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Please give us more control over the look of closed captioning. I know how to edit the xml, but when I asked tech support a question the reply was VERY unsatisfactory. Basically , I was told editing the xml isn't supported, even though it's discussed on one of your training videos. Let us left justify the text! Is that asking too much?

;-)

I would like to have a track just for the cursor. If I could take out the cursor of shots that have the cursor, but later I wish did not have the cursor in the way, it would be great.

I would like a new version to support drag and drop of previously edited clips into a new project without having to go through the save as AVI work around.

Yeah! nice photo. I love Techsmith...

Techsmith has really made some great improvements of Camtasia in V4 and V5.

Here's my suggestions for enhancements:

I'd like to be able to replace the original audio with pre-recorded sound files.

Also it would be nice to have at least two additional audio tracks in addition to the original video/audio track. That way we can mute the original sound track and still have a voice track and a background music track. Speaking of mute, the ability to temporarily mute a track.

An audio equalizer in the production interface would be nice. Maybe also in the player, like the one in MS media player, with the grouped sliders.

I may just have to upgrade my studio 3.1 to V5!

Thanks, Ron R

In reply to Bradford Benn, you can make your own presets to use with Batch Production using either the Manage button on the first page of the Production Wizard, or hitting the Create Production Preset button at the end of the recommended or custom wizard paths.

To make it scale to the size of any input save the preset with the Video Size option "Largest Video Size". It will work just like those old presets.

I, too, am disappointed that editing the xml for Closed Captioning is not supported. It is misleading to have a video showing you how to do it when you can't. VERY frustrating.

I would like the ability to import .flv files. Often the output from other middleware programs in in .flv format. The ability to import this format would be helpful.

Why don't you include more transitions and scrolling
text "screen credits"?

1) Allow for use of video cameras for picture-in-picture recording - I had trouble once and was told that you support only webcam use - and that is technicality not the best. Video in parallel with recordings (ppt) needs to become as simple as it is with Mediasite, for example.
2) Video content in ppt files always is an issue: Give some good instructions on how to handle this and make it work.
3) A Mac version is obviously needed badly.

hans

Nice work on 5. I would like:

1) Have the people who work o SnagIt meet the people who work on Camtasia. :-) There are a number of SnagIt features (darken outer area, fade-edge effect) that would be great to see Camtasia).

2) more flexibility in zoom. I've posted a detailed description to support (http://www.techsmith.com/company/contact/productfeedback.asp
).

But here is an example:

www.TRAKCentral.com/files/SampleZoom.html

It would be great if this could be one video, not two. Two videos break up the video (and audio) file and make it more work.

2) more audio tracks, and ability to control track volume independently.

3) easier user interface to avoid using the mouse, e.g. keyboard control is much faster.

4) ability to modify the video without editing the audio 1.

I'd like to see features around customing the Flash FLV - TOC interface. I can now do some in the config.xml file. It would be nice to be able to customize the TOC colors, font, the interface border and possibly add a logo to the interface right from within Camtasia.
Thanks

More PIP presets! We need the option to place the PIP video window on the upper right and the slides on the left. This would save us lots of time explaining to meeting staff why the podium needs to be moved across the stage! Presenters turn to look at their slides. Let's have them looking the right way in the archived Flash. Thanks.

I would love to be able to batch several different productions from the one projet file. That is output a cd, web and iTunes version from the one file via the batch production command.

Cheers,

Philip

NEED AN INTEGRATED SPELL CHECKER

Have at least two additional audio tracks in addition to the original video/audio

The ability to import .flv files

Use of video cameras for picture-in-picture recording

HAVE number of SnagIt features (darken outer area, fade-edge effect) that would be NICE to USE IN Camtasia). AS WELL AS THE STAMPS

I'd like to see features around customizing the Flash FLV - TOC interface. I can now do some in the config.xml file. It would be nice to be able to customize the TOC colors, font, the interface border and possibly add a logo to the interface right from within Camtasia.

THANKS TECHSMITH AND TO ALL YOUR STAFF FOR A GREAT PRODUCT

I would like to be able to edit my .mp4 avchd H.264 files that I shoot with my Sanyo HD1000. They are shot in 1080i 60 fps.

Thanks,

Chris

Sound - the ability to add background music to match the actual scene length, as in Cyberlink PowerDirector (SmartSound)

Hi Guys,

I'd like to see support for uploading mpeg2 video files. I shot some video using a new Sony video cam, expecting to edit the results in Camtasia. But I was suprised to find out that MPEG2 is not supported. I'm told that most of the newest camcorders use this format.

