LibCasting » Soft & Hard ware

Linux Screencasting

Greg — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 03:45:20 +0000

Probably of interest to only a few readers, but just in case you have some Linux users in your organization or have Linux-using friends (mostly systems managers or other computer-intensive users with some mathematicians and physicists thrown in for good measure), take a look at 5 Ways to Screencast Your Linux Desktop from LinuxHaxor for some possible solutions.

ScreenFlow Updated & Mac Software Comparison

Greg — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:29:22 +0000

While waiting for Techsmith to produce a Mac version of Camtasia, Mac users have more limited choices for screencasting software. But at least those choices are expanding. See, for example, a recent comparison of eight options at the TUAW Faceoff: Screencasting. The most advanced option reviewed, ScreenFlow from Vara Software has recently been upgraded to version 1.1.

While I cannot test this, lacking ready access to a Mac (and note that ScreenFlow requires one Leopard), based on its own screencasts, it has some interesting editing features and seems to take good screen video and audio. For general library screencasts, the lack of Flash output and the inability to easily add text call outs (as noted by Paul) are concerns.

Free Recording/Hosting Comparison

Greg — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:21:44 +0000

So I’ve been playing around with some of the newer, free screencasting programs that including hosting. I created a quick and short screencast with each on the topic of finding the ERIC thesaurus from our library site. See what you think of the output. I’m using five different programs that all offer a free screenrecording program along with some level of free hosting: uTIPu’s TipCam, Webinaria, FreeScreencast’s Screencast Recorder, Jing, and Screencast-o-matic.

uTIPu demo: Recorded with their TipCam and using their free hosting. No editing is available. I’ve set the demo to “invite only” which means I just have a URL to share. Since uTIPu does give any embedding code, I’ll not try to embed it in this post.

Webinaria demo: I recorded with Webinaria, added one text call out, and uploaded at the medium quality setting (which seemed disappointingly low to me). I have it set to private, but that just means you need the URL to see it. Since Webinaria does not give any embedding code, I’ll not try to embed it in this post.

FreeScreencast demo: I had to install the Windows Media Encoder to get the Screencast Recorder to work. But once I got that installed, I was able to make this demo. FreeScreencast gives two embed options as well as the link option above: 640×480 and full size. I’m trying the 640×480 embed code below which is still too large to fit well into this blog layout.

Jing Project demo: I’ve created some examples with Jing previously, but to be fair, I wanted to try the same content with Jing hosted at Screencast.com. And here’s the embedded example which I just recorded smaller than the previous one to try to have it fit better here:

Screencast-o-matic demo: And finally, the Java-based Screencast-o-matic can be linked or embedded as well, but I’ll skip the embedding due to the use of Java and the iframe.

Demise of Demofuse?

Greg — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:49:30 +0000

Since my library launched a new Web site for this semester, I decided to use Demofuse to create a quick online tour of the new site. Take a look and see what you think. It seemed to work well for showing where key links had moved on our home page (although to reduce the external calls we set it up on a duplicate of our home page so that the Demofuse JavaScript would not need to be loaded every time that the home page loaded.)

I have been fairly pleased with the results of my second Demofuse tour. According to Demofuse, the tour has been viewed (or at least started) well over 400 times in the last month. Compared to the very sparse turn out we had for in-person new site tours, the online approach succeeded far better.

We will probably take this down soon, but I wonder if I will be using any more Demofuse tours. I am concerned that the Demofuse site still has a footer with a 2007 date, their toll free number now advertises a an adult phone number, and their blog link is dead. I’ve sent email to them to see if they plan to maintain and develop the site.

So you may consider using it for a short term project, if you do it soon. Or you might try a similar site I just came across called Amberjack. I have yet to try using it, but the example on their site is similar to Demofuse, although it seems a bit slower and less elegant.

FreeScreencast: Another Free Program with Hosting

Greg — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:12:28 +0000

And here is another free, Windows-based screencast recorder with audio and free hosting: FreeScreencast.com. The software download is Screencast Recorder beta 10. This is a Windows program that requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and the Windows Media Encoder. The hosted screencasts include linking URLs and embed code, but at this point, it does not include comment or rating functions.

