Re: TECHWR-L Digest, Vol 219, Issue 3

[Steve VE <vaneschs -at- outlook -dot- com>]

Camtasia is a fine tool but if itâs not meeting your needs, you are willing to learn a new, relatively complex tool, and you have the processing power for it, consider daVinci Resolve (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve). The basic version does 95% of the full version and is free. The full version is USD$300 which is a serious bargain for the power of this software.

Consider Descript for your captions (https://www.descript.com/captions). Drop your file into your browser and the captions are created automatically. You can also dispense with making voiceovers as Descript will create those automatically as well (https://www.descript.com/ai-voices). You can use your own voice or a voice from the library. The time saved with this tool is enormous.

> On Thursday, Sep 19, 2024 at 01:55, <techwr-l-request -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com (mailto:techwr-l-request -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com)> wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Video Documentation Tools? (Frank Dissinger)
> 2. Video Documentation Tools? (Frank Dissinger)
> 3. Aw: Video Documentation Tools? (e -dot- dickinson -at- gmx -dot- net)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2024 16:15:18 +0200
> From: "Frank Dissinger" <frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com>
> To: "TechWrite List" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Subject: Video Documentation Tools?
> Message-ID: <000401db09d5$308a5de0$919f19a0$ -at- cgs-oris -dot- com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Hi list,
>
> I am looking for a suitable tool for creating and editing video
> documentation. I am working for software company which is rather small and I
> am the only techwrite person there, so the tool must be affordable with a
> small budget.
>
> We purchased Camtasia in 2018 and I have used in in a few occasions. Maybe
> it?s a good choice, maybe it?s worth updating it to the latest version. But
> perhaps there are better tools. What is the state of the art?
>
> I would like to create a series of small modular instruction videos for our
> new product, composed of screen recordings and perhaps recordings from a
> camera because I also have to show tasks to be done on a printer and
> scanner. Subtitles may be easier and quicker to create, edit and translate
> than voiceover. I imagine that I can create a video project with multiple
> subtitle tracks, each for a different language (two or three only) and then
> produce the video in each language.
>
> Ideally, there would be a library with material required frequently across
> all video projects, such as intros and outros, company and product logos and
> perhaps some general tasks or text snippets.
>
> I imagine that it would be extremely helpful if I could easily reformat the
> text snippets (in the subtitle tracks and in the libraries) with a few
> clicks, e.g. by selecting a style that applies a font, font size, text color
> and so on. I may have chosen a certain style in the beginning, but then our
> marketing department may decide that another font should be used and I do
> not want to edit each and every callout on every subtitle track. However,
> this does not seem to be possible with Camtasia. Do other tools support
> this?
>
> Freundliche Gr??e | Best regards
> Frank Dissinger
> Documentation Manager
> ..........................................
> CGS ORIS GmbH
> Email frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com <mailto:frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com> |
> Web www.cgs-oris.com <http://www.cgs-oris.com/>
> Address Kettelerstrasse 24 | 63512 Hainburg | Germany
> Phone +49 6182 9626-0 | Fax +49 6182 9626-99
> Commercial register Offenbach, HRB no. 21495
> Managing directors Bernd R?ckert, Christoph Thommessen ?
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2024 18:28:52 +0200
> From: "Frank Dissinger" <frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com>
> To: <e -dot- dickinson -at- gmx -dot- net>
> Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Video Documentation Tools?
> Message-ID: <001601db09e7$d972db00$8c589100$ -at- cgs-oris -dot- com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Hi Nina,
>
>
>
> Thank you very much for sharing your experience with me.
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
>
>
> Frank
>
>
>
> Von: e -dot- dickinson -at- gmx -dot- net <e -dot- dickinson -at- gmx -dot- net>
> Gesendet: Mittwoch, 18. September 2024 17:46
> An: Frank Dissinger <frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com>
> Cc: TechWrite List <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Betreff: Video Documentation Tools?
>
>
>
> Hello Frank,
>
>
>
> off of the top of my head I can share some experience in screenrecording and editing video:
>
> The state-of-the-art free and commercial tools for recording and editing screen material in the same place are:
>
> * Adobe Captivate (rather expensive, leader of the field, esepcially for eLearning)
> * TechSmith Camtasia (you mentioned it) - I've worked with it (too) and it is very well done, for the use cases it is created for.
> * Active Presenter (Atomic Systems), sort of 'little sister' to Adobe Captivate, very similar interface layout, the free version already crammed full with features; paid you would want to evaluate/try out. But less dear than Captivate.
> * (OBS Studio: Very smart screen recording options, but no editing.)
