Camtasia Studio Video Tutorials: Part 3 | 2

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Camtasia Studio Video Tutorials: Part 3

Editing the Video

In this section, you'll learn about some basic edits that you can do with the video and image clips. These edits allow you to refine the presentation of the video, remove mistakes, add transitions, make cuts and more. Note: The original files in the Clip Bin aren't affected by anything you do on the timeline.

One of the most common edits is the Cut, where a portion of the timeline is selected, then deleted. To make a selection on the timeline, move your cursor to the location where you want to make the selection, click and hold the mouse button down (and a red triangle appears). Drag the seek bar across the timeline and release the mouse button once you've made your selection. At this point your selection will look like the one above. You can delete that section of the timeline, and you can also play back that selection. This is useful in determining if you've selected enough of the timeline, or too much. Note: When you play back the video only the portion indicated will play, nothing else.

At the far left of the timeline, you'll also notice two magnifying glasses. These allow you to zoom in and out of the timeline, which is really useful if you want to do some detailed editing. When you play back the video, you can see the seek bar moving. This is essential in refining your selections for precise cuts. To delete a cut, you can use the Scissors icon (as in the above screenshot) or simply click on Edit: Cut Selection. The keyboard shortcut is CTRL + X. Some of the other timeline controls are audio fade in and out, volume up and down and replace with silence. This last option allows you to select a portion of the timeline and turn off the audio for that section.

Another useful technique is to create a Split, where you divide a clip into two smaller clips. Doing so allows you to add transitions or graphics between clips. To split a clip, position the seek bar on the timeline where you want to create a split, then click on the Split icon, located to the right of the Scissors icon (which is now grayed out). Another option is to click on Edit: Split. The keyboard shortcut is CTRL + D.

To add a transition, click on Transitions under the Edit Section in the Task List or click on Edit: Transistions. This brings up the Transitions dialog box. To preview a transition, double-click on it. The transition will be played back in the pane on the right. To use a transition, drag it to replace an arrow in the storyboard below. When you're done, click on the Finished button. This takes you back to the main workspace.

Another thing you'll probably want to do is to add title clips to your video. To access this feature, click on Title Clips in the Add section in the Task List or click on Edit: Title Clips. This brings up the Title Clips dialog box and preview to the right. In this case, I've accessed some previously entered text for a video tutorial I created. As you can see, the text options are pretty straightforward, with a wide range of fonts and RGB colors. You can also add images in the background if you wish, but you'll need to format them accordingly. When you're done, click on the Finished button. This takes you back to the main workspace.

Another edtiing option is to use Callouts. These are graphics that you can add to the timeline to draw attention to important sections within the video. Another option is to combine a callout with text to give additional information or a step in a tutorial. In some cases, people produce videos entirely with callouts instead of voice. You can also turn callouts into a Flash Hot Spot. To access callouts, click on the heading under the Edit section of the Task List. You can also access them by clicking on Edit: Callouts. This brings up the Callouts Properties dialog box and preview frame. At the top of the Callout Properties dialog, you have access to a wide range of callout types (a multitude of shapes available in the popup), fill and border colors, drop shadow and Flash Hot Spot options, fade in/out and a variety of text formatting options. When you're done, click on the Finished button. This takes you back to the main workspace. When you're finished your edits, save the file.

Conclusion

In this tutorial we've covered methods for recording the camera, Picture in Picture (PIP) and some basic edting functions. In the next and last tutorial. you'll learn how to produce your video for the Web.

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Created: June 5, 2003
Revised: May 24, 2007

URL: https://webreference.com/video/column3/1