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InterPro - Online Learning - Tools & Technology - Recorded Presentations - Using Camtasia to Create Recorded Presentations

This document outlines preparing, recording, editing, and deploying recorded presentations using Camtasia 2024.

Camtasia, published by TechSmith, is a software application for creating video tutorials and presentations from a webcam and screen video capture. This application is designed to record video and audio, edit and customize professional-quality videos, and share them with anyone on any device. Anything that is put on the computer screen can be captured in the recording. 

InterPro currently supports Camtasia versions 2023 and 2024.

Getting started

  • UW-Madison faculty, staff, and students can find information on licensing here.
  • Instructors with an Interdisciplinary Professional Programs (InterPro) affiliation may contact InterPro Online Support for assistance. 
  • Instructors log in to the Campus Software Library, click TechSmith Camtasia, and fill in the required information on the TechSmith Camtasia webpage to download and install Camtasia 2024. 
  • Review Camtasia Tutorials or contact InterPro's Learning Design & Technologies team (ldt@interpro.wisc.edu) for Camtasia training. 


Recommended Recording Equipment and Materials

  • USB microphone
  • webcam
  • ample lighting (e.g. LED panels)
  • green screen or banner background
  • instructional content (e.g. presentation slides, or an application or website for demonstration purposes)

Please contact the Learning Design & Technologies team at ldt@interpro.wisc.edu for further assistance with recording equipment and recording best practices. 


Preparing Your Presentation

Planning for a recording can vary based on the instructor's strengths and the goal of the video or screen recording. Some presenters write a script and rehearse before recording, some create an outline of key points, and others use only their presentation slides to keep themselves on task. Whichever method, the key is to do what allows the presenter to be most natural in the recorded presentation. Ultimately, each presenter knows their own strengths and can decide what works best for them. 
Ideal recording length: 10-15 minutes. Chunk content into topic-specific segments to help manage the recording length. 

Presentation (PowerPoint) Slide Design & Best Practices 


Recording Workflow

  1. Start a new project in Camtasia (File > New Project).
  2. Save the project with an appropriate file name (e.g. InterPro_Course #_Module #_TopicName). Note: The project file will be the file for the entire video, but smaller video clips will be created within the project file. 
  3. Cue materials (PowerPoint, websites, or other programs).
  4. Record a test recording. If you would like feedback before recording your full content, please reach out to the Learning Design & Technologies team (ldt@interpro.wisc.edu). 
  5. Record.
  6. Edit or save and share with LDT for post-production
  7. Save and zip the project file.
  8. Upload the zipped project file to the designated folder in Box. (Or publish to .mp4 videos, if self-producing the video.)

Recording Instructions

1. Click Record in the top left corner of the Camtasia editor window. The following menu will appear:

Camtasia 2023 recorder menu on mac
      1. Turn on the screen recorder. Record minimally in FHD (1920x1080) resolution or the full-screen display and 30 fps (frames per second).
      2. Turn on the webcam and record minimally in FHD (1920x1080) resolution. 
      3. Turn on the external microphone and check that it shows feedback to input. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the audio level.
      4. The system audio may be enabled if desired. Turning system audio on will record your computer's notification audio alerts and is not recommended if you only need to capture voice via the microphone. 

    2. When the recorder settings are established, click Start Recording; a countdown appears and then minimizes. For information about selecting which screen source to record (full screen, application, etc.), webcam options, audio source settings, etc., watch the first section of this brief video tutorial: Record, Edit, Share. 

    3. The first recorded clip is automatically added to the Camtasia timeline. To verify your project dimensions, click on the screen recording of this clip in the timeline, and under Properties, check the scale (should be 100%) and the size (width: 1920.0, height: 1080.0). For more information, see Crisp & Clear Screen Recordings.


    Note:

      • Everything on the screen is captured, including the mouse pointer. Avoid unnecessary cursor movement. 
      • Each time the video is stopped, a new clip will be created.
      • When the video is paused, the same clip is extended (no new clip is created).
      • Individual recorded clips appear in the Media Bin (click Media on the left side of the screen to access the Media Bin).


    Workflow O    ptions for Recording

    A. Record one clip per slide: put up a slide, present, and stop (repeat).
    B. Record one clip per 3-5 slides and then stop (repeat).
    C. Record one clip for the entire video, using the pause button and audio breaks to ease editing.

    Key Commands for Recording 

    Key Commands for Recording in Camtasia
    mac Windows

     Stop Recording

    stop sign

    		 Option + Command + 2 F10

    Pause/resume Recording

    pause sign

    		 Shift + Command + 2 F9

    Edit/Post-Production

    After the presentation has been captured, the footage can be edited by trimming, cutting and/or pasting different parts of the video as needed. 

    To prepare your Camtasia file for post-production by LDT, click and drag the clips you would like to use in the final video, in the order you would like them in, from the media bin to the timeline at the bottom of the screen before saving and sharing. The first recorded clip is automatically added to the timeline. An example is shown in the image below. 


    Recording Timeline

    Save and share the Camtasia file with the LDT team for post-production. See Save and Share a Project File. This is recommended for consistency across courses. 

    To make minor edits to your video before sharing with LDT (not required), see the notes and resources provided below. 

    Video Tutorials - Editing Essentials


    Notes about Editing 

      • Use the timeline to edit clips.
      • Only clips in the timeline get produced/included within the final video.
      • The first clip is automatically added to the timeline, others need to be manually added (via drag and drop).
      • Editing clips in the timeline does not affect corresponding clips in the Media Bin (clips in the bin contain the original recording).


    How to Cut & Trim Content

    1. Move the Playhead to the desired position.
    2. From the Edit menu, select Split All (or right click on the playhead and select Split Selected or Split All).
    3. Create another cut to isolate the content to be deleted.
    4. From the Edit menu, select Ripple Delete (This will remove the clip without leaving a gap).

    Useful Editing Key Commands

      • Play/Pause video in timeline = Space Bar


    Save and Share a Project File

    Camtasia stores everything in its own proprietary project file format (.cmproj), which is only readable by Camtasia itself. This format creates fairly small file sizes and allows the user to go back to re-record parts or update source material. ALWAYS keep the original Camtasia project files.
    1. Save and share the Camtasia project file. Choose a link below (Mac or Windows) for instructions. 

         2. Upload the resulting zip file to your Box course development folder. 

    The video will be edited by LDT, stored and captioned in Kaltura, and then delivered to Canvas for student access. 

    Please contact LDT (ldt@interpro.wisc.edu) with questions about this process or for assistance.


    Keywords:
    EPD, Camtasia, Recorded Presentations, interpro 
    Doc ID:
    42532
    Owned by:
    Learning Design and Technologies Team in Interdisciplinary Professional Programs
    College of Engineering
    Created:
    2014-08-06
    Updated:
    2024-09-25
    Sites:
    Interdisciplinary Professional Programs