Screencasting: How To Start, Tools and Guidelines

Screencasting, or sharing your virtual desktop via video presentation, has exploded in popularity with the advent of podcasting, and gives you the ability to bring the classroom feel to a media presentation that can be delivered over the Internet. The medium of screencasting is readily available to everyone and with a few tools of the trade you can be ready to produce your own.

Hay, Adam. Smashing (2008). Articles>Documentation>Video>Screencasting

An Introduction to Screencasting

If you provide end-user technical support, people likely ask you about the same software tasks over and over again. What's more, you've probably discovered that not everyone responds well to text or verbal instructions. What if you could send those people a brief video showing the procedure, accompanied by your voice walking through the important concepts?

Kanter, Beth. Tech Soup (2007). Articles>Documentation>Video>Screen Captures

Screencasting Primer

This primer is an introduction to screencasting. It covers the what, why, and how to get started. You will also find examples of screencasts and additional how-to resources.

Kanter, Beth. Wikispaces. Articles>Documentation>Video>Screencasting

What Is Screencasting

A screencast is a digital movie in which the setting is partly or wholly a computer screen, and in which audio narration describes the on-screen action. It's not a new idea. The screencaster's tools—for video capture, editing, and production of compressed files—have long been used to market software products, and to train people in the use of those products. What's new is the emergence of a genre of documentary filmmaking that tells stories about software-based cultures like Wikipedia, del.icio.us, and content remixing. These uses of the medium, along with a new breed of lightweight software demonstrations, inspired the collaborative coining of a new term, screencast.

Udell, Jon. O'Reilly and Associates (2005). Articles>Documentation>Video>Screencasting

Screencasting Strategies

In general, screencasting is a three-step process: capture of audio and video, editing, and production of a compressed deliverable. Camtasia combines all three functions in a single, integrated application, but in principle they're separable. I can imagine using Camtasia (or an equivalent) for capture, Premiere (or an equivalent) for editing, and Camtasia (or an equivalent) to produce a compressed .SWF file.

Udell, Jon. O'Reilly and Associates (2005). Articles>Documentation>Video>Screencasting

Introduction to Screen Capturing

This is our renewed screencast resource. We discuss software, techniques and technologies and offer suggestions and tutorials to create the best onscreen demonstrations. We also have a useful resource directory that hopefully may direct you towards the best screencast stuff online.

Screencast. Resources>Documentation>Video>Screencasting

Capture a Screencast with a Mac

While putting together a good tutorial movie for your blog or for an article you’re writing requires some thought and preparation, and would benefit from extra time spent on post-processing, the good news is that capturing screen shots and screen movies can be done inexpensively on a Mac. Although I take a glance at the wider context of preparing an entire tutorial and give you some tips along the way, my focus here is on the low-cost software you can use.

Jordan, Miraz. Digital Web Magazine (2007). Articles>Documentation>Video>Screen Captures

Working with Audio Tracks in Macromedia Captivate

The inclusion of audio in online learning courses not only greatly enhances learners' experiences, it also ensures that your courses are accessible to a wide audience. In this article I explore the various ways you can add audio to your Captivate projects. I also provide a number of tips on adding a narration to product demonstrations and presentations.

Fletcher, Mark. Adobe (2004). Articles>Multimedia>Video>Screen Captures

Preparing for Screencasting

Advice on how to get started giving screencasts, why you might want to do it and how to establish your recording studio. Then we move into planning the capture of your screencast and a few tips on using some presentation tools.

Rush, Jeff. ShowMeDo (2009). Presentations>Multimedia>Video>Screencasting

Giving Your Screencast

Covers how to begin and conclude your cast and a bit about postprocessing. Then we cover your behavior during your talk and how to get your screencast distributed to others.

Rush, Jeff. ShowMeDo (2009). Presentations>Multimedia>Video>Screencasting

The Spiritual—Functional Loop: Animation Redefined in the Digital Age    

Can animation bring life to the computer? Can the computer take animation to a new horizon extending from cinema and visual art? This article starts with a scrutiny of the conventional definition of animation and its connection to the continuum of liveliness, followed by an examination of the two furthest points on that scale: lively movement, which is spiritual; and inorganic movement, which is functional. The author shows that, in the digital age, movement of various degrees of liveliness can be significant and meaningful through a wide array of motor—sensory functions. This brings about a new notion of materiality, which constructs an innovative meaning of animation. The author then argues that, when combined with the unique functions of the computer, animation can find a shortcut between the two extremes of liveliness: spirituality and functionality. Therefore, the field of animation could benefit from an expansion of its digital attributes. Finally, the author discusses a corpus of artefacts created in different historical periods and different media that exemplify the spiritual—functional loop.

Chow Ka-nin, Kenny. Animation (2009). Articles>Multimedia>Video

Animated Expressions: Expressive Style in 3D Computer Graphic Narrative Animation    

The development of 3D animation systems has been driven primarily by a hyper-realist ethos, and 3D computer graphic (CG) features have broadly complied with this agenda. As a counterpoint to this trend, some researchers, technologists and animation artists have explored the possibility of creating more expressive narrative output from 3D animation environments. This article explores 3D animation aesthetics, technology and culture in this context.

