In some of my other posts, I’ve mentioned to my fellow Mac owners how they can use Jing to create screencast videos because Camtasia software is only available for PC users. Now while there is a Mac version of Camtasia being developed – several people have decided to jump in and fill the void in the market. And not just for Mac users – but for anyone who doesn’t want to spend the money on pricey software.
If you just want to make a few great video articles or training videos for one of your products, then I think trying one of these free web-based screencast video solutions is just the right ticket for you:
1. Jing
My personal favorite is Jing, created by TechSmith. I mean even my nine-year-old could make screencast videos up to 5 minutes long with this software. The videos are really high-quality and include live audio and export features. Supports all platforms.
2. Screencast-O-Matic
Nice full-featured web-based screencast creator. Nothing to install. All straight from your browser.
Includes audio. Videos can be up to 15 minutes and are exported as Quicktime videos. All platforms can use this.
3. ScreenToaster
I heard about this user-friendly screencast creator from Jack Humphrey — which is currently in Beta. You will need an invite which you can grab over at TechCrunch. The only thing limiting this very easy to use software is the fact that they have not included live audio recording yet — although they plan to while in Beta. You have to record your audio after you have recorded the video and add it in. Videos can be about 5 minutes. All platforms can use this.
4. CaptureFox
Windows users can use this firefox add-on to create screen capture videos with audio. Pretty easy to use although some complain about the overall quality of video playback after a few minutes of playing. Only Windows users can use this.
Lisa Angelettie
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Great suggestions! I would add Snapz (www.ambrosiasw.com). Their software is pretty nice, I love the audio “action”, “cut” and “that’s a wrap!”. The issues I had with them was the purchasing process. If you buy it from Ambrosia, it’s $69; If you buy it from http://www.soft4download.com, it’s only $20. However, they take your cc, then you have to wait 24 hours for the download files. That is ridiculous and way too complicated for a $20 program. I needed it when I ordered it and couldn’t wait 24 hrs, so I went with iShowu.
Second suggestion, I went with iShowU from http://www.shinywhitebox. Again, only $20. The ease of use was incredible. I recorded my audio to an external divise, but it did record from the laptop we were recording our screenshow. It saves as .mov and very small file size. There will be some issues getting it into Final Cut for editing, but I found the workaround and am excited about using this program more in the future.
I tried Jing, and the ease of use was great, but it puts the Jing logo (which is basically an ad) at the end, and I was using this for a client and don’t want their advertisement at the end of my screenshows.
I’ll try some of those others out. Check out the MaxOSX software, then Apple, then down to Video to find all sorts of interested screencapture software options.
Vickie
Great suggestions! I would add Snapz (www.ambrosiasw.com). Their software is pretty nice, I love the audio “action”, “cut” and “that’s a wrap!”. The issues I had with them was the purchasing process. If you buy it from Ambrosia, it’s $69; If you buy it from http://www.soft4download.com, it’s only $20. However, they take your cc, then you have to wait 24 hours for the download files. That is ridiculous and way too complicated for a $20 program. I needed it when I ordered it and couldn’t wait 24 hrs, so I went with iShowu.
Second suggestion, I went with iShowU from http://www.shinywhitebox. Again, only $20. The ease of use was incredible. I recorded my audio to an external divise, but it did record from the laptop we were recording our screenshow. It saves as .mov and very small file size. There will be some issues getting it into Final Cut for editing, but I found the workaround and am excited about using this program more in the future.
I tried Jing, and the ease of use was great, but it puts the Jing logo (which is basically an ad) at the end, and I was using this for a client and don’t want their advertisement at the end of my screenshows.
I’ll try some of those others out. Check out the MaxOSX software, then Apple, then down to Video to find all sorts of interested screencapture software options.
Vickie
Thanks for those great suggestions Vickie. You make a good point about the Jing ad. If I were going to pay money, I would use Flip For Mac’s screenflow software. It is amazing! Easy to use. Audio is live with video. Great quality. Easy exporting features. But it is for mac users and it isn’t cheap. $99 after the free trial. But I think worth it since video is here to stay. Your suggestions will probably be great paid alternatives for PC users. Thanks for dropping by!
Thanks for those great suggestions Vickie. You make a good point about the Jing ad. If I were going to pay money, I would use Flip For Mac’s screenflow software. It is amazing! Easy to use. Audio is live with video. Great quality. Easy exporting features. But it is for mac users and it isn’t cheap. $99 after the free trial. But I think worth it since video is here to stay. Your suggestions will probably be great paid alternatives for PC users. Thanks for dropping by!