MacMost Now 515: Screen Capture Plus Camera

Learn how to capture yourself talking from a webcam while also recording your screen at the same time. You can use software like Screenflow or Wirecast to record from both sources simultaneously. You can also fake it with iMovie's picture-in-picture.

You can also watch this video at YouTube (but with ads).

Video Transcript: Hi this is Gary with MacMost Now. Today I'm going to answer the most common question I get asked.
So one of the most common questions I get asked is, when I make my videos, how do I put myself in the upper right hand corner? Like this. Well the secret is the software that I use. So the software I use is pro level broadcast software called wire cast here's what it looks like. Now as you can see here I'm currently recording and I can go to the different layers right now the bottom layer is the screen background I can actually even change that to be different views of the screen. I can put myself there and then I could also go to this layer here which has me in the box in the upper right, I can put a logo there instead you see I can do all of this live, this is meant for a live broadcast, but I actually use it to record to a file and it makes it very easy for me to record what's going on-on the screen here and put the camera input in up here and this is all happening live and I can switch it to live and when I do a single little take I can actually save it and put it directly into the finished product. 
Now if you are interested in finding out more about wirecast you can go here and if you're interested in purchasing it you can go through my affiliate link here. But, chances are you probably want something a little simpler maybe use some screen capture with yourself up in a corner, and there's a little brother to wirecast called screenflow by the same company. Now with screenflow you can record what's coming in from your camera and at the same time it'll capture everything that is going on-on the desktop. And it will give you a little countdown there and after the countdown it starts recording and demonstrating something on the screen. I think I'll just bring up a little finder window here. When you're done go up to the top here hit stop record. And then "Screenflow" goes into its next mode which is an editor.  Where you can actually scrub through the time line here and see two tracks one is the camera the other is the screen recording. Now you can take the image of you from the camera and actually move that around and manipulate that in a variety of different ways. Put it in a box do a bunch of different things do a drop shadow and that way you can basically get the same effect it's a little bit easier and it's an editing tool built in with the screen capture tool. And allows you to put camera and screen in at the same time. 
Now at 99 bucks Screenflow is much more reasonably priced for somebody wanting to do occasional screen capture videos. You can find it more about it here. And if you want to purchase you can go to my affiliate link here. So another alternative would be to use iMovies picture and picture technique now you can't record yourself and the screen at the same time using that.  What you would do is record the screen using QuickTime 10 then bring that screen recording into iMovie and record yourself with a camera and then overlay one on top of the other with picture and picture. Of course syncing the two up can be difficult what you can do is you can record yourself on camera while you watch the video play back say in a QuickTime player window and that way you can get the timing just right and you have to just adjust to where the picture and picture comes in when you make the video in iMovie. 
So there's a look at three ways to create screen capture video with yourself in the corner using Wirecast, Screenflow, or just using QuickTime 10 and iMovie. Until next time this is Gary with MacMost Now. 
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Comments: 10 Responses to “MacMost Now 515: Screen Capture Plus Camera”

Richard

14 years ago

Screenflow is brilliant! This software has some very clever little features, which are simple to use, yet look extremely professional!

forkboy1965

While I'm not interested in paying money for the software, thanks for the mention of how to fudge it together with iMovie. This may come in handy for me.

inKamloops

Gary, have you used CamTwist? I'm interested to know how it compares with these other ones in regards to functionality.

Gary Rosenzweig

I have used it in the past for some things. But don't really have a need for it.

lukeibe

get screenium, it's $30 and it can put you on the screen.

Clem

Okay, I'm hooked on screenflow!

How do you get the See-Eye-to-Eye effect, where you are looking right at the viewer (i.e. your camera)? Are you using a teleprompter with the text appearing in front of the camera (beam splitting mirror) for you? Or, are you listening to a recording of yourself and saying it back with eye contact on the camera (professional hosts do this with introductions)?

You're really setting a great standard, Gary!

The camera is just off to the side and behind the monitor. I try to look directly at it when I can take my eyes off the screen. But when I look at the screen I have it set up so it looks like I am looking down at the screen on the video too.

Thanks Gary. I take it that you conceptualize the introduction of your podcast as a separate "book-end" and that you do looking straight into the camera, from a script. That leaves open the question of whether that much shorter script is read or listened to repeated or memorized in the course of a few takes?

No script. I think, I speak. If it doesn't work, I do it again. I keep the take that works.

Gary, Thanks! You do a great job. I've learned a bunch from you over the years and your format is perfect (length, depth, topical choices.) I do vote for you where I can!

Your approach regarding scripting is similar but slightly different than SCO, based on interview with founder that is on-line. Of course, his format and goals are different. He also uses Screenflow and scripts the topical title sequence.

I'm going with enough scripting or outline notes that my peers and boss can easily make editorial changes in context in a piece aimed at the thirty minute length. Draft version via ScreenFlow is extremely promising. Thanks again.

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MacMost Now 515: Screen Capture Plus Camera

Comments: 10 Responses to “MacMost Now 515: Screen Capture Plus Camera”

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