The ability to ftp your screencasts to your own server ģ. A better video format (.mp4) that can be edited in an external application (though it is often easier to simply re-record than edit) Ģ. With this, you essentially get three things:ġ. You can upgrade to a pro version of Jing for about $15 a year. flv format if you are using the free version) aren’t meant to be edited so you have to get it right the first time or re-record it. However, these screencasts (which are in a. You can then save the screencasts to your computer or upload them to to distribute. Jing is a cross-platform “free” application (though you can upgrade to a pro account for extra features) that you can download at The free version enables you to record up to 5 minute long screencasts. And while there are many other applications you could use to create screencasts, Jing and Camtasia are my two favorite applications. These two apps are typically used to create screencasts (though they each can be used for much more).

Jing and Camtasia are two different applications from TechSmith. But don’t get me wrong the things Jing does, it does so well that often users like me (who have both) still find themselves using Jing more often than Camtasia. Why? Well there are certain things that Jing just can’t do that Camtasia can. While I think Jing is a must-have tool for any educator, in many ways I find that Jing is the gate-way drug that leads most serious users to eventually purchase Camtasia. So you might think that I would recommend Jing over Camtasia. Sure, I have been using Camtasia for years but I find myself the last year or two using Jing more day-to-day than Camtasia. Why you ask? Well, I am a huge fan of Jing. The fact that people are even asking this question shows how Jing has grown in popularity over the past year or two (see the Emerging Top 100 for how it has moved up over the past few years) and makes my heart warm. While I am more used to the question of Camtasia or Captivate, I figured I should probably get my thoughts down on this whole Jing vs. I got an email the other day from a colleague asking which was better - Jing or Camtasia? Then later that day, a faculty member stopped by and wanted to talk about whether she should upgrade from Jing to Camtasia.

Camtasia screencast