Making Collaborative Videos

Want to make a lecture video with your collaborative partner but you're not in the same building...or even city? This video will give you instructions on how to record and edit videos so that you can have both of your faces (via webcams) and share both of your screens in the same video!

What you will need:

• Skype
• Google Hangout (GHO)
• ​Documents, PowerPoints or whatever else you are going to share on your screen
• Camtasia

​​​Thanks to Cheryl Morris for helping me figure this out.  You rock!

1. Sign into Skype

• Both you and your partner need to do this
• Make sure webcams and mics are ON for BOTH

2. Sign into Google Hang Out (GHO) and join video chat

• Both you and your partner
• Make sure webcams and mics are OFF for BOTH

3. Share docs/presentation in GHO

​You need to be aware that there are three windows in GHO; big one on top, and two smallers ones underneath.  The two smaller ones show both you and your partner's docs that you''re sharing.  When you click on one of the smaller windows underneath that doc will appear in the big screen on top.

• Both you and your partner will share your docs/presentations
• Have your partner's on the big shared screen (do this by clicking on the small window underneath that shows your partner's doc)

4. Arrange screens

• Make sure that each piece/screen is showing the following
  • Your face
  • Your partner's face
  • Your document
  • Your partner's document
• Have your doc and your partner's doc about the same size on your screen

5. Record the screen

• Open up Camtasia
• Record the screen (only one of you needs to do this)

1. Import recording into Camtasia and "add to playhead"

​2. Separate audio and video

• Right-click on track
• Choose "separate audio and video"
• Click on video and drag above audio
• Drag both down one track so there aren't any empty tracks below them

3. Copy the video track three times (so there are a total of 4 video tracks)

• Right-click on video and choose copy
• Click on empty track above
• Right-click and choose paste
• Right-click on next empty track above and paste
• Right-click on next empty track above and paste

4. Crop each video track to a different element (ie. your face, your partner's face, your doc, your partner's doc)

• Click on track 2; Click on crop; Resize to your face
• Click on track 3; Click on crop; Resize to your partner's face
• Click on track 4; Click on crop; Resize to your doc
• Click on track 5; Click on crop; Resize to your partner's doc

​​5. Resize and move each element into place

6. Send layers backward (optional)

IF you choose to have each of your docs in layers on top of one another, here's how you alternate having them be visible.

• Have the layer (doc) you want showing at the beginning of your video on top of the other one
• When you want to change layers (doc) right-click and choose "send backward".  This will put that layer (doc) behind the other one.