Screenflow 2.0
Screen capture and editing program for MacOSX 10.5
$99.00
www.telestream.net

Telestream, already known for its Flip4 Mac QuickTime plug-in to enable seamless Windows Media playback, and its powerful Episode compression products (discussed in another review), acquired Screenflow from European developer Vara Software in 2008. Now they’ve released Screenflow 2.0 and it is an eye-opener.

Like the original, Screenflow 2.0 gives SnapzProX, the popular screen-grab/recorder from Ambrosia, a run for its money. While it doesn’t do still grabs, this is a utility costing little more, which captures your live screen actions, anything from typing to menu-mousing to video editing to web surfing. It then automatically presents the capture in an easy-to-use editing timeline. Here you edit your video and audio.  You can add zoom-ins, transitions in 2D or 3D, mouse pointer highlighting, callouts, animated text with drop shadows, reflections-- and many other handy features which usually requires the recording to be imported into an graphics-capable editing program. Wow!

Think of what this really asks a computer to do: please run the application I want to demo—some of these are huge pieces of complex software. Please record all my actions using a separate utility running on the same machine with smooth motion - that’s like lifting yourself by your own bootstraps.  Please integrate my live video and audio track as a video inset—that’s tremendous workload for a consumer desktop. Then please give me an editing interface.

Yet Screenflow 2.0 manages it well. Everything occurring onscreen plays back smoothly, edits smoothly, and exports in any available QuickTime, including a handy YouTube export preset. It doesn’t hurt to use a new Intel multicore tower for this sort of work (the compression algorithm is 64-bit enabled) but it also runs on G4 or G5 PowerPC (optimized for Altivec acceleration) with some graphics limitations—running OSX 10.5 “Leopard” or 10.6 “Snow Leopard.” Screenflow takes advantage of many OSX Leopard core graphics and time-based media  technologies.

 

 

I recorded my web surfing to the BOSFCPUG website. I was able to open the home page, navigate internal pages. Did I mention you can pause a long recording for a coffee break, then continue—and the result is a single continuous clip? When I stopped recording, I had it all available in an iMovie-simple timeline.

 

 

When you stop recording, you're presented with an edit timeline for cropping, and controls for titling, callouts, mouse highlighting (note added red circle), zoom actions and audio control.

 

From there, I can enhance the movie with a mouse cursor “radar” circle, because all mouse movement data is tracked and available for exploitation. I can cut out flubs, smooth jumps with transitions, add content callouts, and zoom-ins for detail- with good clarity. I can add text titling, animate it like a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation, add drop shadows, picture-in-picture, and do audio level adjustment. Unlike SnapzProX movie recording you don’t have to orchestrate screen moves during the recording or postpone it for editing in a whole different application— do it easily and quickly as part of the Screenflow process. Screenflow 2.0 captures everything on screen at full screen resolution,  and stores it where you direct  it.

Screenflow optionally allows you to record your narration- or even your face from an attached webcam-- live while operating the screen. Software demos sometimes take on an extra “oomph” when accompanied by a face, gestures, expression.  You can also combine existing media with new recordings.

Distance learning, internet-based instruction, podcast , vodcast, screencast  —whatever you call it, it’s a huge growth industry and helps enable schools without borders. Screenflow 2.0 is one of those cools tools for screencast production which will keep teachers, online instructors, and demo producers warm and happy.

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Loren Miller, a professional longform editor, operates the boutique post house NeoTron Design out of Boston. He is a participating member of Los Angeles and Boston Final Cut Pro User Groups and occasionally reports for both, along with Imagine News in print, where this review in another form first appeared.  Reach him anytime at . ©2009 Loren S. Miller All rights reserved.