TechSmith Tools - Academic Technology and Outreach | Montana State University

Which TechSmith Tool Should I Use?

There are three ways you can record a video and upload to TechSmith Knowmia -- the Classic Recorder, TechSmith Capture, and Camtasia. Read the descriptions below to see which tool would best fit your needs.

The “Classic Recorder”

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The classic recorder is available on all of our podium computers on campus and is best used when recording from the dedicated PC in a classroom. You can access the Classic Recorder from the “TechSmith Relay” icon on the desktop of the computer, or by logging into your library (Link: montana.techsmithrelay.com) selecting the settings cog in the top right corner of your library and selecting “Launch Classic Recorder”

PROS

Allows videos to continue uploading when you log out of the computer, facilitating quicker transitions in and out of the classrooms.

Allows users to record “picture-in-picture”, with an image of the user appearing in the bottom corner of the video.

CONS

Less configurable.

No full screen image of the presenter.

TUTORIALS

https://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-techsmith-relay-downloading-installing-recorder.html

https://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-techsmith-relay-making-first-recording.html

TechSmith Capture

Capture is best used when recording from a personal computer that has solid internet access and instances when you have time to wait for an upload to complete (upload time increases with the length and complexity of the video) before closing your computer. You launch TechSmith Capture by logging into your library and selecting “Launch Capture”.

PROS

Allows user to toggle between a webcam and screen capture during a recording.

Produces the most web ready video format.

Allows users to select the area of their screen they would like to record.

CONS

Requires users to be logged-in and connected to the internet until upload is complete.

No picture-in-picture option for the webcam (this feature is coming Winter 2020).

Camtasia 2020

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Camtasia is a more robust video editing and recording tool. Camtasia is best used on personal computers (and office desktop or laptop) rather than a public, classroom computer. Camtasia allows you to locally save your recordings as project files to later be exported either as a .MP4 on your computer or directly to services like TechSmith. To request a license for Camtasia, email MSUTechSmith@montana.edu .

PROS

Robust video editing features, allowing users to combine multiple videos.

Allows user to locally save projects and upload at a later time which is useful for low-bandwidth situations.

Includes tools for higher quality productions.

CONS

More complex and requires some knowledge of video editing.

Requires user to have storage available on their computer for project files and recordings.

Need to request a license for installation.