Anyone using Turbo Demo (or any other app.)?

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ericspiel
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Location: Oxfordshire, England

Anyone using Turbo Demo (or any other app.)?

Unread post by ericspiel »

Not sure which forum to post this in, so please feel free to move it if necessary.

I was wondering if anyone using Turbo Demo or any other screen activity recorder-editor had any feedback on these applications to share. I've been trialling Turbo Demo and HyperCam, but I always appreciate the views of this forum's contributors and members.

Best regards,

Eric
jhobbs
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Unread post by jhobbs »

Try Adobe Captivate and MadCapSoftware.com Mimic.
I think Mimic is the best of the group.
Jack.
jhobbs
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Unread post by jhobbs »

I have a copy of Adobe Captivate version 1.01 for sale. The upgrade charge from 1.01 to 2.0 is about $300.00 less than outright purchase of Captivate 2.0.

I'm thinking a fair price would be around $150.00, but I'll have to verify that Adobe will allow me to transfer the license, and what transfer fees they may charge. Let me know if you're interested.
Jack.
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Tim Green
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Unread post by Tim Green »

I like Captivate but I'm still using 1.01 so I can't comment on the capabilities of 2.0. Several users on the forum have praised Camtasia very highly as well, so it might be a good idea to try that as well before making a final decision.
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Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Dean Whitlock
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Unread post by Dean Whitlock »

I've been using Camtasia for three years and have been pleased with it for the most part. You want to make sure that your workstation has the required memory and processor speed, and it's best to work directly on your workstation rather than over a local network. That is, keep your project files and various video and audio files on your workstation while you are editing them - capturing over a network hasn't been a problem. I watched some editing being done on Macromedia Director a few years back, and it would allow you to isolate and change a particular prompt on a screen in the capture video. Camtasia doesn't let you work at that level, but it can do everything else that I've needed. It's definitely worth a look.
ericspiel
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Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2005 3:14 pm
Location: Oxfordshire, England

Unread post by ericspiel »

jhobbs wrote:I have a copy of Adobe Captivate version 1.01 for sale. The upgrade charge from 1.01 to 2.0 is about $300.00 less than outright purchase of Captivate 2.0.

I'm thinking a fair price would be around $150.00, but I'll have to verify that Adobe will allow me to transfer the license, and what transfer fees they may charge. Let me know if you're interested.
Thanks for the offer. At present I am looking at trial versions of TurboDemo, Camtasia, HyperCam, Mimic and one freeware programme - Wink. I haven't yet investigated to see if Adobe offer a trial version of Captivate (I would guess that they do) because I'm trying to evaluate the aforementioned packages. If I decide on Captivate in the end, I will give you a shout and see if the offer is still available.

Best regards,

Eric
jhobbs
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Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2005 2:18 am

Unread post by jhobbs »

Camtasia is wonderful for short videos, but it generates large files. And it's difficult to edit out errors.

The "Demo Builder" programs like Captivate and Mimic allow you to add most all the content AFTER capturing the screens, not during screen capture. And they generate much smaller files, as a rule, to convey the same information content. Also, I like to use a "Click to Continue" button, or display instructions followed by a "Do it for me" button, so the user can perform the instructions or just watch.

One problem with Camtasia is some Demo authors gets "Clickitis", clicking without explaining. My wife watches Embroidery videos, and frequently asks me to watch with her because she cannot figure out what the author did. I think it's because Camtasia records every hiccup or pause made during capture, and the authors feel too rushed to explain adequately.

The best of both worlds is a "Demo Builder" program with Camtasia "full motion" movies included where helpful. JMHO.
Jack.
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Aitch
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Re: Anyone using Turbo Demo (or any other app.)?

Unread post by Aitch »

Four years later and I'm wondering if anybody has changed their minds about screen capturing software?

I used version 1 of Captivate and now have Captivate 5. I haven't had time to fully use it, but it does seem to capture better (and scrolling!) screens than what v1 used to do.

After a bit of searching, I think I'll always stick to Captivate... :)

Heidi
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