1. Camtasia: Screencast Software
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

2. Preparing to record
• Write a script
• Practice
• Think about what you want your screen to look
like during the recording
– Sometimes it is good to clear off your desktop in order
to not distract tutorial viewers
You can change the mouse properties to be
slower, faster, more visible for your
screencast by going to Mouse Properties.

3. Recording: PC
You have the option of recording
yourself while you create the
tutorial
Once you press record, it
will give you time to set
up your computer. You
can stop the recording
anytime by pressing F10.
To pause recording, press
F9.
You can record using
You can customize your screen for built in microphone or
recording
USB microphone. You
can also record what is
happening on your
computer.

4. Recording: PC Tool Options
Can record
in .camrec
(Camtasia
file) or .avi.
Use .avi if
you are
planning on
editing in
Final Cut
Pro, After
Effects, Etc.
Reducing
frame rate
will create a
smaller video
file and not
hurt your
video.

5. Recording: PC Tool Options
Can
view/change
hotkeys for
different
functions

6. Recording: Mac
Looks slightly different than a PC, but same functions. To
stop recording on a Mac, Click on Camtasia application
and “Stop Recording.”

7. Camtasia: Recording Audio
General Tips:
• Use a USB microphone – this will make a huge
difference in the quality and usability of your
screencasts
• Try and record with no background noise
• If you are worried about making your recording
worse during audio editing, be sure to save an extra
copy before audio editing to the desktop to compare

8. Selecting Screen To Record
You will most
likely record
in full screen
most of the
time
If you are
creating a
custom size, it
helps to link
your
dimensions
Customizable Options:
Can check “Lock to application” to
have Camtasia just capture your
application. Be careful that you are
recording everything you want to
record.

9. Selecting Audio
Camtasia will automatically recognize your
microphone, but you will need to select
the audio input/output. For best quality
audio, be sure to calibrate your
microphone before beginning recording.
Video tutorial on calibrating
microphone
Check this box if you want
Camtasia to record the
system audio (audio from
your computer)
If you want to fine tune the audio, to to
Tools, Inputs, Audio Settings

10. After Recording: PC
This screen gives you a
preview option of your
recorded footage
when you are done
recording. This is not
the same as the editor
screen. This screen
simply allows you to
preview, save,
produce, or delete
your footage.
Here you can decide whether
you want to edit, publish, or
delete your recording.

11. After Recording: Mac
Be sure to save your project before you begin editing
to not lose any of your work.

12. Camtasia: Starting Editing
You will be prompted with this
screen when you start Camtasia
*After you have selected your
size, be sure to save your project
in order to not lose any changes.
The editing project will save as
.camproj file. Be sure to save
often when editing in Camtasia.
Be sure to that “Keep aspect ratio” is
checked.
Here are your screen
output options. Try and
stick with the dimensions
you recorded in, typically
854x480.

13. Camtasia: Editing
PC

14. Camtasia: Editing
Mac
The Main difference between Camtasia on a Mac versus a PC is that you drag
and drop the effects into the timeline for a Mac, whereas in the PC version
you click the buttons while your clip is selected. Watching a YouTube video of
Camtasia in action would easily provide a clear example of the differences.

15. The timeline and the canvas are always linked.
Adding effects is done through the timeline, similarly to many video
editing programs. You can zoom in and out, add effects (such as arrows,
text, and more). You can delete unwanted footage and focus on more
important parts of your tutorials.
The Canvas is where you can view your video and change visual
properties of your video (such as screen dimensions, rotating the
screen, and more).
Remember as you are editing you can always undo things that you have
done by pressing Control Z (PC) or Command Z (Mac).

16. Camtasia: Editing Tools
Copy
Zoom in and out
of the timeline
Cutting
Paste
Undo and
Redo Button
Splitting
This is the Playhead.
Move this arrow up
and down the
timeline in order to
see a scene or edit at
a certain spot.

17. Camtasia: Editing
Your timeline can have many
tracks. You can lock or unlock
tracks during editing. You
would lock a track if you did
not want certain effects to be
changed while editing other
effects.
You can delete sections of your
video. Be sure to lock the tracks
that you do not want to be cut.
PC: Green/red arrow are you in
and out points to drag over the
scene to be delete.
Mac: Shift Key, drag the arrow
over the scene to be deleted.
*Note about deleting:
it is good to delete
unwanted footage before
you add your SmartFocus
(this will be reviewed
later)

18. Camtasia: Editing
The split tool allows you to
split up clips and move them
up a track or to other parts of
the video. This also allows you
to be able to separate video
and audio.
For example, if you want the
image from a clip, but not the
audio, you will need to split
the image, move it to another
track, and then separate the
video and audio. Once the
audio and video are
separated, you can delete one.
Splitting
PC: push S on keyboard
Mac: Edit, Split all at
Playhead
Right click or Command
click (Mac) to “separate
video and audio”

19. Camtasia: Editing
More Editing Options:
Editing visual properties of
Canvas
Can add markers with
notes
PC: Control M
Mac: Alt Option M

20. Camtasia: Editing Audio
It is generally recommended to raise
or lower volume to be about ¾ of
the way on up on the timeline
PC
Mac
Notice the basic options for Audio editing. Be sure you are in the right clip in
your timeline when editing the audio or dragging the effects into the right clip
(Mac).

