I do a lot of videos in my line of work. Most of the videos that I do don’t require a ton of extra work, but it is the rendering time which really sucks the life out of my day.

I used to just deal with it. I’d cut one video, and then go away and come back a few hours later. Then I’d cut another video, go away and come back later.

One day, the golden apple fell right in front of me, begging me to pick it up. Batch processing.

What if I could edit more than one video at the same time, and then render them all at the same time. Sure, the rendering would still take time, but I would no longer need to wait for it.

I started to develop a workflow process.

In this video below, I share with you how I do batch video editing and creation with Magix Movie Edit Pro. It is the single best time saving tip I can possibly offer to you.

Check out the video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

God Bless,
-Dan

After I did that video I discovered that there is a whole new level to using zoomit for screen annotation. I recorded a video here for you to check it out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The shortcuts I describe in the video are:

• Control + Left Click = Draw a Box
• Shift  + Left Click = Draw a Line
• Control + Shift + Left Click = Draw an Arrow
• Tab + Left Click = Draw a Circle

God Bless,
-Dan

This doesn’t have to be a complicated thing, check out my video below where I show how to add a simple intro and outro to your videos in about 5 minutes or less.

Click here to view the embedded video.

God Bless,
-Dan

If you purchase the camera through this link I will make a small comission to help support this site.

When I saw this camera it took me about 10 seconds to have my Flip Mino HD up for sale on Amazon in hopes that I could generate a little quick cash so I can afford this beauty. Kodak has put together the PERFECT video creation camera for the small entrepreneur.

What makes this camera so cool?

A few things. Not only is the camera small and portable, but you can film while the camera is plugged in, this is VERY freeing from the battery dependent world of the flip mino camera (although the Flip Ultra makes up for this by using AA batteries).

Secondly, and much more importantly, this is the only personal HD camera which has a dedicated microphone-in jack. This means that instead of relying on woefully poor quality in-camera microphones, you can invest in a better microphone to get much better sound from the camera. In fact, if you want to go all out, you could purchase a wireless microphone and have an instant super high quality web video creation tool. Anywhere, any time, you could whip out incredibly high quality video.

Finally, since this camera uses SD cards to store video. You can use SD cards much like you use tapes in a more traditional camcorder. The benefit of this over a camera such as the Flip or using my cell phone’s built in camera, is that if you are planning to record a session which is longer than the capacity of the camera, with the Kodak Zi8, you simply just need to swap out the SD card. When compared to the 20 minutes or so of downtime to download a full load from the Flip Mino HD (I learned this the hard way) you will be up and filming for much longer with the Kodak.

The low profile of the camera is pretty amazing considering that it delivers full 1080p quality video.

Oh and did I mention that it is currently retailing on Amazon for just $150?. I guess a few people at Kodak are going to tighten their belts to deliver this beauty to the market at a way-more-than reasonable price.

So Whats the Down Side?

I mean, come on, its too perfect to not have any negatives. There is ALWAYS a catch. Well, alas, yes there is a catch, the global BANE of existence for awesome portable electronics.

Battery life is pretty much miserable. Based on my research I am hearing reports of getting about one hour and change per charge of the camera’s proprietary battery. So, even though you can plug it in in order to extend its battery life, it would be permanently tethered if you do that.

And what makes things worse, its image stabilizing technology seems to be relatively ineffective in keeping the camera’s image stable if you are holding it with your hands. There will be a significant shake in the camera’s video if it is not screwed on to some kind of tripod or other camera stabilizing device. The good news is that you CAN mount it on a Tripod.

The final concern for the camera, although this is just simply a note which can be overcome with a little extra money (of course!). If you plan to use this camera’s high definition features, then you need to make sure that you purchase a high speed SD card (SDHC) (aff).

My Personal Conclusion

I WANT! . The downsides to the camera are not enough to stop me. Camera shake is inevitable with any portable camera and I have zero intention of using this camera in any unprofessional way.

For the features that it sports it delivers a similar experience that the $3,000 JVC HD camera we purchased for my office does. That camera solves many of this camera’s faults, but when it comes down to the price comparison, you simply cannot beat this deal.

God Bless,
-Dan

The human voice has the power to make war happen, and also the power to bring peace.

The human voice can make a baby go to sleep, or enrage a mob of people.

It has been a key component in sharing science, philosophy, and EVERY SINGLE OTHER DISCIPLINE on the planet.

So then I ask you, when you are developing your screencasts for the Internet, why do you insist on not including your own voice? Screencasts done without words are missing most (if not all) of their power! Bring some BANG with your presentations by speaking to the computer.

When you do a screencast, use a mic and record your voice, you’ll be glad you did .

God Bless,
-Dan

Why is that? Well I have been working on a series on screencasting, and in the course of my research I have found half a dozen websites which make screencasts directly for syndication on Twitter. I introduced one of these sites here.

Twitter, if you are familiar with the social networking service, is basically a public log of you answering the all important question: “What Am I Doing?” I have heard it best described as a gigantic cocktail party where you can browse through dozens of conversations and choose to add your input here and there, and connecting with people “for lunch the next day” where you can have a more in depth conversation.

The conversations on Twitter do not get all that deep because of the limit of 140 characters, but it is common practice to start the conversation on Twitter and then take it elsewhere, to a blog, a chatroom, IM, forums, facebook, and now video.

