I am lost on what Camtasia does. You say that you put a kf at 1 minute and another at 4 minutes, a zoom in occurs but it only takes a second or two. Sounds like Camtasia is broken or something else is happening.

Yes, something else is happening. Something else very nice for videotutorials zoom. No, it is not broken beleive me.

What is happening is this.

You have a timeline of 5 minutes. In the minute 1, you don't have any zoom. You see the full screen. Let's imagine you place a keyframe there, we put it a name, A for example, the keyframe A. What zoom information would have the keyframe A? All the area of the screen, we don't have any zoom.

Fine. We continue.

Now... we move the cursor in the timeline and we are in the minute 4.

We want now to make a zoom for the right side of the screen, the upper part. Okay. You move the zoom/pan box, and you focus the part you want. We have the zoom.

What does Camtasia now?

IMPORTANT: CAMTASIA INSERT TWO KEYFRAMES. TWO. NOT ONE, TWO.

How?

In this way.

Remeber in the minute 1, we have inserted a keyframe, called A.

Now we are in the minute 4 of the timeline, we made a zoom, and Camtasia have inserted two keyframes.

Why two keyframes? Why not just one?

The normal thing would be inserting just a new keyframe, but only one. That keyframe would be called B. And that keyframe would have the new zoom information, because we made a zoom. Do you remember?

Yes. That would be the normal behaviour for a movie, but for videotutorials you need fast transitions between zooms, so Camtasia do a trick. And this silly trick, I repeat, silly trick, because it is so simple that is silly, this trick, saves hours and hours and hours of videoediting to people creating videotutorials.

What is the trick?

Very simple. When you insert the keyframe B in the minute 4 (with the new zoom) Camtasia insert two keyframes.

It insert a copy of the keyframe A, and 1 second later in the timeline, the keyframe B.

Do you see it?

What is happening with this?

Very simple.

You had a keyfram A in the minute 1. That keyframe had the information for the full screen area, no zoom.

And now you have created a zoom in the minute 4, but Camtasia did not insert the keyframe B. No, it has inserted two keyframes. It has inserted, again, the keyframe A. A copy of it.

And why?

Very simple. Because if we have the keyframe A in the minute 1 of the timeline, and again the kayframe A in the minute 4 of the timeline, we don't have any zoom in those 3 minutes.

Now you have the keyframe B in the minute 4 but one second before of copy of the keyframe A.

Of course you can copy keyframes in VEGAS or Movie Edit Pro, but doing clicks in hundred of zooms, takes time. A lot of time, which in long movies of 3 hours are converted in many minutes wasted in video editing. Beleive me, I have videos of 3 or 4 hours, full of different zooms.

What do you have with this? Inserting again a copy of the keyframe A 1 second before the new keyframe B with the zoom?

A fast transition from the full area of the screen (remember keyframe A had this information, all the screen area) and the keyframe B, has the new zoom information for the screen (right upper side). So you have a fast transition of 1 second from the full screen (keyframe A) to the zoom to the right upper side of the screen (keyframe B).

Do you understand?

And what happen if we don't insert a copy of the keyframe A before the keyframe B?

What would happen is the zoom transition will be very slow. In fact, it won't be made in 1 second. No, it will last 3 minutes, doing a very slow transition... (from keyframe A minute 1 to keyframe B minute 4). From the minute 1 (keyframe A - full screen zoom) to the minute 4 (keyframe B - right zoom upper side of the screen). 3 minutes of animated zoom, so slow that you sleep. In a videotutorial I want to insert my new keyframe for the zoom, B, and bingo, the zoom happen fast. For that you have to copy again the previous keyframe (A), but Camtasia say, wait a minute, don't copy it... I'll copy it automatically for you... so I save you time editing.

Do you see the difference?

In a videotutorial when you make a zoom to focus a part of the screen you won't like the zoom take minutes and minutes and minutes to accomplish. You want the zoom happen fast. And when edditing this inserting keyframes in the timeline, you wouldn't like to copy and copy and copy keyframes manually, you need something that makes the job automatically.

Video editing for videotutorials makes an extensive use of the zoom, and you cannot compare this with making a nice video for the summer holidays.

