The newest version of Camtasia is really nice. The built-in editor and publishing features are polished and comfortable.
I think whether or not you need Camtasia depends on the scope of what you want to do. To answer the questions:
1) Yes and no. There are many things Camtasia does better than Storyline and many other things that Storyline can do that Camtasia can't. If your screen captures are short and modest in complexity and you'd like to integrate interactive features, I'd say Storyline will get it for you.
2) I don't believe WMF is one of the files Storyline can output. In fact, I'm not sure you can export as a video format except through the publish feature and harvesting the MP4 from the publish directory.
3) You should be able to add callouts, annotations, and overlays to Camtasia videos.
For our purposes, Storyline gets the job done. But we don't need the video in another format and don't need to edit the video to add effects, highlights, etc.. The new version of Camtasia sure is nice though.
I am planning to buy Storyline (taking a class now and love it) but my organization has Camtasia as a course editing tool. Could you tell me what Storyline does that Camtasia doesn't? I don't need heavy duty video editing so I think Storyline will work for that, but I am not sure Camtasia will do the interactivity I want in the course and the branching/quizzing I desire. Thanks.
Camtasia and Storyline are very different products. Camtasia being mainly used for screen recordings and Storyline being a more robust tool used to develop entire e-learning courses. Storyline does do screen recordings but Camtasia has more options when it comes to editing the video and publishing it in different formats. I use both tools for different purposes. Kimberly, if you are looking for branching and quizzing features you are going to want to use Storyline.
I would probably go for Storyline to be able to do more and be able to customise more.
I did just do a huge Camtasia project, my thoughts:
Branching - it is possible to do some branching through linked hotspots and markers (although it limits the published version to MP4 & Flash or html5) it requires a lot of organization beforehand, so only use if for a few. Some testers found it didn't always work either (although it might've been a file size thing).
Quizzing - ugh. I hated Camtasia's quiz - I couldn't see anywhere to change the colours / buttons. Minimal kinds of questions. I couldn't 'paste' in the answers and had to type them.
We have found we need both Storyline and Camtasia (I also still use Audacity to edit audio). Both software are excellent sources for creating online content.
We have found we need both Storyline and Camtasia (I also still use Audacity to edit audio). Both software are excellent sources for creating online content.
Alicia
I agree with Alicia. They are two very different tools that serve different purproses but happen to have some overlap. I frequently use Camtasia for building my screen recordings. The ability to quickly and easily add zooms, pans, annotations, cursor effects, callouts ,etc make it a really valuable tool. Having said that, all of the annimations, triggers, branching and so on in Storyline makes it indespensible. I use several tools to generate content ranging from Sony Vegas Pro and Adobe AfterEffects to Audacity and Camtasia, but Storyline is what allows me to pull it all together in a comprehenssive and cohessive package.
Yeah I'm really wanting to know what Storyline can do in terms of interactive functionality
Also, is it possible to make screen recordings in Camtasia and then insert them in Storyline with the same ease of inserting a picture? Once insterted, will I be able to play with the recording, add stuff to it, make it interactive?
Silly questions, I know..but Im only just starting out !
Yes, it is very easy to insert Camtasia videos. I export Camtasia videos as a mp4 and insert into Articulate. You can add "stuff" once inserted however it is much easier to add interactivity using Camtasia. Is there something specific you would like to do?
I've used captivate in the past, but to be honest, the screen recording ability built in to StoryLine fits all my needs. I highly recommend playing around a little bit with it to see what you think.
For me, at least, the bottom line is that there is no single tool that is likely to satisfy all your needs for any "commercial grade" e-learning project. In my field, I must produce high quality material with a minimum of hassle (hours.)
As a consultant, my expertise is power plant operations. So, I need tools that are easy for me to learn, become proficient with, and allow me to build a course that what will do what I want it to do. The end product must be something that my clients (and their trainees) will find meets their needs. After all, that's what they are paying for.
My software tool kit contains:
MS Word & Power Point (of course)
Articulate
Storyline
Camtasia
SnagIt (couldn't live without it)
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Flash
I can do anything that I need, with these. Though not having any one of them would not necessarily be impossible, it would certainly increase my development time and decrease the quality of the final product.
If producing a high quality e-learning course is what you want to accomplish, I submit that there is no "silver bullet." Do your research, as you are, and learn what tools will help you get the job done. OBTW: It's ALL fun, right? Enjoy the journey.
I agree with many of the comments here, but especially like Skip's because I too have found that Camtasia is essential for easy screen capture, processes, etc. Then I use those videos within Captivate or Storyline to create a responsive project.
Camtasia is easier to use for fast video and/or edits. I can re-insert the video back into the course.
Although it's expensive to run them both, they really are worth it in my opinion. I save a ton of time and time is money.
I have a 70 page training manual (gradebook, how to take attendance, input grades ect.) that I am to develop, however I like. My vision is to create 1-3 minute “how to” videos that teachers can view. I would like it to have a table of contents, so teachers could select the area they want view and just watch that one video.
I have only done one small project in Storyline and one in Camtasia.
I loved the branching and “what if’s” Story line provided, but I had a hard time making it work correctly.
I loved Camtasia 8, I could create the PowerPoint pictures and drop them into Camtasia as a png. I used Audacity for the voice recordings. I did not really need to use the screen capture, which seemed clunky in the final product.
Please share your thoughts or experiences; currently I am so indecisive that I cannot move forward.
why don't get the users to give you feedback. Pick a couple of the teachers and get them to run through both of the samples you have set up - what did they like, didn't like, found confusing etc...
16 Replies
Hi, Marty -
The newest version of Camtasia is really nice. The built-in editor and publishing features are polished and comfortable.
