Likelihood to Recommend As I mentioned earlier, it's best used for "presentations," rather than bona fide "training." That's why we tend to use it when the information is relatively simple and/or doesn't need to be fully internalized or mastered (which would require providing opportunities for practice and feedback and a more engaging, interactive learning experience). However, it can be used as part of a blended-learning solution, with some information provided via an Adobe Presenter module first, and then some kind of instructor-led session as a follow-up, which would include more role-specific info, as well as practice and feedback opportunities. Also, as I mentioned earlier, Adobe Presenter Video Express is great for creating quick overview demos about a new system -- more of a "see what it can do" type thing than a "here's how you do it" thing (unless the "it" is very simple and the video is used more as a microlearning/performance support type of offering).
Read full review Camtasia is so easy to use that I recommend it over Adobe Premiere, Captivate, Storyline, and other tools. The only problem is the price. Due to the fact that I purchased this for education purposes, and educational prices have gone up exponentially, it has been difficult even at $179 to upgrade, as an educator and the organization is not always willing to reimburse the purchase, it would have been more economical. It was less than $100 (Black Friday) when I bought our updated version in 2019. Camtasia profile accounts aren't the best setup, however. My profile account does not reflect when I was a user or show past invoices, and I wanted to see how long ago I was a user.
Read full review Pros Because it integrates with PowerPoint, it is possible to go from planning outline to storyboard to final output withing a single document and as part of a seamless and logical design process. Its ability to create videos that capture screens along with web-cam recordings, then edit them within the solution means higher level training recordings can be created versus, say a recorded WebEx training session. Presenter's ability to create quiz elements similar to Adobe Captivate, add interactions, and interface with Adobe's LMS means it is capable of functioning as a complete e-learning development environment. . If up front cost is a consideration, Presenter wins hands down over many better known training development and e-learning solutions. Ronald Ray Sr. Instructional Designer, Training Coordinator and Client Services Manager
Read full review Very intuitive controls. You don't need to be a pro at video editing Seamless control of assets (separates video from still images) Great library of annotations and gestures Easy to integrate audio/video edits Custom formats that suit my needs (web, mobile, tablets) Read full review Cons E learning news server could be more intuitive Numerical indicator for updates is confusing Organization of updates could be better organized Read full review USB Microphones can sometimes cause a problem if they become accidentally unplugged during a recording session. This can corrupt some of the files that the Camtasia Recorder application uses to capture directly to .avi mode. You'll sometimes get a message when you next try to record that .avi mode isn't available and the only way to fix this is by completely uninstalling and reinstalling Camtasia (with a reboot in the middle of these two actions). This bug only manifested after Camtasia 8 was released, but still seems to cause an issue right up to and including Camtasia 2021. I'd like to see more standard Annotation options. The existing ones are pretty good, but variety is a little lacking. More 'Behaviours' would also be really welcome as these are a great feature and make Callouts a bit more interesting and lively. I've not seen any new Behaviours over the past few versions (since Camtasia 2018). Read full review Likelihood to Renew My company is pretty invested in the Adobe ecosystem and is unlikely to change that in the foreseeable future. Also, Adobe Presenter is a very valuable tool and, with the new subscription model and the pricing we have, a relatively modest expense now. It's also fairly easy to learn and use, so it is starting to spread beyond the sphere of the various Learning & Development departments.
Read full review Each release of Camtasia has added just enough functionality to justify the upgrade to the new version. I like that Camtasia is not a subscription-based product as we have more flexibility and control over our spend on the product. We can also purchase support packages that include the next version when released.
Read full review Usability It is easy to learn and use, but is frustrating if you begin to run into error messages concerning Flash as you are in the publishing stage.
Read full review I haven't used another video recording and editing tools that is as comprehensive and straight-forward as Camtasia. Typically, if you want a user-friendly video editing tools for novice users, you have to compromise on features. Camtasia solves this problem by offering extensive editing features in a simplistic, user-friendly environment. Highly recommend
Read full review Reliability and Availability It is easy to access since it is an added tool to the Powerpoint program. We have not had complaints from faculty members regarding not having it available when they need it.
Read full review Performance Due to the aforementioned issues with Flash, it can be discouraging to get to the publishing stage and begin receiving error messages. Once we are able to move past that issue, we have great success with the performance of Adobe Presenter.
Read full review Support Rating I think I pretty much answered this earlier....premium support is extremely expensive and online support can be difficult to navigate. Although, to be fair, when it comes to Presenter (compared to, say, Captivate), there isn't too frequent a need for support, since Presenter is a rather simple tool to use
Read full review With the latest version (Camtasia 2020), I actually had problems with an Imac with HighSierra, but from the first moment they answered and guided me to solve the problem, even before making the purchase (with some doubts I had). And they have support in English and Spanish, I really liked that.
Read full review Alternatives Considered LMS365 and Adobe Presenter are not that much different, the major issue that we faced with LMS was that we had to integrate that with the SharePoint, for accessibility and that cases whole lot of confusions and keeping things clean as SharePoint was being used for file store and sharing within the company. Moving to Adobe Presenter was taken as it was independent platform and didn't have any dependency.
Read full review I've tried several freeware recorders, too. If all you want to do is literally record your screen, and nothing else, you don't need Camtasia. There are literally dozens of apps that will do that. If you want an app that will record your screen while capturing mouse clicks, follow you, record your voice while you capture, and annotate when you're done, Camtasia has no equal. Plus, it doesn't stop there. You can add professional intros and outros (many already created to choose from), lower thirds, etc., leading to videos with very high production value. This is THE program to buy if you want to produce training videos of very high quality.
Read full review Scalability The program still seems to rely heavily on Adobe Flash even though the online community is moving away from it. When publishing, users will experience error messages regarding Flash, which can make it difficult to complete your work.
Read full review Return on Investment It will be safe to say that overall impact had been positive in regards to ROI Training costs have been reduced by a huge margin since we started using this tool. Time consumed in training staff is also decreased, as with Adobe Presenter training can be done remotely and are able to train different groups at the same time. Read full review Many faculty members used it because it was easy to use and accomplish what they needed. No need for a lot of training or follow-up training due to it being very to use. Account management within our system and assigning permissions required a few steps when granting access. Read full review ScreenShots