Power, Pat. Animation (2009). Articles>Multimedia>Human Computer Interaction>Video

Decoding the HTML 5 Video Codec Debate

The HTML 5 video element has the potential to liberate streaming Internet video from plugin prison, but a debate over which codec to define in the standard is threatening to derail the effort. Ars takes a close look at the HTML 5 codec controversy and examines the relative strengths and weaknesses of H.264 and Ogg Theora.

Paul, Ryan. Ars Technica (2009). Articles>Web Design>Video>HTML5

HTML 5 and Web Video: Freeing Rich Media from Plugin Prison

DailyMotion and Google are both experimenting with the HTML 5 video element and have strongly endorsed standards-based solutions for deploying video on the Web. Ars takes a close look at the state of open video and explores both the benefits and challenges of liberating rich media from the proprietary plugin prison.

Paul, Ryan. Ars Technica (2009). Articles>Web Design>Video>HTML5

Move Over Text: Video Documentation Meets DITA

In the US today, there are 82.5 Million Content Creators 13.9% create content in virtual worlds 18.1% create video content 23.9% create blog content 79.7% create content on a social network. All we need is a standard that will support the topic- based nature of “how to” video content XML, and by extension, DITA, seemed to be a perfect fit.

Abel, Scott and Sean Healy. SlideShare (2009). Presentations>Documentation>Multimedia>Video

Auswahl eines Screencasting Tools

Checkliste der wichtigsten Kriterien für die Auswahl eines Tools zum Erstellen interaktiver Software-Demos (engl. Screencasts). Verwendet werden Software-Demos oder Screencasts nicht nur auf Webseiten, sondern häufig auch als Ergänzung zur Technischen Dokumentation für Software: z.B. als eigenständiges Tutorial oder auch als integrativer Bestandteil einer Online-Hilfe oder sonstiger Software-Dokumentation.

Achtelig, Marc. indoition engineering. (German) Articles>TC>Video>Screencasting

Typography In Motion

In most designs typography is used to present information in a rather static way — after all, it has to be read by users. However, it doesn’t have to be like this. What effects can be achieved if typography is set in motion? What happens if letters are suddenly floating, jumping and dancing around while sentences are actually interacting with the readers? Where motion is involved, video is necessary. Below we present some excellent examples of typography embedded into movies and videos — be prepared, “dynamic” typography can be breathtaking.

Friedman, Vitaly. Smashing (2007). Articles>Typography>Video

Screencasting for Dummies (and Smarties)

With so much training being done on computers (along with other tasks being done while training is taking place on that same computer), it’s important to know some best practices for developing training and other modules with screencasts. Amy Tehan demonstrates tips and tricks for making an effective screencast that will hold the viewer’s attention and get the message across.

Tehan, Amy. EServer (2009). Presentations>Multimedia>Video>Screencasting

Why Is It Important for Video Tutorials to Be User-Led?

When it comes to video tutorials, long narrations quickly tire the audience. Why is that? The same reason my kids prefer the beach over Disneyworld: most videos are not user-led.

Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2009). Articles>Documentation>Tutorials>Video

Screencasting as Art: Exploring Cinematic Techniques

Screencasting has a problem–it hasn’t evolved all that much over the 10 years or so since its inception. We still record the computer screen from a stationary position (dead centered) and we still present this flat, banal presentation to users sitting at their computers, which in and of itself presents problems (you’re looking at a computer screen on a computer screen–where does one end and the other begin).

Andrus, Brooks. BrooksAndrus (2009). Articles>Documentation>Video>Screencasting

The Harsh Truth about Screencasts

If you watch screencasts, you probably have seen some that are just worthless. How long did you stay to watch? Not long, I am sure. Why am I being so critical? Because it is true.

Schoen, Michelle. Virtual Assistant Demo Girl (2009). Articles>Documentation>Video>Screencasting

Screencasting for a Living? Yes You Can

For about Five years I worked for AT&T as a full time Instructional Designer and my worked involved the creation of training videos for the employees at AT&T. I loved it. It was creative, challenging and not stressful at all.

Schoen, Michelle. Virtual Assistant Demo Girl (2009). Careers>Documentation>Video>Screen Captures

Webinars, Tele-events, Live Podcasts and Web TV Shows are HOT

Have you noticed? There is currently a significant increase in the number of participants attending virtual events such as webinars, tele-events, live podcasts and web TV shows.

Schoen, Michelle. Virtual Assistant Demo Girl (2009). Articles>Multimedia>Video>Podcasting

Do You Suffer from Grammar Obsessive Disorder?

We look at the symptoms of this scourge of professional communicators—and offer help on how you can cope with its virulent manifestations.

MyRaganTV (2009). Humor>Multimedia>Video>Grammar