You’re probably looking for all-in-one video editing software if you’re making training films. Software that can record your screen, is easy to use, and comes with a large library of built-in effects.

It might be difficult to choose the right software for your needs. We’ve tried a lot of different training video systems and have settled on a couple that cover all of our bases.

We use Camtasia to make virtually all of our software training videos at Water Bear Learning. It’s the most handy tool we’ve discovered for capturing screen recordings on PCs, tablets, and cellphones. Camtasia has been our go-to product for creating retail POS system, mobile app, and ERP software lesson videos.

Let’s start with the basics before diving into our review of the advantages and disadvantages.

What exactly is Camtasia?

Camtasia by Techsmith is a straightforward video editing and screen recording application. Camtasia was created with novices in mind, allowing designers to quickly and easily make excellent instructional films. It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac OS X.

Techsmith offers a 30-day free trial to try out the program at the time of this writing. However, any exported files will include a watermark. The full version of Camtasia must be purchased in order to utilize it. Camtasia may be acquired for $249.00 one-time charge in 2020.

Let’s get started with the review now that we’ve covered the essentials. Is Camtasia worth the money? Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using Camtasia to make training videos:

Camtasia’s Advantages

+ Simple to learn: Camtasia is designed for video-editing beginners, with a clean setup and easy user interface.

If you’ve never edited a video before, Camtasia is a great place to start. The buttons for visual effects are big and properly defined. A simple drag-and-drop operation may be used to apply effects. The timeline includes an automated snap function that makes editing quick and easy.

Camtasia, while not as powerful as professional video editing tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, can do for 70% of your training video needs.

+ Fantastic screen capture feature: We’ve tried and tested every piece of screen capture software available. What’s the verdict? With the greatest screen recording functionality, Camtasia blasts the competition out of the water.

Not only is the resolution excellent, but it is also simple to operate. When you launch the software, a screen capture icon appears in the top toolbar. As a result, you may choose the icon and begin recording your screen in only a few clicks.

+ Awe-inspiring cursor effects: Camtasia’s built-in effects are, on the whole, limited. Their cursor effects, on the other hand, are spectacular. These cursor effects provide automatic effects that may really bring your video edit to life.

Cursor smoothing is one of our favorite cursor effects. Drag & drop this effect into your clip to magically erase jerky mouse motions, leaving only smooth and flawless mouse movements. You may also edit and combine several clips together, and the application will (most of the time) stitch them together flawlessly, preventing the mouse from “hopping” to different regions of the screen.

+ User involvement: Training films frequently lack user engagement, which is critical for learning. You may use Camtasia to add interactive quizzes to your videos. At the start, the finish, or all the way through the video. For quizzes to be useful, you’ll need to be aware of your export settings (only helpful for embedding into eLearning modules). Camtasia, on the other hand, is ahead of the curve by offering this functionality, which combines video learning with sluggish interactivity. Quizzes included in films will undoubtedly grow more popular in the future of education. Camtasia is the greatest tool for getting started right away.

+ Comprehensive asset library: If you’re short on time and need to find assets quickly, Camtasia has a lot of them. Icons, intro templates, motion backgrounds, music tracks, and more are all included.

While many of the materials aren’t immediately modifiable, they give a good starting point for creating instructional movies for novices.

+ Mobile version: Techsmith provides a free app for iOS and Android that allows you to record screen recordings from your smartphone or tablet. The app works in tandem with Camtasia’s desktop edition, allowing you to transfer files straight from your PC.

If you’re making training films for iPad or mobile applications, this will come in handy.

+ Excellent customer service: Techsmith has a large and capable customer service crew. If you have any problems, they reply quickly and are usually quite helpful in resolving difficulties. We had difficulties with crashing and exporting, and their support service was fast to respond.

+ Low price: Some people consider Camtasia’s price to be too pricey. We feel Camtasia is well worth the money when compared to alternative video editing and eLearning creation software. Adobe and Articulate 360 charge on a monthly or annual basis, which is significantly more expensive. Camtasia is a steal for all you receive!

Camtasia’s drawbacks

– Constant crashes and glitches: When compared to other apps, Camtasia has a lot more crashes and issues. We edit our films using the most recent iMacs and have had very few crashes with any other program. Camtasia goes through phases for some reason. Some of these are very amazing. Others appear to be problematic, causing the software to crash often.

Camtasia’s crew is known for being swift to provide upgrades to new versions. Their autosave tool also works effectively, guaranteeing that your work is not lost. But it’s worth noting when you consider if Camtasia is a suitable fit for creating your training films.

+ Limited customization: Because Camtasia is designed for novices, it does not allow for much modification. While annotations, transitions, and actions are useful in general, they cannot be adjusted for specific purposes.

The built-in effects will enough for most people or businesses creating training films. If you wish to personalize your effects, you’ll need to use a more powerful video editing program like Adobe Premiere Pro.

– No keyframe tracking: In Camtasia, moving and animating objects is tough. This is due to Camtasia’s lack of keyframe tracking capabilities.

There are ways to move items on the screen using hacks. However, they frequently appear flat and are difficult to manipulate. We recommend putting your files into Premiere Pro if you’re making videos that require keyframing.

+ Ineffective keyboard controls: Adobe has mastered keyboard controls. Techsmith? Not at all. Many instructions are missing, despite the fact that they have restricted keyboard controls.

For actions like clip slicing, altering clip speed, and zooming on the timeline, we’d love to see keyboard commands. Camtasia currently restricts keyboard instructions to saving, copying, and playing video.

+ Export issues: While this hasn’t been reported in all versions, some customers have reported problems encoding and exporting Camtasia videos. Some exported.mov or.mp4 files from Camtasia fail to open in Premiere Pro, indicating that the “file encoded with an unsupported format.” Camtasia’s software stability (export difficulties and continual crashes) is a major issue that we’re hoping they can address soon.

Overall, we believe Camtasia by Techsmith is a valuable addition to your video-editing toolkit. Camtasia is an excellent location for novices to dip their toes into the realm of video editing, even if it isn’t as robust as other video editing applications. Camtasia’s screen capturing capability is unparalleled and the finest in the market for generating software lesson videos, even for seasoned experts.

Camtasia is the greatest program presently available for creating screen recording training videos.