Software for Recording a Screencast
Do you need to capture what is happening on your computer screen for your podcast? There are a few great tools that allow you to record your screen and your voice simultaneously, great for training videos and tutorials.
Screen Recording on a Mac:
Ambrosia Software’s SnapzProX 2 Movie Capture ($69) for Mac is a lightweight program which runs in the background and can be called up at any time to record what is going on on your screen, a particular window, or your whole desktop. All movies are recorded in QuickTime format (and can be compressed later using QuickTime Pro). There is a 15 day free demo for download on their website.
Vara Software’s Screenflow for Mac ($85 for education) is a brand new tool for screen recording that offers everything Snapz Pro does, but also has more features enabling you to edit your screencasts, zoom in on certain parts of the screen, highlight areas, dim areas, and add transitions, among other things. There is a demo available on their website.
Screen Recording on a PC:
Tech Smith’s Camtasia Studio ($299) for the PC is a powerful program that allows you to record any part of your screen and (and your voice) and to edit your recordings after you complete them. Camtasia exports to multiple file formats, including iPod video, QuickTime, flash, RealMedia and others. There is a 30 day free demo available on their website.
An enhanced podcast includes visuals. While a visual is not always necessary, if you do have a powerpoint lecture there are several ways to capture your lecture as you give it. This will create a video podcast of your voice with your slides. (You can also do this outside of class in a rehearsed manner as well).
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