Using Windows Live Movie Maker

Windows Live Movie Maker is a free piece of software which is useful for basic video editing. It is not installed by default with Windows 7 but can be downloaded. This document is a brief outline of the main functions.

Using Movie Maker (PDF, 769KB)

Encoding Sizes and Aspect Ratios

Using Smart Recorder to create Screencasts

Smart Notebook is a free piece of software which accompanies the Smart Sympodiums that have been installed in the mid-sized and large VC rooms throughout the network. One of its functions is audio and screen recording so it is useful for preparing screencasts.

Creating Screencasts using Smart Notebook (PDF, 269KB)

 

Screen video recorders

The following are free screen recorders which produce video at pretty good quality.  They don't have a video editor though so you would need to use something like Windows Live Movie Maker if you needed to edit.

Jing

Camstudio

 

ActivePresenter

ActivePresenter is quite like Powerpoint in one sense but it does have a screen recorder so that you could record desktop activity and save it as a video for uploading to the Helix Media Library.  Having recorded your screencast, ActivePresenter goes straight into its own editor and it has a good range of functions including Closed Captions, annotations, zoom-n-pan, as well as the basic video editing functions.  Did I mention it's free?