“A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture, often containing audio narration.” (Source : wikipedia)

… And it’s incredibly useful to share information,tutorials and to make trainings. I assume some of you already did screencasts, but just in case here are the few tips I can share. All you need is a computer, a microphone, a few additionnal softwares and a plan of what you’d like to say.

Software (all of them are free tools).

I personnaly recommend and use Camstudio : http://camstudio.org/

Camstudio is a pretty old software with a crappy interface, but it’s free and it just works. It also record your voice during the presentation.

Other software you might like to check out : http://www.jingproject.com/

Top 7 screencasting Tips and tricks

• Prepare what you’ll say. Make a plan with catchy titles, as for a traditionnal presentation.
• Double check the software, the internet connection.
• Avoid noisy background, make a sound test.
• Make short sequences that follow the plan
• Anticipate the transitions in your plan
• Make a final recap when finishing your video to highlight the important things to remind.
• Do not lose time to restart a sequence – it’s about sharing knowledge, not imitating famous movie director.

Final editing

If you need to make transitions with titles, Windows Movie Maker will be absolutely perfect for that (OK, it’s not great, but it works, and it’s free on our machines ^_^). Just drag and drop your sequences and make sur to insert titles. And then upload (Idex, Opex, the web …), share and publicize your video !

Should you have done screencast in the past, feel free to share your best practices and recommendations !