(Flash) Demo Creator

May 25, 2006 4:58 PM

I need to record my screen while I operate/explain a piece of software to new users. There seems to be a number of applications available, but I am hoping to find a free, *reputable* one.

Seems like ~1.5 years ago, there was a piece of software that received accolades for being a free, easy demo creator that output in flash format. It had a really catchy name and I think I've actually watched a tutorial that was authored by it. My google-fu is failing me at the moment...

Anyone have a suggestion?

posted by mdpc98 to Computers & Internet (14 answers total)

This might help. I have used CamStudio, it's ok.
posted by aisforal at 5:20 PM on May 25, 2006

Best answer: I've never used it before, but Wink sounds like it might do the job. The Wikipedia entry for screencast also lists some other software you might try. If you can get someone to pay for it (or otherwise make it free), Macromedia Captivate seems like a good choice, too.
posted by Drunken_munky at 5:52 PM on May 25, 2006

Wink is very good and easy to wrk with.
posted by mickbw at 6:23 PM on May 25, 2006

I've used Snapz Pro for the Mac and it works perfectly for this type of thing. There's a trial number of captures you can make before it starts placing a watermark on the video.
posted by Jeff Howard at 6:36 PM on May 25, 2006

No specific suggestions, but I think, among pay options, webex is the big dog in the industry. There were a few different options when I googled "free webex alternative."

Not sure how any of them are, but it may be a starting point.
posted by Kellydamnit at 6:50 PM on May 25, 2006

Here's a head-to-head review of the top 4 screencasting tools & also a bunch of articles about screencasting written by Jon Udell, who's arguably the leading expert on the subject.
posted by scalefree at 7:02 PM on May 25, 2006

Ah, you said free. My bad. Well, the articles will still be useful.
posted by scalefree at 7:03 PM on May 25, 2006

Some stuff by Bobyte, this stuffs good, it works well (I've used it) and is free (the screen capture generates Avi, which might not be what you want).
posted by Dub at 7:17 PM on May 25, 2006 [1 favorite]

A bit more involved, but you may be thinking of vnc2swf
posted by bhance at 7:58 PM on May 25, 2006

Camtasia is not free, but has a free trial, and is among the best consumer software I've bought in recent years. It's wholeheartedly worth the cost, if you can be flexible about paying for it.
posted by anildash at 9:47 PM on May 25, 2006

If you're on a mac, you've gotta check out iShowU. Cool stuff...
posted by josh.ev9 at 10:29 PM on May 25, 2006 [1 favorite]

Camtasia for good quality video (avi, etc). Captivate for flash.

I've used both and they are both excellent programs.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 4:59 AM on May 26, 2006

Response by poster: Wink! That was it. Thanks for the suggestions--I'll have to poke around to see what works for me.
posted by mdpc98 at 6:51 AM on May 26, 2006

You may also want to try Windows Media Encoder 9 from Microsoft. It's also free.
posted by labnol at 3:23 AM on May 29, 2006