best software to record computer tutorial?

January 9, 2017 1:30 PM

I would find it enormously helpful to be able to record computer tutorials to show users how to upload files to a specialized system, where to click, what to include. What is the most user-friendly program for recording such materials?

What are the top programs for recording this type of tutorial, and is there any hardware that is a must-have to go along with this type of software? (Also, if there are any programs that you definitely would NOT recommend, that info would be helpful too.)

posted by a fiendish thingy to Technology (8 answers total)

If you're on a Mac, the built-in Quicktime software has a record screen feature that is perfect for making tutorials. It has an option to show your mouse clicks visually (as a transparent circle), which is a big help for viewers.
posted by Cranialtorque at 1:39 PM on January 9, 2017

I (an instructional designer at a US university) use Camtasia on a near daily basis and it was pretty easy for me to hop right in and use it with little to no instruction. There are a lot of how-to videos on YouTube that go through some of the finer details (doing fade in/outs, zooming, etc). I run Camtasia 2 on a Mac and it is not as user friendly as Camtasia on Windows, but I think I heard somewhere they were going to be one in the same software soon.
posted by thefang at 1:40 PM on January 9, 2017 [3 favorites]

Seconding Camtasia.
posted by intermod at 1:43 PM on January 9, 2017 [1 favorite]

I also use Camtasia, I'd say it's pretty industry-standard. I had a coworker show me the basics, but it's very user-friendly. I haven't tried their new offering, but thefang is correct that they're now offering one product on both Windows/Mac.
posted by radioamy at 2:09 PM on January 9, 2017

Depending on how long/intense these videos will be, Jing is the quicker, easier, lighter version of Camtasia, made by the same company. Videos can only be five minutes long. The great thing is that it's super easy to use (on both Mac and PC) and videos can be instantly uploaded to TechSmith's server and shared via URL, or saved onto your computer.
posted by anotheraccount at 4:57 PM on January 9, 2017

Nthing Camtasia.
posted by minsies at 5:04 PM on January 9, 2017

I do this sort of thing for a living and yes, Camtasia.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:49 PM on January 9, 2017

Screencast-O-Matic is pretty no-frills but has worked well for me in the past for recording quick how-to's.
posted by Wulfhere at 7:06 PM on January 9, 2017