I think whether or not you need Camtasia depends on the scope of what you want to do. To answer the questions:
1) Yes and no. There are many things Camtasia does better than Storyline and many other things that Storyline can do that Camtasia can't. If your screen captures are short and modest in complexity and you'd like to integrate interactive features, I'd say Storyline will get it for you.
2) I don't believe WMF is one of the files Storyline can output. In fact, I'm not sure you can export as a video format except through the publish feature and harvesting the MP4 from the publish directory.
3) You should be able to add callouts, annotations, and overlays to Camtasia videos.
For our purposes, Storyline gets the job done. But we don't need the video in another format and don't need to edit the video to add effects, highlights, etc.. The new version of Camtasia sure is nice though.
Thanks Steve. Not being able to export a video to WMF format from Storyline is a problem for us. I guess we will have to maintain both for what we do.
I am planning to buy Storyline (taking a class now and love it) but my organization has Camtasia as a course editing tool. Could you tell me what Storyline does that Camtasia doesn't? I don't need heavy duty video editing so I think Storyline will work for that, but I am not sure Camtasia will do the interactivity I want in the course and the branching/quizzing I desire. Thanks.
Camtasia and Storyline are very different products. Camtasia being mainly used for screen recordings and Storyline being a more robust tool used to develop entire e-learning courses. Storyline does do screen recordings but Camtasia has more options when it comes to editing the video and publishing it in different formats. I use both tools for different purposes. Kimberly, if you are looking for branching and quizzing features you are going to want to use Storyline.
Kimberly,
I would probably go for Storyline to be able to do more and be able to customise more.
I did just do a huge Camtasia project, my thoughts:
Branching - it is possible to do some branching through linked hotspots and markers (although it limits the published version to MP4 & Flash or html5) it requires a lot of organization beforehand, so only use if for a few. Some testers found it didn't always work either (although it might've been a file size thing).
Quizzing - ugh. I hated Camtasia's quiz - I couldn't see anywhere to change the colours / buttons. Minimal kinds of questions. I couldn't 'paste' in the answers and had to type them.
We have found we need both Storyline and Camtasia (I also still use Audacity to edit audio). Both software are excellent sources for creating online content.
Alicia
I agree with Alicia. They are two very different tools that serve different purproses but happen to have some overlap. I frequently use Camtasia for building my screen recordings. The ability to quickly and easily add zooms, pans, annotations, cursor effects, callouts ,etc make it a really valuable tool. Having said that, all of the annimations, triggers, branching and so on in Storyline makes it indespensible. I use several tools to generate content ranging from Sony Vegas Pro and Adobe AfterEffects to Audacity and Camtasia, but Storyline is what allows me to pull it all together in a comprehenssive and cohessive package.
Thank you for all the advice.
My question: What exactly can Storyline do in terms of embedded video/animation. I know it was touched on earlier.
Yeah I'm really wanting to know what Storyline can do in terms of interactive functionality
Also, is it possible to make screen recordings in Camtasia and then insert them in Storyline with the same ease of inserting a picture? Once insterted, will I be able to play with the recording, add stuff to it, make it interactive?
Silly questions, I know..but Im only just starting out !
Cheers
J
Yes, it is very easy to insert Camtasia videos. I export Camtasia videos as a mp4 and insert into Articulate. You can add "stuff" once inserted however it is much easier to add interactivity using Camtasia. Is there something specific you would like to do?
Alicia
I've used captivate in the past, but to be honest, the screen recording ability built in to StoryLine fits all my needs. I highly recommend playing around a little bit with it to see what you think.
For me, at least, the bottom line is that there is no single tool that is likely to satisfy all your needs for any "commercial grade" e-learning project. In my field, I must produce high quality material with a minimum of hassle (hours.)
As a consultant, my expertise is power plant operations. So, I need tools that are easy for me to learn, become proficient with, and allow me to build a course that what will do what I want it to do. The end product must be something that my clients (and their trainees) will find meets their needs. After all, that's what they are paying for.
My software tool kit contains:
I can do anything that I need, with these. Though not having any one of them would not necessarily be impossible, it would certainly increase my development time and decrease the quality of the final product.
If producing a high quality e-learning course is what you want to accomplish, I submit that there is no "silver bullet." Do your research, as you are, and learn what tools will help you get the job done. OBTW: It's ALL fun, right? Enjoy the journey.
I agree with many of the comments here, but especially like Skip's because I too have found that Camtasia is essential for easy screen capture, processes, etc. Then I use those videos within Captivate or Storyline to create a responsive project.
Camtasia is easier to use for fast video and/or edits. I can re-insert the video back into the course.
Although it's expensive to run them both, they really are worth it in my opinion. I save a ton of time and time is money.
I have a 70 page training manual (gradebook, how to take attendance, input grades ect.) that I am to develop, however I like. My vision is to create 1-3 minute “how to” videos that teachers can view. I would like it to have a table of contents, so teachers could select the area they want view and just watch that one video.
I have only done one small project in Storyline and one in Camtasia.
I loved the branching and “what if’s” Story line provided, but I had a hard time making it work correctly.
I loved Camtasia 8, I could create the PowerPoint pictures and drop them into Camtasia as a png. I used Audacity for the voice recordings. I did not really need to use the screen capture, which seemed clunky in the final product.
Please share your thoughts or experiences; currently I am so indecisive that I cannot move forward.
Hi Jill
why don't get the users to give you feedback. Pick a couple of the teachers and get them to run through both of the samples you have set up - what did they like, didn't like, found confusing etc...
Are Articulate and Storyline two different systems? I am very new to building courses.
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