Create Custom Spotlight Effects in Camtasia for Mac

There are lots of ways to direct your viewers' attention: boxes, arrows, zooms, crops, etc. But I got asked last week how to create a rectangular spotlight, something that Camtasia doesn't have a specific feature for. That said, creating one that's both easy and flexible is completely possible--all thanks to the Mask effect. Here's how: Have any other effects you'd like to see? Leave a comment below. Continue reading

The Forge: Episode 29 Presentation Tips with Nancy Duarte

Did you miss the Forge last week? We talked with Nancy Duarte about her books, work, and presentation tips on giving better presentation. You can check out the entire episode here: Can’t see the video? Watch it on YouTube! You can learn more about Nancy Duarte by connecting with her on her blog, Facebook or Twitter. During this episode I mentioned that you could have a chance to win a copy of one of Nancy's books - Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences or slide:ology: Continue reading

Fun with Tobias Fünke And Camtasia Mac Green Screen

There's this neat show called Arrested Development that's returning to life on May 26th, 2013 care of our good friend, Netflix. Surely you've heard of it? Maybe you're even a fan? Saying "we're excited" is a bit of an understatement - we've been using some of our lunch breaks to collectively catch up with the Bluths, eagerly anticipating the new season while chowing down on cornballs, ice cream sandwiches, and frozen bananas. So, when aspiring actor and favorite character, Tobias Fünke, released Continue reading

UNINETT Spreads New Technologies Across Norway With eCampus Program

UNINETT, a non-profit division of Norway’s Ministry of Education, develops and operates the country’s National Research and Education Network (NREN). The network connects more than 300,00 users across nearly 200 educational and research institutions in Norway, including all universities and most public colleges. The eCampus program within UNINETT was officially launched in 2012 due to demand from institutions and as an effort to better manage resources for both the Ministry of Education and the Continue reading

Camtasia Studio 8: How We Use Hotspots

If you've watched any of our video tutorials, you may have noticed that we usually include a clickable link to surveys or other tutorials. Well, as long as your videos are delivered through the TechSmith Smart Player, you can do the exact same thing!  You can do even more with a little creativity – like use hotspots to break a video into sections or create a custom table of contents. In the video below, I'll walk you through adding a clickable hotspot, and explain what it looks like Continue reading

ISTE 2013 Presenter Profiles: Rob Zdrojewski

We're SO excited for ISTE 2013! The TechSmith Academic Solutions team will be heading down to San Antonio this year for the Annual Conference and Exposition, and we're eager to hang out with all of our presenter pals at our booth. The four day conference begins on June 23rd and ends on June 26th, focusing on advancing and improving education through the use of technology. Not surprisingly, the whole concept is something that we're thrilled to be involved in. Will we be seeing you there? In the Continue reading

Circling Back: Notification of Ask3 Responses

Last week, I visited Jennie Magiera and some extraordinary teachers in Chicago. The students used Ask3 to work on math problems and then gave feedback to their 'Power Partner.' Cool concept: an Ask3 Buddy. As I looked closely at the feedback, I could see the learning and the conversation evolve. One student would respond with an an idea, another would chime in. The only problem was that the student who made the original video didn't know that comments had been left. Problem solved. With Continue reading