Guidelines and Procedures
for Creating Tutorials in Camtasia
Updated: April 17, 2009
Introduction
The following guidelines have been compiled to ensure consistency and professionalism in the
style and design of tutorials which are produced for the Digital Literacy website. They are
intended to serve only as a reference guide and are in no way an attempt to hinder creativity.
Other departments using Camtasia to create tutorials for the UIUC library may, however, find
these guidelines helpful and may use them as they wish.
This document is intended for those who have a working knowledge of Camtasia or comparable
video editing software. Before consulting this document, new users of Camtasia may find it
helpful to consult the “Quick Start Tutorials” available on the Camtasia website. These tutorials
may be viewed at http://www.techsmith.com/learn/camtasia/.
Examples of camtasia tutorials developed at the University Libraries are available at:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/learn/ondemand/index.html#lightning The technical services division
has also created camtasia tutorials.
Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Table of Contents
Writing the Script ..................................................................................................................... 2
Search box ...................................................................................................................... 2
Window............................................................................................................................ 2
Tab .................................................................................................................................. 2
Link.................................................................................................................................. 3
Button .............................................................................................................................. 3
Radio buttons .................................................................................................................. 3
Check boxes .................................................................................................................... 3
Drop-down menu ............................................................................................................. 4
Click ................................................................................................................................ 4
Select .............................................................................................................................. 4
Item v. Document ............................................................................................................ 4
Recording Screen Captures .................................................................................................... 5
Inserting Arrows ....................................................................................................................... 6
Arrow Setting Recommendations..................................................................................... 6
Inserting Ellipses ..................................................................................................................... 7
Ellipse Setting Recommendations ................................................................................... 7
Highlighting .............................................................................................................................. 8
Creating the Tile Clip ............................................................................................................... 9
Title Clip Setting Recommendations ................................................................................ 9
Adding Callouts...................................................................................................................... 11
Why/When to Use a Call Out ......................................................................................... 12
Transitioning to the Final Screen .......................................................................................... 13
Final Clip Setting Recommendations ............................................................................. 13
Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................................... 15
Camtasia Crashes or Locks-up During Production ........................................................ 15
Video Clips Change Size and Position in “Preview Window”.......................................... 15
Quick Reference Guide .......................................................................................................... 16
Callout Color Settings for DigLit Tutorials ...................................................................... 16
Callout Size and Position Settings for DigLit Tutorials.................................................... 16
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Writing the Script
When drafting the script for a Camtasia tutorial, it is important to be consistent in the use of any
terminology that may be new to a user. The following are suggestions as to when and how
certain terms should be used in a tutorial script.
Search box
The term “search box” can be used to refer to any text box in which a user enters search
queries in order to receive search results.
Window
The term “window” can be used to refer to a visual area of the computer’s display, which
contains some kind of user interface. The term “screen” should only be used to refer to
the computer monitor screen itself and not the monitor display.
Tab
The term “tab” can be used to refer to items such as those shown in the images below
(Figures 7-9).
Figure 7: Example of tabs present in the Library Gateway.
Figure 8: Example of tabs present in the ORR.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Figure 9: Example of tabs present in ProQuest.
Link
The term “link” can be used to refer to text which references another document by taking
the user to the document when the text is clicked. Use the term “click” when referring to
what one must to do a link, for example, “Click on the link to Online Research
Resources”.
Button
The term “button” can be used to refer to a small outlined area in a window that
responds once it has been clicked by a user. Use the term “click” when referring to what
one must to do a button, for example, “Click on the Discover button”.
Radio buttons
The term “radio button” can be used to refer to an object which allows a user to choose
only one answer among a group of possible answers. A radio button is different from a
check box, which can accept multiple checked items at a time. Use the term “select”
when referring to what one must to do a radio button, for example, “Select the radio
button next to Title Keywords”. (See Figure 10 below.)
Figure 10: Example of radio buttons present in the ORR.
Check boxes
The term “check box” can be used to refer to an object which provides the user with the
opportunity to select more than one response. Use the term “select” when referring to
what one must to do a check box, for example “Select the check box next to your
document of interest.” (See Figure 11 on the next page.)
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Figure 11: Example of a check box present in Cambridge Scientific Abstracts search
results.
Drop-down menu
The term “drop-down menu” can be used to refer to an object that opens vertically in a
window to display context-related options. Use the term “select” when referring to a
drop-down menu, for example “Select the term “Descriptors” from the drop-down menu.”
