The Visual Lounge lets you find out about TechSmith behind-the-scenes. Watch screencasts and videos from other customers, meet up with your fellow TechSmith users and staff, and get more tips and tricks!

Ever try to make record a video with Camtasia Studio of another video or media player only to have it play back a black screen? You're not alone. That's one of the biggest questions we get asked by users.

In our sixth video, Troy Stein walks through making a Camtasia studio recording of a media player. Click here to watch the video.

Click here for a link to the document Troy references in the video about recording CPU intensive programs.

Check out this link or this one about turning off hardware acceleration.

I get tongue tied and stumble over my words all the time. And, when making videos, it's no different and it is not pretty.If you're like me, you may want to edit that out. And, the good thing is that you don't have to remake your recording. You can simply edit your video. Today and tomorrow's video from Troy is all about precision editing with Camtasia Studio.

Troy goes over the clipbin, preview window, timeline, navigating and cutting in Camtasia Studio. I know you'll learn several new things in this video.

Click the screenshot below to view. Enjoy!

It's all about timing...do you ever find your Camtasia Studio video is too slow or too fast? Maybe you want to just extend a frame. You're in luck - in today's video, Troy covers all these topics as well as splits, transitions, clip speed and more.

You know what to do - click the screenshot below to start the video!

Do you like these videos? Would you like to a 30 day video series for our other products like SnagIt or Morae? I know where the SnagIt and Morae product managers sit in the office - I can twist their arms for you. ;-)

Two of my favorite people got together last week for a podcast. Jon Udell did a fab podcast with Camtasia Studio user, Tim Fahlberg, all about Tim's mathcasts and the future of education.

I enjoyed hearing how technology is helping to engage students in and outside of the classroom. I think you'll enjoy it too.

Click here to go to Jon Udell's blog post or here's a direct link to the podcast.

I'm always amazed at what our users create. And, this week's screencast of the week is no different.

Remember me talking about John Hartman last week? He and his partner, Alex Williams, at Feedia have created this fab mixed reality video all about launching the Toyota Scion in Second Life! So, you'll see some real life footage of the Scion on the streets of San Francisco, as well as the virtual Scion in Second Life. They recorded the virtual Scion in Second Life using Camtasia Studio.

Read all about it and watch the video here.

What a cool way to launch a new product!

We had a little trouble today uploading the ninth Camtasia Studio video in our series. So, that means tomorrow you'll get two videos. Sorry about the technical difficulties - stay tuned.

Shhhh, fellow blog readers...I'm going to let you in on a secret. Camtasia Studio 4.0 comes out soon. And, the next 2 videos in our 30 day series are about some of the new features in Camtasia Studio 4.0.

Video #9 is all about voice narration. It's now easy to add voice narration to your content on the timeline. Click the screenshot below to watch Video #9.

Video #10 is about a new feature that gives you consistently good sound by equalizing volume levels. This is particularly useful if, for example, you have audio from two people and one talks louder than the other or if you if you accidentally move closer or further from the microphone causing inconsistencies in your audio.

Click the screenshot below to watch Video #10.

Stay tuned for additional sneak peek videos before Camtasia Studio 4.0 is released...

I was back in class last week and I had a blast! I was at Bentley College visiting Professor Mark Frydenberg. Remember him? We did a screencast earlier this year which you can see here.

Mark teaches a really cool class called IT 101, where they cover everything from PocketPCs to blogs and wikis to videos! (It's right up my alley - gadgets and technology.) Last week his students were teaching each other about PocketPC programs they had chosen to try out. He'll have them using Camtasia Studio later in the semester to show each other about PocketPC technologies. He plans on having them record the screen with a webcam and then with Camtasia Studio.

He also gave a talk at the Harvard Law School last week about podcasting. If you're curious how someone is using podcasting in the classroom, you can listen to his presentation here.

After sitting in on Mark's class I visited Colleen King. To remind you, I showed off her great Camtasia Studio videos for SAT prep here.

You might also know Colleen from her popular math website, Math Playground or her blog. Colleen tells me that in a year, there will be a few hundred math videos that answer questions sent in by students. The videos will be categorized by topic and will be interactive - thanks to Camtasia Studio's the quizzing component.

She's come out with a new set of video lessons. Check out Thinking Blocks. Here you will find a multiplication program. Simply click on one of the colored cubes here to load a program.

