I reviewed the tool screencast-o-matic for use with my attempt at animation of a how a healthy artery gets diseased by poor food choices. Then I created a second animation for reversing this damage with healthy foods.
The screencast o matic allowed me to add voice to a Publisher diagram of an artery with clipart. I spoke as I moved clipart around. It was simple once I understood that I needed to create the Publisher document first then open the tool and click and drag the tool box around the document. Then I hit record and save. That’s it.
The hard part was number one, the volume. It sounds like I’m talking in a big bowl. And when I listened without the headphones, even with the volume all the way up, it was difficult to hear. Number two, if you hover over a piece of clipart, it shows the outline of the item. But I suppose I could live with that.
Thirdly, with the free version of screencast o matic, the program will only save your last recording. So when you do a second recording, the first one is lost. In order to save more than one recording, you need to save it to your desktop. To save them in screencast o matic, you must purchase the PRO version.
Lastly, I’m not sure if it’s a detriment or a bonus, but the free version only records up to 15 minutes. That’s great if you want to keep it short and fun and engage audiences. But it’s really hard when you are trying to tell a complicated story like reversing arterial disease. It would take some strategic editing.
I didn’t use a script (OBVIOUSLY) and I would recommend that. But try using a script when you’re also trying to drag clipart around the screen and avoid distractions!! It’s a juggling act which apparently takes plenty of practice to look professional.
Very nice review Stephanie, and great graphics! Since SC-O-M is a screen capture system, it will see whatever happens as you work on your screen, hence the outline of selected objects shows up, since you are actively editing the PowerPoint (or is that some other program?). The only way around that is to completely animate the PPT and then play it as you record with SC-o-M and add your narration.
Yes, the audio is hard to understand and ultimately fatiguing to try to listen to. You can improve the sound quality by getting a better mic (rather than using your PC’s built-in mic…I’m assuming that’s what you did?) You might want to consider the Samson Meteor. Another option is a good USB headset with mic. You’ll want to spend at least $50 to get something good. The problem might also be with SC-o-M if you are suffering from a slow Internet connection. I’ll play with it myself and see what I get. If SC-o-M works well for you, maybe purchasing the premium version is a reasonable step. Don’t know what it costs, though 🙂
Thanks for the audio tips, Jeff. The pro version of Screencast-O-Matic is $15 per year; this is quite a modest cost for anyone who regularly uses this popular tool. See http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/gopro.