The Best Way to Make Testimonial Videos: A Step-by-Step Guide

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In today’s competitive market, high-quality video testimonials can be a game-changer in establishing trust and converting potential customers. These videos showcase real people sharing their positive experiences with your product or service, providing valuable social proof. 

In this post, we’ll walk you through the best way to create engaging testimonial videos—from planning and recording to post-production and sharing. Plus, we’ll highlight how Camtasia can help streamline the entire process.

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Why video testimonials are essential for your marketing strategy

Building trust with social proof

Customer testimonial videos are one of the most powerful forms of social proof. They feature happy customers discussing their success stories, helping future buyers feel confident in their decisions. Studies have shown that consumers are more likely to trust peer recommendations over traditional advertising, making testimonials crucial for building credibility.

Influence buying decisions

Quality video testimonials resonate more with consumers than text-based reviews. Seeing real people share their experiences allows potential customers to connect emotionally with your brand. A study by Nielsen found that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from individuals (even if they don’t know them) over brands. This highlights the importance of authentic storytelling in your marketing efforts.

Versatility across platforms

Effective video testimonials can be repurposed across various marketing channels, including your website, social media, email campaigns, and even paid ads. This versatility makes them a valuable asset in any marketing strategy. You can tailor content for specific audiences while maximizing your investment in production.

Step-by-step guide to creating high-quality testimonial videos

Step 1: Plan the testimonial video

Identify the right customers

Choose enthusiastic, satisfied customers with compelling success stories to share. Look for individuals whose experiences align with your target audience’s pain points.

Prepare questions

Focus on pain points before using your product, the benefits experienced, and how your product solved their problems. Example questions include:

“What was your biggest challenge before using our product?”

“How has our product helped you achieve your goals?”

“Can you describe a specific moment when our product made a difference for you?”

Discuss the outcome

Get your customer to talk about measurable improvements to their work, acting as a mini-case study. Encourage them to share statistics or personal anecdotes to enrich their stories.

Step 2: Set up for a high-quality recording

Video and audio setup

Invest in good equipment for clear audio and video. Ensure proper lighting, a steady camera, and a quiet space. If possible, use a microphone to capture crisp audio.

Capture genuine reactions

Create a comfortable environment to encourage authentic responses. Conduct a brief chat before filming to help your interviewee relax.

Use Camtasia for recording

For remote testimonials, use Camtasia to capture high-quality audio and video. Camtasia allows you to integrate screen demos or product walkthroughs, enhancing the storytelling aspect.

Step 3: Recording the testimonial video

Keep it conversational

Aim for a natural conversation rather than a scripted advertisement. Encourage interviewees to share their pain points and success stories, steering the discussion toward the core messages.

Shoot multiple takes

Record extra footage from different angles or with varied phrasing to make the editing process easier. This provides flexibility in post-production.

Capture B-roll

If possible, record additional footage showcasing the product in use or the environment to add depth during editing. B-roll can help illustrate the customer’s story and make the video more engaging.

Best practices for creating high-quality testimonial videos

Focus on authenticity

Authenticity is a cornerstone of effective testimonial videos. Consumers today are highly skeptical of marketing messages, often seeing through polished advertisements that feel insincere. To cultivate genuine connections:

Select real customers

Choose customers who genuinely love your product. Their enthusiasm will shine through, creating a more compelling narrative. Look for diverse experiences and backgrounds to resonate with a broader audience.

Create a comfortable environment

Prior to filming, engage with your interviewee in a casual conversation. This helps them relax and feel at ease, which encourages spontaneous and heartfelt responses. You might discuss their experience with your product informally before rolling the camera.

Embrace imperfections

Minor hiccups in the recording, like a nervous laugh or a pause, can enhance the authenticity of the video. These moments often resonate with viewers, making the content feel more relatable. Rather than striving for a perfect performance, aim for genuine emotion and connection.

Use natural language

Encourage your customers to speak in their own words. Avoid leading questions that may push them toward a rehearsed answer. Instead, ask open-ended questions that allow them to express their thoughts freely.

Keep it short and engaging

In our fast-paced digital world, attention spans are shorter than ever. Keeping your testimonial videos concise and engaging is vital:

Aim for brevity

A duration of 1-3 minutes is ideal for maintaining audience interest. This timeframe allows enough room for storytelling without losing viewers’ attention. If you have more extensive content, consider creating a series of shorter clips that focus on specific aspects.

Focus on the core narrative

In post-production, trim out any extraneous content. Center your editing around the customer’s pain points, the solution provided by your product, and the results they achieved. This streamlined approach keeps the story impactful and to the point.

Utilize storytelling techniques

Start with the customer’s challenge, introduce your product as the solution, and conclude with the positive outcomes. This narrative arc helps maintain viewer engagement while clearly demonstrating the value of your product.

Incorporate visuals and text

Use graphics, annotations, or even quick cuts to highlight key points without adding length. This keeps the viewer’s eyes engaged and helps convey information quickly.

Emphasize key results

Quantifiable results are essential in transforming testimonials into powerful marketing tools:

Highlight specific metrics

Encourage customers to share concrete data, such as percentage improvements, time saved, or increased revenue. For example, instead of saying, “I saw great improvements,” a customer might say, “Since using this product, my sales increased by 30% within three months.” These specifics add credibility to their claims.

Create case studies

Consider structuring your testimonial videos like case studies. Present the customer’s initial situation, outline the challenges they faced, and then detail the improvements achieved. This not only highlights results but also illustrates the problem-solving capabilities of your product.

Use visual aids

In post-production, incorporate graphics or on-screen text to emphasize these results. For instance, displaying before-and-after metrics can make the improvements more striking and memorable for viewers.

Encourage emotional impact

While metrics are important, don’t forget the emotional narrative behind the numbers. Highlight how the customer’s experience improved their quality of life or business operations. This combination of quantitative and qualitative results creates a more compelling story.

Post-production: Editing your testimonial video to perfection

Edit with Camtasia for professional results

Editing is where your testimonial video truly comes to life. With Camtasia, you can transform raw footage into a polished, engaging narrative that effectively conveys your customer’s story. Here’s how to leverage Camtasia’s features for maximum impact:

Trimming and splicing

Use Camtasia to trim unnecessary parts and splice the best moments together, ensuring a smooth flow. This is where your storytelling takes shape.

Review your footage and identify the segments that best highlight the customer’s experiences. Look for emotional highs, specific challenges, and impactful solutions. These moments are the heart of your narrative.

Use Camtasia’s intuitive trimming tools to remove any extraneous content, such as long pauses, filler words, or off-topic tangents. This not only keeps the video concise but also ensures that the narrative flows smoothly.

After trimming, splice together the best moments to create a cohesive story. This might involve rearranging clips to ensure logical progression—starting with the problem, moving through the solution, and concluding with the results. A well-structured narrative keeps viewers engaged and enhances understanding.

Adding text and visuals

Enhance your testimonial by incorporating text and visuals that emphasize key points.

Use annotations strategically to highlight crucial moments or statistics within the testimonial. For instance, when a customer shares a significant achievement, an annotation can appear on screen to reinforce that message visually.

Implement text overlays to display quotes or metrics mentioned by the customer. For example, if a customer states, “Our sales increased by 40% in just three months,” you can add an eye-catching text overlay that presents this statistic. This not only reinforces the message but also aids in viewer retention, as people tend to remember information presented both verbally and visually.

Consider using icons, graphics, or other visual elements to complement the narrative. For instance, if the customer describes a specific feature of your product, you can use visuals to illustrate it in action. This adds depth to the storytelling and keeps the viewer’s attention.

Enhance audio quality

Clear audio is crucial for maintaining audience engagement, and Camtasia provides several tools to enhance sound quality.

Background noise can be distracting and detract from the testimonial’s impact. Use Camtasia’s built-in noise reduction features to clean up audio tracks, ensuring that the customer’s voice comes through clearly. This step is essential for creating a professional sound.

Consistent audio levels throughout the video are key to a polished final product. Utilize Camtasia’s audio leveling tools to ensure that the volume is balanced, preventing any sudden spikes or dips in sound that could disrupt the viewer’s experience.

Consider adding soft background music to set the tone and enhance the emotional impact of the testimonial. Camtasia offers a library of royalty-free music that can complement your content without overpowering the dialogue. Just be sure to keep the music at a low volume to maintain focus on the speaker.

Incorporate B-roll

B-roll footage can significantly enrich your testimonial video, providing context and making it more visually appealing.

B-roll refers to supplementary footage that enhances the story being told. It can include shots of the product in use, the customer’s work environment, or even scenes that illustrate the customer’s success. This additional footage helps to bridge gaps in the narrative and keeps the viewer engaged.

When incorporating B-roll, ensure that it flows seamlessly with the primary footage. Use Camtasia’s editing tools to cut between the testimonial and B-roll in a way that enhances the storytelling rather than distracting from it. For example, when the customer discusses how they use your product, cut to footage of them actively engaging with it.

B-roll can also add visual variety to your video, breaking up the primary footage and preventing monotony. This keeps viewers interested and can illustrate points that might be difficult to convey through spoken words alone.

Step 5: Final review and export

Watch the edited testimonial multiple times to ensure clarity and engagement. Consider seeking feedback from colleagues or friends to gain fresh perspectives.

Export the final video from Camtasia in a high-resolution format suitable for your platform of choice, whether for social media or embedding on your website.

Finally, consider adding captions for accessibility and to engage viewers who may watch without sound. Captions can also enhance SEO.

How to share and promote your testimonial videos

Social media sharing

Share the testimonial across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Tailor the video format to each platform using Camtasia’s exporting options. Create teaser clips to entice viewers and drive traffic to your full video.

Website integration

Add testimonial videos to product pages or your homepage. They help potential customers understand your product’s value through real user experiences. You could also create a dedicated testimonials page on your site.

Email campaigns

Include customer testimonials in your email marketing to build trust with subscribers. Videos can significantly increase engagement and conversions by providing social proof. Consider segmenting your audience to personalize the testimonial content for better results.

Use testimonial videos in paid ads

Leverage customer video testimonials in Facebook and Google ads. Authentic testimonials tend to perform better as they feel genuine and relatable, helping to boost your return on investment.

Common mistakes to avoid when creating testimonial videos

Overly scripted responses

While preparation is essential, overly rehearsed answers can come across as inauthentic. Strive for a natural flow, encouraging interviewees to express themselves freely.

Poor audio and video quality

Bad lighting, shaky camera work, or unclear audio can diminish a great testimonial. Prioritize quality to ensure your content shines; consider doing test runs to troubleshoot any issues beforehand.

Not highlighting results

Don’t forget to emphasize the tangible benefits your customer experienced. The more specific the testimonial, the more relatable it will be to potential buyers. Use metrics, visuals, and quotes to enhance the impact.

Why Camtasia is the best tool for creating high-quality testimonial videos

Creating effective testimonial videos doesn’t have to be complicated. With proper planning, a focus on authenticity, and the right tools—like Camtasia—you can produce compelling testimonials.

With its user-friendly interface, robust editing features, and comprehensive support, Camtasia stands out as an exceptional tool for creating high-quality testimonial videos. It enables marketers and businesses to effectively showcase customer experiences, providing valuable social proof that can drive conversions. By leveraging Camtasia, you can produce engaging and professional videos that resonate with your audience and reinforce your brand’s credibility.

Ready to create your first customer video testimonial? Try Camtasia to capture and edit high-quality testimonials that showcase the real value of your product or service! With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to crafting powerful video content that resonates with your audience and enhances your marketing efforts.

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TechSmith

TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

What Are Talking Head Videos and Why Are They So Effective?

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A talking head video is an industry term for a type of video style where the speaker addresses the camera directly, commonly used in corporate videos, interviews, and training videos.

It has become a popular format for conveying expertise and building personal connections with audiences.

Main reasons you would use a talking head video: 

Building trust: Talking head videos humanize a brand by putting a face and personality behind it, which can help build trust with customers and stakeholders. We’ve come a long way from our caveman days, but recognizing facial expressions is important. Seriously, scientists think it’s why we evolved to have eyebrows.

Creating a personal connection: Talking head videos can create a more personal and engaging connection with the audience than written content or static images. Engaging viewers by creating a personal, conversational tone. This style is used in corporate videos, YouTube content, and interview-style videos to humanize brands and communicate key messages.

Delivering educational content: As an educator, you need every engagement power you have. Research suggests that combining talking heads and annotations in asynchronous video lectures yielded the highest learning performance, longest watch time, and highest satisfaction, engagement, and attitude scores. No more “wa-wa-wa-wa-waaa” for you, Charlie Brown.

Promoting knowledge retention: Talking head videos provide content in both visual and verbal formats, which can help the audience retain knowledge. 

Microlearning: Talking head videos are ideal for microlearning, which is a type of learning that is delivered in short, bite-sized pieces. Tutorials, training videos and explainer videos would be a great use of microlearning. 

Lower production costs: Talking head videos can be relatively quick to pull together, which can keep production costs low. These types of videos do not need a full studio to film in and with the right video editing software, you can create an engaging video with a simple picture-in-picture or a DIY green screen with some great lighting. Product reviews, testimonials, training videos, explainers, and tutorials are other great use cases for talking head videos. 

Types of videos best suited for the talking head format

Here are the types of videos that the talking head video style works best for in no particular rank order: 

  • Corporate videos
  • Demos of software or whatever is on your screen
  • Explainer videos
  • Interview style videos (think 60 Minutes, not Indeed.com)
  • Product reviews
  • Subject matter expert / Thought leadership
  • Training videos 
  • Tutorials videos
  • YouTube content

Styles of talking head videos

It’s easy to get in our heads when creating videos, but do not let perfection get in the way of creating something engaging. You have to make bad art to make good art eventually, and this rule applies to the art of video. Whenever you start to feel nervous about creating your first video, or gasp – showing your face, just remember that the visuals are more powerful than text; and having a speaker in the camera lens is even more powerful. 

So never fear, let’s start somewhere by choosing from the spectrum of polish that you can use for your talking head video. 

Picture-in-picture video (also known as PiP)

A video style that allows the narrator’s webcam/camera input to play in a small window, while the narrator demonstrates other content on the screen. You may do PiP everyday when you screen share at work without even realizing it while using Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Zoom. 

Green screen effect

The “green screen effect” on social media has become ubiquitous because it is more engaging than a voiceover. You can create one of these with Capcut or native social platforms like TikTok or Instagram.

If you are looking to create a quick explainer video on your desktop, download a free trial of Camtasia, which allows you to record your screen in a variety of “green screen effects” layouts to choose from with professional looking backgrounds behind your screen content and webcam filters to make you look good. You can create a video as fast as you can share your screen. 

Synthetic talking heads (AI avatars)

Synthetic talking heads have gained popularity over the last few years as AI’s ability to create a digital representation of a person mimicking human movements like gestures, facial expressions, and speech is rapidly improving.

One of the main reasons behind their popularity is because they can replace the need for human actors. With most of the software platforms that allow you to create AI avatars, they also have the ability for the same synthetic talking head to speak in 80+ languages.

