January 26

Video Editing Software: Camtasia Studio

 

camtasia video editing

 

Camtasia Studio is one of the most popularly recommended video editing software programs.

For what it is, Camtasia is a great program BUT (and this is a very BIG BUT) it is absolutely NOT the right software for MOST video editing projects, although it has gotten more robust over the years.

To hear some people recommend it though, you get the impression that Camtasia Studio is the be-all and end-all for video editing.

It’s NOT.

A question from a reader the other day really drove this home.  He is in the cooking niche, and he wanted to produce a cooking show, kind of like Emeril.  He bought a bunch of video equipment, including Camtasia for editing.   Problem is, for him, Camtasia is essentially worthless.

Why?

Camtasia was designed to make screen capture videos.  This means that the main function of the software is the ability to record whatever is on your computer screen.  Let’s say you want to make a video tutorial about how to use a computer application.  Camtasia will allow you to record screenshots of the application when it is open on your computer.  You can demonstrate how the software works using these screenshots.  You can add audio, transitions and titles.

It’s also good for making videos out of PowerPoint slides.

But my reader who wanted to edit his cooking show was out of luck because Camtasia is NOT designed to edit an entire show out of video you shoot with a regular video camcorder.  It is primarily a screen capture program.

You can add a little bit of camera video, but it is recommended that you use that video as a small inset, a picture-in-picture (PIP) display.  In this way, the video shot with a camera video is designed to be an adjunct to the screen capture video.   The screen capture video (or PowerPoint video) makes up the bulk of your show.

If you want to make a show out of video you shoot with a standard video camcorder, then you really need a standard video editing program, like Windows Movie Maker, Sony Vegas, Adobe Premier or Final Cut, to name just a few.

Those video editing programs are for editing camera video.  Unlike Camtasia, they can not record a screen capture shot.  So if you wanted to show your computer screen in a video you are editing with Windows Movie Maker, you would either have to use a jpeg or you would need to videotape your computer screen using a video camera and then capture that video into Movie Maker in the same way you captured your vacation video.  Or, you could use Camtasia to record the screen capture and then import that into your other software.

Whether Camtasia is right for you depends entirely on what kind of video you want to make.  Is your video going to be full of computer screen shots or is it going to be full of video you took at the beach?

Camtasia is good software, please do not get me wrong. For what it does, it’s great and getting  better all the time.  Its maker, TechSmith, is improving it all the time and adding more standard video editing features.  The program has come an awfully long way since I first used it about five years ago.  BUT, the fact remains that it is primarily for screen capture and screen capture might not be the style of video you want to make.

BUT, if you want to edit videos that consist primarily of video you take with your camcorder, i.e. live action video, then you need something other than Camtasia.  Even as Camtasia becomes more robust, the fact remains that it is primarily a screen capture program.  Standard video editing programs are going to give you much more creative control while editing.  The differences between the two types are pretty big.

I felt real sorry for my reader the chef, who completely misunderstood this vital distinction before he bought his video editing software.  $300 is a lot to waste when many free programs would have served him better.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips

Lorraine Grula

 


Tags

camtasia, Camtasia Studio, camtasia video editing, is camtasia video editing software right for me, screen capture video editing, video editing software, video editing software programs


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  1. Enjoyed the article. Yes people do have to be aware of the products they purchase. This is true whether you’re buying a pair of shoes or purchaseing a car. If you don’t do the proper shopping you just may not get what you bargined for. As far a Camtasia goes is use it alot and find it to be a very good product for screen capture videos. However I am a bit disappointed in an occasional crash that can cause you to loose some of your edits if you did not save them before going to production. Just one tip here save your work frequently.

  2. Hi Woody.

    Camtasia is great for what it does. It just doesn’t do everything as some people are led to believe.
    I just made 7 camtasia videos the other day, in one day! Output like that is amazing. 7 videos shot and edited in one day. Wow! You could never in a million years crank them out that fast if it was not a screen capture video. Screen capture video is very easy once you know how to do it.
    I agree with you about saving your work frequently. That is a good tip no matter what video editing program you are using.
    I have had Final Cut crash on me so much I am now in the habit of saving every 5-10 minutes. Seriously. It just takes a second and there is nothing worse than re-editing hours worth of work you thought you had finished! “FINAL CUT PRO HAS UNEXPECTEDLY QUIT” are words to cry by!
    Thanks for reading video production tips.
    Lorraine

  3. I find the comments interesting since I have just been working with a free copy of Camtasia 3 to edit a video I took with my Camcorder. Absolute amature with both the cam corder and camtasia. Have spent hours not being sure what I am doing (68 years old) What would be the difference between what I have done and editing with Windows Movie Maker when it comes to uploading to You Tube. Also if you follow the suggestions when “producing” it refers to FLV and sharing on the web. Where would it go on the web. I also need to tie any touristy video I produce to my URL with a link back to my website. Is that possible?

