Camtasia 5 is out - and you want to play with it. I have done a quick recording showing how I create a blog post using OneNote. I did this to share the OneNote knowledge, but even more so to show off some of the new features of Camtasia 5.

The first of the new features is the new interface for Camtasia:

First thing you notice is that you can set the area to record each time, or you can use the last area created. If you are like me, you seldom get a recording right the first time. That nice little “Last area button” lets me set the area once and then reuse it until I get the recording right.

When you start recording, you will see the next change. The selection area tool now shows your width and height, and lets you lock to the application, quickly and easily. I like that this is right up front. You will see in the video that I used this feature and it worked almost exactly as I needed it.

When you finish the recording, it previews just as always. When you are ready to edit it, you get another new feature: Camtasia will ask you right there (at the beginning of the project) what your end goal for the project is. In my case,. I told it I was developing for a blog post.

Before we go further into the new features, I want you to watch the video. It will show off one of the new features much better than my text ever could. This was the second shot at the recording. The phone rang during the first one, so I re-did it. It is a little rough, but I want you to see how easy it was to make.

See the video - Someday I will get this to work the right way!

Did you notice that the screen automatically moved with my cursor to show you what I was doing? And that the page zoomed in when I clicked and back out when I was just sitting? That is the new “SmartFocus” feature. It makes creating instructional videos much easier than they ever have been before!

This is the beginning of the timeline for that video. Notice the blue diamonds in the Zoom track? Each of those were created via SmartFocus. The show on the timeline exactly when the zoom will occur. If you want to change the timing, you click and drag the diamond. If you want to change the zoom level, you can double click the diamond and the Zoom-n-Pan panel will help you adjust the speed and scale of the zooms.

Now, the SmartFocus entries are added automatically. But what if you edit the video clip and either remove or add content? There is a button right above the timeline that lets you do a single click re-apply of the full SmartFocus. I’ve played with it and it works really slick.

Now that I’ve recorded and adjusted my video, I am ready to produce it. The process here is very much the same as always. Pick your format, name the project and files, set any options you want, and produce. Rendering seems to go a little faster, but that could just be me.

So, that’s my first full project with the new Camtasia. My opinion is that it is a great improvement to an already great product. I feel like the features I didn’t even know were missing have been added, and nothing has been removed in the process.

If you want to read more about the new features, be sure to check out Betsy Weber’s Visual Lounge - She’s running a series on the new features!

Tags: camtasia, onenote, techsmith, betsy weber, blogging