Bill

5.0 is a great upgrade to an already fine product.

I was a bit disappointed not to see a small feature requested earlier not implemented. When adjusting the clip speed, it would be VERY useful to be able to directly enter the final running time rather that the % change in the clip speed. That way, if I need a sequence to fit in exactly 15.5 seconds, I don't have to fiddle around with the percentages. Also, sometimes a 999% increase in running speed is not sufficient.

Keep up the great work!

I think that I shall never see,
Camtasia with a track number three.
Visuals and VOs take the first two,
Leaving no room for music...what shall I do?
As such, dear friends, I hope you'll append,
A third track and bring this plea to an end.

[With apologies to Ogden Nash]

Under the hood, I would like to see Camtasia optimized to take advantage of CPU hyperthreading and multiple processors. Sony Vegas Studio has done this, and the rendering time for comparable videos is noticeably snappier.

1. Import SWF files.

2. When recording, it would be nice to have an option to terminate the recording automatically if there is no activity for XX minutes......to eliminate need to monitor when recording ends or eliminate need to edit out dead air time at the end of the recording.

Thanks.

I'd really like to see more flexibility with the PIP track. I'd like to record tracks (not just my face, thank you) in .camrec and place them into the PIP track. A Powerpoint presentation is the perfect thing to have in a PIP track.

Thanks for all of your hard work!

Yes:
1) At least one more stereo audio track would do a lot.

and 2) I need to import MPEG2 files, too! (They way I import now is exporting as a VCD through Nero, and it only goes to 320x240!)

Thanks,
Rick

Thanks everyone for the additional suggestions.

I'll try to respond to everyone in turn.

1. Use Camtasia like Jing. (Christof)
Christoff, it sounds like you'd like a faster workflow. Why not just use Jing? What's missing in Jing? By the way, Jing will have FTP output option coming in a couple of weeks.

2. Extra Audio Tracks (Ron)
Hi Ron, good news. CS 5.1 (coming first half of next year) will make possible to separate Audio 1 from Video 1 and edit it independently. We should have a 3rd audio track there as well. We're redoing a ton of the audio and video framework inside of CS, so an equalizer and full control over tracks and muting will have to wait for subsequent releases.

3. Editing Closed Captioning (Elaine)
Elaine, I'm sorry for the frustration. We'll be opening up more control over text and captions in subsequent releases as we rewrite much of the editor. You'll see hints of it in the Mac version of Camtasia first.

4. Manual Panning in Recorder (Bob)
Bob, cool idea, but I don't think this one is going to make the cut. We are going to be adding more of our future development on the smarts of SmartFocus and likely not improve Zooming in Recorder. Sorry. I wish I had a better answer for you, but I'd rather be up front with you.

5. Import FLVs (Steve)
Hi Steve, thanks for the request. We don't get this one very often. Are there others interested in this?

6. Scrolling Credits (Elie)
Elie, thanks for the suggestion. Similar to the editing of closed captioning, we'll be providing more control over text and titles in forthcoming releases. But it will take a bit as we we rewire the code to provide greater stability and control for these kinds of features.

7. Camera Recordings (Hans)
Hallo Hans, thanks for the taking the time to rewrite. I completely agree. The webcam requirement is nuisance. We'll see what we can do to give you Firewire capture capabilities in future releases -- and help you keep em in synch.
Mac version: you'll definitely have the firewire capability on the mac platform b/c its natively supported by the OS.
By the way, if you're using MediaSite to automate the PowerPoint capturing, you might want to check out our forthcoming Camtasia Relay Server which will do the encoding and publishing for you. You'll hear more about it next year.

8. Callouts, Zooms, Audio, Shortcuts, A1/V1 (Ed)
Hi Ed. Good stuff, let me take a stab at each.
a) We're adding a spotlight callout in CS 5.1 for you. Coming first half of next year.
b) I checked out your video example, but I don't understand the comment about one video versus two. Feel free to explain it here or send me a line at t stein techsmith com. Sorry for the weird way of typing my email. Just trying to keep the spam bots off my back.
c) Controlling track volume automatically, will be prototyped first on the mac version, then you'll see it on the Windows side.
d) keyboard shortcuts. Definitely in the plans. We'll get there.
e) Modify Video and Audio separately. coming in 5.1, in the first half of next year.