For companies with a global footprint, translation can be an issue, but AI avatars can be seen as a more efficient way for video editing. Because of the consistency in AI avatars, companies do not have to worry about needing to refilm the talking head actor when content changes or needs to be reupdated.

Professional camera stream

For more polished videos, using a professional camera is recommended. From corporate marketing and communications videos to YouTubers who would like to monetize, professional cameras are used as the main input.

It’s up to you on whether you film in a sound proof, professionally lit studio, or create a comfortable area in your house to get the same effect. If you are looking to create your own DIY recording studio, check out our other blog for more great tips. 

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Pre-production: Planning your talking head video

Defining your purpose and audience 

This may seem obvious, but it’s the first step in grounding yourself in the context of your audience, so you can begin scripting and editing your most engaging video. Clearly defining the purpose of your video and understanding the audience you’re trying to reach is important to help nail down the tone.

Many corporate videos will differ in tone and content from more casual or creative talking head videos. Here at TechSmith, our YouTube videos are high energy and often silly. While a talking head video from our HR department’s tone is sincere and informational. 

Writing a strong script 

A well-written script is crucial for keeping the video on track and ensuring a clear message. Focus on keeping sentences short and conversational, and include multiple calls-to-action, two at a minimum, including a shorter one in the beginning and a final call-to-action at the end

Create a two-column script with what annotations or images might be flashing on-screen with the second column having what the narrator is saying.

Your talking head videos must include annotations to keep engagement and be successful. Research shows that pure talking head videos without any annotations or other effects on the screen are only marginally more effective than voiceovers with the speaker’s picture.

Choosing the right subject matter expert

Selecting a credible and engaging speaker for your video, whether it’s a subject matter expert or someone within your company, is important. The speaker’s tone, energy, and delivery will affect the final video.

When recording with a subject who is not comfortable in front of the camera, say someone from senior leadership, or an executive, consider using an interview-style format of video to make your speaker feel at ease and seem more natural than a scripted video where the narrator has to focus on reading the teleprompter or remembering their lines. 

If you are the only presenter and are a bit shy to be in front of the camera, try to choose a natural setting where you feel comfortable. If you can, it’s better to have more people in the room for your first couple of takes so that they can encourage and listen to your takes.

Sometimes, the presenter might say the wrong word or trail off on a sentence, so multiple takes are necessary. If you are still feeling flustered, here’s more content to get you psyched up. 

Best practices for recording engaging talking head videos 

Maintain eye contact and speak clearly

This is when it is wise to either maintain eye contact in making the video feel personal and engaging or invest in a good teleprompter. If you do not have the budget for a professional grade teleprompter, consider a smaller model that can turn your phone into a portable teleprompter. Instruct your speakers to look directly into the camera lens to connect with the audience.

If there are moments where it’s obvious on the playback, there are a handful of software programs that use AI to make it look like your eyes never strayed from the webcam or professional camera. 

Keeping It Short and focused 

Keeping talking head videos concise to avoid losing the audience’s attention. Focus on delivering key points effectively within a short time frame. Inserting a video table of content with marker names in your description on your YouTube or into your corporate’s LMS will help your audience retain the information better. 

Using visual cues to reinforce key points

While a table of contents will help your audience understand the outline of your video, adding visual cues like highlighted text or images can help reinforce the main points and make the content more memorable. You could add text to your screen, animate images, or lower thirds with the speaker’s title.

Post-production: editing talking head videos in Camtasia

For this example, we will use Camtasia, an easy-to-use video editor. If you would like to follow along, download our forever free trial, no credit card needed here. Keep in mind that whatever you create under Camtasia’s free trial, will have a watermark at export until you purchase the software. 

Step 1: Record your screen and camera or Import your video file

Camtasia makes it easy to record your screen, camera, and audio. Remember when we talked about how you can make a video as fast as you can share your screen? Accelerate your video creation with the Rev workflow, which lets you choose the size, layout, background, effects, and filters quickly.

This workflow is great for tutorials, training videos, presentations, and informational YouTube content. If you are making a different type of video or have a different storyboard in mind, keep rolling with the regular record option which will let you customize your outline on the timeline later.

Importing your media is as easy as clicking a plus sign after you have saved your talking head file to your computer. 

Step 2: Make basic edits after recording

After importing or recording your footage, it’s time to make some edits. You can trim unnecessary sections, adjust audio levels, and add transitions to make the video flow smoothly. Camtasia’s editing tools make it easy to polish talking head videos, especially when combining recorded footage with screen captures or annotations.

If you already downloaded the free trial of Camtasia, we have a free trial of its sister product called Audiate, which helps you edit video faster and easier than ever before. Click on the Properties panel, select the audio tab, and edit in Audiate. This will send your video file to Audiate where you can remove um’s and ah’s and hesitations in one click!

No more scouring the timeline or having to listen to the playback. Edit your video like you would edit a Word document. After making your edits here, send it back to Camtasia where your video has now been perfectly edited to match your audio. Synching your audio does not have to be a chore thanks to the Camtasia Audiate integration. 

Step 3: Incorporating Graphics and Lower Thirds

Hopefully at this step, you can refer back to your script or storyboard to see what visuals are required to accompany your talking head on the screen. 

If you were using a PiP video or screen sharing, it’s a good idea to enlarge your cursor, or highlight it and maybe add some click effects. Screen sharing is great, but sometimes the UI or the text on the screen is still too small. Use the zoom feature to focus your viewer’s attention on one portion of your screen.

You can also highlight, darken, or blur other areas of your screen. Lastly, you can annotate on your screen with an arrow. It’s easy to customize any annotation you add and animate the movement with “behaviors”. 

For content that does not revolve around a computer screen, it’s still important to add elements like lower thirds (text at the bottom of the screen) to introduce the speaker or provide key points.

Use simple graphics or bullet points to reinforce the message without overwhelming the viewer. If your video is longer than two minutes, use stock images or footage (also known as B-roll) to give your viewer a break of the same talking head. Inserting a presentation slide with your chapters of your outline will also suffice to avoid making your video 100% talking head.

While you can purchase premium royalty free assets under one of our Camtasia plans, check out library.techsmith.com for free customizable assets like videos, images, and music that we do not include in the Camtasia library.

Step 4: Export your video

Woohoo, you did it! The Export menu contains settings optimized to share videos to your local hard drive, Screencast, YouTube, and more. If you only want to export a selection of the video, you can do this as well. 

Do you need someone to provide feedback on your video? Or do you need an easy link to share your video with your audience? Screencast is a cloud-based solution for collaboration and feedback. Here your audience can leave comments, annotations, and emojis at specific times in a video. The best part is that your viewers can engage with your content without setting up an account. On a paid plan of Screencast, you will have access to auto generated captions to your videos. 

Conclusion

Incorporate talking head videos to build trust and create a personal connection. Whether it’s with microlearning or longer form content, talking head videos have been proved to drive knowledge retention for training videos and for educational content. 

Talking head videos have a spectrum of polish from a simple PiP video or green screen effect on social media to a professional camera stream.

Do not skip defining your audience or planning out a strong script that maps out your on-screen content with the narration.

Find a video editor that can help you edit any type of video from AI avatars to adding animated text to your screen. Download Camtasia today and discover how you can create professional, high-quality videos for your projects!

The easiest way to edit videos

Stop wasting time and discover how Camtasia makes creating incredible videos easier than ever.

Get Camtasia
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TechSmith

TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

The Best Adobe Express Alternatives

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Adobe Express is an easy-to-use graphic design tool for online or mobile use. It also provides video editing capabilities. 

Non-professionals use Adobe Express for quick design tasks, such as:

  • Social media graphics
  • Flyers and posters
  • QR Codes
  • Memes
  • Simple Animations

Pricing and plans

Adobe Express offers a free tier, including:

  • Over 1 million Adobe Stock photos and basic templates
  • Basic tools for photos and videos
  • Removing backgrounds
  • Limited fonts, templates, and AI credits.

Adobe Express also integrates with the Adobe ecosystem.  Unique features include editing PDF files and importing PhotoShop and Adobe Illustrator content.  

For $99/year, premium features include:

  • Over 200 million Adobe Stock assets
  • Additional photo editing tools 
  • Additional collaboration and brand management tools
  • Access to all templates and fonts and more generative AI credits
    • AI tools include text-to-image
  • Tip: The Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan includes Adobe Express Premium.

Why look for alternatives to Adobe Express?

Some Adobe Express users have expressed the following concerns:

  • Need for professional graphic design tools, e.g., kerning adjustments
  • Performance and quality issues related to online use, particularly for video creation
  • Desire to create specialized content such as infographics or technical illustrations
  • Missing features, such as screen recording
  • The desire for more affordable or free alternatives

Adobe Express offers a wide range of capabilities. However, depending on the type of content creation, alternatives may better suit a particular individual.

Snagit: Best alternative for screen content and videos

Snagit is a versatile alternative to Adobe Express for image editing, screen capture, screen recording, and video editing.  

Software marketers use Snagit to illustrate technical content. Users love its ability to create high-resolution, high-impact screenshots and to automate step-by-step visuals. 

Training professionals also use it to create customer-facing content, such as onboarding and tutorials. Your organization may already use Snagit widely.

Snagit is the market-leading product for screen capture, video recording, and essential video creation tasks. It also provides advanced image editing with AI features similar to Adobe Express. However, it has fewer graphic design and photo editing features.

Key features of Snagit

Users love Snagit’s easy-to-use screen capture, video creation, and advanced image editing. It excels in screen-based content creation.

  • User-friendly interface
  • High-quality content capture
    • HDR Images
    • 60 FPS 4K Screen Recordings
  • Design elements
    • Wide choice of annotations, stamps, callouts, blur, shadows, and more
  • AI editing
    • Text grab (OCR), remove objects, background fill, background removal
    • (optional) AI generative images from a text prompt
  • Easy workflows
    • Apply brand themes, mass convert file types, combine images, leverage professionally designed templates, and video from the image.
  • Photo editing
    • Rotate, change color, make transparent, grayscale, brighten, crop
  • Easy content creation
    • Apply brand themes
    • Create video from images or video
    • GIF creation
    • Video trimming and cutting
    • Advanced video editing with optional integration with highly rated Camtasia video editor 
    • Comprehensive file type options
    • Custom and stock templates
    • Support for printed content
    • Optional AI Speech-to-Text captions, ADA caption editor, and Custom Thumbnails
    • Optional integration with Camtasia for Lottie animation support
  • Integrated Assets
    • Stock images and stamps
    • Professionally designed templates
  • Optional collaboration support
    • Quick share link
    • Team mark-up and review of images or videos online

Pricing and plans

Snagit includes inexpensive paid plans, free trials, and discounted team licensing options.

  • The paid plan is a $39.99/year subscription or a one-time perpetual purchase (v24) at $62.99.

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Snagit makes it easy to share quick updates and how-to’s by capturing exactly what’s happening on your screen.

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Canva: Best for templated marketing content

Canva is the most popular and similar alternative to Adobe Express. It provides a user-friendly web interface and a vast library of templates, ideal for quick content creation.  

Marketers, small business owners, and non-designers use Canva to create social media graphics, presentations, and simple marketing materials.

Key features of Canva 

Both Adobe Express and Canva offer:

  •  ease of use
  • a drag-and-drop interface
  • a template library
  • collaborative features

Overall, Canva provides better assets and collaboration features, while Adobe provides more advanced graphic editing. 

Adobe Express vs. Canva Features

FeatureCanvaAdobe Express
Design Assets and Templates250,000 free templates; 3.2 million free stock photos, icons, and illustrations; fewer usage restrictions155,000 free templates; 0.5 million free stock photos
Ease of UseMore straightforward for beginnersFamiliar interface for Creative Cloud users
Graphics DesignOffers ‘Magic Studio’ and ‘Smartmockups’Advanced features such as layer management integration to Photoshop available
Photo EditingPaid background removal; unique ‘copy style’ featureFree background removal; basic editing features
Screen Capture, Recording, and Video CreationBasic video editing plus webcam captureBasic video editing without screen or webcam capture
Other ConsiderationsContent planner for social media scheduling; brand kits for consistent branding; richer collaboration with granular permissions and whiteboardingSocial media scheduling, Collaboration features 

Pricing and plans

Canva’s free version offers templates and design elements:

  • Limited templates, photos, graphics and videos
  • Design tools
  • Collaboration
  • 5 GB of cloud storage
  • Export options (such as PNG, JPEG, and PDF)
  • Limited AI features

Canva’s Pro plan costs about $155.88/year for unlimited assets. It also includes additional real-time collaboration features:

  • Team-only links
  • Approval workflows
  • Admin controls
  • Task assignment
  • Version history

Affinity Designer: Best for professional graphic design

Affinity Designer offers professional-grade graphic design tools at a one-time cost.

Tip: Canva has acquired Affinity Designer.

Key features of Affinity Designer

Professional designers love Affinity Designer for its advanced vector editing tools and affordable one-time cost. However, it has a steeper learning curve than other products. 

Graphic designers use Affinity Designer to create vector graphics, UI/UX designs, and illustrations. Affinity Designer lacks collaborative features like those in Adobe Express. It doesn’t have an asset library but can integrate with third-party options.

However, Affinity does have more graphic design features.

Affinity Designer vs. Adobe Express for graphic design

Feature CategoryAffinity DesignerAdobe Express
Vector ToolsAdvanced vector tools: custom pens, nodes, brushes, and pencilsBasic vector editing capabilities 
Color Support16-bits per pixel color depth and various color modes (CMYK, Lab, Greyscale, RGB)Standard color editing tools
Layer ManagementAdvanced layer management with non-destructive adjustment and clipping within layersBasic layer management integrates with Photoshop for advanced needs
Typography ToolsComprehensive typography panel with support for variable fontsBasic text editing features enhanced with generative AI 
Design AidsGrid patterns, isometric grids, and snapping controls \Templates and basic design aids; less focus on precision design aids
Pixel-Based DesignOptions for nearest neighbor, bilinear, bicubic, and Lanczos 3-pixel scalingPrimarily vector-focused with basic pixel editing capabilities.

Pricing and plans

Affinity offers this tool at a one-time cost of $69.99.

Inkscape: Best for free graphics design

Inkscape is a vector graphics editor with powerful features similar to Adobe Illustrator.

Graphic designers, hobbyists, and professionals use Inkscape to create vector graphics, including logos, illustrations, technical drawings, and UI design. As free, open-source software, it attracts a wide range of users.

Key features of Inkscape

Users praise Inkscape for its ability to create sharp vector graphics. Favorite features include:

  • Bezier tool
  • Node editing
  • SVG support

Inkscape is less robust than other options, especially for printed graphics. Inkscape lacks onboarding materials and formal support. Common issues include stability and performance.

Pricing and plans

Inkscape is a free, open-source product. 

Crello (VistaCreate): Best for animated social media posts

Crello offers easy-to-use graphic design tools and a large library of templates.

Small business marketers and social media managers use Crello to create marketing materials, social media content, and ad graphics.

