If you’re creating demo movies for the Web, try to keep the height and
width of your movie only as large as it needs to be. I’ve seen demos
that were larger than my laptop’s screen could display.
STEP 1: Record your screen
Capture your demonstration in real time at the highest resolution your
computer can display. On Windows, use Camtasia Studio; on the Mac, use
Snapz Pro X 2.0. Both programs permit you to record your voice as well,
so you can narrate the demonstration as you record it.
STEP 2: Create a DV Version for Editing
You’ll probably want to make some edits to tighten up slow spots,
remove errors, combine multiple takes, etc. I like to convert the
movies created by Snapz Pro or Camtasia into DV QuickTimes and then
edit them in either Final Cut Pro or Xpress Pro. Import the movies
created by your capture program into After Effects, then drag these
footage items into the Render Queue. AE is smart enough to
create comps for each movie. Open each comp, change its settings to
match your editing system’s flavor, then scale the layer down to fit in
the comp (on the Mac use Command-Option-Shift-H, and in Windows use Control-Alt-Shift-H to fit the width of your movie to the width of the comp). Then set the output module to the compressor you want and render.
STEP 3: Edit your presentation
Bring the DV versions of your screen captures into your editing
software and edit away. Speed up long progress bars, chop out lengthy
pauses and combine separate takes into one fluid story.
STEP 4: Import into AE
If you do your editing in FCP or an Avid tool, you can use Automatic
Duck’s Pro Import AE plug-in to rebuild the sequence in AE as a
composition. Working this way can save you lots of time. Use each tool
for what it was designed to do. In addition to importing your DV
version, also import into AE all of the original capture files; you’ll connect them to the edit later. If you’re asked about an alpha channel, tell AE to ignore it.
STEP 5: Change the comp setting to match output
If you edited in FCP or Avid using DV, Pro Import AE creates a DV comp
in After Effects. If your final output is going to be some other size,
say 640 x 480 for the Web, change your comp settings by choosing Composition Settings from the Composition menu. Select a preset or create your own custom setup.
STEP 6: Replace DV layers with original captures
Now you need to replace the layers’ sources with the original high-res
footage from the screen capture software. You might want to use After
Effects’ Replace Footage command and do this replacement at the
footage level, but since the frame rate of the DV footage and the
original captures don’t match, you can’t. You need to select the layers
from one DV footage item, then hold the Option/Alt key
and drag the original high-res version of the footage into the comp.
This replaces the source footage for the layer(s). Repeat if you have
more than one footage item.
STEP 7: Animate by shifting anchor points
Screen captures are nice because the audience gets to visually follow
what you’re presenting and they can very quickly understand what you’re
trying to tell them. But what’s the point if they can’t see what you’re
showing? Be sure your audience’s attention is focused exactly where you
want by starting wide, to set the scene, then cut or zoom to close-ups
for details. If you’re going to compress for the Web, use Hold Keyframes
in After Effects; your movie will compress smaller. If you animate your
moves "Ken Burns-style," apply easing to the keyframes to smooth out
the ride.
STEP 8: Apply a 3D perspective
To give your screen capture extra style, use After Effects’ 3D space
to tilt the image as the "camera" moves in close to the edges of the
screen. Turn on the 3D switch for your layers, then apply an expression
to each layer’s Orientation so that, as you move the anchor point to change where we’re looking, the layer automatically twists in 3D space.
STEP 9: Render and compress for the web
Not only is readability important for Web demos (getting close enough
to see what those menus are), so is download size. Viewers should be
able to start watching your movie right way, even as the file is still
downloading, so be sure your movie is compressed to Fast Start. Use of Hold Keyframes
(in Step 7) also helps keep files small, since most of the screen
doesn’t change frame to frame. I use Sorenson Squeeze to compress for
the Web; it works great. (For more on how to use Sorenson Squeeze with
Flash, turn to page 22.)
STEP 10: Render for TV
If your demo is for video, be sure to turn on Field Rendering in your comp’s Render Settings. This will make your animated movements smooth and will keep the text readable.
Support Gear: Snapz Pro X 2.0 or Camtasia Studio, Adobe After Effects, Apple Final
Cut Pro or Avid Xpress Pro, Sorenson Squeeze, Automatic Duck Pro Import
AE
YOUR GUIDE
Wes Plate
President
Automatic Duck
Wes Plate is the president of Automatic Duck, Inc. During his early
years as an Avid editor in Seattle, Wes was well known for his creative
cutting and his editing speed. As the pressure grew for editors to add
more effects, his desire to streamline his workflow led Wes to found
Automatic Duck. Today, Automatic Duck creates popular timeline
translation plug-ins for users of industry-standard NLE and compositing
systems, including Avid, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro.
Wes Says Keep In Mind…
If you’re creating demo movies for the Web, try to keep the height and
width of your movie only as large as it needs to be. I’ve seen demos
that were larger than my laptop’s screen could display.
Automatic Duck Inc.
www.automaticduck.com
323 Second Street, Ste. 1
Snohomish, WA 98290
ph. 360.568.6805
wes@automaticduck.com
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