For this reason Camtasia is the leader in video editing for videotutorials. It is the leader for the silly trick of the keyframes. So evident, but no people have seen this before in the industry.

For this reason, Camtasia, as a comfort feature, add  a copy of the keyframe A before the keyframe B, to assure you have a fast transition between zooms (which is vital for videotutorials) because they use zoom a lot, and save a lot of time editing.

If you don't understand this well, please, let me know, and I do a demonstration video showing you this in detail.

With this trick, Techsmith got the market for the videotutorials and all the Youtubers use Camtasia. All major Youtubers I know, use Camtasia, because they don't find any single video editing software that emulate the keyframe system.

• In money, how much is this important?
• RENEVUES OF 50 MILLIONS DOLLARS IN 2012 !!!
• So, the MAGIX people want to earn 50 millions dollars?
• Then, please, attach as an option the fixed keyframe system Camtasia use for videotutorials, and you will get all his market fast.
• In the preferences configuration, allow users to select normal keyframes for video editing and keyframes for videotutorials editing. You will see how users depart from Camtasia to Movie Edit Pro.

With the nice timeline and a lot of effects you have for fades, videoediting and so on... you will beat Camtasia strongly.

Remeber, 50 millions dollars renevues.

Here is the press release:

https://www.techsmith.com/press-techsmith-0213.html

Hi Javier,

Thank you for the explanation. My understanding of this trick is that you select the method in the program settings and then when you add a kf it is applied. That is, the previous kf is copied and placed 1 second before the zoom.

What if you want 2 seconds?

If you have several zooms to different locations, say upper left or upper right, how do you change from one to the other? Can you save them and reuse them?

I mentioned that in MEP and VPX, you can save effects and then reuse them. So, I would create my first template as a zoom in to the upper left at 200. I would first place a kf at the beginning of a clip with zoom set to 100, the normal case. Then I would move a second or two along the timeline, zoom in on the upper left with a zoom of 200, and a kf is automatically placed, but I would check that it is at 1s or whatever I want. Finally, I would save the effect (Alt+-) with an appropriate name, like Zoomin UL 200.

Now to make the zoom out, I would select the first kf, copy, delete, drag the second kf to the left to the beginning of the clip, move along the same distance (a second or two), then paste the kf just copied, which is the zoom normal at 100. Then I would save that effect with a name like Zoom out UL 200.

I would then create and save the same effects for upper right, etc.

Now to use them, wherever I want to zoom in, I go to My presets under the Effects tab, and lo and behold, all of my created effects are sitting there waiting to be used. I select the clip, press T to split the clip, then click on the insert button for the zoom effect that I want and it will be applied at the beginning of the clip. Then I go to where I want to zoom out, T, insert the corresponding Zoom out and its done. No need to create any more keyframes, no right arrows, etc. Fast and simple. And I have all of my own standard zooms sitting there.

Would you like to see a video of how to do this? I started one, just need to add narration.

Here is a screen shot showing My presets.

You can also create a shortcut to quickly go to My presets. I used 1 on the numeric keypad.

Hi

@ javier-g31

John CB was not the only one who was confused by your post - please make your posts more concise, there is too much, non relevant information / conversation, which confuses the issue.

What I understand you are describing in Camtasia is the Zoom to section effect.

Movie Edit Pro has this - it just works in a slightly different way to Camtasia and is more flexible and adjustable.

here is an example of it in use

John EB

Having in mind MAGIX is German, I'd say this: Ein Bild sagt mehr als 1000 Worte! (and Improving this in english... A picture is worth a thousand words - but a film clip, a million!)

And I did a film for you ;)

11 minutes in which I show you all the details. So is impossible to be more concise, just take a look to the video and let me know if you don't understand something.

The video guide you step by step to the Camtasia workflow using keyframes for pan / zoom and compare it with MAGIX Video Edit Pro.

THE VIDEO IS HIDDEN. NO ONE CAN SEE IT, UNLESS YOU SHARE THE LINK.

I don't know very well how to insert videos in this forum... but the youtube link is this:

To watch the video you need Google Chrome, in Explorer or Firefox you cannot see embedded videos in the forum.