Click
The term “click” can be used to refer to the act of quickly pressing and releasing a
mouse button. Note that clicking a mouse button is different from dragging a mouse
button, which implies that you hold the button down without releasing it. Use the term
“click” when referring to a “link” or “button”.
Select
The term “select”, while also involving a mouse click, does not result in an immediate
action. Use the term “select” when referring to a “check box” “radio button” or “dropdown menu”.
Item v. Document
When using these terms to refer to a library holding, please try to consistently use one or
the other, but not both.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Recording Screen Captures
When capturing images from a browser window, select only the main contents of the window.
Do not include navigation and scroll bars in the capture, as it may draw attention away from
important information and content.
When possible, begin a tutorial with step-by-step instructions which begin at the Library
Gateway Homepage. For example, if you are providing information about a database, begin by
showing how to find said database from the Library Gateway. Beginning each tutorial from the
Library Gateway will help patrons recall the information when they are away from the tutorial.
Please see Figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Region of screen that should be captured for import into Camtasia.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Inserting Arrows
Arrows created during a screen capture can be used to draw attention to buttons or tabs, as
shown in Figure 2. Using arrows to draw attention to text may be confusing to users as the
arrow can only point to a spot on the page and not a large section. The following are
recommendations for arrow settings.
Arrow Setting Recommendations
•
•
Color
o
Red
o
Use the above color unless this color clashes with the color scheme of
the image you are working with.
o
In all cases, try to be consistent in color selection.
Width
o
4 (four)
o
Use the above width or a width that does not appear too large in relation
to other items in the window.
o
In all cases, try to be consistent in width selection.
Figure 2: Arrow drawn during screen capture and set at recommended width and color.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Inserting Ellipses
Ellipses can be used to draw attention to a cluster of items or section of text, as shown in Figure
3 below. The following are recommendations for ellipse settings.
Ellipse Setting Recommendations
•
•
Color
o
Red
o
Use the above color unless this color clashes with the color scheme of
the image you are working with.
o
In all cases, try to be consistent in color selection.
Width
o
4 (four)
o
Use the above width or a width that does not appear too large in relation
to other items in the window.
o
In all cases, try to be consistent in width selection.
Figure 3: Ellipse drawn during screen capture and set at correct width and color.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Highlighting
A highlight can be added when it is necessary to draw attention to a line of text. The
recommended color is yellow. If possible, the highlight should cover the entire section of text
and be centered on the text, as shown in Figure 4 below.
Figure 4: Highlight drawn during screen capture and set at recommended width and color.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Creating the Title Clip
A title clip can be used in tutorials to introduce the content to follow, as shown on the next page
in Figures 5 and 6. A library branded .jpeg background has been created for use in these clips.
(Note: please e-mail lmestre@uiuc.edu for a copy of this)
The background and title can be added to the timeline using the Title Clip editor. (This makes
positioning the title easier and lowers the number of files associated with the project.) The
following are recommendations for title clip settings.
Title Clip Setting Recommendations
•
•
•
Background Image
o
File name – title_card_catalog.jpg
o
To request a copy of this image, email Lori Mestre at lmestre@uiuc.edu
or Sarah Hjeltness at shjeltn2@uiuc.edu.
Main Titles
o
72 or 48 point Arial font (This depends on your screen resolution.
Choose the size that best matches Figure 6 on the next page.)
o
White (When using the standard .jpeg background, this color is
recommended for best readability.)
Subtitles
o
48 or 36 point Arial font (This depends on your screen resolution.
Choose the size the best matches Figure 6 below.)
o
White (When using the recommended .jpeg background, this color is
recommended for best readability.)
o
Italicized
•
Alignment – centered and located near the bottom left corner of the image.
•
Transition
o
A one second Fade transition.
o
Insert in timeline between title clip and whatever follows it.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Figure 5: Title clip editing window showing placement, font and format of title.
Figure 6: Title clip using recommended background and text.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Adding Callouts
If possible try to create callouts with consistent shape and color. The “Filled Rounded
Rectangle” and “Rectangle Callout” shapes work well for most purposes. Use of more than two
callout shapes and callout colors may be distracting to users.
For improved readability, it is recommended that callouts be set at 28 point Veranda font or
higher. (See Figure 12 below.)
Figure 12: “Rectangle Callout” and “Filled Rounded Rectangle” shapes using the recommended
font and size.
Please note, that when creating multiple tutorials regarding the same topic, it is important to
maintain consistency between callouts within the various tutorials. Figure 13 (on the next page)
for example, shows the color setting for all callouts used in tutorials which include screen shots
from ProQuest.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Figure 13: Callout color settings that can be used in ProQuest tutorials.
