Camtasia Instructor Guide

Camtasia is a desktop capturing software that also supports video editing. You can choose the screen area on your computer you wish to record and include audio or other multimedia to create dynamic educational videos, such as lectures and presentations.

Cost Yes Free
Bandwidth Yes (Camtasia does not run online)
Canvas Integration No None
Privacy Yes Camtasia is FIPPA compliant and data is stored securely in Canada
Similar UBC-Supported Tools Kaltura is also centrally supported for video capture and editing.

What can I use it for?

You can use Camtasia for creating and editing videos:

  • Recording your computer screen and webcam to display both your slides and you for a stronger instructor presence
  • Adding audio tracks and motion animations to videos to increase student engagement
  • Encouraging students to create recorded content for activities or assignments
  • Editing videos created with other tools

What to know about Camtasia

Camtasia’s online video quizzes feature cannot currently be used. This feature collects user’s personal information and transmits the data to servers outside of Canada, meaning it does not comply with FIPPA. Additionally, the feature gives Camtasia license to reproduce, distribute, display, and otherwise use your quiz content. To add quizzes into Camtasia-produced videos, you can upload the videos to Kaltura, a built-in video streaming and storage service in Canvas that offers FIPPA-compliant quizzing.

What do I need to use Camtasia?

The Camtasia application

Camtasia is a desktop application, meaning you will download and install the Camtasia software on your computer to create and edit videos. Note that not all operating systems can support the Camtasia software. Windows XP and Linux are two operating systems that are not compatible. Check the Camtasia system requirements for details.

Audio/visual equipment

If you plan on recording yourself or your voice using Camtasia, you will need a microphone and a webcam to do so.

Tips

  • If you are recording lectures, use headphones with a microphone or an external microphone to ensure good audio quality for you and your students.
  • UBC Studios also offers lecture-recording opportunities on campus. You can book time to use the One-Button Studio or Lightboard spaces, both of which have professional equipment and an optimal setup.

How do I use Camtasia?

UBC offers free access to Camtasia for faculty, staff, and students. You will first download the software to your computer, then install and open it to start making projects.

Click any bar below for instructions and tips for using Camtasia.

> Install the Camtasia application

Install the Camtasia application

  1. Log in to Canvas with your UBC CWL (Campus-Wide Login) username and password.
  2. Click the Help menu in the Global Navigation on the left side of the page, and select Software Distribution.
  3. You may need to log in again and confirm that UBC Software Downloads can access your CWL information. Once you arrive at the software selection page, select Camtasia from the options.
  4. Choose your platform (Windows or Mac), and click Add to Cart.
  5. In the cart pop-up, click Check Out.
  6. Copy the License Key code, because you will need it to complete the installation. Once you've copied this code, click Download to be taken to the downloads page.
  7. Click Download again on the new page, and follow the instruction prompts to complete installation of the Camtasia application.
  8. When you first open Camtasia, enter the License Key you copied when prompted.

> Record a lecture with Camtasia

Record a lecture with Camtasia

Windows systems allow recording in PowerPoint, which you may find easiest if you have this operating system. If you are not on a Windows system or you prefer to record in Camtasia directly, you can follow the instructions for recording outside PowerPoint.

  1. If you have not installed Camtasia, follow the steps for installing the Camtasia application in the accordion above.
  2. Windows allows recording directly in PowerPoint. Open PowerPoint with the slides you want to use, and click the Add-Ins tab.
  3. Click the Record button.
  4. Test your audio and, when you are ready, click Click to begin recording. Present the slides as you talk over them.
  5. When you are done, click the Stop Recording button.
  6. Name the recording and click Save.
  7. Select Produce your recording, and click OK.
  8. Once Camtasia opens, from the drop-down menu, choose MP4 only (up to 1080p), then click Next and click OK.
  9. Name your video file and choose a folder to save it to. Click Finish. You can upload this video file to share with students.
  1. If you have not installed Camtasia, follow the steps for installing the Camtasia application in the accordion above.
  2. Open PowerPoint or another application with the slides or other content you want to use, then open Camtasia.
  3. Click File and select New Recording. By default, Camtasia will record the whole screen, so it’s easiest if you make your presentation full screen too.
  4. Once you are ready, click Start Recording. Present the slides as you talk over them.
  5. When you are done, click the red filmstrip recording icon located at the top right of your screen.
  6. Choose Stop Recording.
  7. Your recording will open automatically. Edit the recording, if you like.
  8. Once you are happy with the edits, export your recording to a video file you can upload to your course. Click Share and select Local File.
  9. Under file format, choose Export to MP4 (.mp4), then click Export. You can upload this video file to share with students.

