This document provides guidance on using Camtasia software to create instructional videos. It recommends keeping videos short at 5 minutes or less, maintaining visual interest with images and webcam video, and preparing for recordings by scheduling time, minimizing distractions, and testing equipment. Basic editing options like trimming clips, adding titles, and saving finished videos as web-friendly MP4 files are also outlined. The overall document serves as a quick start guide for planning, recording, and basic editing in Camtasia.

1. Camtasia 101:
A Piece of Cake!
Anne McKinney
College of Business eLearning

2. Effective Practices: Planning a Video
Lecture
Keep lectures Maintain
short visual interest
Show your face in
5 minutes or less:
a webcam pop-
optimal
out
Better to have six
5-minute videos Use images in
than one 30- PowerPoint slides
minute video

3. General Recording Prep Check
Schedule a time free from distraction
• Reserve at least an hour
• Shut the door, set Lync to “busy”
Minimize background noises
• Phones & other gadgets
• Children, pets
If using a webcam
• Lighting in front of you (not behind)
• Check for distraction in the background

4. Screencasting Prep
Make a short test
Close all windows
Cue browser to recording to
but the ones you
the right page(s) avoid wasting a
will demonstrate
good lecture

5. Recording from PowerPoint
You can record a PowerPoint lecture by using the
PowerPoint add-in or by recording a screencast in Camtasia.
• In PowerPoint, go to the Add-Ins tab.
• Be sure to click the microphone icon or else you will not
be able to record sound.
Once you start recording, you will not see a
pause or stop button. Instead, write down the
relevant hotkeys on scratch paper to make the
recording process easier.

6. Recording the Screen from Camtasia
Select a screen Make sure Audio Record
size is on • Wait for the
• Choose Full Screen • Green check is countdown to
for the easiest start recording
recording
marked on the mic
icon • Press Stop or F10
• Custom sizes like when finished
640x360 give better • Speak into your mic
resolution for Excel to test the audio
text, but less work
space

7. Preview Screen
When you stop Press Play to Save As to edit, or
recording, a preview the Delete and start
Preview window screencast. over
will pop up.
THIS IS NOT A FINISHED VIDEO YET!
Move on to the Editing process…

8. Producing Your Video
If you like your video as-is without any
editing, click the Produce and Share
button at the top of the Editing window.
This opens the Production Wizard.
Save your video as an .mp4 file for the
Web.
Give it a title and click Finish.

9. Basic Editing Options: Timeline
This shows the length of your video and allows
you to select specific points for editing.
The Playhead
controls the
timeline.
Gray shows a
specific time.
The Green and red
boxes can be
moved to select a
segment.

10. Basic Editing: Trimming the Timeline
Remove a section of the video by adjusting the
green and red boxes to the beginning and end of
the section you want to delete, then click on the
scissors icon.
Red box moved Click on the
to select the scissors icon to
beginning of cut this section
the clip from the video

11. Basic Editing: Adding Title Clips
A Title Clip adds a basic slide of
text to your video for a few
seconds.
• Move the gray Playhead
button to the spot where you
want to place a title.
• Click the Title Clip button
and +Add title clip.

12. Saving Your Video
Camtasia’s Click the
default is to Produce and
Save As a share button
ALWAYS save .camproj file
your video as • Follow the
• This filetype is Production
an .mp4 file! Wizard steps to
only viewable
in Camtasia. save as an .mp4
for the web.
Boo!

13. Resources
• Learn how to do more with Camtasia Tutorials
– http://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-camtasia.html
• Photo credit
– Camtasia Cake: Creative Commons photo via Flickr
by Betsy Weber