9. Cropping the Video (Damir)
Hi Damir, thanks for the request. Until we have a real cropping mechanism, you can try the SmartFocus in CS 5, which automatically crops the video around the area of greatest activity.

10. Customizing the FLV - TOC (Jeff)
Jeff, great suggestions. We're experimenting with some ways to do that. For now, our Sr. Flash Developer, Brooks Andrus, put together a cool screencast explaining how to do it manually:
http://www.brooksandrus.com/screencasts/esconfighacking/

11. Audio, Locking Clips, Clip Bin (Alastair)
a) Hi Alastair, thanks for the details on your audio work. CS 5.1 should do the trick for you, as it will have additional audio tracks.
b) Better audio control will be coming in forthcoming releases for sure.
c) Same with the locking or grouping clips. We're working on that right now, as we redesign much of the code for CS to provide you greater control. Like I mentioned before, we're rewriting this code in cross-platform approach to provide Mac and CS functionality. You'll eventually see it on both platforms.
d) Good suggestion on making the clip bin more collapsable.
In general, we are working on making CS to work much more like a Non-linear editor. We're revisiting a lot of the assumptions that we're made in previous versions and finding the need to rewire a number of features. We're pretty sure you'll be happy with the results. It will be a fun couple of major releases for CS going forward.

12. PiP Presets (Bob)
Great suggestion, Bob! We're calling these "video compositions." We're chatting about various approches to this. We'll see what we can do for you.

13. Batch (Philip)
Hi Philip, you should be able to batch one project to multiple destinations. Just add the same project or file multiple times and then choose to use a different production preset for each file.

14. Spell Checker, FLV, Camera, Spotlight, FLV customization (Philip A)
Good suggestion, Bob. Here's some highlights:
a) Spell Checker. Good suggestion, Bob
b) FLV import. This one's a little tricky. We're starting with MOV import in CS 5.1.
c) Camera support. We'll see what we can do with Firewire video capture. Something we're working on for the Mac version and plan on having it in subsequent version of CS for Windows, too.
d) Darken out background. We're doing this for 5.1. Calling it a spotlight callout.
e) FLV customization. Here's a good place to start: http://www.brooksandrus.com/screencasts/esconfighacking/

15. Second Audio Track (Bob K)
Hi Bob, we have a second audio track, but we're adding a third one in CS 5.1 coming in the first half of next year.

16. Decouple Audio / Video (Nelson)
Thanks Nelson! You'll have it 5.1!

17. Edit MP4 files (Chris)
Lucky guy, Chris. I'd love to have an HD1000! We'll have the ability to edit MOV files in CS 5.1. I *believe* this includes H264 files. I'll double check and let you know. Either way, 5.1 (coming in first half of 08) should be a good step forward for us both.

18. SmartSound (Graham)
Hi Graham. I really like SmartSound. Its cool stuff! We'll add it to our to-do list!

19. Jump to Frame/Time (David S)
Hi David. Thanks for sending this. It sounds a bit more like a bug. I'll pass it onto our QA staff to check out.

20. MenuMaker DVD (David M)
Hi David, we investigated this and spent a fair bit of research on it, but then we backed of it, when we saw that a bunch of versions of Vista had DVD menuing and burning built into it. So we backed off of it, as we thought this might be something best done by the OS in the future.

21. Support for MPEG2 Videos (Bill G)
Great suggestion Bill. We'll add it to our to-do list!

22. Visual Clip Speed changes (Andrew)
Hi Andrew. Great suggestion. And duly noted. We're working on a related issue for CS Mac and Windows, which is to make the clip-speed changes a real-time effect, so you don't have to produce the video to see the changes.

23. Audio 3 (Paul H)
Bonus points for Paul for the sweet rhymes. You got it! Coming in 5.1.

24. Report Viewing (Maria)
Hi Maria, great suggestion. It sounds like you must be using a Learning Management System to manage whose viewing your videos. We'll add this to our to-do list.

25. Multi-CPU (Marty)
Good suggestion, Marty. We've got it in our plans. Not slated for a specific release, just yet.

26. Import SWF, Auto-End recording (Bruce J)
Hi Bruce. Thanks! Importing SWF is a cool idea, as is the auto-end recording. We'll add em to our list of feature requests.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions! We've got a great ride ahead of us all in the next couple of releases, starting with 5.1 next year. Looking forward enjoying the ride together!