Tips

  • You may want to prepare notes or a script ahead of time to read from, which you can use later to make a transcript. Recordings are more accessible to students when you provide transcripts and add closed captioning.
  • Clap if you make a mistake while recording. The spike in audio that your clap creates will make it easier to locate the section and remove it during editing.
  • You don’t have to record all your slides at once and can instead make recordings of subsets of your slides. Shorter videos may be easier for students to concentrate on and learn from.
  • Save your Camtasia project file as well the exported MP4 file. You can then open the Camtasia project file for future editing and export a new MP4 with your changes.
  • UBC Studios provides tips on successfully recording lectures in this quick 3-minute video:

> Edit your lecture recording in Camtasia

Edit your lecture recording in Camtasia

In Camtasia, videos are created on the timeline, moving sequentially from left to right. This timeline is where you arrange and edit your screen recordings, audio clips, titles, and more. You can use different timelines for video, audio, images, and captions or you can include all elements on the same timeline.

Drag media in Camtasia from the Media or Library tabs to the timeline to start making edits and building your video. As you build, you can preview your work on the canvas. The canvas is a working area where you can position, resize, and rotate content. Everything that’s shown on the canvas is captured in the final video export.

Trim your media

Use the trimming tool to remove time from the beginning or end of a media clip on the timeline:

  1. Click to select a clip on the timeline.
  2. Hover the cursor over the beginning or end of the clip.
  3. Click and drag the end of the clip in or out to trim.

Cut sections of your media

A cut removes a selection, which is helpful when you want to remove or move media on the timeline:

  1. Click and drag the green or red handles on the playhead (the indicator that shows where you are in the timeline) to make a selection. The selected area will be highlighted in blue.
  2. Click the cut icon (scissors). The media on the timeline will shift to remove the selection.
    • Alternatively, you can press Delete on the keyboard to delete the selection. This action will remove the selected area but leave space on the timeline for new media in its place.
  3. To paste the cut selection elsewhere on the timeline, move the playhead to a new location and click the paste icon (clipboard).

Tips

  • The Media Bin in Camtasia always maintains the original version of your media, even as you make edits to media on the timeline, in case you want to go back and use the original.
  • To fine-tune your editing, use the zoom slider to zoom in on the timeline for more granular control. If you zoom in too much or want to see your project in full, click the magnifying glass to fit your entire project to the timeline again.
  • Trimming and cutting will allow you to do most of the basic editing you'll need, but Camtasia has documentation and tutorials if you want to learn more about video editing.

> Share your Camtasia lecture recordings in Canvas

Share your Camtasia lecture recordings in Canvas

You can share your video export many different ways, but two of the easiest ways are using Canvas and Canvas's built-in media storage and streaming service, Kaltura.

The Rich Content Editor in Canvas is a way to add content beyond plain text that can be styled and arranged around multimedia.

  1. Log in to your Canvas course. In Canvas, any place that has a Rich Content Editor like a page, assignment, or announcement can have a video embedded.
  2. In any Rich Content Editor, click the Kaltura Media rainbow icon button.
  3. Click Add New and choose Media Upload.
  4. Click Choose a file to upload and select the video you would like to embed. The video will upload to Kaltura and be placed it in your content, once you click Save and Embed.

The Media Gallery in Canvas is a searchable gallery of video content available to everyone in your course. All videos can be viewed by students at any time.

  1. Log in to your Canvas course, and click Media Gallery in the Course Navigation. If you don’t see this option:
    • Click Settings in the Course Navigation.
    • Click the Navigation tab.
    • Find the Media Gallery menu item, click the options menu (i.e., the 3 vertical dots), and choose Enable.
    • Save your setting changes.
  2. Click to Authorize Kaltura, if prompted.
  3. In the Media Gallery, click Add Media.
  4. Click Add New and choose Media Upload.
  5. Click Choose a file to upload and select the video.
  6. Select the proper permission from the “Copyright Permissions” drop-down menu, and add any other details.
  7. Click Save. You can now view the video by clicking Media Gallery in the Course Navigation.

Tips

  • Align lecture uploads with the regular schedule of your course, so it can mirror students attending a weekly lecture.
  • If you use “Student View” to test your course in Canvas, you won’t see Kaltura videos in your course content or in the "Media Gallery" course repository. This absence does not mean the videos are unavailable to students; it is simply a technical quirk of the Canvas student view.
  • Once you add videos in Canvas using Kaltura, you'll also be able to add closed-captioning and transcripts. These captions and transcripts are auto-generated by Kaltura but can be edited to fine-tune what students see.

Where can I get more support with Camtasia?

Technical support

If you have trouble with Camtasia:

Pedagogical support

Learn more

Except where otherwise noted, this tool guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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