Key features of Crello (VistaCreate)

Crello creates graphics, animations, and short videos from professional templates and a rich library of design elements. Like Snagit, it supports high-quality HD video creation.

Users like Crello because it creates engaging social media animations quickly. Its “Animation Maker” turns static designs into animated ones without requiring much design skill. 

Crello supports scheduling social posts on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. It also offers collaboration features and a background removal tool. However, Adobe Express provides more content and features for complex designs.

Pricing and plans

Crello provides a free version with access to 100,000 design templates, over 1 million assets, and 10 GB of storage. 

Premium plans start at $120/year and include:

  • 70 million photos, videos, and vectors
  • Background removal tool, resize feature, and sticker maker
  • Team collaboration
  • Unlimited storage 
  • Multiple brand kits
  • Priority support

Piktochart: Best for data visuals and infographics

Piktochart is a design platform specializing in data visualization and infographic creation.

Educators and marketers use Piktochart to create professional-looking infographics, presentations, and reports.  

Key features of Piktochart

Piktochart excels at creating infographics with an easy-to-use interface. Beyond data graphics, it’s more limited than Adobe Express.

It integrates with various tools to import data. It focuses on turning complex data into engaging visuals:

  • charts 
  • graphs
  • interactive maps

Users love their pre-designed templates and support for a variety of presentation formats. The drag-and-drop editor makes it simple to create and customize templates.

Pricing and plans

Piktochart’s free plan provides basic infographic creation features, collaboration, and 100MB of storage with limited volumes. Its premium plans start at $168/year and include:

  • Unlimited active projects
  • Unlimited downloads and HD and transparent background formats
  • 5 million icons, illustrations, and 3D graphics
  • 100GB of storage
  • Enhanced collaboration (10 team members)
  • Brand assets

Stencil: Best for easy blog images

Stencil is a simple design tool that creates quick graphics using an extensive library of templates and stock images. 

Social media managers and marketers use Stencil to create social media graphics and blog post images.

Key features of Stencil

Like others on this list, Stencil lacks advanced graphic design features in Adobe Express.

Stencil makes it easy to produce professional-looking content using a large collection of design assets, including:

  • royalty-free photos
  • icons
  • ready-made templates 

Its integration with social media platforms allows for quick sharing and includes scheduling Instagram SMS messages.

Pricing and plans

Stencil’s free plan provides access to a limited number of images and templates.  Stella offers a $108/year pro or $144 unlimited plan.  The lower-cost pro plan includes:

  • 5 million stock photos
  • Over 1350 templates
  • Almost 5000 Google fonts
  • 50 image downloads/month
  • Priority support

Fotor: Best for photos

Fotor is a beginner-friendly tool for photo editing. It offers an alternative for users who want a simple, easy-to-use tool.

Hobbyists, photographers, and marketers use Fotor to edit photos, create graphic designs, and create visual content for social media.

Key features of Fotor

Users love Fotor for its simplicity and photo editing tools. Fotor offers many features, from basic cropping and resizing to adding filters and design effects. Beyond photo editing, it lacks the capabilities of Adobe Express.

  • Its cloud-based design platform allows users to access and edit their projects from anywhere. 
  • Its collage maker allows users to combine multiple images into professional designs for social media, blogs, and marketing materials. 

Pricing and plans

Fotor’s free version provides basic editing tools, and its premium plans, $107.88/year, unlock advanced editing features and additional design templates.

Conclusion: Alternatives to Adobe Express

Choosing a suitable alternative depends on your needs.

Adobe Express excels as an easy-to-use, advanced graphic design tool. It also offers free background removal.

  • Overall, Canva is the most similar alternative, providing diverse templates and assets. 
  • Like Adobe Express, Canva and Crello offer social media scheduling and collaboration. Stencil offers Instagram scheduling.

Adobe Express users seek choices for a wide range of reasons. Consider the following:

  • Affinity Designer or Inkscape is best for professional graphic design tools; however, both have a learning curve. 
  • Snagit supports high-quality image and video creation in a local environment.
  • Consider the type of content you create and pick:
    • Snagit for illustrating technical content
    • Piktochart for infographics and data visuals
    • Fotor for photo editing
    • Stencil for easy blog images
    • Crello for animations
  • Consider Snagit for the features Adobe Express forgot:
    • screen capture
    • screen recording
    • advanced video editing
  • Consider Inkscape, Affinity, or Snagit for free or less expensive alternatives.

Based on all these considerations, Snagit is a solid alternative to Adobe Express. It provides many features similar to Adobe Express and offers additional capabilities.

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TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

The Five Best Screencastify Alternatives 

The Screencastify product icon on a blue background

Screencastify is a user-friendly screen recorder and video editor. 

It operates via a Chrome extension with all content stored on Google Drive. Institutions that rely entirely on Google Chromebooks love Screencastify. As a knowledge-sharing recorder, it automatically generates a shareable link upon completing a screen recording.

Critical use cases of Screencastify 

Screencastify can cater to different audiences.

Educators

Screencastify is most widely used by K-12 teachers to create video lessons, provide feedback, and deliver online content. Popular features include a live drawing tool to annotate while recording and cursor-click animation.

Students

Screencastify has unique features enabling teachers to create class assignments with student-recorded presentations. 

Professionals

This includes internal training and customer communication.

    Pricing and plans

    It offers a free plan with a 5-minute recording time limit. For unlimited recordings, premium plans start at $49/year.

    Reasons Users Seek Alternatives to Screencastify

    • Lack of a screen capture tool
    • Lack of support for higher-quality content. The maximum resolution for a Screencastify video is 1080p.
    • Lack of video editing features
    • Limitations in workflow related to rigid integration with Google 

    All of the alternatives on this list are also quick-share recorders. These reviews focus on Google integration, pricing, and editing tools.

    Snagit: The best alternative to Screencastify overall

    Snagit is the top alternative to Screencastify. Snagit has more market share than Screencastify in higher education, the Fortune 500, and social media creators. Snagit is ideal for users who need screen capture plus recording.  

    Pricing and plans

    • Less Expensive Pricing: Snagit costs less than Screencastify, at $39/year. Snagit provides a free trial but no free plan. Snagit v24 is also available as a one-time purchase at $63.

    Snagit vs. Screencastify considerations

    Snagit has many benefits, such as flexible workflows for video creation, including video from images, stitching videos, and GIF creation.

    Image capture and image editing

    Snagit offers the best image capture and editing, including scrolling capture so you can capture everything, even if you need to scroll down or over. Plus, Snagit offers HDR image capture and HD images.

    Video editing tools

    Videos are captured in 4K resolution HD to ensure a clear, crisp video screen recording. Additionally, Snagit has video editing tools that turn plain recordings to clear, comprehensive ones.

    • Screen Draw
    • Automatic step numbering
    • Video trimming
    • Video cutting
    • Background noise removal (v.25)

    Expandable feature set

    Snagit offers optional premium plans, which include different assets depending on user needs.

    • Integrated asset libraries
    • Speech-to-text caption generation
    • ADA caption editor
    • AI video summaries
    • Cloud collaboration features
    • Online annotation for images and video
    • Advanced video editing via integration with Camtasia 

    More flexible sharing integrations

    Snagit provides quick sharing functionality from your choice of its cloud or your cloud-sharing service. It also includes integration with Slack and MS Teams. 

    Additional considerations when comparing Screencastify to Snagit include a strong Google integration. Snagit fully integrates with Google Drive to store and share all file content. However, Snagit does not run on a Chromebook or offer a Chrome plugin. 

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    Loom is best for video messaging and quick sharing 

    Loom is a substantial alternative and is excellent at providing the automatic link generation needed to share videos instantly.  

    Loom is a prevalent choice for:

    • Personalized customer communication, including Call-to-Action CTAs
    • Providing feedback to coworkers and students and video messaging

    Pricing and plans

    More expensive pricing: Loom offers a free plan that limits the number of videos (25) and recording time (5 minutes). Use a premium plan for unlimited video recording and higher-resolution video content.  

    Unfortunately, they are one of the more expensive options, starting at $150/year.

    Loom also offers some premium features that are free to K-12 educators. This includes HD video recordings up to 45 minutes in length.  

    Loom vs. Screencastify considerations

    Loom also provides a Chrome plugin and a desktop installation. Loom limits certain features to the desktop app, such as capturing the entire screen or system audio.

    Google integration

    Loom tightly integrates with its proprietary cloud hosting service. It does not allow for content storage on cloud-sharing services like Google Drive.

    Tip: Screencastify’s exclusive use of Google Drive gives it additional security over content. Loom (and Snagit) provide password protection to help address this concern.

    Video editing tools

    Like other quick share recorders, you can trim videos. Loom also provides mouse cursor highlighting and custom thumbnails.

    Image capture

    When evaluating Screencastify vs. Loom, consider that Loom provides some image capture capabilities. 

    Nimbus Capture: Best Chrome extension alternative

    Nimbus is a versatile and easy-to-use alternative to Screencastify. Its Chrome extension provides screen capture, video recording, and annotation tools.  

    Users value Nimbus as a web-based screen recording tool that integrates well with browsers. Its edit and share features record lectures in schools and document business processes.

    Pricing and plans

    More Expensive Pricing: Nimbus’ free version limits video length (5 min), adds watermarks, and turns off features. Its premium plan is in the middle of the range on this list at $60/year.

    Nimbus vs. Screencastify considerations

    Strong Google integration

    Nimbus offers extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Customers report Chrome as their best browser experience. Like Loom, Nimbus requires a desktop app for more functionality, such as recording the entire desktop and editing.

    With the paid version, unlike Loom but similar to Snagit, Nimbus offers Google Drive integration for sharing content. It also integrates with Nimbus Note, Dropbox, or YouTube.

    Image capture and editing tools

    Nimbus provides image capture and editing tools such as annotation and blur.  

    Video editing tools

    These include trimming, gif creation, live drawing, and higher-quality video resolution (up to 4K). However, most of these are available in the desktop app, not the Chrome plugin.

    Customers rate Nimbus as lower than Snagit, Loom, or Screencastify despite all these features. 

    Vidyard: Best for sales prospecting and video analytics

    Vidyard is screen recording and video creation software designed for businesses and marketers needing in-depth analytics. 

    Vidyard is best for video messaging in the context of sales and marketing prospecting. Sales teams value personalized video messages that engage potential customers.

    Pricing and plans

    Vidyard has a free version. It limits the number and length of videos (30 minutes), adds watermarking, and turns off integrations and analytics. Its premium plan, at $229/year, includes advanced analytics, password protection, and unlimited video hosting.

    Vidyard vs. Screencastify considerations

    Some Google integrations

    Similar to Loom, Vidyard provides a Chrome extension. However, it uses its proprietary cloud platform for hosting and sharing content and does not integrate with Google Drive.

    Image capture and editing tools

    Like Screencastify, Vidyard does not provide this capability.

    Video editing tools

    These include trimming, CTA call to action, video chapters, 4K recording, branding tools, and custom thumbnails. It does not provide live drawing or cursor highlighting. Other than trimming, most of these features require the desktop app. 

    Vidyard also has many specialized features for sales prospecting, such as integration with CRM tools and Zoom. Its analytic tools track viewer engagement and performance metrics.

    ScreenPal (Screencast-O-matic): Best for video editing on a budget

    Screenpal is a popular tool for screen recording and simple video creation. Users value its simplicity, ease of use, and affordable pricing.

    Typical use cases resemble Snagit and Loom, including educational content, quick tutorials and how-to videos, and visual feedback.

    Pricing and plans

    ScreenPal’s free plan limits recording length (15 min), adds watermarking, and turns off features.  Its lowest-paid plan is the least expensive option at $36/year on this list.

    ScreenPal vs. Screencastify considerations

    Some Google integration

    ScreenPal offers a Chrome extension. However, it does not provide an integration with Google Drive and relies on sharing content through its proprietary cloud.

    Image capture and editing tools

    ScreenPal offers screenshot capture and basic editing and annotation tools.

    Video editing tools

    ScreenPal offers strong video editing capabilities, including trimming, cutting, and post-production annotations. However, full functionality requires the desktop app. It also provides “Draw and Zoom” and (like Snagit) both mouse cursor highlighting and click animations.

    ScreenPal ranks ahead of Screencastify in third-party reviews. 

    Conclusion: The best Screencastify alternative for you 

    Your best screen recording tool alternative depends on your use case, budget, and platform.   

    Loom is an excellent option if you prioritize the speed of sharing. For specialized use cases such as sales prospecting, consider Vidyard or Loom. ScreenPal is the least expensive alternative despite its video editing capabilities (although only $3/year less than Snagit). 

    None of the alternatives provide comparable functionality in a Chromebook/Google Drive-exclusive environment. Only two support Google Drive for storing and sharing content – Snagit and Nimbus. Other solutions may have hidden costs as you leverage their cloud storage and bandwidth.

    Snagit provides powerful screen recording, video editing, and sharing tools at one of the lowest price points. It also offers additional functionality to help you grow with your needs.  Snagit is the best alternative overall.

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    Snagit makes it easy to share quick updates and how-to’s by capturing exactly what’s happening on your screen.

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    TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

    Best Synthesia Alternatives for Creating AI Videos

    Green image of Synthesia logo.

    Have you seen the amazing life-like AI avatars of Synthesia and considered using them to level up your videos? Synthesia is a popular AI video generator that allows users to create professional videos with AI avatars and text-to-speech capabilities.

    However, the value of the feature set, pricing, or different use cases in content creation and marketing can leave some video creators like yourself, looking for other video creation platforms.  

    If you are creating videos for work, you find yourself wearing a few different hats. Generally, you are not a full-time video editor, but using the medium of videos to inform, train, and show what you know to others.

    While Synthesia is powerful for narrator-focused training, it often misses out on the other types of videos you will need to create, even if you are simply doing internal training.

    For example, say you are in Human Resources or IT–for your curriculum to be effective, it requires you to create several types of video, such as promotional content, demonstrations, presentations, training content, and tutorials.

    The Training video type might seem obvious to you. It’s probably why you found Synthesia. But a promo video? A quick sizzle reel to get a person hyped? With any type of video you are creating, you need to keep your audience engaged. They need to know “what’s in it for me?” right away.

    It doesn’t matter how many different styles of talking heads you use, if your audience does not watch it. The secret to the best content in the workplace is to recycle your content into multiple types of videos. You will become the best marketer of learning within your organization. 

    For some this looks like creating your presentation for live training first, then recreating this as a long form training curriculum, then taking that long form training into short and sweet microlearning videos, and then finally–beating the loud drum to rally your audience to participate in your curriculum with a promotional video that acts as the hype or commercial for a small taste of what and why your audience should be excited to engage with your videos. 

    Camtasia: The best alternative for creating high-quality, engaging videos

    Camtasia is a powerful alternative to Synthesia, designed for users who want full control over the video creation process. Unlike most AI-based tools, Camtasia offers extensive editing features, templates, and screen recording for creating high-quality, customized video. It’s time to create more types of videos than just sprinkling AI on PowerPoint. 

