Ask HN: Tips and tools to make a great screencast?

2 points by ericmarcos 9y ago ↗ HN

I love learning new programming languages or frameworks by watching screencasts. I've now designed a new language to build chatbots (docs here: https://hubtype.github.io/botSON - still working on it). Thinking about recording a screencast this weekend.

I'd like to know what you guys like about good screencasts. Should it be long and explain a full working example? Should it be a series of very short videos (egghead style)? I'm not a native english speaker, any tips on this? How about the style and tone of the speaking? What tools do you recommend?

Thanks!

1 comment

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thewhitetulip 9y ago ↗

Keep videos short, less than 10 minutes. If you HAVE to, only then have large length videos, but they should not be more than two or three.

One topic per video.

Have a text guide on github and point it to the video, that way, you can edit it.

Buy a Mic or use your mobile earphones, they work wonders in sound, test your earphone's mic optimally.

I use Mac, QuickTime is enough for me.

Speak slowly, use a bright text editor with syntax highlighting enabled. Execute code in the demo, don't just show a PPT, PPTs are waste.

Read my books and watch my YouTube channel!!

https://github.com/thewhitetulip/multiversity

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRS1AaHawQklALPHwfAlBCQ