The most important tip:

  • Limit screencasts to 3 to 5 minutes maximum on a focussed topic
  • Break up into multiple short segments if necessary

Top Ten Tips for Effective Screencasts

  1. Keep it simple in your first screencasts
  2. Write a script before recording
  3. Avoid using repetitive statements or words and avoid long pauses or hesitations in the narration
  4. Avoid narration filler by using words such as “umm” or “ahh”
  5. Practice, practice, and practice, it is the key to creating professional videos
  6. Do a trial run
  7. Speak slowly and enunciate properly
  8. Always keep your face the same distance from the microphone
  9. Record in a quiet, non-echoey location -- like a carpeted conference room
  10. Perform several takes to see ways of improving the video

Top Tips About Hardware and Software for Effective Screencasts

  1. Use a USB digital microphone
  2. Close unneeded programs: free up system resources, reduce problem of device or resource conflicts
  3. Switch off mobile phone
  4. Use an enhanced cursor that helps viewers follow the action
  5. Increase the size of your cursor, because it will be easier for your viewers to follow your on-screen actions as you move your mouse around the screen
  6. Switch off operating system updates
  7. If the AVI or FLV file size is too large for publishing, then reduce the frame rate setting or the bit rate setting
  8. If capturing a web page, remove extra toolbars/menus from the browser