Hi.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that saving in time and clicks by Camtasia (about which you are doing an excessive amount of SHOUTING AND REPETITION!) is only relevant to user like you who are performing that operation very frequently. It seems inflexible to me. I might want a slower or faster zoom. Or a crossfade or whatever.

But if like you I did that frequently then I'd write a macro script for it! With the marker at the appropriate point x on the timeline, press a hotkey and a copy of the previous KF would be placed at t=x, and the marker then moved to t=x+1 awaiting your manual adjustment of size, position, etc.

First thing: I am in videolearning since 2008 and getting 2.300.000 million views in Youtube cost much effort and time in video editing. I know what I am talking about.

terrypin, if I have an excessive amount of shouting repetition, you have an excesive amount of distraction, because it is clear you did not understand the video and even I would adventure you don't have seen it in full. To comment, you have to understand the point first. The "shouting repetition" remark is out of the sense of the conversation and impolite, there are ways more polite to talk (my opinion), and also the capital letters in the shouting repetition is impolite, there is a difference using the capital letters to emphasize something as a headline (all people use this, I also), and there is a difference using the capital letters as a personal remark against someone. You are... you did..., etc.. That is, impolite. I could also say your message don't have sense, for example. For the zoom subject, that is your opinion. For a video editor making movies (like you seems to be) you won't find useful this feature. That is normal, is said in my video. Why are you repeating this here again? For people in videolearning, this feature is the "Lord's father for everyday".  I could say also that your message has no sense, because, of course in the video this is said, that, this feature is for the videolearning users (not for videoproducers). Is only relevant to user like you who are performing that operation frequently.

Did you pay attention to the video? Did you see it? It is evident you don't. The point here, and this is a guess... is that you "paint this" like if this was an isolated case... and no. Youtube is full of millions and millions and millions of videotutoriales using zoom extensively (a market for millions of licenses). Videlearning companies like Video2Brain, LinkedIN (now Microsoft), Lynda.com... say in their pages they use Camtasia... and many other are outside using Camtasia for the zoom feature, so no. We are not "the rare" in the party. We are millions using this. So this is relevant (not to just a few like me, "which is how you paint the story") but to million of users like me, Youtubers, that are in videolearning.

I know also what  a script is, and don't work. I have scripts for SONY VEGAS doing this, by pressing a key, it insert automatically the last keyframe some frames before my cursor position in the timeline. Don't work. You still losing time. I continue having to make a new click for inserting the new keyframe or create a complex script that insert me the two keyframes at once, but again I have to select the last keyframe inserted and drag the box to zoom in / out. And it is evident you don't understand this, because you are not intensively involved in videolearning. Even doing that, with your solution of the script, you waste approximately 5 seconds (in every zoom created). You reduce a bit of time, but no, it is not a solution. It means hours and hours of wasted time in videoediting when working with large projects. I did projects full of zooms of 5 hours... so what are you telling me? I tried all before commenting here.

The zoom system with the two keyframes, is a very necessary feature for VEGAS and Movie Edit Pro, as an optional feature to grab the Camtasia users base and all the professional videolearning market.

If not? ask Lynda.com

Lynda.com FAQs

What software do you use for screen capture to video?

For Macintosh screen capture, we use Ambrosia Software's Snapz Pro. For Windows screen capture, we use TechSmith's Camtasia Studio.

https://www.lynda.com/support/faq.aspx?subCategory=1

Now you know why. The two keyframe system.

Javier,

I watched your video and have to concur with Terry, you do a lot of yelling. Please tone it down. No one here works for Magix; we are all users.

We have given you a few ways to do keyframes rapidly. I gave you one that you did not reply to and I gave you a video showing you how to do it. You totally ignored the method in your video. You have obviously mastered Camtasia, but definitely not MEP. You show "Look how fast I can create keyframes Camtasia" and then "Look how long it takes to make keyframes in MEP - 13 seconds." Please, I watched your entire video and stopped it several times to read the text. The method that you used I would never use and you deliberately took a long time to make something that takes a second or two in MEP.

Terry proposed to you a macro. You replied that you know what a script is and it doesn't work in Vegas. This is not a script like in Vegas; MEP does not do scripts. Terry uses an external program to do macros, so without seeing it, how can you say that it doesn't work?