I’ve not yet tried out the software, but you can see some of the hosted screencasts (68 at present) to see the end result.

Webinaria: Another Free Windows Screencasting Program

Greg — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:08:15 +0000

Webinaria appears to be another free program for creating screencasts. I have not tested it yet, but according to its site it runs on Windows 98/2000/XP/Me/2003/NT/Vista, is freeware, and “contains NO SPYWARE or ADWARE.” It also claims that it “will not slow down your computer.” It has Flash output, can include audio, and has combined the software with its own hosting. The hosted screencasts follow the typical sharing model of YouTube and many other 2.0 sites. A few recent library examples include a Basic Search Demo and Another Simple Search Demo from the Rockingham Community College Library. Based on these examples, it looks like the Webinaria hosted videos have fairly poor video resolution (like most other shared video sites) and that they are supported by Google ads. The hosting also includes linking URL, embed code, and viewer comment and rating options. If you’d like to try Webinaria, it is available as a 2.5MB download.

Screenium & Mac Screencasting Software

Greg — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:32:52 +0000

I came across an announcement of a free Mac screencasting software package called Screenium. It is currently available for free in its Preview Version (and looks like it will cost $20 later). I don’t have a Mac, so I cannot easily test it. I’ll have to say my one complaint about most Mac screencasting software is that it only gives QuickTime as an output option, and not Flash. Unless you know your audience primarily uses Macs, I prefer to use Flash output for the greatest accessibility.

My complaint with Screenium (untried), is that their Web site does not even include an example screencast that could be produced by their product. Show me a demo! (And it would be nice if they said what output options are available as well.)

For Screenium, other Mac screencasting software, and some interesting commentary on screencasting in general, see the post at tuaw, especially in the comments. And if anyone creates a Screenium screencast, let me know so I can link to an example.

Free Older Version of Camtasia Studio

Greg — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:24:44 +0000

Until January 7, Techsmith is offering a free version of Camtasia Studio 3.1.3 (the latest version is up to version 5.0). The download site says it is an “exclusive offering for PC Plus Magazine readers from the United Kingdom” but another site that links to the deal says that they “have confirmation from Techsmith stating we have now extended the offer to everyone.” This older version apparently will not with Vista, and it also will not have all the improvements found in versions 4 and 5, but my memory of using it was that it was still relatively easy to use and could produce good screencasts. If you had been planning on buying the latest version of Camtasia Studio, install this free download and you should be eligible for the upgrade price.

In addition, if you have been looking for a more robust screen snapshot program, Techsmith is also offering an older version of SnagIt 7.2.5 (current is 8.2) for free. For both of these offers, you first need to download the software and then register for the free key. Remember, these offers expire January 7, 2008!

Virtual Chase Screencasts

Greg — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 06:15:53 +0000

I’m pleased to see that Genie Tyburski is now adding screencast to her wonderfully informative Virtual Chase site on legal information. She is using Camtasia Studio 5 and discusses the software and hardware being used. I expect more will be forthcoming, but for now, here is a list of what she has available.

Sketchcasting?

Greg — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 05:02:53 +0000

Sketchcast.com offers an interesting permutation on screencasting. Instead of screen actions, sketchcasting can record audio while sketching, with very simple tools. I can not yet see any application for this technology with the kind of teaching that I do (and my significant lack of sketching ability), but it is an intriguing Web-based approach. To summarize some of its features:

Web based software
Do not need to download anything
Free accounts
Sketch a line using a mouse (no control over width of line)
Can choose colors
Has an eraser
Can add text (only one font)
Can add audio commentary
Hosted as sketchcast.com
Can be embedded or linked (see menu)

Now if it could just be combined with the ability to paste some screenshots, I could see it as another option for creating quick, free screencasts. Most of the sketchcasts were not too inspiring, but the demo embedded below gives some ideas and a rationale for the product.