Camtasia's new Mac product was released this last week. I had been waiting for that to decide on whether I'd try them or go with ScreenFlow. I have to say there were a few things that I wasn't that pleased with at first glance. I wanted to have the option to export .flv or .swf files like they have in the Windows version. They aren't export options in the Mac version. I was also hoping to see .wmv file export options like they have in the Windows version. Not there either that I can see. These were two potential advantages to ScreenFlow that I saw based on looking at the Windows version. I know I can use H.264 for flash players, but in the Windows version I liked that I could get those .swf and .flv files for browsers with older flash versions. I also wanted .wmv built in for Silverlight, but if you pick up Flip4Mac (same company that sells ScreenFlow) then you actually have more options with them on the Mac. They have a deal right now where you get it with the ScreenFlow v2.0 upgrade as well. A few other things I noticed that I couldn't do that I had hoped for. In Camtasia Studio on Windows I can determine how large of a screen area I want to record before starting the recording. I don't like adjusting my screen size so telling the Windows version to record 800x600 or 1024x768 is really nice. You get a square that tells you what part of the screen will be captured. I don't see any way to do that in the Mac version of Camtasia. ScreenFlow is much easier to scale things down and and the quality looked better too, though I'd really prefer the way Camtasia for Windows does it... If they want to price Camtasia for Mac higher than ScreenFlow I think they need more features, or at least as many as they have in the Windows version. ScreenFlow appears to be better value for the money right now and with Flip4Mac I can make .wmv files that can go into Silverlight players. If I see anything in the future that changes my mind, I'll make mention of it. But right now, after my first impressions using the trial, I chose to go with ScreenFlow.
About The Author
Ron Grove draws on over ten years of training, network administration and development experience. He loves to work with new technology and see how that technology can be best utilized by his clients. You can find him through his company Evanoah, LLC and his LinkedIn profile is here.
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