Need to produce an FAQ? Why not think about recording you desktop. Screencasting has a lot of advantages when trying to get your message across. The two main products that I found where
This is not intended to be a full review, but a quick first impression of the default features for both.
Both products are very similar in functionality, users familiar with either product will not find a startling difference in basic functionality. Both equally are good at recording your desktop, or locking to an application, integrate with Powerpoint and both take inspiration from traditional Flash developer tools. Audio and Video editing is a breeze on both.
Camtasia Studio
Pros
- Easy to use. Create and Publish your content with no instructions necessary.
- Tools well signed out.
- SmartFocus - Application tracks and zooms automatically on active area.
- Simple timeline editing.
- Draw on screen while recording.
- Camera integration.
- Price $299
- Multiple movie formats - Flash, Windows Media, Quicktime (Basic), Realplayer.
Cons
- Higher .FLV & SWF filesize. Recording is constant while there is movement on the screen, thus creating more frames.
- Notation tools and additional effects require more work.
- Flash support limited to version 7.
Adobe Captivate 3
Pros
- Auto-Comment system. No need to add action tags. Application adds them by default
- Demonstration mode only records clicked actions and mouse scrolls. Limits mouse movement and animations.
- Smaller .FLV & .SWF files
- Supports Flash 9
- Preset notation tools are well designed vectors.
- Fully exportable to Flash.
- Flash users will be at home.
Cons
Sample content
Camtasia - http://stuartmanning.com/demo/screencasting/camtasia/test.htm
Captivate - http://stuartmanning.com/demo/screencasting/captivate/test_demo.htm
Both Samples where produced using the default settings for each application at the same time.
Captivate is great for FAQ's and Demonstration. It's rich presentation and browser integrations' like 'auto-focus' and 'page title' knowledge are impressive. Even using IE8 beta it performed flawlessly. Captivate can match most of Camtasia's features and more, with true Flash 9 support. The only turn-away is the license cost $699 compared to Camtasia's more modest $299. Still though, it rich presentation is compelling to say the least.
For client website demonstration's Captivate will win in the long run and by many more (or less hurdles). That said, Camtasia has locked in webcam support, better use of real-estate, and lower cost makes it a highly affordable and veritile tool for video podcasting. An added bonus is it's level of support for multiple video formats out of the box, and integration with Windows Media Encoder 9.
Conclusion
For web demos - Captivate. Product will pay for itself in time taken to produce Flash site demos for your client, compared to time taken.
For video casting - Camtasia. Simple ease of publishing and support for multiple file formats. Camera support is a great feature for adding personalization.
For site testing - Camtasia, multi-user license goes to reduce costs further. Great for debugging and recording user test sessions, especially when debugging Ajax.
One last thought. How many times have you had to train, or retrain a group of users? Why not record once and show many.