Greatest blogger tool ever or does the world really need more footage of Davis playing Pac-Man on YouTube?
As a blogger, I am always looking for tools that can make my readers’ experience, more multidimensional. Luckily, there are a lot of hard working people out there, who have built great applications that make this easier. Unfortunately, finding these tools isn’t always easy. Usually, I have to spend way too much time trying to figure out how to do things like record Skype conversations or editing videos, I want to upload, but every now and then, I’m lucky enough to come across a piece of software that I instantly know, will come in handy. I’m not always sure exactly how I’ll end up using it, but I can usually tell when a piece of software will be useful.
For a long time, I have been wanting to record things that I do on my computer, so that my readers can see a demo of something I might be working on. This would be especially handy if I wanted to review a website or an application. It’s easy enough to just throw in a link in the story, but sometimes, by adding an extra touch, you can express yourself in a way that writing can’t communicate.
This is why I was so excited when I saw MediaKey.dk’s review on the open source screencasting solution, CamStudio. The software allows you to designate anywhere on your screen, that you want to record. It can then be exported to a number of various codec formats, but it was it’s support for DivX that caught my attention. I didn’t find the software to be very robust in the editing department, but it’s an easy and free solution for demoing applications and for creating software based videos.
If you want to use the software, you can download it for free at SourceForge.
#1 by Brent on June 21, 2007 - 4:38 am
Camstudio is getting pretty good – especially for being free. I use Camtasia Studio for screencasting as its a little more robust and has much more in the way of editing capabilities. The downside of Camtasia Studio is the cost of course.
Brent
#2 by davis on June 21, 2007 - 4:46 am
I think professionally software usually tends to be better than open source stuff, but for free, I really don’t have any complaints. I may still end up looking at something a bit more robust, but I bet CamStudio ends being all I need. The nicer programs are good for moving beyond the basics, but at the same time, it can get expensive to keep buying new software. Camtasia Studio sounds like something that I should check out though, sometimes the extra firepower can let you do some creative things.
#3 by Dave Zatz on June 21, 2007 - 7:49 am
If you network your Xbox 360, you could play a more modern version of Pac-Man.
http://tinyurl.com/2fo3qc
#4 by davis on June 22, 2007 - 2:55 pm
Championship Pac-Man looks pretty cool, but I just can’t get past the concept of having to pay with points. Whenever you change currency, it creates an added cost.