what comes first, the eLearning or the PowerPoint presentation?

When developing eLearning, the content is often created in Microsoft PowerPoint first. I'm not going to get into what it takes to create visually compelling PowerPoint presentations (we have a mini course for that). Instead, I'm going to show you how to take existing PowerPoint content and quickly re-purpose it for eLearning.

Earlier this year I wrote an article teaching you how to take PowerPoint content and create eLearning using either TechSmith Camtasia Studio or Adobe Presenter. Over the next two weeks, I'm going to show you how to use your PowerPoint content in Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline.

Adobe Captivate and PowerPoint

You can import PowerPoint slides into an existing Captivate project or create a new project that uses the PowerPoint slides. During the import process, Captivate includes the ability to create a link between a Captivate project and PowerPoint presentation. Using this workflow, any changes made to the original PowerPoint presentation can be reflected in the Captivate project.

 

Note: Microsoft PowerPoint must be installed on your computer before you can import PowerPoint presentations into Captivate. Also, the ability to import PowerPoint presentations isn't new. In fact, Captivate has supported PowerPoint imports for years. If you're using a legacy version of Captivate (even version 4 and 5), the steps below will work for you just fine.

To create a new project from a PowerPoint presentation, choose File > New Project > Project From MS PowerPoint and open the PowerPoint presentation. 

The Convert PowerPoint Presentations dialog box opens, offering a few controls over how the presentation is imported.

 

The On mouse click option adds a click box to each Captivate slide. The other available option, Automatically, results in Captivate slides that, when viewed by a learner, automatically move from slide to slide every three seconds. At the lower right of the dialog box, there are options for High Fidelity and Linked.

 

During a standard import process, PowerPoint pptx presentations are first converted to the ppt format and then converted to SWF. If you select High Fidelity, the import process takes native pptx files directly to Captivate SWF (the ppt conversion is skipped). This option, which is available only in Captivate for Windows, results in the best-looking content in Captivate, but it takes much longer to complete the import process. 

 

The Linked option creates a link between the PowerPoint presentation and the new Captivate project. The link allows you to open the PowerPoint presentation from within Captivate. Additionally, any changes made externally to the PowerPoint presentation can be reflected in the Captivate project with a few mouse clicks. 

 

After the PowerPoint slides are imported into Captivate, you can add Captivate objects such as captions, highlight boxes, or animations. 

 

 

If you need to edit the PowerPoint slides, choose Edit > Edit with Microsoft PowerPoint > Edit Presentation. The Presentation will open in a window that can best be described as a union between Captivate and PowerPoint. If you've used PowerPoint before, you will recognize the familiar PowerPoint interface. 

There are two buttons you wouldn't normally see if you opened the presentation directly in PowerPoint: the Save and Cancel buttons at the upper left of the window. Once you have edited the PowerPoint slides, click the Save button and the changes will appear in the Captivate project.

If the PowerPoint presentation has been edited outside of Captivate, (perhaps your subject matter expert is adding or removing content from the presentation) you can still get the changes. Choose Window > Library. On the Library, notice that there is a Status column.

A red button will indicate that the PowerPoint slides within the Captivate project are no longer synchronized with the PowerPoint presentation. A simple click on the red button will update the Captivate slides.

  

Next week: Articulate Storyline and PowerPoint.

 

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Looking for instructor-led training on Adobe Captivate? Check out our live, online, instructor-led Captivate classes.