Furthermore, I asked you if Camtasia could only do a 1 second interval between keyframes or is it flexible (Terry asked the same) and if it could save the zoom settings for multiple use, or do you always have to set the zoom yourself if you want one that is different from the last one. No reply.

The method that I showed you, saving and loading the effects, is much faster and much more powerful than anything that you showed me in Camtasia. Can Camtasia even do this?

In your video you showed that to change the duration of the zoom, you just have to drag the keyframe. What is different from MEP? You do the same thing in MEP, drag the kf.

In the MEP example, instead of placing a kf 1 or 2 seconds from the first one, you placed it, what 13s and then you said look how long it takes to make the zoom. Ridiculous! I showed you what to do.

In MEP, why are you one the Camera/Zoom shot page and not Size/Position? Camera/Zoom is a special feature and you did not even use it correctly. I do hundreds of zoom and never use this.

Again, in your video, you never show that kf's can be copied and pasted, and not just one at a time but several can be copied/pasted at a time, that effects can be copied and pasted (to one or more selected objects), or that you can save and quickly reuse effects from the My presets screen. 

If I had to do 3 or 400 hundred zooms (in and out), I would use my saved effects as I showed you. In fact, I would probably not even do zoom outs after the first two or three. There is no point of always zooming in and out. In your cockpit videos, once the user has seen where the instrument panel is, just cut to it and then cut back to full screen, no need to zoom, or use a PiP. The audience does not require it.

As Terry indicated, the Camtasia feature, however nice, is not something that the vast majority of users would need or use. I can't see that Magix would add in such a feature when you can create it, specific made for your purpose, and add it to the effects just like I showed you.

I also replied to your other post about creating justified text using Xara and showed how to do it. Xara is a Magix program. No reply.

It seems that you don't want to hear anything but your own rhetoric, so as for me, I have spent enough time on this.

@ Javier

Please read the community rules in particular sections 1 to 3.

While you may think the Camtasia feature is a good idea, it is not the only way to achieve the effect you are describing, as you and other members here, have pointed out, using other software such as MEP, Vegas, Pinnacle etc.

Please stick to facts - for example.

. . . . The zoom system with the two keyframes, is a very necessary feature for VEGAS and Movie Edit Pro . . . .

This is an opinion 

. . . . Lynda.com FAQs . . .  Now you know why. The two keyframe system. . . . . 

 - this is misinformation - nowhere in the above FAQ's does it say the two keyframe system is an essential feature.

From your original post 

. . . . they (Camtasia from Techsmith) are loosing thousands of customers per day. . . . .

this is misinformation / opinion and comments such as this could result in legal action against you.  
 

Keep future posts shorter, to the point and in line with the community rules.

Respect other members opinions, even if you may disagree with them.

John EB

Forum Moderator

I concur that I should try to make the explanations shorter, to save reading time. I'm sorry for that.

Regarding the two points of misinformation, I don't agree. Those points are a real fact in my opinion, off course you can have also your opinion. I respect your opinion, you respect my opinion, even if we don't match.

The fact that Camtasia is losing thosands of customers every day (in my opinion) is real. You only have to be user from their products and take a look to their forums. As soon you take a look to them, you will see the jokes customer are telling about when a new version will be released.

My question in the forum was how to emulate the keyframe system from Camtasia in Movie Edit Pro.

I am still wating someone tell me if this is possible or not. Until now all the solutions suggested, still not saving the same quantity of time people creating videotutorials need. Projects with 400 zooms, involved many hours of video editing.

The aim of the question was not to emphasize if this product is better or not. As I explained clearly, I said I am tired from Camtasia and I want to move to a system that allow me more effects. Movie Edit Pro seems to be perfect, but, again, I have the problem of the waste of time in the zooms.

So I think emulating the keyframe system from Camtasia in Movie Edit Pro is impossible, unless programmers want to kindly value add this feature in the future.

Cheers

Hi

. . . . My question in the forum was how to emulate the keyframe system from Camtasia in Movie Edit Pro. . . . I am still wating someone tell me if this is possible or not . . . . 

It has been clearly stated how you achieve the required effect in MEP both by Terrypin, John CB and myself.

With more sophisticated video editting programs such as MEP, Vegas, VPX and others there is going to be a degree of unlearning and learning different methods when moving from Camtasia.

