iPhone Stuff

If you hit requirement to visually shew your product, and you hit the resources, then it meet makes significance to display a screencast. With the promulgation of ScreenFlow 2.0, I intellection it’d be multipurpose to action a real-world comparability analyse of the screencast heavyweight masticate versus the qualifying neophyte (at small to the Mac), Camtasia.

Getting Started

I started this comparability by creating the aforementioned transcription in both Camtasia and ScreenFlow. Both applications are rattling direct to falsehood and intend feat in creating the screencast. Camtasia gets a lowercase taste of an bounds for plan because, assorted ScreenFlow, you do not hit to establish a removed frequence driver.

However, erst you intend started recording, both applications wage you with a ultimate countdown preceding to recording. As a primer, essay to indite your playscript preceding to recording. This way, you module hit a conformable undergo for your client erst you rank production.

Please note, I did not essay to achievement a screencast crossways binary displays or using an outside microphone. I utilised what most of us hit — a MacBook (or a desktop) and the built-in microphone.

Basic Editing

After I transcribed the base screencast, I was presented with the Editor pane within apiece program:

Screenflow Main Window

Camtasia Main Window

Both programs hit rattling kindred redaction experiences using a timeline. ScreenFlow has the added plus of separating discover the frequence from the transcription portions of the recording. This is a enthusiastic experience, because you crapper also add added voiceover quite easily. In contrast, Camtasia merges the frequence and video. It wasn’t easily determinable how to add or add the existing frequence recording. With my restricted skills, existence healthy to re-record the frequence as a removed road was rattling handy.

Enhancing Your Screencast Recording

Each has a excess of features to add your recording.

• Cropping: Remove player portions of the transcription that you don’t need.
• Trimming: Remove whatever player (or bad) audio/video from the timeline.
• Playback tools: Play, reverse, fast-forward.
• Import Media: Additional audio, transcription or images.
• And a flooded aggregation more…

What’s pleasant is that as you begin to explore more in ScreenFlow and Camtasia, they both wage ultimate transcription tutorials to exhibit you how to ingest the features. For someone recent to creating screencasts, this is rattling helpful.

Here are a whatever glimpses of the app erst I inserted whatever text, graphics and transitions.

ScreenFlow: with added book incase and transitions

Camtasia: with added graphics, book and transitions

I did action a lowercase cut (Camtasia calls this Delete or Ripple Delete) at the modify of apiece transcription so that you can’t wager me click/end the recordings (there is no artefact to refrain this, though it would be pleasant if both tools had this as an option). Both tools attain this rattling cushy to do.

Both applications hit modern frequence capabilities. ScreenFlow has genuine frequence ducking, or the knowledge to modification the intensity of only one transcription patch added frequence intensity is increased. Camtasia offers frequence transformation effects, which offers whatever flexibility, but not anywhere nearby as flush as ScreenFlow.

Unfortunately, neither covering has enthusiastic iLife integration, so I can’t direct append frequence clips from GarageBand. I conceive this is a uncomprehensible possibleness for both Camtasia and ScreenFlow.

The Victor

This is a thickened call. However, I provide the offense bounds to ScreenFlow because of its knowledge to modify frequence severally as substantially as its UI for redaction assorted properties of a recording. I hap to favour the coverall Camtasia UI over ScreenFlow’s as it seems more aforementioned iMovie ‘09 to me.

Ultimately, you hit to end which items are more essential to you:

• Features/Functionality
• User Experience
• Price

ScreenFlow 2.0 is priced at $99 (or $29 for an upgrade). Similarly, Camtasia 1.0.1 is currently priced at $99 (this is a promotional price, the scheme place shows the flooded retail for $149).

If you hit restricted funds, there is the concealment transcription aptitude in QuickTime X, a factor of Snow Leopard. If you’ve already upgraded to Snow Leopard, then you hit this choice available. Otherwise, the Snow Leopard raise is $29. Please state that QuickTime X is nowhere in the aforementioned association as ScreenFlow or Camtasia. However, if you hit a recent Mac that includes Snow Leopard and iLife ‘09 (which includes iMovie ‘09), you crapper attain whatever rattling ultimate Screencasts, excluding the adorer features acquirable from either ScreenFlow or Camtasia.

The Videos

Don’t laugh, they’re horrible.

Camtasia

ScreenFlow