    Key features of Camtasia

    Camtasia offers many features that make it stand out as a Synthesia alternative.

    Easy-to-use Precision Editing

    For more complex editing projects, having multi-track editing with the ability to “lock” a track so you can’t accidentally trim or to be able to select all to keep audio and the visuals in sync is going to save you from pulling out your hair using a basic tool editing tools. Hide or group items on your timeline as well to keep things organized and keep you rolling on making a video.

    Make boring screen content exciting

    If you use screen recording in your content, you should be using Camtasia. Seriously, ask any trainer you know, and they’ve heard of it. Zoom and pan with ease, add a blur on top of your screen recordings, or annotate your content with customizable arrows and callouts. Highlight your mouse, enlarge or change the mouse shape with automatic smoothing (or edit the path!). Dream what you could add to a screen recording and they got you.

    Library and templates

    Who really likes repeating the same work over and over again? As you grow in your video editing journey, you are going to want to take some shortcuts. Editing videos already takes enough time! With Camtasia, you can save your video as a template to easily drag and drop new video content in. Or, save your intro and outros to your library for easy use again. Do you find yourself making the same tutorial videos again and again? Or do you clean up a webinar before posting it to YouTube? Save yourself time by utilizing templates and the Camtasia library. 

    Bonus! Synthesia integration

    Camtasia does integrate seamlessly with Synthesia if you are still not willing to give up on the amazing talking heads of Synthesia. Keep in mind that under the Camtasia Create Plan, you will have all the power of a video editor plus the talking head avatars that you need with the addition of Audiate, an AI-powered text-based audio editor (talking avatars coming Fall 2024). 

    Best suited for beginners and jack-of-all-trades

    A simple user interface with an extensive training library and live webinars helps ease the sharp learning curve to most video editors that allow you to customize as much as this tool does.

    Remember, Camtasia is the tool to help you create all types of high quality and mixed medium videos with the options of screen recordings, stock footage, with professional camera input, your webcam, PowerPoint integration, and more. 

    Pricing and plans

    Camtasia Essentials Plan: $179.88/ a year (no AI audio features)

    Camtasia Create Plan: $249/ a year

    Camtasia Pro Plan: $499/ a year (includes 100+M premium and customizable assets like stock footage, background music, and AI generator)

    Want to try Camtasia for free? You can use the free trial forever, just know without purchasing, your video will have a watermark on it at export. 

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    Lumen5: Best for AI-powered video creation for social media

    Lumen5 is an AI-based video creation platform that automatically generates videos from blog posts, articles, or text content, making it a great alternative for users looking to quickly produce social media content. Its AI-driven video creation process simplifies video production by converting written content into engaging video presentations.

    Key features of Lumen5 

    AI Avatars

    I mean, it’s why you are reading this article, right? Check out their 80+ realistic human avatars with 80+ languages. They also have “conversational AI avatars” which can be used in customer support in kiosks and on the web, mobile devices and the metaverse.

    Team & Workspaces

    Create a shared cloud based space for your team to collaborate on videos, sync video projects, or comment ideas and feedback.

    Best suited for global audiences

    Judging by the case studies, Lumen5 customers are part of large multinational corporations spanning IT, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and banking. 

    As media companies expand their footprint, it’s crucial not only to translate captions, but have multilingual speakers. While Lumen5’s case studies follow journalism and AI avatars used as news anchors, this would be beneficial for any video content or video marketing.

    Pricing and plans

    While there is no free plan, Lumen5 offers 3 different premium plans. 

    • Personal Plan: $288/ a year
    • Team Plan: $864/ a year for 3 seats
    • Enterprise: Custom pricing with unlimited seats

    InVideo: Best for creating professional videos with AI and customization

    InVideo is a cloud-based video creation platform that combines AI video generation with extensive customization options, making it a solid alternative to Synthesia. InVideo allows users to create high-quality videos for marketing, social media, and presentations, offering over 5,000 video templates.

    Key features of InVideo

    Create video from text prompts

    InVideo’s use of AI to automate the video creation process, while still offering robust editing tools is perfect for users who want more control. Just remember that AI is only as good as you prompt it, so you might need multiple tries before you get what you are looking for. 

    Customizable Video Templates

    InVideo has a large library of templates, transitions, and animations, which allow users to create professional, branded videos quickly. One review mentioned that you can “optimize your content marketing with little effort and just have to be creative.”

    AI Voice Overs

    Users have raved about the voiceover effects speeding up their video creation process. 

    Best suited for marketers and storytellers

    This tool is ideal for marketers, entrepreneurs, and content creators who need a flexible video creation tool that balances AI automation with customization. Keep in mind that some users have complained that even the highest premium plan will only allow you to use one brand asset in videos, so if you are a consultant or agency, this would not be the right tool for you.

    If you already know what you want your video to look like and you are comfortable with storyboarding, scripting, and tweaking the visuals, InVideo’s fast creation process will work for you. 

    Pricing and plans

    InVideo has a free, watermarked version and premium plans. 

    • Free Version: A generous 10 minutes a week of AI generation with 4 watermarked exports a week
    • Plus Plan: $240/ a year for one user
    • Max Plan: $576/ a year for 1 user

    Doodly: Best for animated explainer videos 

    Doodly as a video creation tool focused on producing whiteboard-style animated explainer videos. Doodly is perfect for users looking to create training videos, product demos, and marketing content using animated drawings and text.

    Key features of Doodly

    Easy to use

    Doodly’s drag-and-drop interface for creating fun animated videos, including a library of pre-drawn characters, objects, and backgrounds. You can even upload your own images and then convert these to custom draw paths to match Doodly’s hand drawn characters.

    Voiceover

    Doodly has a voiceover feature on their main plans, but their text-to-speech integration would be an additional cost. 

    Best suited for artists and educators

    If you are an animator or sketch artist, you will be able to customize your doodles as needed for engaging content.

    With the multiple blackboard options and realistic hands, this is ideal for educators or trainers who need to create explainer videos without extensive video editing experience.

    Pricing and plans

    Doodly does not have a free plan, but they are on a perpetual software model, which means a one-time cost allows you to continually use the software. 

    • Perpetual Plan: $67
    • Add-On plans: $67+ for at least 6 other plans including non-black and white animations, the text-to-speech app, premium templates, etc.
      • The worst reviews of Doodly are because the add-on plans are either pushed constantly on them or you need to spend around $67 for each single plan. 

    Pictory: Best for AI-powered video summaries

    Pictory is an AI-powered video creation tool that automatically generates video summaries from long-form content, such as webinars, articles, or training materials. Pictory focuses on creating concise, engaging videos quickly, making it a useful tool for repurposing content into short, shareable clips.

    Key features of Pictory

    Long Form Content to Short Form Content

    Pictory’s AI-driven video creation analyzes long content and generates short, engaging videos with automatic captions and text overlays.

    Additional Editing Capabilities

    Pictory has additional editing tools for trimming videos, adding background music, and incorporating transitions for that extra layer of polish.

    Best suited for marketers and content creators

    Have an awesome webinar or a customer event that you want to turn into a highlight reel? Repurpose long-form content into short with visually appealing video clips for social media or marketing purposes.

    Have a long form podcast or YouTube show that you need to turn into bite-size chunks on social? Pictory will work great for you!

    Pricing and plans 

    Pictory does not have a free plan, but they do offer a free trial without a credit card needed for 14 days and limited access to all features. You can view their premium plans below. 

    • Starter Plan: $228/ a year for one user
    • Professional Plan: $468/ a year for one user
    • Team Plan: $1,188/ a year for 3 users
    • Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for 5+ or more users

    Audiate: Best for seamless audio-video synchronization

    Audiate is a specialized tool for users looking to enhance their audio and video projects with advanced text-to-speech editing capabilities. Audiate syncs audio and video, making it easy to edit and polish video content with clear, professional audio tracks when in conjunction with its sister product, Camtasia. In the fall of 2024, Audiate will also have Synthesia-like AI Avatars. You can still enjoy the AI script generation, text-based editing and audio translation now.

    Key features of Audiate

    Text to Speech

    Audiate’s text-to-speech editing tool allows users to generate audio instantly choosing from a variety of voices and languages

    Text Based Video Editing

    Remember how we mentioned needing to create more types of videos from above? With Camtasia, the sister product, you will be able to edit audio and video in real-time. Remove um’s and ah’s from your videos in one click!

    Professional Audio

    Audiate has some of the best audio improvement tools allowing you to enhance audio quality and noise removal. 

    Best suited for, honestly, everyone

    If you are a video creator who prioritizes audio clarity and synchronization, especially for tutorial and training videos, this would be a great fit. Because of it synchronizing with Camtasia, you will be able to create every type of video you need with crystal clear audio.

    Trimming down long form content to short form can be as easy as editing a Google doc thanks to the text based editing of Audiate. Plus, you can quickly transform and edit your visual podcast videos and enhance your audio quality. 

    Edit audio like text

    You don’t have to be a professional to record and edit audio. Audiate makes it as easy as editing a text document.

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    Pricing and plans

    Audiate has a free trial available that lasts seven days and doesn’t require a credit card. To purchase, you will also receive Camtasia, a video editing software alongside your audio editing software, Audiate.

    • Camtasia Create Plan: $249/ a year
    • Camtasia Pro Plan: $499/ a year (includes 100+M premium and customizable assets like stock footage, background music, and AI generator)

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, the need for creating high quality videos with a globalized audience is a must. Synthesia will help you accomplish this, but might not fit your need for every type of video you need to create. 

    Top Pick: Camtasia is the best overall choice for users seeking a versatile, professional video editor, and Audiate for users focused on improving audio quality and synchronization. And with a fully-functioning free trial available, you can try it out, risk-free.

    The easiest way to edit videos

    Stop wasting time and discover how Camtasia makes creating incredible videos easier than ever.

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    TechSmith

    TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

    How to Take a Screenshot on a Single Monitor

    A single monitor displaying an open document with a dashed selection box around it on the screen.

    Have you ever needed to communicate an important topic and it would have been easier to show someone instead?

    Taking a screenshot of what’s on your monitor is a great way to communicate and share information effectively. There are many different use cases for capturing a specific area of your screen, such as creating documentation, presentations, or providing technical support.

    Snagit is an easy-to-use tool that offers enhanced screenshot capabilities beyond what the Windows snipping tool is capable of.

    This blog will take you through how to take a screenshot on a single monitor, as well as add annotations, enhancements, and other basic edits.

    Methods for taking a screenshot on a single monitor

    Screenshots come in many forms. You can capture the entire area of your monitor, which is a full-screen screenshot.

    Programs like Snagit also allow you to capture a specific window you have open. Or it can capture a screenshot showing only a specific area that you select. 

    It is important to choose the right type of screenshot. It saves time and helps make sure that only the most relevant information is captured. Or you can choose that all of the information is captured to help provide context to the person you’re sharing the image with.

    How to take a screenshot on a single monitor

    Option 1: Using built-in tools (Windows/Mac)

    No matter if you are on Windows or Mac, you can use the built-in operating system tools to capture screenshots. These screenshots will capture all monitors if you have dual monitor setups.

    On Windows, you can hit PrtScn on your keyboard. Then you can paste (Ctrl + V) that screenshot in Word, Paint, or in an email.

    You can also use the ALT + Print Screen to screenshot your active monitor. This is always helpful when working with a dual-screen setup.

    On Mac, you can hit Shift + Command + 4 to take a screenshot and then paste (Command + V) into a program of your choice.

    Option 2: Taking screenshots with Snagit

    If you need more flexibility in the screenshots you are taking, Snagit offers control over how you capture your screen by offering options like full screen, region, and scrolling capture.

    Start by opening the program and selecting which type of image capture you’d like to take.

    Next, you can configure additional options. A few of the options include whether you want to capture the cursor on the screen or apply image effects automatically.

    Once you’ve configured your options, click the red capture button to take your screenshot.

    The best snipping tool for Windows and Mac

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    Someone capturing a screenshot of a mountain scene with a person and goats using Snagit, showing cropping tools on the screen.

    Editing and enhancing your screenshots

    Once you’ve taken a screenshot with Snagit on your monitor setup, you can enhance your image by utilizing Snagit’s powerful editing tools, including annotations, callouts, arrows, and text. 

    One of my favorite tools to use is the blur effect. This allows me to blur out and redact sensitive information that I do not want being shared.

    Using shapes and arrows can be a great way to highlight key elements. The elements draw the users attention to a specific area of the screenshot.

    Why use Snagit for screenshots?

    Snagit allows users to capture scrolling windows, menus, and specific regions with precision. Built-in tools are unable to capture scrolling windows. They limit the captures to what is visibly seen on the monitor.

    Snagit’s editing capabilities let users enhance their screenshots without needing additional software, making it ideal for creating polished, professional-looking images.

    Moving from capturing to editing your screenshot is a seamless experience in Snagit.

    Snagit provides the ability to easily and quickly share screenshots through various channels (email, cloud storage, Slack).

    Sharing an image with a colleague or friend can be done with a click of a button. To save your capture to your hard drive, you can click on the floppy disk icon.

    Snagit also allows you to organize captured images for future use within the Snagit Library. Organizing your captures plays a large role in helping you work efficiently.

    Ready to take better screenshots with Snagit?

    To get started with Snagit, first download the program.

    From there, you will be able to start capturing, editing, and organizing your screenshots. Having Snagit as your screen capture tool will help you communicate more effectively.

    To really get a head start on becoming a Snagit expert, be sure to check out all of our quick tutorials. Free webinars are also available that help you get started with Snagit or learn new tips and tricks.

    FAQ about taking screenshots on a single monitor

    Can I capture an entire webpage on a single monitor?

    Yes, you can capture an entire webpage on a single monitor by utilizing Snagit’s scrolling capture feature.

    How do I add annotations to my screenshot?

    With your screen capture in the Snagit Editor, select an annotation tool from the top of the Snagit Editor. You can choose from arrows, text, shapes, callouts, stamps, or more options.

    Can I edit and share screenshots directly after capturing them?

    Snagit is the perfect tool for capturing, editing, and sharing screenshots easily. After capturing your screenshot, you can quickly make any edits and share your screenshot to any number of destinations.

    Annotate and edit screenshots with Snagit

    Professional mark-up tools and powerful features make it easy to create helpful images.

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    TechSmith

    TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

    Process Improvement: Strategies and Examples for Success

    An arrow stepping up and towards the right, with a gear and a checkbox along the path and a target at the end.

    Does hearing the word process in a professional setting make you think, “Ugh, here comes a boring time-waster”? If process has a negative connotation to you, there’s a good chance that your team or your organization has drifted away from business processes that focus on outcomes, and you are instead floating in the doldrums of process for process’s sake. Don’t feel bad – it’s easy to get there, but with a dedicated push, some organizational introspection, and a little tooling, you’ll be sailing right back to meaningful work.

    Spending time on process improvement is well worth the effort because it increases efficiency and productivity not just in the amount of work that is done, but also in the quality of employees’ work lives. 

