Camtasia Video Editor Review

If you are planning to record your screen and create a tutorial video, you will need a screen recording application. After capturing your video, you need to edit your videos so that you can remove unnecessary parts and add texts and titles wherever necessary. You will need a video editor with screen recorder, and Camtasia video editor is a suitable choice.

Camtasia lets you capture your gameplay as well as create software demo videos. You can choose from video templates and themes to create professional-quality videos as per your requirements. You can add transitions, effects, and annotations to make the videos attractive and engaging. But is Camtasia editor really the best one or is there a better alternative available? Find out from our Camtasia review.

Part 1. How to Download and Install Camtasia?

TechSmith Camtasia is compatible with both Windows 10 or above and Mac 10.14 or above. Camtasia is not a lightweight video editor as it demands 8GB of RAM. As far as the processor goes, it requires at least a 6th Gen Core i3 processor or M1 Apple processor. Therefore, if you have a low-end computer, you may experience lag and crash.

Camtasia is a premium video editor, and you can download its free trial version before opting for its premium version. The price plans differ for individuals, businesses, education, and government organizations. Here are the steps to download and install Camtasia free trial version.

Step 1: Open the web browser on your computer and visit “www.techsmith.com/download/camtasia”.

Step 2: Click on Windows Download or Mac Download as per your operating system.

Step 3: Wait for some time for the installer software to get downloaded. Thereafter, click on the installer file to install Camtasia following the on-screen instructions.

Step 4: After installation, launch Camtasia and click on New Recording option to capture your screen. If you want to edit an existing video, you need to click on New Project option.

Step 5: If you have clicked on New Recording option, you will get a widget where you need to select your screen to start capturing. You can also select external webcam and microphone. Once you are ready to recording, Click on Rec red button.

Part 2. Key Features of Camtasia

Camtasia is a versatile video editor that competes with all the premium video editors in the market. Hence, there is no dearth of features and functionalities in Camtasia editor, and we are going to highlight the key features that you should be aware of.

Recording – Camtasia lets you capture your screen with webcam video easily. You can also record system audio as well as external mic audio. This is useful in recording gameplay with live reaction, tutorial, and training videos as well as presentation videos. You can capture any specific region of the screen as well as use greenscreen effect for webcam videos.

Templates – Camtasia is tailor-made for creating video tutorials, how-to videos, software demo videos, presentation and instructional videos, and training videos. This is why it comes with video templates that users can use immediately to create any specific type of video instantly. In fact, you can customize these templates and create your own theme so that the videos get personalized branding.

Presets and Transitions – There are loads of presents and transitions that you can include in your video to uplift the video content and quality. You can also create custom styles and configure them for regular use in your videos. Transitions are extremely useful to avoid pauses and put them in between slides.

PowerPoint Integration – You can turn your slides on PowerPoint into video instantly with Camtasia. Camtasia comes with PowerPoint integration through which you can import slides in Camtasia and create a video out of it with transitions and other effects. Alternatively, you can record your presentation in PowerPoint in video format.

Annotations and Interactivity – Camtasia lets you create videos where the viewers can interact and take actions. There are options for callouts, quizzes, textboxes, and much more so that the viewers can engage themselves in the video. Besides, you can use arrows, shapes, and other objects to highlight parts in your video for better explanation.

Audio and Cursor Effects – Camtasia has a wide range of audio effects that you apply to your audio recordings or import audio files. Besides, there are options for background noise removal, adjusting gain and pitch, compression, and emphasize. Similarly, you can highlight your cursor movement, spotlight the area as well as magnify when required.

Part 3. How to Edit Videos with Camtasia?

Camtasia is essentially a video editor where you can all types of videos as per your requirements. Camtasia has a robust timeline where you can import different types of video and audio files and arrange them sequentially. You can have multiple layers on top of another such as texts, shapes, photos, voiceover, and other media files as required. Camtasia has a powerful canvas where you can preview your edited video as well as resize and rotate the edited video. Here are the steps to edit videos with Camtasia.

Step 1: Open Camtasia and click on New Project. Sign into your Camtasia account to start editing your recorded video.

Step 2: Go to Media and click on Import Media. Import all the media files starting from video clips to audio clips and even photos.

Step 3: From Media Bin, drag and drop the media files to the timeline. Keep the video files in one track, audio files in another track, and likewise. Arrange them properly so that they are placed sequentially. You can trim them directly from the timeline and stretch the music file to cover the entire video as required.

Step 4: Go to Annotation to add shapes, texts, arrows, and callouts. Go to Transitions and drag and drop transitions of your choice in between video clips on the timeline as you think perfect.

Step 5: Go to Audio Effects to enhance the audio of the video. Moreover, you can check and apply animations, behaviors(text effects), cursor effects, visual effects as well as interactivity as you think relevant.

Step 6: On the canvas, check out how your edited video looks like. Once you are satisfied, click on Export button to save the video on your hard drive.

Part 4. Camtasia Alternative to Edit Videos

There are various reasons why people look for a better alternative to Camtasia after trying out its free trial. First of all, you need a high-end computer for Camtasia to run smoothly. Second, there are limited effects and animations available for a premium video editor. Users have also reported crashes and bugs while editing high-resolution videos. We recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best alternative to Camtasia edit video.

Filmora is a premium video editor with video capturing option just like Camtasia. Filmora scores over Camtasia as it has minimum system requirements, and there are loads of visual and audio effects including the trending ones. Besides, there are stock media files that you can include in your video. Moreover, Filmora supports more file formats for importing and exporting. Here are the steps to edit videos on Filmora.

Step 1: Download and install Filmora on your computer. Filmora is available for Windows and Mac.

Step 2: Launch Filmora and click on New Project. Drag and drop all your media files into Project Media folder.

Step 3: Drag and place the video files one by one on the timeline as per your requirements. Place audio files in the same way on a different track.

Step 4: Go to Transitions located at the top bar and drag and drop any transition in between video clips and photos wherever required. You can also insert Titles, Effects, and Elements from the top bar.

Step 5: Go to Audio located at the top bar, and drag and drop audio effects on the audio files on the timeline. You can also check the Stock Media and use them in your video as required.

Step 6: Play the video once everything is done, and click on Export button to save the video file on your hard drive.

Further reading:

Part 5. FAQs about Camtasia

1. Can I use Camtasia for free?

You can download the free trial version of Camtasia and use it for a limited number of days. The free version has all the features unlocked, but the output video will have Camtasia watermark.

2. Is Camtasia good for video editing?

Camtasia is good for video editing if your video belongs to training and tutorial videos. There are templates and annotations available that are tailor-made to edit how-to videos and add interactivity for the viewers. However, for an all-rounder video editor, we recommend Filmora over Camtasia.

3. How do I trim a video in Camtasia?

Once your import the video and place it on the timeline, use green and red to select the part that you want to trim. Once the selection is done, click on Cut(scissor) icon. The portion will be cut, and you can paste it anywhere if required. Lastly, join the parts of the video on the timeline after trimming any part out.

4. Can I record my screen with Camtasia?

Yes, Camtasia allows you to record your screen, webcam, or both simultaneously. You can also capture system audio or record your own voiceover. This feature is useful for creating tutorials, demos, or presentations.

5. How do I export my videos from Camtasia?

Once you have finished editing your videos, you can export them in various formats, such as MP4, WMV, MOV, and AVI. Camtasia also allows you to customize the video settings, such as resolution, frame rate, and bitrate. You can also upload your videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, or Screencast.com from Camtasia.