John EB

It has been clearly stated how you achieve the required effect in MEP both by Terrypin, John CB and myself.
 

Hi, sorry but no. The script solution wouldn't work with the same saving time result as in Camtasia, so perhaps you find it a solution, but it is not, because, you still need more time per zoom.

Regarding the solution you told me, I did not understand what you said.

You said Movie Edit Pro has this...  and I saw a video with different zooms... but I did not know how you did that, neither what steps I have to follow to produce the same zooms effects you did. "Has this" is not enough for me, I don't see how that work?

How did you apply those zooms?

Did you have to move the cursor in the timeline manually? If you had to move the cursor manually, again, we are losing 10 o 13 seconds more or less... so again, we have the problem. 13 seconds would seems to be nothing, but in a large project, they matter a lot.

Cheers

Hi javier

The method of doing the zoom technique in MEP, as I indicated, involves multiple operations and there is more than one way of doing it, however the principle steps after inserting the image or video using the Effects, View/Animation, Zoom to section are:

1. Select the zoom section size to zoom to
    
2. Adjust the start and end keyframes to start end at the required times - this is necessary because the effect normlly occurs over the full length of the clip / image
    
3. Copy the end keyframe and paste at the time where the next zoom is to start - this locks the previous position setting
    
4. Position the cursor to the zoom end time
    
5. Adjust the section size / position - this will insert a new end keyframe
    
6. Repeat steps 3 - 5 as required.

As you can see the process is more time consuming which is not what you want.

. . . If you had to move the cursor manually, again, we are losing 10 o 13 seconds more or less... so again, we have the problem. . . . .

The problem, is you are wanting to use a program that has a very different design philosophy, workflow method and end use to replace Camtasia.

Camtasia was designed for specifically for screen capture and easy edit of the captured video market for training, demonstration purposes and has developed from there to include more video editting options.

MEP, VPX and Vegas are sophisticated video editing programs aimed at video users ( amateur and professional )  for the creation of high quality videos for broadcasting, DVD, BD and online streaming.

John EB

Javier,

You have been doing it wrong. There is no 10-13s if you do it correctly.

If you use the preset method that I proposed, then it is much quicker than what you can do in Camtasia if you have to manually zoom in each time in Camtasia. Look at how to do it and try it.

With this method, once you have the preset for several zooms, then:

1. Go to start of zoom in, press T then insert the desired zoom in preset that you created - both kfs are created including the correct zoom parameters.
2. Move playback marker to where you want to zoom out, press T and then insert the corresponding zoom out - both kfs are created and the zoom out goes to 100%.

Go to the Size/Position effect window, not Camera/Zoom shot.​

1. Go to start of zoom in, insert kf (shortcut is 5 on keypad)
2. Move playback marker 1 s to right (the timeline is calibrated so you can see the seconds) and zoom in to where you want. No need to press on create kf, it is automatically created at the location of the playback marker. Alternative for getting exactly 1s, press the combination of Ctrl+right arrow key 5 times quickly; each press of the right arrow key with Ctrl held down moves the playback marker 5 frames, thus 5x5=25=1s in PAL
3. Move playback marker to start of zoom out, press 5 on keypad to insert kf
4. Move playback marker 1s to the right (or 5 x Ctrl+right arrow) and press on Maximize button in Size/Position window; this returns to full screen, no need to insert a kf, it is done automatically
5. Repeats steps 1 to 4

• Go to start of next zoom in and paste the keyframes. Both keyframes are automatically inserted along with the same zoom parameters. This takes only a second.

1. Go to start of first zoom in, insert kf (shortcut is 5 on keypad)​.
2. Move playback marker 1 s along timeline (1 s is 25 frames in PAL so an exact way

Hi browj2, thanks for your detailed reply. I tried what you suggested, but unfortunately, you waste 5 or 6 seconds of video editing.

Inserting a keyframe (shortcut 5) - 1 second

Moving manually the timeline 1 second by pressing ctrl+right key arrow 5 times, takes 1 second

Inserting a newkeyframe (shortcut 5) - 1 second

Adjusting the last keyframe to the desired zoom option, 2 seconds

We have 5 seconds

In Camtasia, with the dual keyframe system you can do the same only in 1 second.

