Brain Handles

People have been asking what software I use to make FunDraw.com's video tutorials.

I switched from PC to Mac in the midst of development, so there are two packages. On the PC, I was using CamStudio. This is an awesome little freeware program that will record your whole screen, a selected window, or a pre-defined area. In addition, I used their lossless codec. I cannot stress the usefulness of that enough.

Many video compression uses a lossy compression algorithm that throws away some of your data. That's why videos can look blocky or fuzzy. With the lossless codec, you don't get as small a file size, but you get a crystal clear master video you can work from. Once installed, it can also be used by programs like Adobe Premiere Elements if you want to edit your video.

While CamStudio offers some tools to convert the video to Flash, whether or not to use them depends on what you want to do with them. If you want to upload the video to a hosting service like Google Video or Revver, I suggest leaving the video in the lossless codec format so you get the clearest possible final result.

When you upload your video to a site like Google Video or Revver, they do their own lossy compression as they convert it to their preferred formats. So if you already have a lossy video, the added compression can make it worse.

One caveat, YouTube doesn't seem to be able to work with the lossless codec.

On the Mac side, I've been using Snapz Pro. It has a great lossless "animation" codec for Quicktime, that produces really sharp and clear videos. If you opt for Quicktime Pro you can do simple edits to the videos too. Unfortunately, unlike CamStudio, Snapz is $70.

For either, whether Mac or PC, I've been using a Logitech USB headset. It connects to both the PC and the Mac really easily, plug-and-play. I just put on my headset, fire up the screen capture program, make sure it's using the headset as the Audio In device, select the area I want to capture, and then go.

But it's not quite as easy as it looks. Let me give you a few tips for making good screen capture tutorial videos:

TIPS FOR MAKING BETTER SCREEN CAPTURE DEMONSTRATION VIDEOS

One thing I generally do before recording on the Mac is go to the accessibility options and enlarge the mouse pointer. Most of the video hosting services are not just going to crunch down the data on your video, they'll also crunch down the dimensions to 320x240 or so, which can make your mouse really tiny and hard to follow. If you enlarge the mouse, it makes it easier for viewers to follow the pointer as you move it around the screen area.

Second tip... REHEARSE! Even if you're not going to be reading from a script, practice going through the steps of the demonstration video and knowing what you're going to say. It helps you remain fluid when you're recording if you've at least practiced the video a couple of times first, because you have a better idea of what you're going to say, where you want to click, and the steps you're going to run through. Even then, expect to do 2-3 takes before you get a take you like enough to publish.

Last tip... Go slow. One of the biggest mistakes people make is to talk and move too fast. If you want people to "get it" keep the pace casual and comfortable. It's easy to get nervous and babble quickly, doing thing so fast that people have to rewind the video three times to just try to figure out what you did. Take your time. Just a few seconds more can mean the difference between "wha?" and "ohhh".