    Employees who feel like their valuable time is being used wisely and are engaged in improvement will deliver better work and be more likely to stick around. And, with the application of continuous improvement, team members can see small changes add up to making a big difference. This is important because feeling impactful is at the core of what people want in the workplace.

    What is process improvement?

    Process improvement is a systematic approach to identifying areas for improvement. That could be identifying inefficiencies, waste, or errors in a workflow and then making incremental changes to improve outcomes. Continuous improvement applies to the idea that the environment that we work in will continue to change, and we will need to continue to change along with it. 

    What is a great solution today will not remain a great solution because the problem itself will change. Teams need to continue to refine the problems they are facing and the outcomes they are seeking. By embracing continuous, iterative improvement, even small incremental changes, teams and organizations can keep themselves in step with the pace of change. 

    Snagit is a useful tool for process improvement because it makes it easy to document existing processes, workflows, and bottlenecks in just a few clicks. Having a visual illustration of issues gives a team something to respond to when coming up with a solution. For example, you could use Snagit to annotate screenshots of all the steps of a process and then use Snagit’s callout tool to highlight the problems for further discussion.

    Image of the Snagit interface with a step by step guide on it.

    What is the continuous improvement process?

    The continuous improvement process encourages employees at all levels of an organization to suggest and implement small changes for constant betterment. Organizations that successfully implement and encourage continuous improvement create teams that are empowered to solve the problems that they see.

    There is no one right way to implement continuous improvement, but there are a number of methodologies that can help get you on your way. Some of these methodologies overlap, and some are born out of others, but all are based on improvement over time.

    • Kaizen: Toyota popularized the concept of continuous improvement (kaizen) in auto manufacturing. The company minimized waste and increased efficiency through many small improvements.
    • Agile: Agile methodologies have their roots in the software industry. Agile practices are customer-first and incremental. Rather than providing a strict list of rules, the Agile Manifesto favors one set of things over another set of things. Individuals in an agile system have room to do what makes sense.
    • Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA): PDCA is a four-part, cyclical process that highlights the importance of data in continuous improvement. A team must measure their work in order to know how they are improving. The “Check” piece of the cycle is critical for success.
    • Kanban: Kanban is focused on the flow of work often through a visualization called the kanban board. With kanban, teams attempt to move any one piece of work from start to finish as quickly as possible. The team has a WIP (work in progress) limit, which requires problems to be resolved before new work can be picked up. This also encourages work to be broken down into the smallest reasonably executable and valuable pieces.
    • Lean: Lean methodology highlights the value in putting the smallest amount of work possible into a product before putting it in front of users. In Lean product development, the next iteration of a product is always done based on the learnings from the last round of user testing.

    How to implement a continuous improvement process

    Get kinda meta

    The process of implementing a process is its own process. Keep the principles of continuous, incremental improvement in mind. Do not try to change a process suddenly, by yourself, or with a big bang. 

    Start small

    Identify one small team to work with on your process improvement. Even if you think your whole organization could benefit from the change, working through the process and refining it with a small group of people will leave you better prepared to expand it to others.

    Get buy-in

    Others in your group will need to understand why you are suggesting a process change. Highlight the goals and improved outcomes you hope to see. Listen to feedback and make adjustments to your initial implementation ideas to include others in the process.

    Try it

    Put whatever methodology you chose and plans you made into action!

    Remember to retro

    After you have tried the process improvement, gather your small group together to discuss what is working, what is not working, and any tweaks you want to make for the next iteration. 

    Celebrate successes

    Take a minute to recognize what you’ve learned so far. Celebrate any improvements and efficiency gains you’ve seen. Share your findings with other teams you work with and include data and details about the improvements.

    Repeat

    Repeat, repeat, repeat. Be intentional about learning from every iteration and sharing your results. Building context with others is the first step to getting your workplace to develop a culture of continuous improvement. As the organization sees your improved process working for the small group, others will want to try it with their teams too, and you can begin to consider what process improvement could look like on the department or organization level.

    The best snipping tool for Windows and Mac

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    Someone capturing a screenshot of a mountain scene with a person and goats using Snagit, showing cropping tools on the screen.

    Continuous improvement examples

    Improving team communication

    Michelle and Amy on TechSmith’s Community Engagement and Human Resources teams frequently use Snagit to replace meetings and work asynchronously. It can be a real challenge to wrangle the calendars of busy coworkers, particularly across teams. Michelle and Amy use Snagit with Screencast or Slack to get work done more quickly than they could even assemble in the same (virtual) room.

    Enhancing the customer support process

    “Time not spent serving customers is expensive,” says Mike on TechSmith’s Sales Operations team. He saw a challenge in keeping all his teammates and partners up to date and knowledgeable about new software and processes. By creating bite-sized demo and tutorial videos, he was able to recycle his answers to common questions and to deliver training in a uniform way. He employs a similar strategy with individual customers. If a customer has a question about a feature, it would be easy to throw them a link to a tutorial online, but by creating a video that shows the exact part of the tutorial that would help the customer and includes Mike’s webcam video, he is able to create more personalized, more human interaction. 

    Streamlining project management workflows

    Steve in TechSmith’s Project Management Office helps support a kanban workflow with the software teams developing Snagit. He creates pre-watch videos to set expectations and context about meeting agenda items. He also uses screenshots of team kanban boards to illustrate the teams’ status at any given time, which is useful for pointing out blockers and bottlenecks. These images also provide a good visual summary of backlog refinement meetings for team members who couldn’t attend.

    Benefits of continuous improvement

    Increased efficiency

    This is the most direct benefit of continuous improvement. All those little changes over time add up to increased efficiency, reduced waste, and better outcomes for your organization.

    Enhanced employee engagement

    Gallup, a data-driven thought leader in workplace culture, describes employee engagement this way:
    “People want purpose and meaning from their work. They want to be known for what they’re good at.”

    A continuous improvement process gives employees systematic opportunities to provide input into the environment they are working in, enhancing both feelings of empowerment and autonomy. This, combined with the focus on improvement itself, hits on all three pieces of Daniel Pink’s elements of true motivation: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. In short, a continuous improvement process gives employees a voice.

    Better customer satisfaction 

    The more efficient we are, the more value we can get out to customers in a given timeframe. And the more quickly we can iterate, the faster we are able to identify customer pain points and act on them to ship improvements to customers. By making small changes and getting customer feedback between each, we are more likely to get customers a product that delights them and solves their problems well than if we release big changes all at once.

    Why use Snagit for continuous process improvement?

    Visual documentation of workflows

    Snagit makes it easy to document the work on your screen in just a few clicks. You can capture your screen in an image (or a scrolling capture for long content) and then use annotation tools to document steps or make callouts. Or, you can capture your screen in a video while you’re explaining your steps in a voice-over and using Snagit’s screen draw tool to call attention to particular parts of the screen.

    Image of someone capturing their screen in a video while showing steps.

    Easy collaboration and sharing

    Snagit’s sharing capabilities allow teams to quickly capture and distribute visual updates, ensuring everyone is aligned during the process improvement journey. It connects to tools you’re already using at work like OneDrive, Google Drive, Slack, Teams, and more. Or, you can use Snagit’s “Share Link” feature to quickly upload your content and get a link to it on Screencast. Using Screencast allows others to view and comment on your media, providing a convenient place for communication.

    Share link button highlighted showing shareable link options.

    Streamlined implementation

    Snagit’s template functionality can help create artifacts that are repeatable and easy to consume. Know that you’re going to be comparing the same two sets of data every week? Use a Snagit template to standardize the presentations and provide a point-in-time record to look back on.

    Ready to improve your processes with Snagit?

    Download the free trial of Snagit to visually document and share your process improvement. Get others onboard with your continuous improvement idea by walking them through your perceived roadblocks and potential outcomes in a Snagit screen share with webcam video!

    The best snipping tool for Windows and Mac

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    What are the key steps in process improvement?

    The particular process improvement methodology you choose will have its own set of steps, but in all cases, you must:
    1. Identify the need to improve.
    2. Desire to work to make a change.
    3. Believe that change is possible and that you (and your team) are capable of starting it.

    How can I foster a culture of continuous improvement in my organization?

    Culture change doesn’t happen overnight. Start small, get a couple partners and work on making a small change in your team. Make sure to celebrate and share what you learned, even if the outcome isn’t the result you hoped for. Try again!

    How can Snagit help with documenting and sharing continuous improvement efforts?

    Snagit is an essential tool for capturing, annotating, and sharing visual content that support process improvement strategies. Because it’s simple and straightforward, Snagit can help create a friendly, casual tone, bringing more collaborators into your improvements.

    TechSmith

    TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

    The Ultimate Guide to Effective Business Communication

    Yellow video in the shape of a briefcase.

    Business communication is more critical than ever in today’s fast-paced digital world. Whether you’re coordinating with remote teams, pitching a product or service, or sharing complex data, how you communicate can make or break your business success. This guide will explore different types of business communication, give tips for using visual elements effectively, and show how tools like Camtasia and Snagit can help enhance visual communication strategies for better engagement with your audience.

    What is business communication?

    People smiling and discussing a bar graph
    Business communication refers to the sharing of information between people inside and outside of an organization to achieve business goals.

    Effective communication ensures that team members and stakeholders are aligned, employees feel connected, and customers are well-informed about your product or service. 

    Some important key elements of communication in the workplace include clarity in messaging, active listening, appropriate communication tools, and visual appeal and engagement. Utilizing these components, such as communication tools, will improve team relationships and have a positive overall effect on the company. Being able to use these elements, like tools in communication, will advance your relationship with team members and bring an overall positive impact to the organization. 

    Types of business communication

    Internal Communication

    This type of communication is collaboration among team members and management within the organization. Some examples are instant messaging, emails, video conferencing, and internal reports. Need a quick reminder on how to do something? Hop on a call with your manager. Need support on a project? Email your coworker for help. These are real-world examples of internal communication.

    Messages within Slack

    External Communication

    This type of communication involves sharing information with clients, partners, or customers. Some examples include customer support emails, marketing materials, social media posts, and presentations. External communication is much more formal and should be presented with thoughtfulness and precision. A company posting on social media for thousands to see is going to be reviewed more times than an email going to a few co-workers. 

    Verbal and non-verbal communication

    Verbal communication is the words that are being said. This is done through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, and video conferencing. For example, “Can you get me that report you did last week?” is verbal communication. 

    Non-verbal communication is your delivery of the words being said. Body language, tone, and gestures during face-to-face or virtual interactions are all examples of non-verbal communication. Going back to the verbal question above, adding some urgency into your voice paired with a concerned facial expression can communicate to someone that this is a time-sensitive request and to prioritize it.

    Business visual communication

    Types of visual communications include infographics, charts, videos, and images that help explain complex information or enhance presentations. It is important to incorporate visual communication into your workflow for the sake of your co-workers. Information is much easier to digest when you add a visual to it.

    Results from Chaos to Clarity: How to Thrive in the Modern Workplace.

    Research has found that 83% of people prefer to learn via video over audio and text only when learning instructional or informational content (source: Video Viewer Study 2024). Tools like Camtasia and Snagit are crucial for creating high-quality visuals and videos that effectively communicate ideas.

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    The role of visual communication in business

    Why visuals matter:

    Humans process visual designs faster than text, making them ideal for explaining complex data or simplifying messages. Think about those times when you were reading directions and thought to yourself, wow, this would be so much easier if I had a video or picture to follow. Effective visual communication is important as it leads to better understanding and retention of information.

    Common forms of visual communication in business:

    Data visualizations: Charts, graphs, and infographics to convey complex data in a simple way. Snagit is a great option for creating visual content by screenshotting and annotating graphs.

    Videos: Training videos, product demos, and webinars. Camtasia is perfect for creating these kinds of high-quality videos. Utilizing video for business can enhance customer engagement, boost brand visibility, and drive measurable growth through effective visual storytelling and marketing strategy. 

    Screenshots and annotations: Useful for graphic design, technical guides, or instructional materials. Snagit makes it easy to capture and annotate your screen, making information more digestible.

    Screenshot of Snagit with a step by step guide of how to find a sales report.

    Visual communication strategy

    Adding visuals to your communication tool stack can improve clarity, engagement, and visual appeal. For example, during video conferencing, visuals like shared screens and video demonstrations can make complex topics easier to understand. Effective visual communication can save a significant amount of time by reducing the need for back-and-forth, ensuring that ideas and instructions are conveyed clearly and quickly.

    How to incorporate visuals into your business communication

    Step 1: Identify opportunities for visual communication

    Analyze your communication flow to find areas where visuals can simplify or clarify information, such as presenting complex information in reports or proposals. Maybe information seems clear to you, but not to others. This is your opportunity to ask co-workers if anything is difficult to understand.

     Step 2: Use tools to create high-quality visuals

    Camtasia: Create professional videos to showcase new products, explain processes, or train employees. The intuitive interface of Camtasia makes it easy for all.

    Camtasia interface with a video for workplace communication.

    Snagit: Capture and annotate screenshots for presentations, tutorials, or visual documentation. You can also use Snagit to create quick data visualizations for internal communication.

    Snagit of screenshot with graphs to ask a sales question.

    Step 3: Choose the right visual format

    Consider the format that best suits your message, such as videos for complex data or infographics for quick insights. For social media platforms and marketing, social media posting with visually appealing images or videos can enhance brand messaging. If you are presenting on PowerPoint, using infographics or just pictures can enhance the look and feel of your content. 

     Step 4: Maintain visual consistency

    While creating content, ensure that your visual communication is aligned with your brand’s design guidelines, such as colors, fonts, and tone. This creates a cohesive look and builds trust. You can use presets for brand logos and colors in Camtasia and Snagit.

    Best practices for effective business communication

    Know your audience

    Tailor your message to the needs of your audience, whether they are team members, clients, or stakeholders. Adjust the complexity of your visuals or data presentations accordingly. Both internal and external people appreciate visual appeal, so it is important to include these high-quality visuals.

    Encourage feedback and engagement

    Instead of dumping a bunch of information on someone, try sprinkling in questions to encourage collaboration. Use instant messaging or internal surveys to gather feedback on how well your communication is being received and whether employees feel engaged. Incorporate open-ended questions in surveys to better understand how employees feel about the current communication flow. 

    Use communication tools effectively

    Leverage digital communication tools like Camtasia for recorded presentations or Snagit to create quick, clear screenshots and guides to accompany instructions or project updates. Use video conferencing platforms to share screens and present visual data during meetings. 

    Communication via video conferencing feels more interactive and allows for questions. Adding visuals during the meeting helps ensure that team members fully understand complex information. Imagine a presentation with no visuals. How boring! 

     Keep information clear and concise

    Avoid information overload by focusing on the main message and providing only relevant details. A lot of the time, our conversations tend to wander from the main topic. To avoid this, try making an agenda and sticking to it. 

    Use visuals to break down complex information into manageable parts, making it easier for your audience to absorb and act on the content. Nothing is worse than trying to focus on long, drawn-out videos. If you think about TikTok, most of the videos are well under one minute. Human attention spans are only so long.

    Wall of text? Next!

