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Camtasia for Librarians

Workflow Overview

Don't reinvent the wheel if it's not necessary. There are probably already some good videos out there on your topic. Find a video you like and take notes on the content, organization, and delivery of the information. Keep in mind the limitations of the technology to which you have access. For instance, the TMC Library doesn't currently have any software that lets you create cartoon animations. 

Some YouTube channels you might like are:

McMaster University Health Sciences Library

Welch Medical Library (Johns Hopkins)

If you borrow heavily from a particular video, it might be a good idea to ask permission from the creator.

Use Word or Notepad to create a script for the video. Having a Notepad version of the script is helpful if you plan to upload the video to YouTube because you can paste in the script to create subtitles. It's always a good idea to have someone else look over the script before you move forward. Some examples of scripts some TMC librarians have used can be found on our Sharepoint. 

  • In the Voice Narration section, paste the script from Word or Notepad into Camtasia. You may want to record the audio section in chunks rather than all at once. If that's the case, I like to use a dividing line to create stopping points in the audio.
  • Use a good microphone to record the audio and minimize background noise.
  • Once the audio has been laid down, use the Camtasia editor to clean it up. More details on that process can be found in Editing Audio. 
  • Plan your visual content around the audio content. At what point do you need to use a PPT slideshow? At what point will you use live video? Do you need to use still images at some point, for instance when demonstrating OpenAthens?
  • Remember that YouTube video quality is pretty bad, so try to user larger font size in slideshows, etc.
  • Feel free to use any of the previous PPTs others have created. You can find them all on Sharepoint.
  • Determine how many slides you need and create those; capture and edit any still images you might need; save everything to your project folder.

Camtasia doesn't allow its users to record video clips while listening to audio on the timeline. As of the latest version, Camtasia 2022, this is still the case. You can get around it using the following steps (you will need two screens for this):

  1. Open your audio files in a separate media player desktop app.
  2. If you're using a PowerPoint presentation, open the slideshow. Drag the presenter view and superimpose it on top of the slideshow. 
  3. Click record on the Camtasis program, then click play on the media player.
  4. Record video along with the audio. If using a PowerPoint, use the presenter view slide arrows to advance slides as the media plays.

These steps are outlined in more detail in Recording Video.

Some of the most commonly used visual effects are:

  • Transitions
    • Use Fade on the transitions between video clips to make them appear and disappear smoothly
  • Annotations
    • Use the Highlight effect to call attention to areas of the video
    • Use Callouts to point out areas of focus with accompanying text.
  • Animations
    • Use the Zoom effect to focus on certain areas of the video. Considering that YouTube video quality isn't great, this is very helpful. 

Specific steps for the above effects is covered in more detail under Visual Effects.

Review the video and make any corrections or adjustments. To create an MP4 file that you can upload to YouTube, go to Export --> Local File. See Uploading to YouTube for specific instructions on that process.