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Enhancing Your Videos
Once you understand the basics of working with the Editor, you're ready to improve your production. We'll quickly review how easily you can make the following types of enhancements:
- Add an image to the video over the edited track
- Highlight a portion of the video with a transparent image
- Add a callout to provide text information
- Zoom into an area with Zoom-n-Pan
- Enhance audio before production
Adding an Image
As with adding audio, adding an image takes just a few steps: Add the file to the Clip Bin (also right-click and add it to the Library); then position it over the edited video in the appropriate spot (see Figure 8).
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Using a Transparent Image to Highlight an Area
After I create a transparent circle as an image in Photoshop, I can add it to my Timeline track, position it over the relevant portion of my video, and move it into the Preview window (see Figure 9).
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Adding a Callout with Text Overlay
To add a callout with text overlay, I add it to my Timeline track, position it over the relevant portion of the video, and move it in the Preview window (see Figure 10).
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Zooming/Panning Part of a Video
To zoom or pan into or through a portion of the screen, click Zoom-n-Pan, select the portion of the Timeline you want to affect, and then set begin and end points (green and red, respectively) for the portions of the screen to show. To zoom, reduce the visible area and then expand it back to full screen at the red marker (see Figure 11).
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Automatic Enhancement with SmartFocus
During the recording stage, Camtasia's SmartFocus feature automatically predicts places where you might want to zoom and pan, placing a blue arrow on the track when the recorded segment is added to the production (see Figure 12).
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You can apply SmartFocus to clips added to a production, or to selected clips, by right-clicking the tracks and selecting Add SmartFocus. The blue SmartFocus arrow indicates that an animation (enhancement) has been added at that point.
For an animation effect like a callout or zoom, you can double-click the blue SmartFocus arrow on its track to edit or remove the effect. If you mess up an effect, just right-click and delete its blue SmartFocus arrow, and then re-create the effect (if that's easier than trying to modify the parameters).
Enhancing the Audio
Use the Audio feature to enhance a track or selected portion. You can set levels, remove noise and clicks, and adjust the volume (see Figure 13).
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