    Snagit makes it easy to communicate more effectively with visuals.

    Learn More
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    Business communication tools to improve efficiency

    Video conferencing platforms

    Platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams enable face-to-face communication across distances and allow you to share visuals during meetings. Camtasia can enhance these meetings by allowing you to record presentations, tutorials, or explanations that can be referred to later. Face-to-face meeting communication is great for comradery and real-time questions. Recorded communication is great for future endeavors when you need to refer back to information or procedures. 

     Instant messaging tools

    Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Chat help teams stay connected and share updates in real-time. Snagit can be used to quickly capture and annotate screenshots that can be shared instantly with the team for feedback or further discussion. 

    Both real-time and screenshot communication are great for specific situations. If you want to message your co-worker quickly, Slack is a great option. If you want your coworker to have something to refer back to, Snagit is the best option for that. 

    Project management tools

    Tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com help teams stay on track with tasks, enabling better collaboration and accountability. These tools are especially helpful when you have numerous tasks to keep track of.

    Tasks within a project management tool.

    Collaborative document sharing

    Google Docs and Microsoft SharePoint enable teams to collaborate on documents in real time, improving efficiency and keeping everyone aligned.

    Enhancing business communication through visual storytelling

    Using data visualizations to tell a story

    Presenting complex data as charts or graphs in a way that tells a compelling story is key to driving action. Snagit makes it easy to create quick charts from raw data that you can embed in reports or presentations.

    Building trust and transparency

    Sharing behind-the-scenes content or internal updates with the team can foster a culture of transparency. Use Camtasia to create video messages from leadership or to share progress on key initiatives. 

    Engaging with clients and customers

    Create product demos or explainer videos using Camtasia to help customers understand your product or service and its benefits. Videos are a powerful way to communicate visually and keep audiences engaged.

    Step guide made with Camtasia.

    Measuring the effectiveness of your business communication

    Analyze engagement

    Use analytics to track engagement with your visual content. For example, how many employees watched your training video made with Camtasia? How many clicks or views did your social media posting receive? Understanding what factors of your content are contributing to engagement is crucial for content improvement.

    Gather feedback

    Regularly survey your team to gather feedback on your communication methods. Use open-ended questions to understand how employees feel and where communication can improve. Internal quarterly surveys are a great cadence to follow as feelings are always changing. The same goes for external communication.

    Adjust and iterate

    Based on feedback and data, continuously adjust your communication strategy to meet the needs of your audience. Adding new tools like Snagit and Camtasia can help you improve the clarity and effectiveness of your messaging.

    Boost your business communication with visual tools

    People at a meeting looking at visual representations.

    Effective business communication requires the right mix of verbal, written, and visual communication strategies. Incorporating high-quality visuals can enhance understanding, whether through videos created with Camtasia or data visualizations captured with Snagit. 

    One of the most important factors to remember about communication is openness and listening. You will never be a great communicator if you aren’t putting in the effort to truly hear and understand others. Keep your thoughts open-minded and be ready for change when necessary.

    Ready to improve your communication in the workplace? Start integrating visual tools like Camtasia, a powerful video editor and screen recording tool, into your communication strategy. Combine it with Snagit for screen capture, screen recording, and visual design.  All in an effort to create clear, engaging content that drives results and enhances audience engagement.

    The easiest way to edit videos

    Stop wasting time and discover how Camtasia makes creating incredible videos easier than ever.

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    Ryan Knott

    Ryan Knott is a Marketing Content Strategist at TechSmith, where he creates content about easy, effective, and efficient video creation, editing, and tips and tricks, as well as audio editing for creators of all kinds. He/him.

    How to Merge Videos With Step-by-Step Instructions

    Two video clips being merged in camtasia -- How to merge videos

    You’ve captured all the magical moments from your team’s stellar performance at the company event. The footage is brilliant, and snapping it all on your phone was a blast.

    Two businesswomen taking a selfie on a phone.

    But now, the dread creeps in. How are you going to take all those great video clips and turn them into a single, polished video? And with less than an hour before the pitch session—gulp.

    Whether you’re combining videos for a work presentation or creating an Instagram-worthy reel, editing always seems more daunting than shooting. Why is it so frustrating?

    Maybe it’s the image of editors wading through reels of film on a cutting room floor. Or perhaps it’s the unreliable free apps that crash your computer. It could even be those complicated Hollywood-style editing tools that take forever to master. Or maybe you just haven’t found the right tool for the job.

    Let’s skip the hassle and dive into some quick, easy tips for merging your videos.

    Step-by-step guide to combine two videos

    Step 1: Choose the right video editor

    First, you need the right tool for the job. Camtasia offers the perfect mix of power and simplicity. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to arrange video clips however you like.

    Unlike many online editors, you don’t have to worry about file formats. Camtasia supports multiple formats, like MP4, MOV, JPG, and PNG. Just drag and drop your videos and images onto the timeline to merge them seamlessly.

    Step 2: Import your video files

    Importing videos and images into Camtasia is a breeze. Simply double-click in the Media Bin or hit the green import button, then browse your hard drive to find the two videos you want to merge.

    Gif of dragging media onto Camtasia editor timeline.

    Once imported, your videos will sit in the Media Bin, ready for you to drag them onto the timeline. You can add as many videos as you want to the Media Bin, but only those you drag to the timeline will appear in the final product. No need to worry about file formats—Camtasia has you covered with a wide variety of supported types.

    Step 3: Arrange and edit your video clips

    Now for the fun part! Select both videos from the Media Bin and drag them onto the timeline. Congratulations! You’ve started the merge process (cue the dramatic space opera music).

    Your clips are now lined up on the timeline, ready to go. If you want to adjust the order, simply drag the clip you want first to the left. Need to trim? Just hover over the edge of a clip and drag to shorten it.

    Image of selecting part of a track in the Camtasia editor.

    Once your clips are set, it’s time to spice things up. Explore Camtasia’s wide range of transitions. Find one you like and drag it between your clips to create smooth, professional transitions. You’re now editing like a Hollywood pro!

    Step 4: Export your merged video

    It’s time to wrap things up and export your masterpiece. Look to the top-right corner and find that big green Export button. Click it to start the process.

    Image of export button clicked in Camtasia with a menu of export options.

    Camtasia lets you save your video as an MP4 or send it directly to platforms like YouTube. Choose your destination, name your video, and hit Export. In just a few moments, your video will be ready.

    Now sit back, relax, and enjoy your newly merged video masterpiece!

    Other tools for merging videos

    Using Snagit for basic video merging

    Still worried about the big video merge? Or maybe you’re looking for a lightweight solution that handles basic video recording and image capture? Well, let me introduce you to Snagit.

    Image of someone picking videos to combine in Snagit.

    Snagit is fast, simple, and efficient. It captures images, records video, and yes—it merges videos too. There’s no timeline or complex video editor to deal with—just a no-nonsense tool that gets the job done. Perfect for quick and easy video tasks. And when you need more advanced features, Camtasia has your back with its editing tools, trimming options, and video effects.

    Image of cropping a video in Snagit.

    Mobile apps from the App Store

    Need to merge videos on the go? There are several great apps available on your phone. Here are three of our top picks:

    • Canva (iOS/Android): Known for creating professional designs, Canva also helps merge videos. Available on Google Play and the iOS App Store.
    • iMovie (iOS): If you have an iPhone, you likely already have iMovie. Just select the movie option and choose your clips to merge.
    • InShot (iOS/Android): Quickly merge videos from your iPhone, iPad, or Android device with InShot.

    These mobile tools are convenient on the go, but if you’re working from your laptop, a desktop solution like Camtasia gives you greater control. With a larger screen, accurate trimming, smooth transitions, and support for a wide range of file formats, Camtasia makes video merging effortless.

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I merge more than two videos?

    Absolutely! Merge multiple video clips together by dragging them to the timeline, and Camtasia will take care of the rest.

    What file types does Camtasia support?

    Camtasia supports a rich array of video files on top of the industry standard MP4 files. Apple ProRes, AVI, GIT, Lottie, M4A, MOV, TREC, and WMV all work well in Camtasia. Visit Camtasia’s file format support page for more details.

    Screenshot of LottieFiles interface.

    Conclusion

    A great video merger helps you quickly combine MP4 files, insert branding clips, or add an extra section to your videos. With so many tools on the market, it’s tough to sift through them all. That’s why choosing an affordable, reliable, and professional tool like Camtasia makes sense.

    Camtasia delivers everything you need—powerful merging and editing features, all in one easy-to-use package.

    Do yourself a favor and download a free trial of Camtasia. Your future self will thank you!

    The easiest way to edit videos

    Stop wasting time and discover how Camtasia makes creating incredible videos easier than ever.

    Get Camtasia
    An image of a laptop showing the camtasia drag-and-drop editing feature

    Lizzy Smiley

    Marketing Content Writing Specialist at TechSmith. I love my dog and The Office.

    How to Zoom in on a Video: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Green computer screen with magnifying glass with a plus sign.

    Videos are a powerful way to tell a story. Whether you are a content creator, educator, marketer, or simply sharing memories with your family, sometimes you want to draw attention to a specific moment in a video that might otherwise go unnoticed. That’s where using a zoom effect can come in handy. 

    With the right video editor, you can enhance your video’s impact with this easy and simple technique.

    Step-by-step guide to zooming in on a video

    Step 1: Choose the right video editing tool

    Most video editors will have the ability to do a zoom effect. 

    For example, Adobe Premiere, Filmora, and Camtasia all have this ability. It can be daunting to start using advanced tools such as Adobe Premier, which are complex to navigate. 

    Camtasia contains powerful, professional features for advanced users, but is also incredibly simple to use for beginners. Camtasia’s simplicity is ideal for making quick edits, like zooming in. 

    When choosing your tool, consider whether you need a more advanced video editor, or prefer a simple but powerful editor, like Camtasia.

    Step 2: Import your video clip

    Now that you have chosen a video editor, the next step is to import your video clip. Camtasia supports many different video formats, which makes it versatile for a variety of projects. In Camtasia, importing your video is dead simple – all you need to do is drag and drop the video into the Media Bin:

    Importing a video from your files explorer to Camtasia.

    Step 3: Apply the zoom effect

    Next, apply Camtasia’s zoom effect, also known as the video zoomer. To use the zoom effect, first drag the playhead on the timeline all the way to the beginning of your video clip. 

    The playhead at the beginning of the timeline.

    Then, in the Toolbar, click Animations, and then click Zoom-n-Pan. Use your mouse to drag and resize the mini preview to zoom in on a specific portion of your video.

    Zoom and pans location in Camtasia and applying it to a clip.

    It really is that easy! Camtasia’s effect controls give you the power to adjust the zoom level, so you can zoom in just the right amount, and focus on the exact portion of your video that you want to highlight.

    Step 4: Fine-tune the zoom with the Ken Burns effect

    To make your video even more dynamic and professional, consider using the Ken Burns Effect. This is a technique you may have seen in documentary films. 

    The basic idea is to dynamically pan and zoom across a still image throughout the duration of a clip. 

    To do this in Camtasia, start with a still image, like a screenshot or photograph. 

    Drag and drop the image onto the timeline. 

    In the toolbar, click Animations, and then click Zoom-n-Pan. Using the mini preview in the Zoom-n-Pan tab, drag and resize the selection area to pan and zoom in on one part of the image, as in step 3. This creates an animation. On the timeline, the animation looks like an arrow. 

    The animation has two dots, one at the beginning, and one at the end, which are called keyframes.

     To finalize the effect, drag the keyframes for the animation all the way to the beginning and end of the image on the timeline, so that it looks like this:

    Dragging the end keyframe across the footage.

    This causes the zooming and panning to happen gradually over time, creating a feeling of movement. That’s it! You are now using the Ken Burns effect to add dynamic movement to a still image.

    Step 5: Preview and export your video

    Now that you have applied the zoom effect, double-check that everything looks good by previewing the video. 

    Drag the playhead all the way to the beginning of the timeline, and hit the play button above the timeline. After you preview your video, export it in the desired video format so that you can share it with others. 

    Click the green Export button in the top right of Camtasia. You can choose local file to export a file you could send to others or upload directly to YouTube or other destinations.

     The advanced options in the Camtasia Exporter give you the power to format your video in many ways, so you can optimize it for certain platforms, like social media websites.

    Why use Camtasia for zooming in on videos?

    User-friendly interface

    Camtaisa’s user interface is designed to be super user-friendly for video creators of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced professional. You can use your mouse to drag and drop a video into Camtasia and to zoom in on a portion of the video. 

    This makes it easy for anyone to apply the zoom effect without needing advanced skills.

    Built-in zoom tools

    Camtasia has built-in tools for zooming in and out. You can apply a smooth zoom effect or more advanced effects without being a professional. While it is easy to get started, Camtasia also exposes advanced effect controls so that you can fine-tune your shots to ensure they are pixel-perfect.

    The easiest way to edit videos

    Stop wasting time and discover how Camtasia makes creating incredible videos easier than ever.

    Get Camtasia
    An image of a laptop showing the camtasia drag-and-drop editing feature

    Conclusion

    Camtasia makes it simple to zoom in on your videos, making it a great choice for anyone looking for a powerful, easy-to-use video editor. 

    The zoom effect is just one of many built-in video editing features Camtasia offers to help you create professional-quality videos, even if you are just getting started with video editing. And with a free trial available, you can download Camtasia and get started today!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I zoom in on specific parts of my video?

    Yes, with Camtasia’s zoom effect, you can easily zoom in on any portion of your video clip and adjust the scale and duration of the zoom to fine-tune the effect.

    What video formats can I use in Camtasia?

    Camtasia supports a variety of video formats, including MP4, AVI, and more, which make it an excellent choice for a multitude of projects. To see a full list of supported file formats, go here for Camtasia Windows: Camtasia Supported File Formats on Windows – TechSmith Support and here for Camtasia Mac: Camtasia Supported File Formats on macOS – TechSmith Support.

    Guy Larcom

    Guy is the Global Content Strategy Manager at TechSmith. If he's not golfing or skiing, he wishes he was.

    How to Write a Bug Report: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Clipboard with bug in magnifying glass.

    An effective bug report is crucial to improving your product’s user experience. A clear and detailed bug report helps the QA teams and developers understand the issue, reproduce it, and ultimately fix it.

    What is a bug report?

    A bug report is a document that contains details about a software defect. It helps developers fix the bug by providing essential information, such as when and how the bug occurs. The defect should be recorded in a bug tracking system, like GitHub, to monitor its status and impact. Bug reports help product stakeholders prioritize fixing the bug by informing them of its severity and are a key component of the software development process.

    The importance of writing a good bug report

    A good bug report can be the difference between a defect being fixed or not. It communicates the user experience and helps the entire team understand the issue. A good bug report speeds up the fixing process and ensures the bug doesn’t negatively affect the final product. It’s a crucial part of the software development life cycle. 

    Critical elements of an effective bug report

    1. Title and bug ID

    A bug report begins with a title and a unique bug ID. The report’s writer usually creates the title, while your bug tracking system typically automatically generates the bug ID. The title of an effective bug report should be a clear, concise summary of the defect. In some cases, it includes the type of bug.