> * IF you really want to heavily not only edit with smart features and *keep a sort of styles library*, you may want to look at a *combination of an NLE* and the above *screenrecording-geared applications*;
> * NLEs being famously Adobe Premiere Pro (commercial), Lightworks (free and paid version available, runs smoothly on Linux as well), DaVinci Resolve (free and paid) and Shotcut (free). There is Kdenlive, also great, but last time I checked, it was a little unstable on Windows, highly recommended for Linux, though.
> * *NLE*: "non-linear Editor"; it means that you can import compliant files (these days usually h264 codec in MP4 'container') and then use the timeline to split, combine, add and delete parts of them without the original file being touched. Additionally, you can 're-string' your edited clips any way and order you like. Thus the phrase 'NLE'.
> * I work primarily on Adobe Premiere Pro and would recommend it as part of the CC. You could use the "nested sequence" feature for example, for re-using material, esp. intros, outros, etc. -> Projects inside it are based on XML and that way you can copy & paste your sequences, the editing is performant, exporting into any and each format breeze, including heaps of templates as well as almost unlimited custom settings (based in turn on the ffmpeg library, therefore performant).
> * *Note on the side*: I've edited digital video for over 20 years now, the creative parts for over 6 and I hope my information is of use. Am *not* affilitated to any of those. :)
>
> *What I'd like to strongly recommend too*:
>
> * When deciding on a new application, follow the classical approach of creating a requirements sheet/list.
> * Watch out for hardware requirements (just saying. :) )
> * Start - or continue, as it were - research along those requirements.
> * Evaluate 4-5 tools.
> * Choose 2 or 3 to test along those requirements.
> * Take advantage of any trainings and free demos the vendors offer.
> * Present to the stakeholders...
>
> Good luck!
>
>
>
> Kind regards
>
> Nina
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Gesendet: Mittwoch, 18. September 2024 um 16:15 Uhr
> Von: "Frank Dissinger" <frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com <mailto:frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com> >
> An: "TechWrite List" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com <mailto:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> >
> Betreff: Video Documentation Tools?
>
> Hi list,
>
> I am looking for a suitable tool for creating and editing video
> documentation. I am working for software company which is rather small and I
> am the only techwrite person there, so the tool must be affordable with a
> small budget.
>
> We purchased Camtasia in 2018 and I have used in in a few occasions. Maybe
> it?s a good choice, maybe it?s worth updating it to the latest version. But
> perhaps there are better tools. What is the state of the art?
>
> I would like to create a series of small modular instruction videos for our
> new product, composed of screen recordings and perhaps recordings from a
> camera because I also have to show tasks to be done on a printer and
> scanner. Subtitles may be easier and quicker to create, edit and translate
> than voiceover. I imagine that I can create a video project with multiple
> subtitle tracks, each for a different language (two or three only) and then
> produce the video in each language.
>
> Ideally, there would be a library with material required frequently across
> all video projects, such as intros and outros, company and product logos and
> perhaps some general tasks or text snippets.
>
> I imagine that it would be extremely helpful if I could easily reformat the
> text snippets (in the subtitle tracks and in the libraries) with a few
> clicks, e.g. by selecting a style that applies a font, font size, text color
> and so on. I may have chosen a certain style in the beginning, but then our
> marketing department may decide that another font should be used and I do
> not want to edit each and every callout on every subtitle track. However,
> this does not seem to be possible with Camtasia. Do other tools support
> this?
>
> Freundliche Gr??e | Best regards
> Frank Dissinger
> Documentation Manager
> ..........................................
> CGS ORIS GmbH
> Email frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com <mailto:frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com> <mailto:frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com> |
> Web www.cgs-oris.com <http://www.cgs-oris.com> <http://www.cgs-oris.com/>
> Address Kettelerstrasse 24 | 63512 Hainburg | Germany
> Phone +49 6182 9626-0 | Fax +49 6182 9626-99
> Commercial register Offenbach, HRB no. 21495
> Managing directors Bernd R?ckert, Christoph Thommessen
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2024 17:45:45 +0200
> From: e -dot- dickinson -at- gmx -dot- net
> To: Frank Dissinger <frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com>
> Cc: TechWrite List <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Subject: Aw: Video Documentation Tools?
> Message-ID:
> <trinity-da0d1a4a-ca4e-42fe-84de-8517148c19f8-1726674345038 -at- 3c-app-gmx-bs17>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Hello Frank,
>
> off of the top of my head I can share some experience in
> screenrecording and editing video:
> The state-of-the-art free and commercial tools for recording and
> editing screen material in the same place are:
> * Adobe Captivate (rather expensive, leader of the field, esepcially
> for eLearning)
> * TechSmith Camtasia (you mentioned it) - I've worked with it (too)
> and it is very well done, for the use cases it is created for.
