Setting up Your Computer for Camtasia

Why?

Before you begin recording your screen capture video, you will need to prepare your materials, configure your PC and test your audio settings to ensure a smooth recording.

Preparation Tips for Your Recording Session

Review the items or files you want to present on-screen. Familiarizing yourself with the content will help you navigate through it while you are narrating it.
Create an outline or script to help you stay on topic during your session.
It is best to record in a quiet area to minimize background noise, and to turn off the volume on your phone or cellphone if possible.
If you are recording in your office, you might consider hanging a sign on your door to let people know you are recording. If someone knocks on your door, or the phone rings, it may be picked up in your recording.
If you do make a mistake, or are interrupted, the video can be paused during recording. The video can also be edited afterwards.

Connect and Adjust Your Headset Microphone

To record audio in Camtasia, you will need a PC microphone. A PC Headset Microphone is recommended for the best audio quality. Make sure your microphone is connected to your PC and is adjusted properly. See Connecting and Adjusting Your Headset for Camtasia for more information on setting up your headset.

Setting Your Screen Resolution

Note

For captures that will be viewed on a variety of different machines, it is recommended that you set your screen resolution to 800x600 or 1024x768 pixels before using Camtasia.

From your PC desktop, right-click with your mouse on an empty space and select Properties from the menu.

From the Display Properties window, select the Settings tab. Write down your current screen resolution so that you can reset it to the original size later. Then, lower the slider below Screen Resolution to 800x600 or 1024x768.
Click the OK button.
Your screen will briefly blank while the resolution is changing. After it has successfully changed, you will be prompted asking if you would like to keep these settings. Click Yes.
When you are finished capturing, you can repeat these steps to return your desktop resolution to your preferred settings.

Preparing Camtasia

On your PC, select the Start menu and then Programs > Camtasia Studio 4 > Applications > Camtasia Recorder..
From Camtasia Recorder, go to the View menu and make sure that the Audio Toolbar and Cursor Toolbar are both checked off. If they are not, select them.
You are now ready to begin recording your screen. Visit Recording a Narrated Camtasia File for instructions on how to do this.

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Last modified: Jun 22, 2007, 08:18 EDT