This tutorial will show you how to create custom content in Thinkzoom using the Thinkzoom recorder tool.
To get started, click Course Builder from the main menu. On the next page you will see five different options. Pick the Make a Recording option to launch the Thinkzoom Recorder tool.
(Please note: if you haven’t installed the recorder yet, you will be asked to download it. Just click the blue Download Now button and follow the quick installation instructions from then on. Once it’s installed, restart the recorder and you’ll now see a prompt saying “Launching Thinkzoom Recorder.”)
The Thinkzoom Recorder will load separately from your regular Thinkzoom dashboard. This is where you’ll create and archive custom pieces. To start a new custom recording, click the red Record button in the upper right-hand corner.
As the screen capture tool loads, the recorder dashboard will automatically minimize at the same time. With the screen capture tool on screen, you’ll notice this dashboard in the lower left-hand corner.
You'll find three different recording formats:
- Screen: This records whatever is inside the frame.
- Webcam: This does a webcam-only recording.
- Both: This offers a combination of both the screen and webcam.
Below that is the Recording Size options which lets you set the parameters of the screen capture tool. Then there’s Narration, which lets you change how the audio is captured, and below that is Preferences, which displays a list of hotkeys to use during the recording.
And in the middle, you have a directional icon to position the tool around your content.
Now it’s time to record! Just click the red circle, wait for the countdown and create your piece.
When you’re done recording, hit the Pause button to stop (or use “Option-P” if you’re on a Mac, or “Alt-P” if you’re using a PC to pause as well).
You can preview your recording by hitting the Play icon. And if you’re not satisfied and want to redo the recording, click the Trash Can icon, then hit Start Over to go back to square one.
If you’re happy, just hit Done and the record dashboard will pop back up. Notice to the right where it says Upload there are fields to enter in the title and description.
Add in a quick title and brief description. With that out of the way, click Upload and wait for another pop-up window to show your content processing, followed by a Upload Successful notification.
Click Continue in Thinkzoom where you can revise the title or description, select a folder for the content, and choose whether to make it shareable. You can preview your content here.
As for the other tabs, there’s Replace which gives you two options: replace the file (swap the content out with a new piece) or replace the screenshot (change the thumbnail image that your viewers will see before playing the video).
Then there’s Captions, which lets you add captions to your video by uploading a file using the WebVTT format (you can learn more about WebVTT formatting here).
Finally, there’s Chapters, which lets you break up your content into their own chapters.
If you want this course to be accessible for others who may not be on your Thinkzoom account, check the box that says Allow sharing. After you’re done editing, click Save Content to save your custom piece. Or if you want to jump straight into building a course with the custom piece, click the green Create Course From This Content button.
Lastly, return to the screen recorder dashboard to find your finished product already archived with title, length, and date created. If you want, you can do more advanced editing, such as adding overlays, transitions, narrations, changing playback speed and more - just click on the content and hit the Edit button to open up the editing suite.
If you need further assistance on this topic, feel free to contact our support team anytime between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday thru Friday, or if you prefer emails to phones, submit a support ticket.
Comments