Camtasia 2021: Review & “Get Started” Guide

Whether you’re editing videos for the first time or are a professional, Camtasia has you covered. 

Camtasia (formerly Camtasia Studio) is a Techsmith software package for making video tutorials and demonstrations directly from a screencast or a direct recording plug-in for Microsoft PowerPoint. Audio or other digital recordings may be made simultaneously or independently from another source.

It is robust, easy to learn, rich in functionality, and affordable all the same time. The screen recording feature offered by Camtasia is top-notch and unrivaled in the market currently.

What can Camtasia 2021 Upgrade do for you?

Every year, around springtime, Techsmith launches new versions of their apps, and this year: Camtasia 2021 is released on 27th April 2021.

This update has several new elements, features, enhancements, and interface adjustments. A few camtasia users have indeed demanded a few of the features for a long time.

What you will get in the 2021 version:

• Camtasia 2021’s Media Matte Visual Effect gives masks (hidden parts) more mobility without the need for Track Mattes.
• You can select from 75 new video transformations in Camtasia, which are organized by category.
• It has a new startup screen.
• Its redesigned screen recorder interface has removed some options and menus.
• It makes it simple to add a motion blur effect to an animated picture.
• You can create suitable proxy videos in the media bin itself to enjoy a smoother editing experience. 
• It allows you to round the corners of clips and objects.
• When you create a group, you can edit it in a new tabbed panel.
• In Camtasia 2021, users can resize the track header in the Timeline.
• The timeline toolbar has a keyboard shortcut for adding exported frames.
• Quick Properties can be applied to objects, annotations, and they can also be used to construct fillable fields.
• In the newer version’s Preferences, you can set default timings for Placeholders.
• Many users demanded an audio level meter, which is now available in Camtasia.
• Auto-normalization will now be allowed on each audio clip, not just project-wide.
• With auto-emphasize and auto-ducking, you can make one audio clip play loudly while the sound of other audio clips can be reduced.

Camtasia 2021 features

There are a lot of features that you can have in Camtasia. Let’s see what it has to offer: 

Record screen and Camera

Your entire computer screen can be captured and recorded using Camtasia. Alternatively, you can choose from a variety of screen sizes, including widescreen 1080p HD (1920×1080). You may even take a screenshot of only a part of your phone. Simply draw a grid around the details you want to keep records on, and only the data contained inside the grid will be saved.

Camtasia seems to have a unique screen recorder. Some of the choices that you had with the previous recorder appear to have gone.

Four different panels are included in the 2021 version. They’re a little bigger, and you can easily customize the recording area, switch on and off the monitor, and activate the Microphone and System Audio from the Capture menu in the right side corner of the screen.

Effects-Media Matte

Camtasia 2021 also has the media matte effect, which is a fun visual cue. So, go to Visual Effects and look for Media Matte. The media matte then functions in accordance with another element that you put over your clip.

If you go to annotation and choose to use a pattern, such as a circle, you place it on top of your clip on a different track. You would have to go through many steps with the track mattes if you expected your video to be visible all the way around the inside of this formation, like a circle of video in a circle.

This is now really simple to do with Camtasia 2021’s Media Matte Visual Effects, and you won’t need to change your tracks. Simply go to Visual Effects, choose Media Matte, and apply it to the object you choose to use as a mask.

Motion Blur

You can have this motion blur effect on your clip if you go to visual effects and choose it. You just use it on your clip, not on your animation. As a result, it refers to the whole clip. This gives it a natural movement effect, and it works for images as well.

The pace of your animation affects the motion blur effect in Camtasia 2021. When you shorten the animation, the blur effect becomes more prominent. The longer the blur effect lasts, the quicker you pass your items on video. As a result, you’ll get a cool, realistic effect.

Editing Proxy Videos

Another excellent addition that many Camtasia forum users wished for was the ability to generate proxy videos, mainly for performance purposes. As video clips get larger and larger with ever-increasing resolutions, most video editing software now has this function.