Camtasia videos are used to demonstrate each individual module. There are also more than 100 video lessons in the practice section of the program. The videos help students transition from modeling with blocks to drawing models on their own. There's another complete program on the site dedicated to addition and subtraction word problems with its own set of videos.

Word on the street is that she is developing a ratios program that should be ready in November.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make a screencast with Colleen. But then again, you all don't have to suffer watching me stumble through math. I think we're both lucky on that account.

And, that reminds me...If you'd like to use Camtasia, SnagIt, Morae or UserVue in your classroom, I'm happy to support you. You can request materials like eval CDs for your class here. We also have a great newsletter and whole area of our Web site dedicated to Education.

Ever made a Camtasia Studio video and played it back only to hear your computer's fan churning noisily in the background? Or, Remember those videos I made at the airport, tradeshow floor or hotel lobby with users? There's lots of background noise. Not always ideal for your listening pleasure. A new feature coming in next version of Camtasia Studio helps alleviate that problem.

Click the screenshot below to watch the video!

I had a great time recently at the Podcast Expo in Ontario, California. It was the place to be if you're a podcaster or vidcaster. And, definitely not for the camera shy - I saw more cameras and video cameras there than at any other show.

I had the honor of being interviewed by Ben Freedman and Tiffany Young from Neo-Fight. Check out the vidcast they made of the interview here.

I love their videos - they tell it from a he said/she said point of view. You can read more about Ben and Tiffany here.

Also, I've heard some great podcasts from the show - check out the show report from Frank Linhares of the techPhile podcast direct from the Expo floor here. He interviewed Sean Carruthers and Andy Walker from LabRats who were hanging out in our booth at the show sharing how they use Camtasia Studio in their videos. Andy and Sean also have a great video from the Expo that you can view here complete with interviews with Robert Scoble of PodTech, Andrew Baron from Rocketboom and more. You can even watch Andy put me on the spot with a few questions.

And, you can see some Flickr pics from fun at the show here complete with a pic with a giant pickle (don't ask).

We're working on some great videos to post from the show floor so hopefully we'll have them posted in a few days...Stay tuned!

Video #12 in our series is available. Dave O'Rourke, the lead Camtasia Studio developer, walks you through Camtasia Studio recordings and how to make the most of them. Ever wonder what a 'CAMREC' file is? Dave will answer that question as well as how to share AVIs for editing and more.

Click the screenshot below to watch the video.

Today's video is all about sharing...sharing your Camtasia Studio projects with others for editing or collaboration as well as sharing notes with others.

Not only is this new feature useful when you're working on a team but it also creates meta tags so when you publish your videos you can have project, author or iTunes information associated with your video.

Click the screenshot below to watch the video.

Do you think you'll use this new feature?

I confess. Before TechSmith made Morae and UserVue, I knew little about usability and user experience. Now I can claim I know a tiny bit, but I still have a lot to learn.

So, I recently attended a local UPA meeting(Usability Professionals Association) and ran into Tim Keirnan. He mentioned to me that he and Tom Brinck were doing a podcast called Design Critique that's all about making more usable products for a better user experience! See their pic below - Tim's on the left and Tom's on the right.

I learn a lot every time I tune in. I like how they discuss the usability of products they actually use. And, you don't have to be a usability or user experience expert to get something out of the show. It's enlightening for all...

Visit their website http://www.designcritique.net/ And, you can sign up for the RSS feed through iTunes too.

Hey Tim - I still owe you lunch! Call me - 517.410.0030.

Take a trip down memory lane back to Comdex (I miss that tradeshow) with today's video. One year at Comdex, Troy saw a presenter give a flawless demo...using Camtasia Studio. Troy shares some tricks about giving self running demos using Camtasia Studio and the Pack and Show feature.

You can learn more about Pack and Show here.

Click the screenshot below to watch the video.

And, that's why I don't have a new video from Troy for our 30 videos in 30 days series...

Sorry, the team is out playing kickball and dodgeball. You'll get two videos on Monday assuming Troy didn't get injured in today's celebration!

We hope you'll join us in the celebration of Camtasia Studio 4 when it's released soon too!

When giving presentations, I like to embed Camtasia Studio videos in in PowerPoint to show off a website or application. Then, you don't have to worry about multi-tasking while presenting and running a demo at the same time. I'm free to move about the room as well.

Click here to watch Video #15. The video runs just over 5 minutes.

You've heard about hot spots before, but what about cold spots? Aren't you intrigued now? Video #16 is about advanced interactivity and creating interactive simulations.

