Recording's Digital Awakening

Recording applications, demonstrations or just a series of activities on a PC used to be a complex endeavor. But TechSmith's Camtasia Studio 4 simplifies the video creation to a mere click of the mouse and a toggle of a key.

Ideal for training, demos or presentations, Studio 4 can record from myriad input sources such as Web demonstrations, PowerPoint presentations and even a Webcam. It can pick up audio through the computer's microphone during recording or can add in a separately recorded audio file during editing.

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PRODUCT: Catasia Studio 4.0 PRICE: $299.00 DISTRIBUTORS/ INTEGRATORS: Lifeboat Distribution COMPANY: TechSmith Okemos, Mich.. (517) 381-2300 www.techsmith.com

CRN tested the product with several conferencing products, such as Microsoft Live Meeting, Cisco Meeting Place and WebEx. Setting up the software proved to be simple and straightforward thanks to the friendly wizard-driven interface. When Camtasia Studio launches, the wizard asks users to define the source of the video. This can be a window, a full screen or even a portion of the screen. A simple click—and a boundary defined with red brackets—designates what would be recorded.

Along with testing Camtasia Studio on conferencing software, engineers recorded PowerPoint presentations. User interactions within a Web site or an application can be recorded, which is helpful for solution providers interested in developing training products. A side note for building gaming PCs: This is a nifty tool for players who want to record their play sessions.

After capturing the video, the output file opens inside the Studio's video editor for basic editing functions. A timeline helps select sections to cut and join, adjust or add transitions.

After editing, the video can be converted into a smaller file size. For example, an unedited 83.9-Mbyte video can be converted into a 12.2-Mbyte Windows Media Player file. The application also can convert to MP3, iPod video, Adobe Flash, AVI, WMV, QuickTime, RealMedia and animated GIFs. The production wizard helps determine the best format and settings to convert the video, based on the target audience.