  4. Second question is, what do they mean by Camtasia Studio 7 bundle … pretty pricey and it also offers an upgrade for US$149.50. What would that give me? Can’t seem to get answers for these questions on the wevia Google.

  5. Hi Jack.
    Sounds like you have done a great job teaching yourself camtasia. To answer your questions, there is no difference as far as uploading to YouTube. Once you are done with a video, no matter what program you edited it on, you can upload it to YouTube assuming it is in one of the many standard formats that YouTube accepts. (flv, mov, mpeg4, wmv, etc.)
    Where you put it on the web depends on which hosting solution you have decided upon. YouTube offers free hosting so many people go with that. However, you will not have total control over your videos and YouTube has features many people do not want to put up with so sometimes that is not the best solution unless the need to be free is your overwhelming criteria. I use Veeple as my primary host although I also have videos on this site hosted on all the various video sharing sites. It is indeed possible to put a URL back to your website from your video. You can do it one of several ways. With Veeple it is particularly easy and you can embed it right in the video. I hope this helps you. Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.
    Lorraine Grula

  6. Hi Jack.
    A Bundle means it the main software program (in this case Camtasia) comes with other software programs. I am not sure what comes with the Camtasia 7 bundle, when I bought Camtasia it was just the stand alone program.

  7. Lorraine, Thanks for that … most informative. Yes the learning curve is steep for someone born in the wrong generation. But with many hours with it’s frustrations, it does sink in. So with Studio 7 which seems to have a more user friendly set-up … all sort of visual, I should be able to do the same as with studio 3 and more? I just dragged my video clips from the camcorder (downloaded to my PC) onto the time line and it seemed to work. Now I have to work on the audio.

    Cheers

    Jack Palmer

  8. Hi Jack.
    The learning curve for ANY video editing program is indeed steep, but then once you get it, it seems easy! Plus, most programs have quite a bit in common and are often are more alike than they are different. So once you learn one, learning another one will not be as difficult. No doubt version 7 will outperform version 3. More bells and whistles, easier to use, all that good stuff. Have fun with it.
    Thanks
    Lorraine

  9. Hi again Lorraine

    Many thanks again. Yes, it would be great to set the clock back 20 years but that is not possible so have to be content with what’s left of life.

    Great challenge playing with this in between a normal day’s work. Been trying to get a handle on e-commerce and internet marketing. Dealing with information overload etc.

    Kind regards

    Jack

  10. Hi Lorraine

    Signed up for Video Course!

    Do you kow if one can download camtasia onto a thumb drive and so access it on more than one computer. Probably not seeing as they do have a cost for more than one computer.

    Cheers

    Jack

  11. Hi Lorraine

    Just looking at this comment you made about your Chef Friend.

    “A question from a reader the other day really drove this home. He is in the cooking niche and he wanted to produce a cooking show, kind of like Emeril. He bought a bunch of video equipment, including Camtasia for editing. Problem is, for him, Camtasia is essentially worthless.”

    If he was to take video of whatever he does, download it to his computer, then edit is with camtasia, would that not work?

    Interested in you comments on that.

    Cheers

    Jack

  12. Hi Jack.
    As Camtasia has developed, they have made it easier to edit footage shot with a camcorder. The first versions would not even accept video from a camcorder. Now, i t does accept video from a camcorder but it is still not that easy to work with. It’s clunky and does not have that many features for camcorder footage editing. If someone wants to edit video shot with a camcorder, they are MUCH better off with standard video editing software. Camtasia is primarily for screen capture. That can seem like kind of a fine line of difference, but it really isn’t once you get into it.
    I hope this helps.

  13. Hi Jack.
    Thanks for signing up for the free course, hope you enjoy it. You COULD put the program on a thumb drive but to use it on more than one computer you are supposed to pay a separate licensing fee.
    Lorraine

  14. Hi Jack.
    Information overload will get ya! It sure did me a few years back. If I had to do it over again, I’d hire a coach from the get-go.

    Good luck!
    Lorraine

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