Sharing video through Twitter provides a unique interface for broadcasting your videos because of the time-relevant nature of Twitter.

Here is a scenario which might make sense to you:

You see a news-worthy event in action. Thinking quickly, you whip out your telephone and start video recording the event. Using your phone’s software you upload the video to Youtube which then, if you have it setup, turns around and pings your following on Twitter about the new video. You have just reported on this event without even touching a computer!

Another interesting scenario would be something like:

You are a small HVAC company, you know that people are often negligent in getting their HVAC units maintained so when you run across a particularly bad one, you take a quick video with a flip camera, pointing out everything that went wrong and how they could have avoided it with a little maintenance. You then upload that video to Twitter later, pinging your following, and starting a conversation. This becomes the launching board for a conversation on HVAC maintenance and a way to sell more of your services to prospective and former clients.

One final scenario which this could have an impact on:

You see a Tweet on Twitter which you’d like to reply to but no matter how hard you try, you just don’t know how to condense your response into a 140 character statement. So, instead of writing up a blog post and giving them a link (because people often won’t read through a blog post if they don’t feel like it) you take a quick video with your webcam with your feedback and then link them to the video. This is a way to keep the conversation around Twitter without really dragging people away to your blog, or someplace else where they may be less inclined to follow.

But these are just a few of dozens of situations where a video shared on Twitter could be VERY useful.

Screenr.com which I have mentioned already is a wonderful way to record a quick message without having to get in front of the camera, but you could also rig up Youtube to automatically share your videos on Twitter.

Another interesting website which I have happened on recently is one called TwitVid which is a quick and easy way to share videos through Twitter. unlike Screenr.com you can easily upload videos to TwitVid and you can also record live from a webcam. So it makes a nice compliment to recording screencasts at Screenr.

These integrated services give you a quick way to push your videos out to your Twitter following.

Do you use Twitter? Have you ever tried pushing video out to your following? I would love to hear if you have experimented with that at all and what the results have been. I am planning to syndicate a lot of videos through Twitter as I produce for this blog and so I am going to be doing a lot of experimenting myself. Hit me up in the comments and lets get a discussion going .

God Bless,
-Dan

Below I have included a list of the BEST two free screencasting apps. Below that I’ll show you a fantastic little piece of software that you can use to make any one of these screencasting applications REALLY rock.

1. Screenr.com (Product Website)
2. CaptureFox (Product Website)

I went through half a dozen screen recording applications and these two came out on top because of a few reasons, including:

• They record the screen and mic QUICKLY and EASILY.
• They didn’t put a watermark on my recording videos.
• They got a decent framerate (ok, mostly decent .)
• They didn’t try to upsell me on a paid version every five seconds of the day.

The two best runner ups were:

1. Camstudio (Product Website) (Didn’t make the cut because it isn’t too easy to work with and also doesn’t seem to be in active development any longer.)
2. Jing (Product Website) (Puts a watermark on my recorded videos, limits sharing in the free version, tries to upsell me every five seconds, and uses a TON of system resources. But it still takes good screencasts and the paid version is not bad at all.)

Now, here is my killer tip:

One of the amazing things about packages such as Camtasia Studio and Screenflow is their ability to zoom in on specific parts of the screen. If you are focused on a specific area of the screen, then cutting everything else out allows the viewer to focus on what you are talking about.

Furthermore, if you can draw on the screen to point out important things, then you can have a significant impact on the experience of your viewer. They will percieve you as being very professional with your screencasts.

Well, there is a wonderful little tool that you can download which allows you to do zoom, pan, and on screen drawing. And the best part is that it is free of charge!

This cute little program, Zoomit. Is an excellent addition to any of the above mentioned screencasting programs. Now you can look professional, and get your start with screencasting without dropping a red cent into it.

In recorded a video describing when and how to use Zoomit Here.

Very cool stuff!

God Bless,
-Dan

Capturefox is pretty much my favorite free screen recording software out right now, excluding Camtasia Studio. But when it comes to $300 for Camtasia Studio and NOTHING for Capture Fox it become a fairly clear choice.

So if you are looking to create high quality screencasts for a very low cost, CaptureFox pretty much can’t be beat. Especially if you tie it in with Zoomit, a screenzoom and annotation software.

I have included a tutorial on setting up and using CaptureFox below, check it out .

• CaptureFox Official Website: http://www.capturefox.com/
• CaptureFox Mozilla Plugin Page: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/8090

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do you agree with me about CaptureFox being the best free screen recording software on the internet? or do you have a different choice? There are a lot of applications out there .

God Bless,
-Dan

I have included a video below with a quick tutorial on using Screenr.com. Check it out:

Screenr Website: http://screenr.com/

Click here to view the embedded video.

Have you heard of or used Screenr.com before? What do you think of it?

So if you are looking for a powerful little tool to improve your screencasts, than Zoomit is going to top the charts!

I have included a video below which shows you Zoomit in action as well as a quick tutorial of how to use it. Check it out, and if you like it, rate it up on Youtube! .

• Zoomit Download: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897434.aspx

Click here to view the embedded video.

Leave a comment and let me know if this improved your screencasting. If you have another tool for doing live zoom and drawing effects I’d love to hear about it .

God Bless,
-Dan

P.S. Zoomit is an incredible tool to use in conjunction with CaptureFox a free screencapture software.