The proxy is a lower-resolution version of your main clip that is directly linked within the timeline. You can then preview, modify, add effects, and do whatever you want with it. It will run seamlessly before you’re ready to export, and it will export with real high-resolution images. As a result, you’ll be able to edit even more rapidly in the presence of this. 

If you have clips on your timeline and wish to use the proxy function, simply find the files in the media bin, pick the video file, right-click it, and select Proxy video > Create proxy video from the menu.

It’ll just take a few moments. It goes by pretty fast. Each clip’s progress bar can be seen as it is formed. Now the Now a little yellow circle goes with the proxy video. Also displays the same clip on the timeline, which has the circle next to the video icon.

New Organized Scene Transitions

So, before you start a new project, go to the sidebar and choose Transitions. If you load some media, you’ll see that there are a lot of transitions there. It’s almost impossible to look through them.

But now, you can sort them in Camtasia 2021 by transformation type, such as 3D, blurs, divisions, fades, and many more. So at the very least, you could filter them down.

Aside from that, the latest transitions are identical to the previous ones. Everything you have to do is drag them between the two clips, and you’ll be finished. 

Audio Level Meter

Another feature that certain Camtasia users have mentioned is using an audio level meter.

As a result, you can have it now in Camtasia 2021.

If you play an audio file, the meter in the right corner of the screen will appear, and it will be very clear whether the volume is too low or too high, and if you tap on that, a panel with the audio meter will also appear.

Corner Rounding

Corner rounding will now be applied to video clips and items on Camtasia 2021.

There you go-to visual effects, and right here is corner rounding.

You will drag this to the top of the clip on the timeline and adjust the radius of the rounding in the properties on the right-hand side. They’re equal on all four corners so that you can toggle these corners on and off.

You can also just round two corners, one corner, or however you want.

If you place this clip on top of another clip, you’ll see that the corners around it are visible too. As a result, you will layer the video on top of another to keep the rounding running.

Pros of Camtasia 2021

• It’s ideal for screen capture and voice recording.
• A plethora of assets (transitions, graphics, intros, and outros) are used, reducing processing time and production value.
• Annotations (callouts, arrows, lower thirds) are easy to apply to the clip.
• The program’s user-friendly interface conceals a lot of control, giving you a lot of versatility and features as your needs change.

Cons of Camtasia 2021

• Camtasia seems to struggle with large videos, particularly those with multiple tracks, at times. When attempting to move a track, it would sometimes freeze, making it difficult to position it precisely where you wanted it.
• There have been a few occasions where uploading huge videos has caused the software to become unresponsive.
• Wish the audio controls were a bit more granular, but that’s a slight quibble given how much the app offers for the price.

Get started with Camtasia →

Camtasia Tutorials

How to record, edit, and share a video? 

1. You will find a record button located in the top right corner inside the tools panel of the editor.
   
   
2. This feature is by default set to capture everything that goes on within your screen. It can also record your webcam, microphone, and system audio. You can use the toggle button in the case of Mac and the down arrow for Windows to choose the option you prefer.
   
   
3. To start recording your screen, click on the Record button. 
4. In Windows, when you finish recording, click on the stop button. You can pause the recording or delete it to re-record using the pause and delete options, respectively. For Mac, you can find these options when you click on the Camtasia icon. 
5. To trim your recording to cut off the unnecessary recorded parts, drag the end of the clip “in” and restore it by reversing the action. The edits made on the Timeline do not affect the original recording stored inside the media bin. 
6. Select the green handle on the play-head and click on the scissor icon to cut the area from the recording.
   
7. The Export button located in the editor will help you share your recordings.
   

How to Zoom and Pan with Animations?

1. You can add animations from the tools panel. To zoom your animation, click and drag the Scale-up tool. Click on the playhead to preview your animation.
   
   
2. Camtasia lets you customize, zoom. To direct the zoom occurrence, select, and drag the animation arrow. To zoom, select the clip and make sure it is after the animation along with the playhead. Adjust the scale given in the properties panel to zoom and reposition.
   
   
3. To pan a video, drag the custom animation to the desired location. Then, re-configure the screen recording.
   
   
4. Always keep the playhead at the end of the clip to change how it looks after zooming or paning and vice versa. 

How to Add Annotations in Videos?

