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CNET Editors' review
When it comes to producing professional-looking movies and demos from your computer screen, TechSmith's Camtasia Studio continues to strike the right balance between a powerful toolset and ease of use. Version 7.1 adds even more features without making the app any more complex to use.
The feature-packed screencast app--which includes HD production settings--does have a learning curve, but the user-friendly interface and front-and-center icons for most-used tools go a long way toward lowering the intimidation factor a notch. Plus, TechSmith povides a useful online help center that includes several video tutorials that do a nice job walking users through the main functionality of the software.
Even better, when you first launch Camtasia Studio 7.1, you're greeted with an integrated tutorial video that helps get you acquainted with the software. The main window features a content area in the upper right that showcases a variety of options. Here, you can view the clip bin, access your content library, and tweak features such as callouts, zoom-n-pan, audio, and transitions. TechSmith populates a variety templates, music, and outros supplied from a third-party vendor known as Digital Juice, with additional content available for purchase.
As for feature updates, there are quite a few for such a relatively minor boost in version number. Camtasia now includes the ability to record system audio, as well as automatically resize windows during recording. Plus, you get the option to "smartfocus" on key frames and add close captions to your presentation. Additonally, the app offers speech-to-text with a voice training feature; auto output to more formats, such as the iPad; and the ability to overlay text and search within Flash video.
Beyond these additions, Camtasia Studio remains largely the same powerhouse for creating and producing screencasts for the Web, mobile phones, and DVDs. Well-rounded production settings continue to present presets for novices; additional applications, like an audio editor and the CD MenuMaker, round out the features.
At $300, the price of a creative screencasting license is steep, but if the 30-day trial leaves you wanting more, Camtasia Studio is a worthwhile investment for frequent screencast producers requiring a lush feature set. Users looking to develop skills with prolonged use should start here, too.
Publisher's Description
From TechSmith:
Camtasia Studio--Powerful screen recording and editing for high-quality videos. Delight audiences near or far. Record screencast videos--like tutorials, presentations, and demos--that get results and look fantastic. Camtasia Studio software is smart, powerful, and makes you look like a pro. Easily record onscreen activity in front of a live audience or from your desk. Capture PowerPoint presentations, webcam video, audio and more. Produce and share high-quality videos at any screen size instantly to YouTube, Screencast.com, your webpage or blog, portable devices like the iPhone. Make them wonder how you did it.
What's new in this version: Version 7.1 streamlines process for creating and correcting captions; automatically generates captions with speech-to-text transcription; adds import and export options for caption files; produce searchable videos to improve viewer navigation; produces videos for the iPad with a production preset, adds 64-bit codec support for integration with 3rd party applications.
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All versions:
3.5 starsout of 125 votes
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Current version:
2.9 starsout of 26 votes
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My rating:
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"Frustrating, corrupted waste of time."
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
Online tutorials are easy to follow (and necessary).
Zoom and pan look nice.Cons
Just 5 days in to the 30-day, free trial, I have had to un-install and re-install Camtasia twice now.
The first time I installed, I was not able to use the transition feature and a couple of the others did not function like the tutorial videos showed they should.
Today, am having to re-install AGAIN because over 2 days worth of recording and editing have been invested and now when I "play" the video (not "produced" yet), it runs for between 5 and 15 seconds before crashing. I have "sent" 7+ "error reports". I've restarted my computer, played other videos trying to troubleshoot, etc. The other videos that were produced by other people also cause Camtasia to crash. The videos don't even have audio. Just basic videos with basic editing, nothing fancy.Summary
I'll be looking for an alternative program. Especially since I see that this fragile, finicky piece of software is priced at $299!?
I don't see that kind of value in it.
My time is worth something. -
"Great Product!"
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
Used for recording videos
Cons
Cons? What Cons? None.
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"This Program Is Terrible"
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
Pretty graphics on the recording screen
Cons
Not Stable - very easy to crash and force a reboot
Features you would want are not available and the ones that are there are awkward and not intuitive.
