Best practice guidance: library skills videos

Your choice of software for creating a video will depend on access to the software and what you need the software to do. Some tools allow you to do all steps of producing a video, but you may find you need to use a mixture of tools to achieve the required steps:

• Recording the footage: This may be a screencast, video camera footage, PowerPoint recording, live session recording, still images or a combination.
• Editing the footage: This includes splicing different videos together, cropping or deleting sections, adding opening or closing footage, annotations, zooming in. 
• Adding captions: For accessibility reasons, all videos should include captions, ideally closed captions rather than fixed captions.

Software for recording footage

Software for editing videos

Software for adding captions

Existing captions can also be edited in UCL MediaCentral. This is useful if you have already used an automated captions file.

MEDIALecture is a screen-capture tool connected to UCL MediaCentral which allows users to record themselves, their screen and audio, or a combination of all three. It is available to all UCL staff but you do currently require administrative rights on your computer in order to install it.

Here are some tips:

• Record and edit screen captures: Once you have recorded your screencapture you can trim or edit out sections of footage. It is not possible to splice two recordings together which means that you should record your video all in one take. You can, however, pause the recording and if you make a mistake then just do that bit again and edit out the incorrect bit when you have finished recording.
• The app has an annotation tool so you can add text, lines, shapes, etc. whilst recording. You might want to pause the recording whilst you insert the annotation, or edit out you using the tool to add the annotation once you have done it.
• There is an option to add titles and credits. You can upload images for these, so you might want to use the image files in the links below as an opener and closer image to ensure consistent visual identity.
• You can upload your recorded video directly to UCL MediaCentral from inside the app. You will probably need to add captions using Microsoft Stream, however. The recording is saved as an MP4 file to a location specified in the settings. For me, this went to a hidden folder, so change the folder location if you want to access your files so you can upload them to Stream.
• It is also possible to use MEDIALecture to trim or chop existing video footage, although you cannot add annotations or openers and closers. To trim or chop an existing video:
  • Upload your video to UCL MediaCentral. 
  • From your Media Listing, click on the green Edit icon to the right of the video you wish to edit.
  • Click on the Trim or Chop scissors icon.
  • To Trim your video, drag the handles at either end of the timeline to the appropriate position and then click on Save.
  • To Chop your video, click on the timeline so a red line appears and click on Add. Then drag the handles at either end of the highlighted section to include the footage you wish to chop. Click on Add again to identify other sections of footage to chop. When you have made all your selections, click on Save. 

Camtasia is the most sophisticated package for recording screencasts and editing recordings. It is available on some of the library skills laptops. A license is required.

There is a Library Skills template for use with Camtasia, with instructions available in the Visual identity and branding section of this guide.

Tutorials on how to use Camtasia are available from TechSmith or you can also find some on LinkedIn Learning.

TechSmith product (same company as Camtasia). You may download a free trial for 15 days.

SnagIT takes advanced screenshots, e.g. scrolling screenshots, and allows annotation of screenshots. It also allows you to make screencasts. You can pause a recording in SnagIT and once completed you can cut out sections of the video, but that is the extent of the editing functionality. You cannot splice two videos together, you cannot zoom in and you cannot add annotations.

You cannot add captions using SnagIT. You could download the video as an MP4 and use Microsoft Stream to add captions. 

Tutorials on how to use SnagIt are available from TechSmith or you can also find some on LinkedIn Learning.

TechSmtih Capture is freely available screencasting software produced by TechSmith, who make Camtasia and SnagIT. It is easy to use and allows you to pause the video during your recording, which is useful if you need to turn a page in your script or wait for a webpage to load.

It does not have any editing features, not even cutting out chunks of video, so you need to create the whole video in one go and make use of the pause feature as necessary, for example when progressing from a PowerPoint slide to a website.

You cannot add captions using TechSmth Capture. You could download the video as an MP4 and use Microsoft Stream to add captions. Please note, there is a quota for downloading videos as an MP4 in TechSmith Capture, so beware if you are making a lot of videos.

Alternatively you might want to explore caption creations tools, such as Amara. N.B. We have not tried out any of these caption creation tools.

You can record screen capture in Windows 10 by pressing the Windows key and G. This is a function for Xbox gamers for recording their screen. It records only the application window that you are currently in, and you cannot edit the file in any way, nor can you pause the recording. Check your audio settings are set correctly to record mircophone / system audio.

This is a really good way to very quickly put a video together.

iPad has a built in screen recording function.

To add captions you could upload your completed video to Microsoft Stream.

You can record a slideshow with audio voiceover for your PowerPoint slides and then export your presentation as a video. If using the desktop version of Office 365, you can include a webcam image.

To record a slideshow with voiceover:

• In PowerPoint, click on the 'Slideshow' tab and select 'Record slideshow'.
• To end the recording press the 'Escape' key.
• You can review the recording by clicking on the 'From beginning' play button.
• If you want to re-record any sections, you can re-record a particular slide by going to the 'Record slideshow' and selecting 'Start recording from current slide'. You can press the 'Escape' key at any time and your new recording will automatically over-write the existing one.

To export your slideshow as a video:

• From the 'File' menu, select Export and then Create a video.
• Select the quality of the production and the setting 'Use recorded timings and narrations'.
• Click on Create Video and choose where to save your video.

To add captions to your video, you might want to use Microsoft Stream.

Lecturecast Universal Capture Personal can be used as an alternative way to deliver lectures.

iMovie can be used to create and edit videos, including adding titles, still images, zooming in and recording voiceover. It's available for Apple Mac and there is a freely available app for iPhone and iPad. It's a really good option for combining and editing videos if you have access to an iOS device.

To add captions you could upload your completed video to Microsoft Stream.

Shotcut is a free, open source, cross-platform video editor, so can be installed on Windows or Mac devices. It can be used to create and edit videos, including adding titles, still images and recording voiceover. It's a really good option for combining and editing videos you have already recorded and is recommended by colleagues in UCL MediaCentral.

To add captions you could upload your completed video to Microsoft Stream.

There are many free programs available. If you need to use one, think about what features you need and which operating system you are using, and whether you'll be able to download it or need to rely on a web program. Some free products will also include watermarks.

These sites have not been tried - if you use any software and have feedback, please let us know and we will add to the guide!