Creating a tutorial in Camtasia was a challenging but rewarding experience. I often use video tutorials, so I was excited to create one of my own. I chose to explain how to add page numbers to a Word document because of its value to all students.

I started by generating a rough outline of the three main areas to cover: adding, changing, and removing page numbers. After reviewing multiple tutorials, I then began the creation process. The Camtasia Rev creator tool was an excellent tool that guided me through each step. Then, I was able to revise and edit as needed.

The revision process included selecting a background that drew the eyes toward the top of the screen where the action was focused. I then changed the size and color of the cursor. Although it would have been better to have  this option apply during the recording process so that I could see the cursor in action while recording the video.

Editing the video took quite a bit of time to get the “feel” of adjusting the zoom and pan edits, as well as scaling. I used Smart Focus at first but found that it was not as effective as my manual edits, so I reverted to manually adding and editing zoom, pan, etc. Splicing and stitching the audio/video components were relatively simple but I did find it extremely challenging when I needed to splice a section of audio that was miniscule (less than a second). For me, this was a time-consuming process to get things “just right.”

Lastly, I ran into an issue when inserting the title. I had already removed the dead space at the beginning, which forced me to have to add the title atop the Word doc instead of onto a black screen as I had planned. For this tutorial, to keep the title from blending into the text of the Word doc, I chose contrasting colors so that the title would stand out and be easy to read. Next time, I will definitely wait to remove the dead space until after adding the title.

Overall, I am satisfied with the final project. I anticipate utilizing Camtasia in the near future and plan to continue “playing” with the program to become more familiar and skilled with its capabilities.