    2. Application version and operating system

    A good bug report must include the application version and operating system used when the bug occurred. It is also valuable information to know whether the bug occurs on different versions, device types, or operating systems! When you take a screenshot with Snagit, the application version and operating system are automatically recorded and can be displayed on the image using the Capture Info effect.

    3. Steps to reproduce the bug

    The most effective bug reports include steps to reproduce the bug. These steps should be easy for developers to follow and replicate. Snagit can take images or video captures of the steps to reproduce. Add arrows, callouts, and blurs to your screenshots to help developers focus on the critical elements required to reproduce the bug.

    4. Actual vs. expected result

    Most bug reports describe the actual result of the bug, but don’t forget to include the expected result. The actual result can be defined as “what happens when the bug occurs,” while the expected result is “what should have happened without the bug.” It may be challenging to fix the bug if the developers don’t know the expected result.

    5. Screenshots and videos

    Screenshots and screen recordings can significantly enhance a bug report by showing exactly where a bug occurs and providing visual evidence. 

    Important screen capture tool features include the following:

    Screenshots, including scrolling capture

    It’s preferred to grab the entire long webpage, if applicable. This ensures that all needed information is captured.

    Snagit supports up- and down-scrolling as well as left- and right-scrolling capture, unlike most capture tools.

    Image editing tools

    Leverage annotation tools such as arrows and callouts to refine screenshots and focus on relevant details.

    Snagit offers efficient screenshot editing capabilities, including Magnify and Spotlight. It also provides blur and redact capabilities to hide personally identifiable information.

    Screen recording

    Video recordings illustrate the flow of events leading up to an issue.

    Unlike many alternatives, Snagit captures mouse movement and system audio for the richest bug event captures possible.

    For added clarity, include narration and a live drawing while recording.

    Snagit provides microphone capture and a variety of Screen Draw markups, including automatic step annotation. Optional webcam integration is also provided for a more personal touch.

    Text grab and metadata capture.

    The most efficient products, like Snagit, will reduce the time needed to enter bug-tracking information by making it easy to text-grab (OCR) information from the screen.

    Library and file management

    Snagit enables you to organize your screenshots and recordings with automatic metadata and custom tags.

    Every capture provides copy-and-paste metadata like URL and timestamp to save time completing bug reports.

    Snagit is the top-ranked screen and video capture software available and is used by all Fortune 500 companies.

    Stop repeat questions

    Create clear videos and guides with Snagit so you only have to explain tasks once.

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    Screen recording of a dashboard showing conversion rate, spend, and monthly performance with a picture-in-picture webcam view of a smiling man.

    6. Error messages and logs

    Ensure your bug report includes any error messages or log files generated by the bug. Error messages can quickly be captured with a screenshot, while log files can be attached to your bug report. This provides developers with crucial technical information for debugging.

    What makes this bug report effective?

    This is an effective bug report because it includes a descriptive title, precise steps to reproduce the bug, an annotated screenshot, and system information. This report provides ample information to ensure developers clearly understand the issue and can fix the problem efficiently. 

    Notice how the screenshot was annotated with a shape highlighting the problem link and a callout pointing to the link with further details in its text box. Unrelated links on either side are blurred out so the developer can quickly find the bug while keeping the context of where the bug is located.

    Common mistakes to avoid when writing a bug report

    1. Vague descriptions

    An effective bug report should be as specific as possible to prevent confusion. Avoid vague descriptions such as, “The button doesn’t work.” A better description would be, “The red button displays an ‘Error 404’ message after clicking it.” This clarity ensures the entire team has a strong understanding of the issue.

    2. Missing steps to reproduce

    The developers may need steps to reproduce the bug to understand or fix the issue. Clear and precise steps will save the developers time and frustration. Consider taking a video recording of yourself walking through the steps to reproduce.

    3. Forgetting visual evidence

    A common mistake in bug reports is not including any screenshots or videos. There is nothing more effective than the visual proof of screenshots in speeding up the understanding and fixing of the bug. 

    Snagit can be used to quickly and easily capture screenshots and screen recordings. The Snagit Editor can annotate your screenshots, clearly highlighting the relevant information. Any sensitive information from the final screenshot can be blurred or redacted. Screen recordings are another versatile form of evidence.

    Bug reporting tools and tracking systems

    Why use a bug tracking system?

    A bug-tracking system helps the development team organize, track, and prioritize bugs across different teams and stages of development. It assigns unique tracking information, such as a title bug ID. It helps QA teams understand how frequently users encounter a bug and helps product stakeholders see when work to fix a bug is complete. These systems can provide insights segmented by type of bug and bug priority.

    Who uses bug tracking tools?

    Software development teams use these tools to identify and fix bugs during the development lifecycle: 

    • Quality Assurance (QA) teams formally track defects found during the test phase.
    • Project Managers leverage these systems to monitor risks of timely delivery.
    • Customer Support logs issues reported by end-users to ensure they are addressed.

    Key features of bug tracking tools

    • Bug capture – Ability to log new detailed bug reports
    • Bug reporting – Ability to find bugs based on severity levels or other metadata
    • Custom workflows – Support for team-specific rules that fit with their internal processes like status progression and governance
    • Bug prioritization – The ability to prioritize, pull, and defer bugs
    • Bug assignment – The ability to assign a bug to a team member
    • Integration capabilities – Seamless integration with other development tools, typically version control systems or project management tools
    • Automated notifications – Support notifying team members about status changes through push alerts
    • Dashboards – Visual insights into bug trends and overall team performance

    Comparison of bug tracking systems

    Popular bug tracking tools include Jira, Bugzilla, Trello, and GitHub. These tools enable the creation of bug reports and collaboration between team members. Other common tools include Redmine, MantisBT, Zoho Bug Tracker, and Asana.

    Most of these systems offer limited or no support for screenshot and screen recording capture. Customers typically use an additional product like Snagit for robust screen capture.  

    • However, there are third-party tools available for some of these platforms, such as Capture for Jira by Zephyr, BetterBugs for Trello, and a third-party Chrome extension called Trello Capture. 
    Feature/ToolJiraBugzillaTrelloGitHub
    Custom WorkflowsYesLimitedNoYes
    Agile SupportStrongNoneLimitedYes
    Integration OptionsExtensiveModerateModerateExtensive
    User InterfaceComplexBasicSimpleDeveloper-friendly
    CostPaid (with a free tier)FreeFree (with paid options)Free (with paid options)

    Best practices for creating bug reports

    1. Provide detailed reproduction steps

    Clear, step-by-step instructions for reproducing the bug are crucial for an effective bug report. This helps ensure everyone on the team has a clear understanding of the issue. Developers will follow the steps to reproduce the bug and then investigate potential solutions. Multiple people, including QA or different development teams, need the information to reproduce the problem. 

    2. Always include screenshots and visuals

    Every bug report should include screenshots, screen recordings, or video clips. Snagit is the ideal tool for gathering and sharing visual information with the development team. Arrows, shapes, callouts, and much more can be added to a screenshot to highlight important information. 

    3. Test on multiple environments

    Testing in multiple environments can provide valuable information—did the bug only happen on a specific application version, device type, or operating system? These details can help developers determine when a bug was introduced and how to fix it.

    4. Update and review bug reports regularly

    It’s important to review and update bug reports regularly. When the QA teams find new information about a bug, they should include it in the existing bug report. This ensures the developers have the most accurate details when fixing the bug.

    Collaborating with QA teams and developers

    Clear communication is key

    Effective software development requires clear communication between the QA teams and developers. Fixing a bug requires the developers to understand the issue and be able to reproduce it. Developers should feel comfortable asking the QA teams for testing techniques, and the QA teams should be able to ask the developers for their technical expertise. 

    How Snagit can help collaborate with visuals

    Snagit is a powerful tool for helping QA teams and developers collaborate more effectively. Snagit can quickly create and share visual reports, ensuring clear communication and collaboration between development teams.

    Conclusion

    Effective bug reports are crucial to software development and help ensure high-quality products. When writing a bug report, include detailed reproduction steps, screenshots and video recordings, system information, and expected vs. actual results. 

    Snagit is the best product available to create high-quality visuals and help improve understanding and communication in the bug-fixing process.

    Speed up your screenshot workflows

    Stop wasting your time with built-in snipping tools, and try Snagit!

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    TechSmith

    TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

    What is SCORM E-Learning Content?

    Connecting lines of different technology boxes.
    SCORM is an established e-learning industry standard for online learning content. 

    This standard allows instructional designers and educators to use diverse tools to author and deliver online course content.

    SCORM is short for Sharable Content Object Reference Model.

    Tip: “Shareable” content object reference model is an alternative spelling.

    SCORM compliance is a critical part of E-learning content creation. This article explains everything you need to know:

    • E-learning
    • E-learning management systems (LMS)
    • SCORM Files
    • SCORM-compliant content creation
    • Camtasia: The best SCORM-compliant video editor

    First, let’s cover the importance of this standard.

    Why use SCORM?

    This standard lets you create and reuse content across different courses and platforms. It provides detailed insights into learner performance by tracking time spent, scores, and completion rates.

    eLearning providers use SCORM to ensure their content works with Learning Management Systems (LMS). This helps in several ways:

    • Educational institutions give students consistent access to courses and assessments.
    • Corporate and government training programs deliver standardized training across various departments and locations.
    • Third-party creators build seamless content for any customer’s LMS.

    E-Learning: What is an e-learning platform?

    E-learning, or electronic learning, is a way to deliver education through digital platforms. While often linked to online courses, it can include virtual classrooms and immersive experiences.
    E-learning platforms provide online courses to students. They host the content, organize it into courses, and track how users engage with it.

    Two people communicating via video.

    What are Learning management systems (LMS)?

    E-learning platforms that are full-featured learning management systems (LMS) include: 

    • Authoring tools
    • Course creation definition
    • Assessment capabilities
    • Analytics to assess learner progress. 

    SCORM-compliance enables LMSs to import, launch, and track standardized courses.

    Why is a standard important for LMS Platforms?

    SCORM-compliant courses work on different learning management systems (LMS). This makes it easy to share, reuse, and integrate content. One tool can create content, and another can host it.

    Learning professionals can scale online courses without worrying about platform limits. This standard also helps track learner progress and results, giving organizations essential data to improve training.

    Do all LMS platforms support SCORM?

    Most modern LMS platforms are SCORM-compliant.

    Tip: Verify the version(s) supported before investing in one.

    Popular LMS platforms include open-source Moodle, Blackboard, and Canvas. These systems are compliant so that they can use packages without extra changes.

    What is a SCORM file? What is a SCORM package?

    The standard defines how to organize e-learning content LMSs. E-learning content is packaged into SCORM files (also called SCORM packages.) 

    Run-time communication occurs between the LMS and the file during a learning session. This data exchange enables the LMS to interpret the course content and track user progress, including:

    • Quiz scores
    • Time spent
    • Completion status.

    Each zip file contains all the components necessary for delivering an e-learning course on an LMS:

    The manifest file provides the data to import, launch, and manage the course. This XML file describes the content structure, sequencing rules, and metadata. 

    Learning materials are training resources such as text, images, videos, quizzes, and interactive elements.

    Sharable Content Objects (SCOs or learning objects) are the smallest units an LMS can track individually.

    SCORM courses may comprise multiple zip files. 

    Versions between SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004

    Four versions of SCORM are widely available. All ensure compatibility across different LMS platforms.

    Version 1.2

    The original version, known for its basic tracking capabilities, is still widely used today.

    Tip: Scorm 1.1 had limitations and was quickly replaced.

    Version 2004 2nd Edition

    Adds more advanced sequencing and navigation features, offering greater flexibility for course designers.

    Version 2004 3rd Edition

    Largely a set of improvements to the sequencing specification to tighten the details.

    Version 2004 4th Edition

    Contains further enhancements to the sequencing plus new features for navigation.

    How to create SCORM content 

    Products like Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, and iSpring Suite enable compliant content creation.

    One challenge with these types of tools is that they need help to make great videos. You typically need a second tool to capture screen content and edit videos. Interactive videos keep users engaged and are an important part of online course creation.

    Camtasia is the market-leading video editor and screen recorder for corporate training and higher education.

    Crystal-clear screen recording

    Why settle for blurry screen content? Camtasia’s screen recorder captures everything at up to 4K!

    Get Camtasia
    A image showing the user interface for the recorder in camtasia
    ToolScreen Recording Video Editing 
    Articulate StorylineBasic featuresLimited capabilities for simple edits
    Adobe CaptivateCapabilities for simulations and demosMore features, including interactive videos with branching and quizzes
    iSpring SuiteBasic features integrated with PowerPoint Basic features for enhancing PowerPoint with interactive media
    CamtasiaFull-featured screen recorder with the ability to capture screen, camera, microphone, system audio, and mouse cursor dataFull featured video editor

    Camtasia: Best Video Editor for LMS Integration

    Camtasia is a powerful and user-friendly tool for creating engaging eLearning videos and tutorials. 

    With Camtasia’s advanced e-learning features, you can:

    • Require a viewer to watch a specific percentage of your video to complete the course. 
    • Add interactive quizzes
    • Require the viewer to get a particular percentage of questions correct to pass.

    How to export SCORM content in Camtasia

    Exporting a file and clicking "include SCORM."

    Export your SCORM-compliant video recordings and upload them directly into an LMS: 

    1. Create your video tutorial in Camtasia.
    2. (Optionally) Use quizzes and interactive elements to enhance learner engagement.
    3. Export your project as a SCORM-compliant zip file that integrates smoothly with your LMS.
    Manifest Options popup.

    Whether you’re building corporate training or academic courses, Camtasia makes it easy to produce and deliver eLearning content.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    What is the Experience API (xAPI)?

    The Experience API, or xAPI or Tin Can API, is an alternative, more recent, standard.
    xAPI supports various learning experiences, including informal learning and real-world performance. 
    While xAPI offers advanced capabilities, it is only sometimes compatible with older LMS systems. 
    SCORM remains the standard for now because of its simplicity and established legacy infrastructure.

    What are the limitations of SCORM?

    Users express some frustrations with the standard and seek options to improve flexibility and learner experience:

    File Size
    – Large files, especially with some LMSs, hit data limits or lead to buffering issues.
    Flexibility
    – Some designers prefer custom solutions over industry standards because they offer more flexibility and learner engagement. 
    – Others want to switch to newer standards like xAPI for more features.
    Authoring Tools
    – Specific tools need extra customization, plug-ins, or add-ons like screen recording and video editing software.

    Create E-Learning content today.

    SCORM standards are essential to eLearning, helping to share and track content on different platforms. And while older and less refined, scorm stands as a useful tool in every learning designer’s toolkit.

    Camtasia makes it easy to create content that keeps learners engaged while meeting industry standards.

    Ready to make SCORM-compliant video projects? Try Camtasia today to build interactive eLearning courses that integrate with almost any LMS.