1. To add an annotation, you can drag it to the canvas from the tools panel.
   
   
2. Double-clicking the annotation, it will enable you to change the text. 
3. You can adjust the properties of annotations like the font, background color, etc… from the properties panel.
   
   
4. Click and drag handles to change the size, position, or rotate the annotation. 

How to do Basic Video Editing?

1. Videos on Camtasia are created on the timeline and move in sequential order from left to right. The timeline is arranged in layers called tracks, where media on the top layer covers the layers below it.
   
   
2. Canvas enables you to preview the work as you do it. It is the area where you can customize the size, position, and rotation of the content.
   
   
3. To remove unwanted content, select it using the playhead and click on cut. To replace the content with a new one, delete the previous one and re-record.
   
4. Press the S key if you are using Windows and CMD+T on Mac to split the clip into two parts. This will create space on the timeline to add media.
   
   
5. To trim the unwanted or excess content, drag the clip “in.” Reverse the process to restore the changes. 
6. You can zoom the timeline using the zoom slider or click on the magnifying glass to adjust your entire project on screen. 

How to add shape, blur the content, or add a sketch in videos? 

1. To add a shape or blur some content, drag the tool from the panel to canvas. You can set the intensity of the blur and adjust the size and position from the properties panel.
   
   
2. Similarly, to add a sketch motion, drag the tool from the panel and drop it in canvas. You can customize callout time settings from the properties panel. To control the size and position, use the drag handles. 
3. Add a lower third to your video by dragging the tool to the timeline. You can customize this using the properties panel. 
4. You can apply a theme to your annotations. Select that particular annotation, go to the properties panel, and choose a theme from the dropdown list.
   

How to Record a PowerPoint Presentation?

1. Open PowerPoint and click on Add-ins located in the top toolbar to access it. Here, you will see the Camtasia record button and options that enable you to customize the recording.
   
2. The PowerPoint toolbar is included by default. If you cannot see it, go to File, select Options, and proceed with Add-ins. Then click on the Manage dropdown, choose Disabled items, click on Go, and find PowerPoint. Once you find it, click on enable.
   
3. The PowerPoint Add-ins toolbar has many functionalities that allow you to customize recording. You can enable/disable various recording modes, add hotkeys, and frame rate, etc. 
4. You can add PowerPoint slides to your Camtasia projects and synchronize audio and video settings. To do this, you have to make sure that the PowerPoint is closed. Then you need to click the import button and select the desired PowerPoint file. Adjust each slide according to the timeline.
5. To change the default slide duration, go to Edit, select Preferences, and proceed with the timing option. Set the “Images” option to the time duration that fits your needs, and continue by clicking OK. 

Camtasia Pricing

Different Camtasia pricing plans are available, depending on the requirements and circumstances.

• Individual: $249 (one-time fee)
• Business: $249 (one-day fee); bulk pricing available.
• Education: $169 (one-time fee); volume discounts are available.
• Government and non-profit organizations $23.97 (one-time fee); bulk and discount rates available.

Camtasia Maintenance individual plans charge $49.75 a year and regularly update the current version of the program and priority service.

Get started with Camtasia →

Camtasia Customer Support

Whether you buy Camtasia Maintenance or not will significantly impact the amount of service you get.

 Access to the following resources is included in standard support:

• Support ticket system – You submit a query, and the Camtasia team responds via email.
• Webinars – These are excellent, high-quality webinars.
• Video tutorials – As expected, these are excellent, high-quality videos; I highly recommend it. While not quite common, it is highly beneficial.
• A massive (>80,000 members) online network where people help each other out.

Final Verdict

It’s time for me to put this Camtasia review to rest.

I can recommend Camtasia enough to anyone searching for a versatile screen recorder and video editing tool that’s also simple to use. 

Also, I would like to say; it’s an excellent investment for online content creators, especially those who make screencasts and video tutorials. 

If you’re still undecided after reading this article, I highly recommend you get the free Camtasia trial and give it a shot.