What’s Hot.
Built-in editor, Ability to capture HD video and track mouse movements
What’s Not.
Compatible with Mac OS Leopard only (sorry PC users)
The bottom line.
With its easy-to-use features and intuitive interface, ScreenFlow turns screencasting into an art that all computer literate people can practice.
ScreenFlow, Vara Software’s screencasting studio application, allows you to grab just about anything from your computer to create screencasting miracles of your own. ScreenFlow’s friendly interface makes it easy to capture data, including full-screen HD video and 3-D games, from your desktop, video camera, microphone and computer audio. Through the magical powers of advanced algorithms, ScreenFlow automatically recognizes the screen areas that change so you no longer need to identify yourself what you would like to capture. After you’ve created your masterpiece, ScreenFlow uses another set of intimidating algorithms to resize your screen content into a high-quality QuickTime movie.
Before I go into all of the wonderful details about ScreenFlow, users should note that the application works only with Mac OS Leopard or later.
One of ScreenFlow’s best features is its built-in editor that automatically appears once you have completed your screen capture. No need to work with multiple applications to edit one screencast anymore! The editor uses a timeline format that allows you to select clips and add visual actions like zoom and pan effects or drop shadows and reflections and audio actions like volume adjustment for a specific clip.
With ScreenFlow, you can also zoom your foreground window and blur or adjust the opacity of your background. ScreenFlow proves especially helpful for users who create screencasts that involve multiple mouse movements because the application tracks your on-screen movements to remember your mouse cursor’s path, when you click or drag objects and when you press a key. With a few simple clicks, you can then highlight, circle or zoom the mouse pointer and add an overlay to show your key strokes. You can also record your system’s mouse click sounds or ignore them and add your own audio effects later.
One of my favorite features of the ScreenFlow application is the ability to create a mini-me presenter. Just use your webcam to record yourself delivering your presentation and use ScreenFlow to pop that video into a small window in the corner of the screencast. Not ready to release your head to the screencasting world? You can add a voice-over only and skip the personal appearance on-screen.
For frequent screencasters, ScreenFlow is well worth its $99 price. If you’re not yet convinced, you can download free trial version at http://www.telestream.net which also includes tutorials and a good product demo that literally speaks for itself.
System Requirements:
Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 or later
G4 or Intel based CPU required (Core 2 Duo recommended)
Quartz Extreme capable graphics card