Why/When to Use a Call Out
•
Use callouts to briefly explain something that is not obvious from the screen capture.
•
Callouts can help the visual learner. Using a callout is a good way to accommodate
different learning styles. We cannot assume a patron will listen to the tutorial audio, so it
is a good idea to include callouts when appropriate.
•
Keep callouts basic and simple in shape, color and text.
•
Audio should not duplicate what is shown in a callout as this could create overload on
the part of the patron.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Transitioning to the Final Screen
The final clip a user sees in a tutorial should be consistent across all tutorials, if possible. For
many purposes the clip shown below in Figure 14 may be sufficient.
Figure 14: Final clip used for Digital Literacy tutorials.
Title Clip Setting Recommendations
•
Background Image
o
Create a Title Clip using the default black background.
o
It is not necessary to add a background image or text.
o
Drag the clip to the end of the timeline.
o
Insert a one second fade transition between this final clip and whatever
precedes it.
o
Insert a “Filled Rounded Rectangle” callout over this clip.
o
Color settings - shown on the next page in Figure 15.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Figure 15: Color setting for final clip callout.
•
Text
o
36 point Veranda font
o
Color settings:
Line 1 (“This concludes the segment:”): black
Line 2 (Title of Tutorial): white and italicized.
Line 3 (“The next segment…”): crimson, as shown below in
Figure 16.
Figure 16: Color setting for “The next segment…” statement.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Troubleshooting
Information provided in this section will be updated as new issues are encountered. All
troubleshooting tips have been taken from the Camtasia customer support website:
http://techsmith.custhelp.com
Camtasia Crashes or Locks-up During Production
•
Use the most current version of Camtasia Studio. To check which version you
are using, select Help > About Camtasia Studio.
•
Turn off hardware acceleration. Right-click on the desktop and select Properties
> Settings > Advanced > Troubleshooting. Set the acceleration slider to None.
Disabling hardware acceleration can remove the possibility of certain
hardware/driver conflicts. When hardware acceleration is disabled certain
applications, such as video games or DVD players, may not run. If disabling
hardware acceleration resolves the problem it may indicate a problem with
your video card drivers. Updating your video card drivers may help resolve the
problem as well.
•
Use the current version of DirectX. To check the version that you have installed,
select Start > Run and enter dxdiag at the command line. The version number is
near the bottom of the list. Check Microsoft's Web site for the current version of
the DirectX Runtime.
•
More information: Large-dimension videos and images on the timeline may
cause problems. If, for example, there are large-dimension JPG images from a
digital camera, you will want to scale them to equal the size of the production
settings of the final video before adding them to the project.
•
Also, versions prior to v2.0.5 could cause project files to become corrupted. Try
recreating the project using the current version.
Video Clips Change Size and Position in “Preview Window”
•
The overall dimensions of the video are as large as the largest clip. If clips on
the Timeline are different dimensions, the smaller clips will be centered on a
black background. To avoid this, be sure that all recordings are made at the
same dimensions so that the clips will match up when played back.
•
Note: This behavior does not occur in Camtasia Studio v5 because this version
now uses the Project Properties to set the editing dimensions.
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Quick Reference Guide
Callout Color Settings for DigLit Tutorials
For EBSCO Screen Shots (Blue)
Hue:
144
Red:
10
Sat:
220
Green:
91
Lum:
105
Blue:
214
For Library Gateway Screen Shots (Light Blue)
Hue: 148
Red: 137
Sat:
93
Green:
157
Lum:
160
Blue:
203
For ProQuest Screen Shots (Sage Green)
57
Hue:
Red: 189
Sat:
118
Green:
219
Lum:
173
Blue:
149
For Final Clip Callout Background (Lavender)
Hue: 160
Red: 128
Sat:
240
Green:
128
Lum:
180
Blue:
255
For Final Clip Callout Text (“The next segment” text only)
0
Hue:
Red: 153
Sat:
240
Green:
0
Lum:
72
Blue:
0
Callout Size and Position Settings for DigLit Tutorials
For Final Clip
Width:
700
X-axis:
151
Height:
375
Y-axis:
113
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Camtasia Guidelines and Procedures
Production Settings for Digital Literacy Tutorials
•
Custom production settings
•
Choose “AVI”
•
Change preset video settings to be 640 x 480
•
Add contact info, key words etc. for Video info.
Originally Created by Sarah Hjeltness,
Digital Learning Unit
University Libraries
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2007, 2008
Contributions by Lori Mestre, Merinda Hensley and Melissa Bowles
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