This video does not show a new feature in Camtasia Studio, but rather a new way to use an existing feature.

Click here to watch the video. It's a longer one clocking in at over 9 minutes.

You've heard me talk some about the upcoming release of Camtasia Studio...you can now try it yourself!

Here's the marketing spiel on the new features:

Camtasia Studio lets you publish videos and MP3 files for iPods and portable media players. Click here to watch a video about this feature.

With Camtasia Studio 4 you can simultaneously produce multiple kinds of videos. Want a SWF, MP3 and MP4? Make it with the click of one button. Click here to watch the video about this feature.

One of my favorite new features is the improved audio - as you know I like to record on the tradeshow floor, at airports or wherever. This feature will be handy in those situations since Camtasia Studio can improve the audio by editing out background sounds and equalizing volume levels. Troy made some videos showing off these features here.

Something that used to bug me in Camtasia Studio 3 was that you never knew what your video would look or sound like until after you spent the time producing it. Now you can preview and compare the results of different file formats and compression settings so you know which format is best for you! You can watch a video about this feature here.

There are new playback bars and Flash pre-loaders so you can customize your video's look.

We added an option for survey questions and improved our quizzing. You can watch a video about this feature here.

And, one of the things I always struggled with was sharing my videos. I never wanted to bug IT or the webstaff to post my videos. And, I didn't want them scaled or altered from the originals - so other video sites wouldn't do. We've launched Screencast.com. It's a service which makes it easy to post your videos, screencasts, and files online. There's even a way to deliver content directly to your viewers with RSS and iTunes output. And, you can make your content private and allow only invited people to view it. I also like the fact that I can get some stats about my videos on Screencast.com. The webstaff is happy that I don't have to bug them to post videos anymore. ;-) You can learn more about Screencast.com here

There's a trial of Screencast.com. Try it out here.

Rich Boys, the Screencast.com Product Manager, did a quick screencast with me about it. Click the screenshot below to watch the tour.

I'd love to see your videos and share them on the blog. Post them here or e-mail them and I'll add them our set of del.icio.us bookmarks to share with everyone.

Video #17 is up and it's all about the new production preview feature in Camtasia Studio. This new feature allows you to preview different file formats and compression settings for your video before producing it. It can be a real time saver.

Click the screenshot below to start the video.

As you may remember, I'm addicted to my video iPod. So, naturally, one of the new features in Camtasia Studio 4 that I'm really excited about it the ability to easily create a video for the iPod. You could do this before, but it wasn't easy.

In the 18th video in our series, Troy walks us through recording, editing and zooming in the video (this is important for videos played on the small screen), producing and getting your video on the iPod.

Click on the screenshot below to start the video. It's a longer one that runs about 13:30 minutes.

Anyone making videos for the iPod that they're willing to share?

There will be a large crew of people from TechSmith going to the League of Innovation Conference on Information Technology (CIT ) and we'd love to meet-up with you! We'll be in Charlotte this Sunday through Tuesday (October 22 - 24).

Troy Stein, Camtasia Studio Product Manager, Rich Boys, Associate Camtasia Studio Product Manager, Jennifer Middlin, Corporate Communications Manager and Carla Wardin, Marketing Writer (and she writes the awesome newsletters) will be there. Oh, and I will be there too.

So, drop me an e-mail or call me (517.410.0030) if you'd like to meet-up!

I got word from Troy Stein that video #19 is delayed. So, you know the drill...tomorrow you get two videos! Sorry about that...

In the meantime, enjoy this video from the show floor at the Podcast Expo. Sean Carruthers and Andy Walker of Tech TV and Lab Rats TV fame did a quick screencast with me in the booth.

Click here to watch the video. It runs just under 4:30 minutes and is full of great advice from Andy and Sean.

To make this video, I only had a webcam at the show so we had to cram in the shot. You'll be happy to know I'll be taking a real video camera on the road soon so expect better video in the future. Or, at least everyone will be in the entire shot!

In my opinion, some of the hardest parts of video is the audio portion.

Troy walks through some of the new audio improvements in Camtasia Studio 4 in Video #19. We worked hard to make your voice narrations sound better all the way around.

Click the screenshot below to watch the video. The video runs just under 5 minutes.

Video #20 is all about custom production settings. Maybe you always want to produce AVIs that is 725x540 in dimension with high quality audio. You can set up a custom production setting to do just that. Troy will walk you through creating your own custom productions settings for consistency across your videos. Troy even talks about how to share your custom production settings with others.

