Perhaps someone out there is a little like me… I enjoy “making” things. With bits of paper, scraps of magazines, fabric, ribbon, wood, etc. To me, nothing feels quite as satisfying as making a unique bit of art from things I have in my craft stash.

So, when it comes to using Camtasia Studio, I sometimes like to go outside of the realm of traditional screen recording, plain title clips, or stock art found in the media Library and customize the look of my video with original artwork I create.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to use PowerPoint to create an artsy, collage style title clip….

…and add a little animation applied to it via the Camtasia Studio Visual Properties!

You can follow along with the technique I have shown below choosing clip art / images you like.

Before You Start

• This tutorial takes a pictorial approach to show how my title clip image was created in PowerPoint. This tutorial does not give step-by-step instructions on using each of the effects in PowerPoint 2007 / 2010. Instead, a general overview of the process is given along with a graphic.
• Click the thumbnail images to see the larger version.
• I will use a default size slide in PowerPoint. You may want to size your slide to be the dimensions of your particular video. But, leave some white space on the slide since you will need to frequently resize things.
• A video at the end of this tutorial shows you how to create the title clip and animation within Camtasia Studio 8.

To Make a Collage Style Title Clip

1. Add A Background
In PowerPoint 2007 / 2010, choose Insert > Image > Clipart option to search for and choose a background image to add to a plain white slide. I searched for “butterfly” to find this picture.

 

2. Add a Border to the Background
Double-click the background image to open the Format tab. From the Effects gallery, choose a border. (I chose a fancy border and changed the color to black.)

3. Add a Glow Effect to the Border in a Coordinating Color
With the image selected, on the Format tab, choose Picture Effects > Glow. Choose a coordinating color.

4. Add A Frame Image
Use the Insert > Image > Clipart option to search for and add a frame image. Resize the frame to fit around the background image. ( I searched for the word “frame”.)

5. Add a Glow Effect to the Frame in a Coordinating Color
With the frame selected, on the Format tab, choose Picture Effects > Glow. Choose a coordinating color.

6. Add Some Clipart Images
Use the Insert > Image > Clipart option to search for and add some pieces of art.

• Use handles to resize the images and the rotate option to achieve the desired look.

• If needed, right-click each image and use the Bring to Front or Send to Back to put the images in the desired order. Four images have been added to this image: two copies of the flower image and two copies of the green leaves

7. Add a Glow Effect in a Coordinating Color to Each Image
Select an image. On the Format tab, choose Picture Effects > Glow. Choose a coordinating color. Repeat for each clip art image.

8. Add a Rectangle Shape
Choose Insert tab > Shape button. Choose a rectangle from the gallery. Drag a rectangle on the image and size it to fit within the overall image. This is where the callout text will be added.

9. Format the Rectangle Shape
Double-click the shape to open the Format tab with the effects options. Use the options to change the color, add a slight transparency, and add a small blurred edge.

10. Select all Elements
Press <CTRL+A> on the keyboard to select all of the elements at one time.

Right-click on one of the selected images. Choose Group > Group from the context menu. All the elements are made into one image. Save the image as a PNG file.

11. Add the slide image to the Camtasia Studio 8 Clip Bin
In Camtasia Studio 8, choose Import Media. Browse and select the slide image. The image is added to the clip bin.

12. Save Image for the Animation Effect
In PowerPoint, add the image you want to use as the animation to the PowerPoint slide. Then, right-click the image and choose Save as Picture from the menu.
In Camtasia Studio 8, choose Import Media. Browse and select the slide image. The image is added to the clip bin.

13. Create the Title Clip and Animation in Camtasia Studio
In this (nearly 10 minute) video, I walk you through the process of creating the animated title clip seen in the demo video at the top of this video.
It is a bit long… but, it’s chock full of not only the “how” to do the process but you get lots of the “why” as well.

Can’t see the embedded video? Watch it on Screencast.com.

P.S. You can also download my Camtasia Studio 8 project file from the Attachments tab on the video page. Import the project into Camtasia Studio 8 to see first hand how I have the media arranged on the timeline.