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The De
fi
nitiveGuide toScreencasting
Find more content at
 
davidturnbull.com
Previously I’d made this tutorial for one of my other sites, tutorialsfornoobs.com but I couldn’t fit itinto any of the categories (and I didn’t want it to be in a category by its lonesome) so I decided topost it over here. So without further ado, here is my definitive guide to screencasting:
What you’ll need
1. Microphones
People can handle a dodgy quality video (within reason) but audio that makes your ears bleed is asure way to get people tuning out of your screencast. I’ve bought three “proper” microphones in mytime, all USB based and they’ve all been good purchases for their prices.
Logitech Desktop Microphone | »Go to this product’s page
This was more of an impulse purchase because the microphone is only $50. Nevertheless, the audioquality for the price is probably the best you’ll get and should be enough if you’re just getting intoscreencasting. The main downside is that it will pick up audio in the background so you need areally quiet area and there is very pronounced popping when saying your “p” sounds, so that’sanother thing you need to watch out for.
Samson C03U Podcasting Pak | »Go to this product’s page
Now we’re getting a little more upmarket. This was one of the first USB microphones and Samsonhave packaged it up into a nice little package that includes a shockmount, software and a desktopstand. The quality is exponentially better than the Logitech microphone and if you can’t afford thenext microphone I’ll mention then this will definitely last you a good while. However, the desktopstand is pretty useless (waytoo low), so you’ll probably need to buy a proper one to make yourrecording environment more ergonomic.
Rode Podcaster | »Go to this product’s page
The holy grail of microphones for screencasting. Sure, there may be better ones out there forthousands of dollars, but for a USB microphone that is not too much more expensive than theSamson, finding a better one will be quite the challenge. All the tutorials I record are with the RodePodcaster and it’s ability to only pick up my voice is perfect (especially since I record right next to
 
my humming computer + noisy cars outside my window) and the stand you can purchase with it ismuch more flexible than the one included with the Samson.
2. Screen capture software
To record the screen of your computer you’ll need what is know as “screen capture” software.Luckily there are quite a few packages to choose from - unfortunately, most of them aren’t thatgreat. I’ll take you through what we use and some other alternatives I’ve played around with.
Mac OS X: Screenflow | »Go to this product’s page
Still relatively new to the screen capture market as of writing this (compared to the other packagesthat is) but I’d go as far to say that this is the best application I have on my Mac. I say this notbecause I’m wowed by screen capturing or anything, the app is just amazingly fast, fluid and welldesigned. You can record the screen, open the editor, and export the video with just 5 clicks(Record, Stop Record, File menu, Export, Okay) and you have a good range of options for makingthe screencast more user friendly (highlight the cursor, zoom a certain area etc).If you have a Mac, and can afford the price tag (it’s really not THAT expensive) then getScreenflow. When you’re working with tools this awesome you do better work, are moreproductive, and even excited to do more screencasts.
Windows XP/Vista: Camtasia | »Go to this product’s page
The Goliath of screencasting. Camtasia has been around for ages (possibly the oldest screencastingsoftware?) and is definitely the most feature rich tool available over all operating systems. This doesmake the interface a bit more cluttered and you don’t really need most of the features but for aWindows application it’s surprisingly responsive and the ability to select the capture area beforerecording is a nice feature that I wish Screenflow would adopt.Now, the main downside of Camtasia is the price. Most people couldn’t stomach shelling out $299on a piece of software that has free (or much cheaper) counterparts. The fact that the Mac hasscreenflow at a third of the cost is further salt on the wound. Nevertheless if you can afford it,Camtasia can not be beaten in terms of screencasting on a Windows machine.
Preparing for your screencast
There is no single way to prepare for a screencast, as everyone has different preferences/requirements. I’ll go through a few different methods and it’s best just to try them all out and seewhat works best for you.
1. Wing it (no preparation)
This is how I generally do it. We know what we want the end result to be and then we just hit therecord button and hope for the best. Winging it has it’s advantages:
 
•
Able to pump out screencasts really quickly
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Forces you to become a better speaker
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The informality of it makes viewers feel like they’re learning from a friend (that’s a goodthing)It’ll depend on why you’re screencasting if you want to wing it or not. In a highly formal/corporateenvironment not preparing for a screencast probably wouldn’t work too well as it doesn’t lead to themost professional screencasts. Winging it also goes out the window if you aren’t very comfortablewith whatever you’re talking about.
2. Bullet points (minimal preparation)
If your mind wanders when you’re speaking but you still want informality in your screencasts,writing down some bullet points of what you want to say is a simple way to solve that problem.This also has its own advantages:
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Keep you on track (especially with longer screencasts)
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Still maintain informality but without long pauses, stuttering, or stumbling
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Minimal preparation timeThis is something I should probably adopt (if I weren’t so lazy) and it’s a good halfway point forpreparing for screencasts.
3. Script (preparation required)
Ah, the script. The best or worst thing to happen to screencasting? Well it really depends on thecontext. Little known fact: The first 10-15 screencasts I ever recorded for tutorialsfornoobs.comwere all completely scripted (didn’t even deviate on one word) - this didn’t last long because it wastoo time consuming and it just wasn’t that fun.The only time I’ve stuck with using a script is when creating a video for a sales page, but I stillwasn’t particularly happy with the final result. I was so focused on reading the script that I struggledto inject personality into my speech.On that note, the main problem with using scripts is 99% of the time it will sound scripted, andwhen something sound scripted people find it hard to know, like and trust the person reading thescript. If you can write a script that sounds like a perfectly natural conversation, then by all meansdo it, but most of the time a script will make a screencast formulaic, boring and insincere.
Starting to record
Recording Audio
Distance from the microphone
Your distance from the microphone is a very important factor when it comes to the quality of thefinal result. If you’re too close you’ll hear heaving breathing and popping sounds constantly, and if 
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