Click the screenshot below to watch the video. The video runs just under 4 minutes.

OK, we're in the home stretch for videos. Anything you'd like to see covered over the next 10 videos?

How many of you read the popular webcomic, Player vs Player, also known as PvP? I've been a fan for a long time. PvP chronicles the life of a fictitious video game magazine company and its employees.

So, I was really excited to see a Camtasia Studio screencast made by the author, Scott Kurtz. Scott used Camtasia Studio to make a video while he did the digital coloring of the artwork for the cover of PvP! You can read his blog post about it complete with a link to the video here.

It was fascinating to see how Scott does the digital coloring. I know you'll like this screencast.

You can learn more about Player Vs. Player here or here.

I also added this screencast to our del.icio.us bookmarks. So, feel free to check out other screencasts we've bookmarked lately here http://del.icio.us/techsmith. If you've seen other interesting screencasts, tutorials, or articles about TechSmith products, please e-mail us and we'll add the bookmarks to share with everyone.

I was reading a recent SnagIt newsletter and saw that there were some new free SnagIt stamps out for Fall!

If you don't know what stamps are, they're images that we offer, free, to help you enhance your SnagIt captures. (And did I mention they're free?)

Download the Fall Stamps and more here.

Brooks Andrus, our Senior Flash Developer, created this next video in our 30 videos in 30 days series.

This video is all about the quizzing enhancements and new survey feature in Camtasia Studio 4.0. Brooks also talks about SCORM.

The video speaks for itself so I'll keep the post short...

Click here to watch the video. It runs about 6:30 minutes.

Tonight, we're on our way back from the League of Innovation Conference on Information Technology (CIT ) in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the show, Troy Stein gave a presentation with Jacques du Plessis from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Jacques has a wonderful website about learning Afrikaans online. There are many Camtasia Studio videos on his site to learn Afrikaans - click here to watch one of the videos (pick 'Clothing 2' Movie off the submenu).

The presentation Troy and Jacques gave was all about creating podcasts, screencasts and Screencast.com, RSS, PowerPoint to iPod videos, and more. Troy recorded a video of part of his presentation. So, that's video #22 in our series.

Click the screrenshot below to watch the video. It's a long one clocking in at over 22 minutes. So, get comfortable and enjoy!

Today's video is all about how you can reuse sections of your already recorded videos. Sometimes you want to cut a portion out of your video, but want to reuse that clip in other araes of your presentation. This screencast will show you how to easily do this in Camtasia Studio 4.

This a short video that runs 3:21 minutes. Click the screenshot below to watch the video.

We're up to video #24 (Yep, we owe you a video for yesterday). Today's video is all about customizing web menus in Camtasia Studio.

If you'd like to add DVD-like navigation to your Camtasia Studio video, this screencast is for you. Custom web menus make your content easier to use and navigate. Viewers can watch videos at their own pace.

This is a shorter screencast. It runs 4:22 minutes. Click the screenshot below to watch the video.

At TechSmith, we're always interested in what you want and need in a product. Our products are better because of your input and feedback.

With that in mind, we're curious to see if you'd like a Mac version of SnagIt?

I need you help. Please do me a favor and take a quick 6 question survey here.

Please share that survey with any contacts you have that would have an interest in SnagIt for the Mac. Here's the URL. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=493032743512

And, as always, feel free to post your thoughts in the comments. The SnagIt team is listening. Thanks for the help!

Matt Pierce from TechSmith is conducting a 2 day Camtasia Studio course in our backyard, East Lansing, Michigan.

See Matt below? He's showing you where in Michigan the training will be held. You know someone is from Michigan if they hold up their hand and point to their town. It's handy (sorry for the bad pun) to do since the lower peninsula of our state is shaped like a mitten.

You'll learn a lot and get to meet quite a few people from the Camtasia Studio team. I'll be around to share more bad jokes like the one above.

So, come visit us and learn the ins and outs of Camtasia Studio. More details about the training and registration can be found here.

While I cannot promise that there will be no snow in Michigan in December, I can promise that you will learn a lot and have fun.

Today's video in our series is all about Camtasia Studio and PIP - Picture-in-Picture. I like PIP video because they add that personal touch to training and presentations.

The video will go over how to record, edit and publish PIP videos. And, also Troy will talk about best practices.

Click the screenshot below to launch the video.