    The easiest way to edit videos

    Stop wasting time and discover how Camtasia makes creating incredible videos easier than ever.

    Get Camtasia
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    TechSmith

    TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

    How to Get a Transcript of a YouTube Video: A Guide

    Image of youtube video with transcript.

    Video transcripts may not seem like a vital part of your content creation process, but they are incredibly important to make your video content more accessible for everyone watching.

    Accessibility is important for individuals who need to read along with your videos, such as those with hearing impairments. However, it is also important to include a transcript for people who would just rather watch the video on mute – we don’t judge!

    Having a full video transcript can also save time when analyzing or repurposing video content on other platforms. YouTube makes it easy to copy and paste the transcript from one document to another, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

    Learning how to get a transcript of a YouTube video is super easy, and we’ve created this helpful guide to make it even easier for you to follow along.

    Use YouTube’s built-in transcript feature

    YouTube makes it easy to find a video’s transcript directly from the website. This tutorial is tailored toward people accessing videos from their computer device. Let’s see how it’s done.

    Step 1: Open the video you want to transcribe

    You can access a video’s transcript right from the YouTube website. To do so, open the video you want to transcribe by clicking on it. It’ll start playing.

    Step 2: Click the “Show transcript” button

    Locate the description box under the title. Click the “more” option to open the whole box.

    Screenshot from YouTube showing the "more" link in the video description

    There, you will click the “Show transcript” button option, which will open the transcript box with the text inside.

    YouTube screenshot of the Show Transcript button at the end of the video description

    Step 3: Copy and paste the transcript

    Copy and paste the transcript where you need it. Highlight the text and right-click it.

    Select the “Copy” option in the menu. Or, with the transcript highlighted, press Command+C keys on a Mac or Ctrl+C keys on Windows. This will automatically copy the text to your clipboard.

    To paste, right-click where you want to place the text, for example Microsoft Word or Google Doc, and select the “Paste” option. Or use the Command+V keys on Mac or Ctrl+V keys on Windows.

    Your transcript will appear in the new document. YouTube includes timestamps next to each section of text, allowing you to jump to specific parts of the video, making it easier to access. This is useful for identifying the key points of a video at a glance.

    However, if you do not need the timestamps, you can easily remove them by deleting them from the document.

    Automatically generate transcripts with Camtasia Audiate

    Camtasia Audiate is a powerful tool for transcribing video content. With this tool, you can automatically generate transcripts from any video you upload. This is done with even greater accuracy than YouTube’s automated captions.

    Plus, you can use this feature even if your video is not on YouTube, making it a versatile tool for every content creator. Let’s see how it’s done.

    Step 1: Download the video from YouTube

    To download videos from YouTube, select the video you want to download and hit “Download” from the menu.

    Step 2: Import the YouTube video into Camtasia

    Import the video into Camtasia by dragging and dropping the file into the media library or right-clicking on the library.

    Once your video is imported, drag and drop it onto the editing timeline.

    Step 3: Generate the transcript in Audiate

    Right-click the video on the timeline and click “Edit in Audiate.” This will export the video’s audio, where it will be transcribed in real time.

    Screenshot of a video transcript in Camtasia Audiate

    Transcribing YouTube videos is all automatic with Audiate, making it an easy solution.

    Step 4: Edit your transcript if needed

    Audiate automatically generates an editable transcript, allowing you to correct any errors and polish the final text.

    Although errors are rare, you can correct proper names and difficult-to-understand terms to reflect the true meaning. This editable option makes it easy to create a perfect transcript in no time.

    Since the audio is transcribed in real-time, Audiate has the option to play the video’s sound over the transcript’s sound while you edit. This makes it easy to spot mistakes and correct them so you can ensure high-level accuracy every time.

    Edit audio like text

    You don’t have to be a professional to record and edit audio. Audiate makes it as easy as editing a text document.

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    Step 5: Export the transcript

    To export the full transcript as a text file, select the File menu, then “Export”, then “Export Script.” You can also export this as an SRT file if needed for your video content.

    To export a selection of the transcript, click and drag the desired portion of text from the transcript and follow the same instructions until you reach “Export Selection as Script.”

    Get YouTube transcripts from a mobile device

    To access the transcript from a mobile device, you can do so on the YouTube app. However, you can’t download the transcript on your mobile device.

    Step 1: Open the video you want to transcribe

    You can access a video’s transcript right from YouTube. To do so, open the YouTube app and access the video you want to transcribe by clicking on it.

    Step 2: Access the transcript in a few clicks

    Once your YouTube video is open, click on the downward pointing arrow on the right-hand side of the title. This will open the description box for the video with extra information.

    Click on the “Show Transcript” button at the bottom of the page. As you play the video, the transcript will scroll along with you so you don’t lose your spot.

    Again, you cannot download the transcript from your mobile device and will need to access the video from a computer to download a YouTube transcript.

    Manually transcribe YouTube videos

    If you prefer to manually transcribe YouTube videos, you can do that too. This option is not for the faint of heart. Although it gives you full control over the transcription, it is extremely time-consuming.

    Step 1: Play the video and type the transcript

    This method is pretty straightforward. Access the video of your choice and press play. Type along and pause at intervals so you can keep up with typing out the transcription. For easy edits, type the dialogue into a text document.

    Step 2: Use timestamps for specific sections

    YouTube adds handy timestamps so users can easily refer back to the most important parts of the video. You can also do that by manually adding timestamps to jump to specific parts of the video. This can be especially useful for creating more organized and searchable transcripts.

    Plus, you can choose where those timestamps are, giving you ultimate control over what sections to highlight.

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    Easily translate your videos scripts and voice over into any of dozens of languages and dialects!

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    TechSmith

    TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

    Chroma Key Green Screen: Creating with Portable Chroma Key

    Image of a person with a split background. One with a blank green screen and one with nature scenery in the background.

    Everyone wants to create engaging and professional-looking videos, but without a professional recording studio, this can seem like a daunting task. Green screens are a staple of special effects, used extensively in everything from movie sets to broadcast TV. They let a blank background be replaced in postproduction with any video or image to give a production a professional look or create more engaging content.

    A portable green screen and Camtasia’s flexible and easy-to-use chroma key features give you the power to create high-quality content in just minutes.

    Image of a dog and the background has been replaced by a color gradient

    What is chroma key and how does it work?

    Chroma Keying is a technique for replacing a specific color in a video with another video or image.

    This specific color will be removed at a certain range to account for variations caused by lighting and shadows.

    Portions of the original video matching this range will be made transparent, allowing other media to be inserted into the scene. 

    This is commonly used in films to make actors appear in computer-generated scenes. An actor walking around in front of a green screen can suddenly be transported to the surface of the moon. 

    It can also be used to put a YouTuber in front of the media they are talking about to create more engaging content, allowing both the speaker and content they are showcasing to be displayed together. Virtual presentations may also place speakers in front of a neutral background to minimize distractions that filming in other locations could create.

    Why green (or blue) screens are used

    Green screens are the most commonly used background color for chroma keying. For the cleanest background removal, you want a high contrast between the background being removed and the subject you want preserved. 

    Chroma keying removes anything matching the selected color range, so productions want to avoid a background that matches their subject too closely. The bright green shade used for green screens is typically the easiest to remove in most productions. Human skin tones usually have very little green. Green clothing is also less common than other colors, making green backdrops ideal. 

    Today, green screen or blue screen backgrounds are commonly used. In productions where someone needs to wear green or where other subjects, like plants, could cause issues, a blue screen can be used instead. A green background is also easier to remove from brightly lit scenes because of its high luminosity. However, in a less well-lit scene, blue may be a better choice for the same reason. The high luminosity of green can reflect green light onto the subject, making the effect more noticeable and less professional.

    Stardom awaits!

    Camtasia is the perfect way to create exciting content for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and more!

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    Portable chroma key solutions for content creators

    Benefits of a portable chroma key setup

    A portable chroma key solution makes it easy to quickly improve the quality of your productions. Portable solutions are an affordable and high-impact way to level up your creation process. They are also versatile; instead of being limited to a permanent location, you can quickly film with them at home, the office, or on the go.

    For collapsible convenience, Elgato’s Green Screen is great for on-the-go creators. Within seconds, it can be deployed and ready for use. In its collapsed state, it is easy to store and transport and has a convenient carry handle.

    More budget-minded users can still achieve a high-quality effect with a Neewer 2-in-1 Collapsible Backdrop. This backdrop is packable, providing easy portability. It also provides both a green and a blue side, maximizing versatility for recording at different times of day or with different subjects at one location.

    For the highest quality video production, the Pro Cyc GS80 Portable Green Screen provides a huge 80-inch wide by 80-inch high backdrop for filming one or two subjects. This portable screen enables users to set up a professional-quality green screen within minutes on location.

    How to use chroma key in Camtasia

    Step 1: Import your footage

    The first step is getting your green screen footage into Camtasia. In the Camtasia Editor, you can import your video into the media bin and then add it to the timeline. You can also record your footage in the Camtasia recorder with your webcam once you have your green screen setup ready. See How to Record Your Webcam (Step-by-Step Guide) for more information.

    Step 2: Apply the chroma key effect

    Once your media is on the timeline, you can select the “Visual Effects” tab. The “Remove a Color” effect (chroma key) can then be added to your media by dragging it, or via the context menu.

    Drag the Remove a Color effect onto the media on the Camtasia timeline

    Once the effect has been added to your media, you will see “Remove a Color” in the properties panel. You can now adjust these settings to correctly remove your background color and ensure smooth edges. The color picker allows you to easily select the color of your green/blue background from the preview so that your specific background color is removed.

    Use the color picker in the Properties panel to pick the color to remove from the media

    There are also the following settings to fine-tune the effect:

    Tolerance

    This adjusts how close a color has to be to your selected color to be removed.

    Softness

    Adjusting can help smooth out rough edges you may see around your subject.

    Hue

    Adjusting this can help you get more accurate skin tones.

    Defringe

    Adjusting this can also help smooth out the edges of your subject, especially if you notice a faint halo effect around it.

    Remove a Color options in the Properties pane

    Step 3: Add a custom background

    Now that you have fine tuned the background removal, it’s time to add your custom background. Insert your background image or video onto the timeline behind your subject footage.

    Media and background tracks on the timeline in Camtasia.

    Tips for achieving best results with Camtasia

    • Ensure proper lighting to avoid shadows and uneven color on the green screen.
    • Use Camtasia’s “Remove a Color” settings to fine-tune the effect.

    Conclusion

    Chroma key is a great way to create more professional and engaging content. Subjects can be placed directly in front of content being highlighted, engaging backgrounds, or even appear to be in different locations. Camtasia makes it fast and easy to achieve this effect in your videos. Get started with a free trial of Camtasia and a portable green screen to level up your production skills today!

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    TechSmith

    TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.

    How to Screenshot Dropdown Menus

    Blue image of dropdown menu with mouse and camera.

    Do you remember your high school teacher expecting you to “show your work” when solving a problem? While we rolled our teenage eyes at the teacher back then, we never realized that visual communication would be a practical benefit in our adult lives. 

    Visual content improves our daily communication skills by making content easy to digest, whether we are creating peer-to-peer instructions or a presentation for a larger audience.

    Grabbing that dropdown or pop-up menu can be a hassle, but there are a few tricks for effectively capturing the dropdown menu content.

    Before and after screenshots of a desktop with and without a dropdown menu included

    Why it’s hard to screenshot dropdown menus

    The only thing more frustrating than explaining a complicated process is struggling to capture a screenshot of the menus in the complicated process. 

    Modern computer operating systems now have built-in screenshot programs to help grab a visual of your steps, but those screenshot applications are not always user-friendly for the menus requiring mouse cursor contact.

    Delay dropdown menu in Windows Snipping Tool

    Windows screenshots

    Windows Snipping Tool can get the job done, but its lack of functionality can be disappointing. 

    When you need to capture a dropdown menu, how can you get that capture if you are pressing the capture button? 

    To capture dropdown menus or areas that aren’t visible on the screen, you need to start the capture using your mouse cursor or a keyboard shortcut. 

    With the Snipping Tool, you can also set up a delay capture. The delay provides time to open the area you want to capture. The delay can be used with capturing a region or the entire screen. 

    However, these are the extent of the customizations, and the app is otherwise limited.

    Example screenshots with and without a dropdown menu taken with macOS built-in screen capture

    MacOS screenshots

    Apple also has a built-in screen capture in the macOS environment. Use hotkeys to start the capture. Pressing and holding Command + Shift + 3 will take a full-screen capture, or Command + Shift + 4 will capture part of the screen. 

    Extra steps are needed to modify or crop captures.

    You’ll need to open the drop-down menu, press the hotkey to take the screenshot, and then open the screenshot for editing.

    The editing tools are similar to the screenshot editing tools found on the iOS platform, making this application familiar for iOS users, though not always intuitive.

    If the built-in apps are not meeting your needs, TechSmith Snagit may be the solution you’re looking for!

    Try out a no-obligation free trial today for a hassle-free screen capture tool to create dynamic screenshots, easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, or engaging content for your audience.

    Time Delay option in Snagit

    How to screenshot a dropdown menu using Snagit

    Step 1: Set up Snagit

    Install Snagit on a Windows or a macOS device and follow the steps to create an account or sign in with your TechSmith account.

    Step 2: Use Snagit’s hotkeys to capture the menu

    Take a moment to learn the Snagit Capture Menu and utilize the default hotkeys to engage the capture. Once you are ready, expand your dropdown menu and hit the hotkey. Windows uses Print Screen (PrtSc) and macOS uses Control+Shift+C.

    An arrow annotation pointing to the "join a meeting" option in the dropdown menu

    Step 3: Annotate and edit your screenshot

    Once the capture is taken, the screenshot of your dropdown menu will open in the Snagit Editor. Snagit offers a rich editing experience to enhance screen captures with a variety of tools.

    Step 4: Save or share your screenshot

    When it is time to send the screenshot out, Snagit supports several platforms for managing or exporting the image, including email, cloud locations, or Screencast. The Share Link menu provides several output options, or you can simply copy and paste the final image.

    Why Snagit is the best tool for capturing dropdown menus

    When you need a screenshot of a dropdown menu, Snagit is the everyday tool you never knew you needed.

    Screen captures, edits, and sharing content are easy and save time. The program’s many options give you a ‘one-stop shop’ for images and screenshots. Snagit is compatible with Windows and macOS and efficiently integrates with the operating systems for custom hotkeys and capture presets.

    Unlike the built-in screen capture applications, Snagit can take your instructional screen captures a step further with scrolling capture, video recording, easy-to-use templates, and the ability to convert still images to videos.

    The best snipping tool for Windows and Mac

    Don’t let clumsy built-in tools hold you back. Take and edit screenshots with Snagit!

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    TechSmith

    TechSmith is the market leader in screen capture software and productivity solutions for daily in-person, remote, or hybrid workplace communication and customer-facing image and video content. Our award-winning flagship products, Snagit, Camtasia, and Audiate, empower anyone to create remarkable videos and images that share knowledge for better training, tutorials, and everyday communication.