Camtasia Studio 8 – First impressions

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We launched Camtasia Studio 8 into the wild on June 19. Here’s a quick round-up of reactions from reviewers and individuals who are trying out the new version. (Can’t see the embedded content below? View it on Storify…)

We’re excited to finally get this new version into the hands of screencasters and video creators everywhere, so you can tell us what you like, dislike, and want in the next version. (Yes, we’re already working on what’s next!) So please post your feedback and questions at our community site. The Camtasia development team is actively reading and responding to posts there.

Camtasia Studio 8 – First impressions

Camtasia Studio 8 and Camtasia for Mac 2.2 were both released on June 19. Here’s a quick round-up of reactions from reviewers and individuals who are trying out the new version.

Storified by TechSmith · Thu, Jun 21 2012 12:14:42

First takes from media and reviewers

It’s still too early for in-depth reviews, but bloggers and media are posting their initial reactions and are eager to dig in further!   
Camtasia 8 vastly improves screencast frame rates(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET) When it comes to producing professional-looking movies and demos from your computer screen, Tec…
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Techsmith’s Camtasia Studio 8 – Now Truly The Rockstar In Video Screen Capture for WindowsJune 19, 2012 In Episode 3 of the Best Video Screen Capture Software Series, I had given Camtasia Studio an overall "Mel Rank" of 3.5 out…
Camtasia Studio 8 – Create Video Smooth as Butter (Between the Lines)If you create and edit training videos, screen recordings, demonstrations and product launch videos or more then you have most likely use…
CAD-a-Blog: TechSmith Releases Camtasia Studio 8Record smoother videos with a higher frame rate (30 fps) Quizzing Screen "Hotspots" where users can click for instant feedback Unlimited …
NEW Camtasia Studio 8 -Tutorial & Overview!yutubemedia
Camtasia Studio 8 Review (Full Version)xxxroyalgamingxxx

And the reaction from the crowd? 

Lots of excitement about how big this release is…

#camtasia 8. Just installed it. omg omg omg. I sound like a drooling fanboy, but omg.feralwriter
Over 250 ideas from community incorporated into Camtasia 8. Nice community involvement and listening. #TSCforgesubreyes94
Been playing around with Camtasia Studio 8 for the last little while. This appears to be a major upgrade. Great job, @techsmithBob Levine
So stoked about @TechSmith dropping Camtasia Studio 8 today. A great product and world-class customer service. What more could you ask for?Shoup!
OMG OMG OMG!! Camtasia Studio 8 is finally out!! It’s like Christmas for me!!!Jonathan Snead
I bloody love Camtasia Studio, and here comes the all-singing, all-dancing (literally) version 8: http://shar.es/s5qZm via @PCAdvisorMatt Egan

…comments that editing will be faster and easier

Well they just released camtasia studio 8 today and I think I can safely say that videos are gonna be a lot easier to editsonny nicholas
The timeline editing is so much smoother and nice to use in Camtasia Studio 8! @CamtasiaTipsJonathan Williamson
#camtasia good work guys, the new camtasia is so much better and easyier to use the previous one :D Thomas Kreis
@TechSmithEDU ooh yes … love the multitrack video timeline http://bit.ly/M2JfPBDoug
Wow #Camtasia8 is awesome!! Blazing fast and one of my all time favorite tools!! Review coming soon. @TechSmith #Reviews #SoftwareDamn Good Reviews
@CamtasiaTips I have to say, Camtasia Studio 8 looks feels and preforms amazing. It’s everything I hoped for in the new versionChris

…and the improved support for mobile playback is getting positive mentions, too.

@rjacquez The best Camtasia ever! Smart Player on the iPad – great.PTS Bregenz
@PTSBregenz Yeah no doubt. I really like everything in #Camtasia 8, starting with their new codec, all the way to their iOS app. Awesome!RJ Jacquez

  • PTS Bregenz

    I can only repeat it: This is the best Camtasia ever. And what I really like – in contrast to other new versions of software from other companies the upgrade price is more than fair.

    • Kelly Rush

      That’s exactly what we want to hear! Glad to hear you’re enjoying it!

  • rjacquez

    Excellent use of Storify, kudos! Thanks for the mention. I’m still working on my Review of Camtasia 8 but with every new feature I try out, I like the product more and more. Thanks agains and congratulations to the entire team for giving us a product we can be excited about!

  • .MTS Please?

    Awww, come one folks! This update is so bomba-licious. But do you know how much more awesome Studio would be if you supported .MTS files? It would let us bypass our NLEs and do quick editing right within the Studio environment. Studio could be so much more…just flip the switch. Pretty Please?

    • Kelly Rush

      MTS support has definitely been a highly requested feature, and one I wouldn’t mind seeing implemented myself! I’m not sure if/when it will be added, but it’s definitely on the radar. I’ll make sure to pass along your request to the team!

