Should I bother buying Camtasia Studio 6?

16 replies
I'm about to pull the trigger ... or I was about to, and I'm reading that version 6 is very buggy, and people are angry it drops FLV support, instead pushing you to MP4 format.

What is the best recommendation? Buy it, or see if I can get a copy of V5?
#bother #buying #camtasia #studio
  • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
    Chris, not using version 6, I can't say if it's good, bad or indifferent. All I
    know is that I am using version 4 and I love it. I have no problems with it
    at all. I don't know what differences there are between 4 and 5 though
    other than I think they fixed the chipmunk problem in 5.

    Ultimately, if FLV is important to what you're doing, then going to 6 doesn't
    make sense, right?

    I have no intentions of upgrading yet.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Thompson
    Yeah I'm not sure about FLV requirements. Apparently about 10% of people do not have an MP4-capable player in their browser. I'm sure that will be only 5% in 6 months, and then 2% in a year, etc ... but practically everyone can use FLV today. It just seems dumb of Techsmith to not include FLV in version 6 and let people choose.

    I am downloading the trial. Apparently it crashes a lot in editing. If it does, I won't pay. If it is fine, then I'll pay. I'll report on my findings.

    Any other opinions from people who have V5 or V6?
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    • Profile picture of the author ronnlisa
      Chris,

      I have Camtasia Studio 6 and at first I do not like it at all because it did not have FLV. But after using it the last two months I think that the video quality is a lot better and with the MP4 you can upload that to your iPod. You can also add multiple audio tracks now. If I need to use create an FLV I just use Camtasia Studio 5.
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    • Profile picture of the author Brandon Tanner
      I have been using version 6 (a lot) since the day it came out and it has been rock solid for me. The h.264 output looks great and it's amazing how small the output files are using that codec.

      As per bugs, I haven't noticed any. But truth is regardless of how well-built a particular software program is, there will always be a certain percentage of users who will have issues with it, due to the infinite number of possible computer configurations.

      Just download the trial and give it a good workout to make sure it works well on your machine before you buy it.
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  • Profile picture of the author TimGross
    I can't answer your question specifically, but in general, I stopped automatically upgrading software when new versions came out years ago, after discovering that the new versions were actually worse.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Thompson
    Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm having really HORRIBLE luck here. I downloaded the trial and here is what I notice:

    1) Recording is perfect
    2) Editing is perfect
    3) I cannot produce the video at all ... it crashes whenever I go to render a video production. Even a 10 second screen capture will cause a crash. I'm using a good PC with Win XP Pro. This is crazy.

    If it would just stop crashing it would be fine.
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    • Profile picture of the author J. Barry Mandel
      It sounds like if you can work that out then you have it made!

      I use version 6 and have no problems with it crashing like that


      Originally Posted by Chris Thompson View Post

      3) I cannot produce the video at all ... it crashes whenever I go to render a video production. Even a 10 second screen capture will cause a crash. I'm using a good PC with Win XP Pro. This is crazy.

      If it would just stop crashing it would be fine.
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    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
      I haven't upgraded YET, but was under the impression that FLV IS an option. MP4 is recommended, but SWF and FLV are options. I believe they're all listed under "Flash Output" or something like that.

      Also, Chris, what settings are you using when you render your video?

      Originally Posted by Chris Thompson View Post

      Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm having really HORRIBLE luck here. I downloaded the trial and here is what I notice:

      1) Recording is perfect
      2) Editing is perfect
      3) I cannot produce the video at all ... it crashes whenever I go to render a video production. Even a 10 second screen capture will cause a crash. I'm using a good PC with Win XP Pro. This is crazy.

      If it would just stop crashing it would be fine.
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      "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
      ~ Zig Ziglar
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  • Profile picture of the author Catalin Ionescu
    I remember a long time ago someone posted a link to an open source project (aka free) that is basically Camtasia with some minor features missing, but can't remember the name nor the link.

    And if I remember right, there was even a WSO back then about this, where a kind warrior sold a patch that would enable URL redirection for this free version.

    Any ideas what's the open source project name and where to get it?

    Thank you.
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    • Profile picture of the author JazzOscar
      Originally Posted by Catalin Ionescu View Post

      I remember a long time ago someone posted a link to an open source project (aka free) that is basically Camtasia with some minor features missing, but can't remember the name nor the link.

      And if I remember right, there was even a WSO back then about this, where a kind warrior sold a patch that would enable URL redirection for this free version.

      Any ideas what's the open source project name and where to get it?

      Thank you.
      I think this may be the thread you're talking about;

      http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...camstudio.html

      Especially look for the posts by Josh Anderson and Vince Courtney.

      When Josh says there's both better and cheaper ways than buying Camtasia I choose to believe him. And, I don't think you need that patch for CamStudio any longer.
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      Oscar Toft

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  • Profile picture of the author KevinDasilva
    Chris,

    I am using Version 6 and they do have FLV.

    When you produce as you go to "Custom" from the drop down list, and then you have to click on "Flash Options" and just choose either FLV, SWF or Mp4.

    And I to have never had it crash on me. For some reason I can't save my files as ".cam's" because then when I bring it into the clip bin its "blank frame". But I think its cuz I am using a Dell 37' LCD TV as a monitor and the resolution is off.

    But other than that it works great. I have never heard of it crashing.

    Hoep this helps... Good luck!

    ~Kevin
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  • Profile picture of the author AskShawn
    Try re-opening up the program this way.

    - Right click on your shortcut of camtasia
    - Run program as administrator

    Now try doing what you need to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author Catalin Ionescu
    Thank you so much, that was exactly what I was after.

    Sincerely,
    Catalin Ionescu
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  • Profile picture of the author Memory C
    I have used Camtasia successfully. Video marketing really takes your business to another level. I have not used version 6 yet but usually camtasia gives you a trial period between 30 to 60 days. You can try it during this period before committing yourself.

    Camtasia is an excellent product. There are other products out there that are very good,from what I hear from the people that have used them but this is my personal favorite so go ahead and try it then make your own decision based on your unique experience. That is always the best way to do things.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Mount
    I got version 6 just because of the fact that it supports MP4 and HD. This way I can easily create a video on my Flip Ultra HD camera, import it right into Camtasia, then publish. Previous versions required me to do a bunch of converting to other video formats which hurt the quality, not to mention that it was just a pain in the ass to do it.
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