Recording onscreen action

The best way to start teaching on the web is through instructional videos, capturing relevant screen action, providing a commentary, and demonstrating how to do it on the web.  This site makes use of this approach.

Making, editing and watching videos is potentially one of the most complicated pastimes you can have.  So we will make it simple (to start).

What you will need:

• a computer (of course).  A PC is good, a Mac also, but for the software we suggest here you need an intel chip based Mac;
• a web cam (these are cheap and available at your local computer fair) if you want to include shots of you talking:
• a microphone.  Better quality is better, but a USB headset will be more than adequate; and
• an internet connection.

Techsmith have a downloadable product called Jing that will allow you to easily do an number of capture and video based tasks on the internet as well as narrate, share and save. Jing saves videos in SWF format, which is economical, but in the version Techsmith provides is limitedfor subsequent editing.  Techsmith also provides a place to upload and share your masterpieces (up to 1GB of free space). Unsurprisingly, they have a range of promotional and instructive videos on their site which you can examine if you think youd like to try.

Unsurprisingly, they also offer a range of progressively more powerful programs:

• Jing Pro has a lot more functionality, allows saving in several video formats (editable), and includes webcam action for $15 per annum, a very useful uppgrade;
• Camtasia Studio is a big leap (and significantly more expensive) allowing very functional editing, multiple formats, multiple tracks (video and audio) and a bundle of effects and whistles, ability to import video and audio, and uploading facilities to different hosts. This program is used by flowta sites in producing our basic videos.

There are literally hundreds of alternatives, with thousands of different capabilities and options.  If you have any to suggest please add a comment below.

We'll cover much more about preparing and sharing videos in other flowta articles.

But Jing is a great way to get your feet wet.

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