Troy Stein
Camtasia Studio Product Manager

Greg,

You're right. Our Audio Editor is really weak.

We're actually rewriting the audio and video editing in CS as we speak. It will be a long process, but we are looking at such tools as Sony Vegas and other NLE's to get a better bearing on how real editors work.

We'll get there over the next couple of releases. You'll see the prototype of our editing changes in the Mac version of Camtasia late next year.

Warm regards,

Troy Stein
Camtasia Studio Product Manager

Please can we use HTML in callouts? The current RTF editor is very clunky and I usually end up pasting from my own RTF editor. HTML formatting, tables, backgrounds, etc., would be a big improvement. Ideally working hyperlinks to open the user's browser too (if necessary only while paused).

I know we can have hotspot hyperlinks in Flash, but I'm using AVIs in the Camtasia Player. The ultra-reliable Camtasia Player is one of the best bits of Camtasia. But it doesn't seem to have changed at all in recent versions -- the controls look a bit old-hat. Any changes planned?

My camera records as .mov files when they are uploaded on my pc.
I would like you to make them importable media so I don't have to convert them.

Hi Martin and Jan

Martin: Very interesting suggestion. It sounds like you're trying to control the font, characters, etc of the text in the callout. Is that right? Feel free to post more details here. Or better yet, post a screencast explaining it visually. :-)

Jan: Good news! You'll be able to edit MOV files on the timeline of CS 5.1 coming in the first half of next year.

Troy Stein
Camtasia Product Manager

Hi CS team

nice upgrade to v5, thanks for the work done to here. A couple of things I can suggest.

More control on the transition fade-in-out effects for callouts. This means I have default length fades - but I want it more like the new zoom-pan slide bar controls.

More control on the length of transitions - currently 1-5 seconds in whole numbers - but again I want it more like the zoom-pan controls.

Increment cursor frame FWD-REV (perhaps type in the frame number?) - currently default moves x3 frames. This means I sometime have flashframes when I'd prefer not.

Other things look like you've heard - keep at it. Respect.

We use Camtasia in a university, so we love the quiz feature. However, could the quiz score reporting function be changed so that it doesn't require a default mail client (in other words, have it be more like a form that is submitted, where users add their email address and just click send)? A lot of students only have web-based email accounts, and the mailto: function doesn't work automatically with these accounts.

Also, could the html-embedded flash player be made keyboard accessible? We're required by state law and university mandate to provide accessible content, and right now embedded flash movies aren't accessible.

It would be great if we could change the style of the interface more easily for branding reasons. Better yet if we could create our own templates and have the m appear in the Flash Templates drop down list during publishing that would be fantastic.

Currently I'm trying to figure out how to work with the template.html file and the config.xml files to do this by bruit force.

Any suggestions?

Firstly I'd like to say how much I have enjoyed using CS. I used version 4 and now 5. Good smooth but with a big problem, yes the Audio going out of sync. After numerous attempts to create a tutorial, (the reason I purchased) I have had to re record in 2 minute sections or it goes out of sync. Is there a fix or do I roll back to CS4, if so what are the financial implications?? Please is there a fix, my schedule is now over a week behind. HELP PLEASE

We've been using CS since version love all the new functionality.

I second the motion though to have the test scores emailed from the web server as opposed to a local email client. Giving the end user the ability to modify their scores is pretty useless.

Thanks!

Hello,

here are my preferences:
1. Mac version
2. Ability to produce MP4 and Flash with H.264 (for the Flash Player Update 3)
3. Express show looks great, but it is SWF only. Why don't you enable to same look and feel for FLV (TOC with image, nice video thumbnail etc.)?
4. Better audio enhancements, which doesn't decrease the quality of the sound so much
5. More great-looking video players

#2 is must-have. There are other video and audio editing programs, but only Camtasia could produce Flash and MP4 with H.264.

1. Video motion to continue during transitions. At the moment the motion freezes until the transition is complete and looks stunted. Need to switch to Premiere Pro to get this effect.
2. Control background colour on transitions (e.g. want white background on flip)
3. An extra video track and allow unlinking audio1 from video track.
4. A stable audio editor (cutting sections often crashes).
5. Better noise reduction in audio (like Adobe Audition).
6. Add keyframe in produced video at marker location so TOC is more accurate.
7. Disable project settings dialog when adding first clip.
8. Tranparency in captions (alpha channel)
9. Sure I'll think of some more...!

flv import please!

Importing FLV would be great, pleaseeeee :-)