> * Active Presenter (Atomic Systems), sort of 'little sister' to Adobe
> Captivate, very similar interface layout, the free version already
> crammed full with features; paid you would want to evaluate/try
> out. But less dear than Captivate.
> * (OBS Studio: Very smart screen recording options, but no editing.)
> * IF you really want to heavily not only edit with smart features and
> *keep a sort of styles library*, you may want to look at a
> *combination of an NLE* and the above *screenrecording-geared
> applications*;
> * NLEs being famously Adobe Premiere Pro (commercial), Lightworks
> (free and paid version available, runs smoothly on Linux as well),
> DaVinci Resolve (free and paid) and Shotcut (free). There is
> Kdenlive, also great, but last time I checked, it was a little
> unstable on Windows, highly recommended for Linux, though.
> * *NLE*: "non-linear Editor"; it means that you can import compliant
> files (these days usually h264 codec in MP4 'container') and then
> use the timeline to split, combine, add and delete parts of them
> without the original file being touched. Additionally, you can
> 're-string' your edited clips any way and order you like. Thus the
> phrase 'NLE'.
> * I work primarily on Adobe Premiere Pro and would recommend it as
> part of the CC. You could use the "nested sequence" feature for
> example, for re-using material, esp. intros, outros, etc. ->
> Projects inside it are based on XML and that way you can copy &
> paste your sequences, the editing is performant, exporting into any
> and each format breeze, including heaps of templates as well as
> almost unlimited custom settings (based in turn on the ffmpeg
> library, therefore performant).
> * *Note on the side*: I've edited digital video for over 20 years
> now, the creative parts for over 6 and I hope my information is of
> use. Am *not* affilitated to any of those. :)
>
> *What I'd like to strongly recommend too*:
> * When deciding on a new application, follow the classical approach
> of creating a requirements sheet/list.
> * Watch out for hardware requirements (just saying. :) )
> * Start - or continue, as it were - research along those
> requirements.
> * Evaluate 4-5 tools.
> * Choose 2 or 3 to test along those requirements.
> * Take advantage of any trainings and free demos the vendors offer.
> * Present to the stakeholders...
>
> Good luck!
>
> Kind regards
> Nina
>
>
>
>
> Gesendet: Mittwoch, 18. September 2024 um 16:15 Uhr
> Von: "Frank Dissinger" <frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com>
> An: "TechWrite List" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Betreff: Video Documentation Tools?
> Hi list,
> I am looking for a suitable tool for creating and editing video
> documentation. I am working for software company which is rather small
> and I
> am the only techwrite person there, so the tool must be affordable with
> a
> small budget.
> We purchased Camtasia in 2018 and I have used in in a few occasions.
> Maybe
> it's a good choice, maybe it's worth updating it to the latest version.
> But
> perhaps there are better tools. What is the state of the art?
> I would like to create a series of small modular instruction videos for
> our
> new product, composed of screen recordings and perhaps recordings from
> a
> camera because I also have to show tasks to be done on a printer and
> scanner. Subtitles may be easier and quicker to create, edit and
> translate
> than voiceover. I imagine that I can create a video project with
> multiple
> subtitle tracks, each for a different language (two or three only) and
> then
> produce the video in each language.
> Ideally, there would be a library with material required frequently
> across
> all video projects, such as intros and outros, company and product
> logos and
> perhaps some general tasks or text snippets.
> I imagine that it would be extremely helpful if I could easily reformat
> the
> text snippets (in the subtitle tracks and in the libraries) with a few
> clicks, e.g. by selecting a style that applies a font, font size, text
> color
> and so on. I may have chosen a certain style in the beginning, but then
> our
> marketing department may decide that another font should be used and I
> do
> not want to edit each and every callout on every subtitle track.
> However,
> this does not seem to be possible with Camtasia. Do other tools support
> this?
> Freundliche Gruesse | Best regards
> Frank Dissinger
> Documentation Manager
> ..........................................
> CGS ORIS GmbH
> Email frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com
> <mailto:frank -dot- dissinger -at- cgs-oris -dot- com> |
> Web [1]www.cgs-oris.com <[2]http://www.cgs-oris.com/>
> Address Kettelerstrasse 24 | 63512 Hainburg | Germany
> Phone +49 6182 9626-0 | Fax +49 6182 9626-99
> Commercial register Offenbach, HRB no. 21495
> Managing directors Bernd Rueckert, Christoph Thommessen &#8203;
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Visit TechWhirl for the latest on content technology, content strategy
> and content development | [3]https://techwhirl.com
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
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>
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> End of TECHWR-L Digest, Vol 219, Issue 3
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