Questions About Camtasia Studio 8

Check Points Below!

Will you be adding removal color or ‘green screen’ for the Windows version – like on Mac? They are in the process of evaluating and figuring out what the next steps are.  Definitely looking to see how they can pull that into the Windows version.  They’ve got the performance now, the foundation is laid, and the sky is the limit for the future.  With new technology, there is more capability and opportunity to expand and add great functionality.

Will the Mac and Windows become more similar over time?  They are sharing similar foundations between the two platforms, working to make it easier to move between platforms. They are looking to design it in a way that works for both user bases.

Can you show us examples of the call to action function for hotspots? They showed an example of how the new hotspot feature works.  (My note:  It is a much simpler process to add callouts than in Camtasia Studio 7 – which I never did figure out.)  You can also see how this works in Camtasia Studio 8 tutorials, which you can find at The Learning Center

Did you update support for SCORM? Yes, they updated the support; you’ll get results that are more accurate in SCORM reporting.  They fixed the issue so that scoring is now when they complete the lesson.  This was a common request addressed and implemented for the new Smartplayer.

How many ideas from the community went into Camtasia Studio 8? Over 250 questions, comments, and requests were addressed!  There was a lot of involvement from the community, getting real-time feedback from 500 technical preview participants along the way, improving the product as they moved forward.

When migrating from older versions, are there any concerns moving from previous versions to Camtasia Studio 8?  Tests were conducted all along the way, upgraded projects for every feature they worked on to provide a path from earlier versions to Camtasia Studio 8.

Do you anticipate updates to Camtasia Studio 8 and how will users be notified?  The best way is within the product, you can always tell if you have the latest version, or email notification. New and minor releases are free, major release requires an upgrade unless you’re on maintenance.

Does the capture engine in Camtasia Studio 8 compare closely to the one for Camtasia in Mac?  No, it is completely different.  The codec is shared – great performance. Capture is completely different between platforms.

Available Tutorials

Are there clear tutorials for Camtasia Studio 8 available now? Yes, tutorials for Camtasia Studio 8 can be found at this link: Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorials

Are the SmartPlayer App and SmartPlayer different? Yes. The only way to play back video content on the iPhone is to use the iPhone App or the native player in an iPhone.  You cannot play video back through a browser using HTML5 on the iPhone. It is supported on iPad but not on iPhone. It works fine on Android without an App and if flash isn’t available it will play back with HTML5.

How many updates to creative content can we expect?  They already have a few.   They were not released in the product because of the download size.  However, they will be available in the Camtasia Library.  (Note:  What is crazy is you can drag and drop them right to your canvas from the Library!)  They will be adding more media to the library so just keep checking back or bookmark it.

If you are buying new computer which component should get the most priority?  (Note:  I thought this was a great question to ask – especially if you are upgrading your system, which I happen to be checking into this week.)  Basically, Camtasia Studio 8  uses everything you’ve got (your computer that is!)  They suggested giving priority to SSD (solid-state drive) which gives you fast IO (read/write speed) with video editing.  They recommended giving this priority consideration. 

They also recommended getting something better than the on-board graphics card for better performance.   Whatever your system has, memory, cpu, etc., Camtasia Studio 8 is going to use it.  (Note:  What I found interesting, is that Camtasia Studio 8 will scale to your hardware – whatever you’ve got – it will use.  I assume this means – no matter what you have inside the case, the program will work!)  They also said more cores are helpful, indicating they are never a waste because if one program isn’t using it – another program is.

Upgrade Costs:  Mac 2.2 is a free upgrade – check within the product

Camtasia Studio 8 is a major release so it is a paid upgrade.  Right now, there is a special offer,  $99 to upgrade to latest version.  Visit the Techsmith website for specific pricing. (Note:  I love the option to get both the electronic and digital version with just the additional cost of shipping – of course, I wanted both!)   If you have maintenance program, it is a free upgrade for you.

Or,  you can try a Free Trial of Camtasia Studio 8

FYI:  There are NO AFFILIATE LINKS in this post – so just relax, review and make your decision to purchase Camtasia Studio 8 while there is a special offer on the table!

Part I:  Camtasia Studio 8 – Win A Free License