Do you know how to record a quick and dirty 'Done Video'?
When you've finished a PBI you should record a video to send to your Product Owner and anyone else that is interested. A 'Done' video is much better than a screenshot because you are proving the PBI workflow actually works. Even better, this video can double as documentation or release notes for your users.
When deciding whether a PBI might be a good contender to record a done video for, consider these factors:
- Is it a key piece of functionality that has high business value?
- Would it be difficult to quickly demo in the Sprint Review without a video?
- Is it UI heavy? i.e. would the video be compelling?
Choosing software to record your screen and camera together:
- Remote recordings: Zoom, or Microsoft Teams via NDI
- Basic recordings: Snagit, Loom
- Advanced recordings: Camtasia
Tip: Camtasia 2021 is recommended because it vastly improves upon 2018 and 2019.
Choosing software to edit your video:
- Basic editing: Camtasia
- Advanced editing: Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve
Here's a quick video describing how to record and edit a quick done video. (Notice how it itself is also in the done video format?)
Figure: How to make a 'Done Video'.
For a great 'Done Video' here are the key things to remember:
- Introduce the video - start with “Hi everyone, today I would like to show you xxxx”.
- Show the pain - don't just demonstrate your new feature, start by showing the problem you are solving and why you needed to add the feature.
- Record it in one take - it doesn't matter if you stuff up or something goes wrong, treat it like you're having a conversation with them in the room. If it's super bad, just start again.
- Make it quick and easy - if you spend too much time, you will be less likely to want to do it again in the future.
- Be quick and concise - you don't want to waste other peoples' time either!
-
Use a clean browser - hide visible bookmark bars, browser tabs, add-in icons, and taskbar items to make it easier to view.
- Tip: In Chrome you can use the "guest" profile to open a clean window with no history or cookies.
- Set your screen resolution to 1080p (1920x1080) - higher resolutions (e.g. 4k/3840x2160) will scale down graphic elements and make it harder to view.
- Zoom in to 125% in your browser - as per: Do you make sure your screen recordings are easy to view?
- Record both your screen and webcam - PC and Mac can both use Camtasia (2021 version recommended). For Mac you can use Quicktime, but it’s not as flexible.
-
Don't edit the video - your introduction and closing should have your webcam on full-screen, and the rest of the video should be your screen with your webcam in the corner (also called a picture-in-picture, or PiP).
- Tip: If you are using Zoom you do not need to edit the video. Zoom includes your face automatically in the screen capture. Awesome!
-
Check your audio devices - if you have multiple microphones (e.g. headphone/mic set, webcam mic, inbuilt mic, etc.) do a test recording to see which is the best quality.
- Tip: You can use the default Voice Recorder app on either Windows or Mac to quickly record audio.
- Audio needs to be clear and not distracting - if there are lots of background noises it will prevent audiences from focusing on you, as per: Do you record better audio?
- Interact with your webcam like it's a person - look into the camera and smile when doing your introduction and closing for the video!
Tip: Some offices have a professional setup:
E.g. SSW have the Marantz Turret hardware and desktop recording kit. The Turret is an ideal device to record these videos as it has a professional podcasting microphone, built-in light and good quality High Definition video camera.
Learn more about the Turret:Product Review: The Marantz Turret — Wistia
-- Camtasia Tips --
Tip #1: Camtasia - See great example by Ben Cull
E.g. SSW TimePRO - Power BI Ad-Hoc Reporting:
Figure: A real example of a 'Done Video' with Fades
Tip #2: Camtasia - Fix the audio before making any cuts to the video
After recording your video, you need to do some basic sound processing to make the audio awesome.
- In the Timeline, select the clip with the audio
- On the top left panel, click ‘Audio Effects’ and drag the ‘Levelling’ effect onto your clip
- On the timeline, move the new audio meter up just until the audio waveform is about to hit the top
- Listen and adjust as necessary
Tip #3: Camtasia 9 - Fade-out and fade-in the video track of your face
- With the video track of your face selected, click on Animations (1) . Track 3 in the image below.
- Select the No Opacity (2) animation effect for the fade-out.
- Drag and drop the No Opacity effect (3) to the point in the track where you want to fade-out. Adjust the start and end point of the fade using the handles on the animation arrow.
- Select the Full Opacity (4) animation effect for fade-in.
- Drag and drop the Full Opacity effect (5) to the point in the track where you want to fade-in. Adjust the start and end point of the fade using the handles on the animation arrow.
Tip #4: Camtasia's Final Step – Export your video
Follow the steps to export your video:
- Click the Share button on the top right of the window
- In the new dialog, select custom production settings
- In the next window, uncheck the ‘Produce with controller’ option
- In the ‘Video settings’ tab, copy these settings:
- Frame Rate: 30
- H.264 Profile: High
-
Encoding mode: Quality o Increase the quality to 100%
- In the ‘Audio settings’ tab, make sure the Bit rate is set to 320 kbps
- Click Next and save your file!