21. Camtasia: Editing Audio
You have the option of
“enabling noise removal”
and “noise reduction” for
distracting background noise.
You can also level the volume of
your clips through this
automatic edit. This can be
used if you are loud in one part
of your tutorial video and quiet
in other parts. Be careful with
this this setting, and be sure to
try out all of the variations.

22. Camtasia: Editing Audio
Some versions of Camtasia
come with a library with built in
royalty free music. This music
can be inserted into your video
as background music.
You can also add in
background music from
iTunes, etc by going to File,
Import Media. Once you
have the song in Camtasia,
you can drag the audio to the
desired track in your timeline
(see image above).

23. Camtasia: Importing Media
PC
Mac
Then can move/drag images, audio, and
video onto new track in Camtasia Studio
File types you can import:
Images: bmp, png, gif, and jpeg
Audio: mp3, wav, wma
Video (need quicktime plugin): camrec, avi, mp4,
mpg, mpegs, wmv, mov, and swf.
Go here to install Quicktime plugin

24. Camtasia: Callouts/Annotations
Callouts (PC) and Annotations (Mac) can be used to
highlight or point to an item in your video, add text to your
video, and add different symbols to point to different
actions/things in your tutorial.
PC
Mac

25. Camtasia: Callouts/Annotations
Some more examples of
what you can do with
Callouts/Annotations.
How a Callout/Annotation looks
on a track in your timeline.
Remember you can adjust the
Callout/Annotation to your
video by cropping to the
appropriate time you want it to
appear in your tutorial.

26. Camtasia: Animations
You can animate Callouts/Annotations or
different scenes of your video. Simply add
the animation to the desired track (video
or callout). Once you add the animation,
you can adjust the position and rotation.
Timeline/Tracks
PC

27. Camtasia: Zooming In and Out,
Panning (PC)
• Set Playhead at
desired location for
zoom/pan
• Click on “Zoom-nPan” on the menu.
• Move window
around screen to
desired zoom/pan
effects.
• You will need to do
this for each spot
in your video
where you want to
change the
zoom/pan.
Timeline with markers of
zoom/panning effects

28. Camtasia: Zooming In and Out,
Panning (Mac)
• In order to zoom and pan on
Camtasia for Mac, you need to go
to animations.
• If you would like to use an option
other than the ones presented to
the left, choose “Blank” and drag
to timeline.
• Control click on the animation,
and select “Show Properties”
• Once you select “show
properties”, you can adjust the
scale or position of your screen
for zooming or panning

29. Camtasia: SmartFocus
• SmartFocus keeps track of your mouse,
windows, and other activities while you are
recording your screencast tutorial.
• When you apply SmartFocus to your video,
it automatically will zoom and pan your
video.
• Though SmartFocus is recommended as a
starting point for editing, please review all
SmartFocus additions to make sure they fit
into your video.
Mac:
Drag SmartFocus icon in
Animations into all of the
desired scenes in timeline.
Click on individual animation
additions to edit SmartFocus.
PC:
Double click on this
widget to see the
SmartFocus
animations. Can
edit animations
after applied.

30. Camtasia: Cursor Effects
PC
You can add effects to your cursor to
highlight, spotlight, or magnify.
Mac

31. Camtasia: Transitions
Timeline View
If you want transitions
between scenes or between
imported outside media,
Camtasia Studio comes with
built in transitions.
Simply drag and drop desired
transition into the timeline
where there is a split
between scenes.

32. Camtasia: Finishing
Exporting (PC)
Camtasia file format (.camrec/.camproj)
is not very sharable/user friendly.
Therefore it is important to export your
video when you done editing.
MP4 is a very common video format, and
you can easily export this to YouTube later.
Remember that HD is not as user friendly
as regular MP4 files.

33. Camtasia: Finishing
Exporting (Mac)
Be sure you know where on your
computer you are saving your
exported files.

34. Please contact the Samantha Leonard
Media Resource Librarian at High Point University
with any questions or concerns about this tutorial.
Email: sleonard@highpoint.edu
Phone number: 336-841-9462
Website:
http://library.highpoint.edu/media.html
Thank You!!!