    • Randy Schott

      We really wanted to get it in for the 8.0 release, but it just didn’t make it in time. There are a few hangups we are trying to resolve, but it’s still on the top of our list of things to get done. Thanks for being so patient with us :-) .

  • Mtn Jim Fisher

    I’m a Camtasia virgin. Just downloaded the new version, hope it will be gentle with me…;-)
    Who wants to follow my folly/adventures in creation? lol

    Mtn Jim

    • Shane Lovellette

      I would love to follow your adventures, as would the development team! Please share your experience so we can continue to make CS better.

      Thanks,
      Shane Lovellette
      Product Manager, Camtasia Studio & Camtasia for Mac

  • Jack

    I can’t get the noise reduction to get rid of the room background noidse. Not a problem in CAM 7 but been trying for an hour in CAM 8.

  • Enri

    Focusing on the negatives for a moment, hopefully it’s just me who can’t find the right button to press:
    1. How can I extend the duration of a freeze-frame without having to manually move all the following clips and mess up my timeline (In CS 7, I right-clicked on the extended frame and chose Edit Duration)
    2. Why can’t I navigate the timeline with the keyboard arrows reliably, sometimes it moves the playhead as it should but sometimes it moves the whole timeline in a very strange fashion
    3. How can I cut out a part of the timeline without messing up what comes after (In CS 7, if I selected part of the timeline and pressed Delete, whatever came after would neatly move forward and stay in sync)

    Love that callouts etc can now bridge over gaps in the video timeline.

    thanks

    Enri

    • http://www.techsmith.com/ Daniel Foster

      Hi Enri, thanks for posting your questions about the new version! I checked our Q&A site and found some answers that may help:

      1. Extend a frame
      2. Keyboard shortcuts for editing
      3. Grouping object

      I don’t know that you’ll find satisfactory answers to all your workflow questions there, but it’s also the best method to talk back to the development team and let them know what tweaks you need for more optimal editing.

      Thanks for using Camtasia Studio and for getting in touch!

  • Robert B.

    How much has everyone on this thread been paid to make these glowing comments. Camtasia 8 is one of the worst version upgrades I’ve ever seen. If you have been working in Camtasia 7, Camtasia 8 is a nightmare of botched editing functions beginning with the timeline. My editing work has slowed down to a crawl since they’ve recreated the timeline. Go to a real blog if you want to find out what they’ve screwed up.

    • Robert B.

      Here are just a *few* of the issues discovered within minutes of using Camtasia 8:

      - Unable to delete sections without leaving a split
      - Delete key no longer usable for edits, have to right-click and ‘cut’
      - Unable to copy paste zoom/pan markers
      - Constantly have to show hide tracks to view elements
      - Visual depiction of audio wave less precise
      - Difficulty or impossibility of manually moving segments between tracks.

      There is absolutely NO excuse for making loyal users relearn editing functions in an audio/visual tool. Next time you
      put someone in charge of upgrades, make sure they actually use the product.

      • http://www.twitter.com/fosteronomo Daniel Foster

        Hi Robert – thanks for caring about the product and speaking up to help us keep improving the user experience! We just released an update to Camtasia Studio that addresses a number of issues customers have raised, plus feedback from our internal users. It’s a free update for anyone who owns version 8; details are here: http://blogs.techsmith.com/news-events/weve-been-listening-improvements-and-enhancements-to-camtasia-studio-camtasia-for-mac-and-snagit-on-mac/ The video in that post, in particular, walks through the changes and how to take advantage of them in your workflow.

        Please keep the feedback coming…we’re already at work on the next release and we need all the input we can get!

        • Robert B.

          OK, I have to appreciate the quick response. I will explore what you have, thank you.

  • Ugh

    Don`t download this crap ._. Im so mad it quits all the time when your editing something. I used a hour on something and all progress LOST!

    • Ugh

      It`s not crap but it has way too much bugs and does not save as avi file only cam file

  • http://twitter.com/Getalong Getalong

    Hi, love Camtasia. Purchased the Mac version…this is SOOOOO simple. However, I’ve decoded to download version 8 trial for the laptop and i’m getting something TOTALLY different. None of the tutorials look like what I’ve downloaded & for the life of me…..I CANNOT export what I’ve imported NOR what I’ve saved as .camrec. Is this a joke or what???

    • http://www.techsmith.com/ TechSmith

      Hi Getalong – sorry for the frustrating experience when shifting platforms…that is something we’re working on improving. The tutorials for the Windows version may help you make the adjustment (video 10 covers exporting): http://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-camtasia-8.html If you’re hitting a wall with exporting or anything else and need help, let us know and we can help! You can post questions in our online community (http://bit.ly/ts-support) or ask a support agent directly (http://support.techsmith.com).