The on-line help/manual is terrible.Summary
This software is a piece of junk and not worth the bits it takes to download. The final straw with my working with this software is when it repeatedly crashed and forced me to reboot my computer when I clicked on the "Recorded Audio" button to change the audio source. Don't waste your time with this one.
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"Sucks, Expensive, Snooty designers, Awkward"
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
I really can't think of any. I dread having to open it up.
Cons
Freezes & loses files
Awkward file structures & naming conventions
Doesn't support common audio devices, though they acknowledge problem, they won't fix.
Won't add simple features repeatedly requested by users
Awkward editing processes
Sucks up HUGE amounts of system resources
The longer the video and the more edits, the greater the risk of losing the file. Their solution? Do less edits and break into segments.Summary
Camtasia has been a horror. It takes several tries to record & edit simple PPT presentations.
Parent company Techsmith has general attitude of "we'll tell you what you need, don't bother us". They fix and enhance what THEY think is important, not what customers want. Same issues with other product Screencast.
AVI does 99% of the same things for $59 a year. I'd never do business with these people again. -
"The good and bad"
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
It is quite simple to set up basic video guides
Cons
Editing audio is a pain. It has problems with higher resolutions.
Summary
It's a decent package with good tools, but the price is a bit steep. I really like the zoom and pan feature. It helps highlight items in my demonstrations. I got frustrated with trying to edit the audio tracks. It gets bogged down and sometimes crashes when you work with higher resolutions. For the price I would expect better performance.
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"Camtasia lets me explain stuff to others"
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
records the screen
built in closed captioning translation software
fun effects
can easily clip parts or rearrangeCons
Does not record live video from a webcam.
Summary
This is my favorite video editing software. It is easy to use, intuitive, and worth every penny. I love every program I've tried from TechSmith and recommend them to everybody. It has made me be able to reach an audience with instructional videos that I never expected to be able to do.
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"Not great but not bad either."
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
- Interface is quite easy to use.
- Editor can export in multiple formats
- Can clear up background npise from audio
- Can add a webcam recording
- Tons of effects including zoom and pan.
- OSX and WIndows versionsCons
- Poor video quality regardless of format
- High system impact
- Very expensive
- Doesn't change screen resolution while recotrding meaning that HD videos will be letter boxed.
- Using webcam can cause FPS to dropSummary
I have used this in the past and it was pretty good, however over time I noticed that my videos were letter boxed and the video quality was generally poor.
While it does have a great editor and it can export in a variety of formats, it has too much of an impact on my system, and when I tried to add webcam footage to the screen capture, the frame rate went down too much.
Personally I don't think this is worth the £250, if the price was a little lower it would be much better and worth the buy. -
"Huge rip off!!"
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
Great program.
Cons
HORRIBLE PRICE!
Summary
Not worth the price. Maybe (MAYBE!) worth $50... not $299!! INSANE RIP OFF.
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"Terrible...Terribly Great (except for the price part)"
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
1. Tutorial
2. Simple
3. Very Compatible
4. Works with Powerpoint
5. Converters
6. Free Online Storage
7. Great GUI
8. Customer Support
9. Website Help
10. VersatilityCons
Only 1. Price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Summary
This product is so good that i'm left wordless...
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"Really poor excuse for a capture program"
Version: Camtasia Studio 7.1
Pros
Loads of features. Interesting that cnet gives 5 stars for all the features.
Cons
Many of the features do not work or work really poorly. What a cludgy program. Used "produce" to prepare a file for DVD- got a 6 GB file to fit on a 4.7 GB DVD. Screwed up my audio driver on XP- had to delete and reinstall.
Summary
Can't apply transtions to cuts in a source file- only between different source files, and even this dosn't work right. On and on and on... They say the audio works best on Windows 7. Can't get audio at all on windows 7 after 4 hours of trying.
Bottom line: POOR from beginning to end. I'm a video editor- not selling ads for crummy software! Don't waste your valuable time.
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