TechSmith Camtasia Studio 6

When it comes to showing someone how to use a computer, a picture is worth a thousand words and a demonstration is far more effective than reading or listening to an explanation. TechSmith’s Camtasia Studio is software that records what’s happening on your screen so you can make it into a video. You can see the software in action by viewing our clip at http://tinyurl.com/ie8clip.

Features:
The main thrust of the software is to let you record what’s happening on your screen so you can turn the result into a video file, but this is the least of what the program is capable of. For example, you can edit the finished video from within Camtasia, taking out any bits you don’t like or adding more. There are also lots of post-production effects, so you can zoom in, pan around, add text and graphics – the sky’s the limit.

Performance:
It’s the screen capture that’s most impressive. Before you start, you can decide which areas of the screen you want to capture, whether it’s the whole lot, a single window or a predetermined size. To make things more dynamic, you can then zoom in and out of the area, though this can be done later in the editing section so it’s not something you have to necessarily think about while you’re recording. Finally, save the file in one of a handful of video formats for putting on the web or burning to disc.

Ease of use:
The capture process is incredibly simple but editing is a little more complex – if you haven’t used video-editing software before, you’re in at the deep end and it’s not particularly intuitive. But take the time to learn the basics, along with some keyboard shortcuts, and you’ll be up and running pretty quickly.

Value for money:
You need to really want to make videos of your Desktop before you nip out and spend this much money on Camtasia Studio. Having said that, it’s not as expensive as a lot of ‘professional’-level software out there and remains within the reach of an enthusiastic amateur.