There are several screen capture programs that facilitate the creation of screen-capture videos. Jing and CamStudio are two free versions. These versions have some limitations in functionality and will place a watermark on your final video.  If you are interested in creating more dynamic screen captures, such as zoom n pan functions or table of contents, you might want to consider some of the licensed versions; Camtasia Studio being my personal favorite. You can download a 30 day trial of Camtasia Studio which has all of the full version features to give it a test run.

Demonstrations

There might be times when you have to demonstrate a new product, software, or application, but perhaps don’t want to give access to everyone or the entire admin. In this case, creating a short introduction video that shows the functionality is a helpful tool. Using Camtasia Studio allows you to sync what appears on the screen with the audio and zoom in on the important parts and areas. This can also be used for creating a more interactive Frequently Asked Questions section on your course site or website. Instead of giving similar written instructions, you can create a video companion that would let someone watch you complete the steps. For new systems or applications, a demonstration video is a highly effective resource and in many cases can actually lower the number of questions that need to be answered.

Training

Screen capture is probably most effective for training videos. It’s a good idea to keep the videos as short as possible; 6-8 minutes is the average attention span for someone watching a video. Also avoid having too much content in a single video because that will make it more difficult to learn the tasks. Creating a playlist which would group and organize a series of tutorials is helpful for learners.  There are several programs that can do screen capture and it is an included version in the new Office 2010. For my projects, I use SnagIt which is another licensed product from TechSmith that you can try for free for 30 days. If you are going to be creating a video for the training, producing a script with written instructions and screen capture images could also be helpful.