I tried this with a chronometer, and I can demonstrate with a chronometer the dual keyframe system is faster for videotutorials.

With the T system, I would cut my timeline in a lot of pieces everytime I need a zoom, so the more reasonable option seems to be the manual method...

It takes 5 seconds.

However, we are human, not machines. That means that moving the timeline 1 second by pressing the ctrl + arrow key 5 times, don't work always. Your hands are tired after hours of video editing... so perhaps are 7 times, ups, I have to go back two times... then we have 3 seconds... 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 7 seconds...

In Camtasia you will always get a perfect zoom. Due both keyframes are inserted at once... and they are automatically inserted with a separation of 1 second... you will never experience any error.

Let's do the math.

1 second takes with Camtasia to apply a zoom with the dual keyframe system

In Movie Edit Pro takes, in the best case 5 seconds. 4 additional seconds of video editing are involved, compared with Camtasia.

So... let's do the maths.

We have 400 zooms in our timeline... 400 x 4 = 1600 seconds / 60 (seconds 1 minute) = 26 additional minutes of video editing.

What in Camtasia is made with just 400 seconds (6 minutes), in Movie Edit Pro, takes 32 minutes, so that means 26 additional minutes.

And I can prove this with a Chronometer in hand...

Unless MAGIX programmers want to add this as an option, I do not see any possible way to get the same performance... :(

Hi

@ javier-g31

Please ensure that when you are quoting figures as below that you are comparing like for like.

The figures you are quoting are incomplete ie there is no reference to whether:

a.   the Smart focus and zoom file created when recording is being used.

b.   the time need to adjust the zoom frame position - ie step 4 below in your 
      example is missing from your calculations.

1. Inserting a keyframe (shortcut 5) - 1 second
2. Moving manually the timeline 1 second by pressing ctrl+right key arrow 5 times, takes 1 second
3. Inserting a newkeyframe (shortcut 5) - 1 second
4. Adjusting the last keyframe to the desired zoom option, 2 seconds
5. We have 5 seconds
6. In Camtasia, with the dual keyframe system you can do the same only in 1 second.

If you are doing this manually in Camtasia, ie have no Zoom and Pan file taken during recording, then in your timing example - adding in step 4 the Camtasia method time to add a zoom/pan keyframe becomes at least 3 sec not 1 sec.

Your calculation then becomes:

. . . . 400 zooms in our timeline... 400 x 2 ( difference between Camtasia and MEP) = 800 seconds / 60 (seconds 1 minute) = ~13 additional minutes of video editing.

For a video containing 400 zooms, that takes say 8 hours to edit in Camtasia, the time saving using the Camtasia method is diminished.

John EB

Hi

@ johnebaker

If you are doing this manually in Camtasia, ie have no Zoom and Pan file taken during recording, then in your timing example - adding in step 4 the Camtasia method time to add a zoom/pan keyframe becomes at least 3 sec not 1 sec.

Thanks for your reply. Sorry, but no, in my case, just 1 second. Perhaps this is different according the person, but in my case 1 second and I can demonstrate that with a video chronometer in hand.

To achive this in Camtasia Editor, just have the timeline in front of you, ALREADY SELECTED THE ZOON-N-PAN TAB (important) and move the slider. 1 second.

I never use smart focus in Camtasia, it is dumb, just follow the mouse position and it's not accurate.

Even if I am wrong in the point 4 and we need 2 seconds (I don't see well the screen, I'm a bit tired so I am slow...) the same process in any other video software, takes me 2 or 3 extra seconds.

Sadly, I don't find any video software VEGAS, MAGIX, Corel, Pinnacle... that be able to insert two keyframes at once (as an option for people producing e-learning).

It's up to MAGIX decide if they want to increase their market, also grabbing the e-learning market.

E-learning videos don't have to be necesarily bored. With Camtasia are bored due the lack of effects and filters. MAGIX has that point Camtasia need, but MAGIX lack the keyframe system Camtasia add.

Why MAGIX should add the double keyframe system as an option. My opinion, and the market trends. Some facts:

• The   Babson   Survey   Research   Group reported  that  6.7  million  students  enrolled  in  at  least  one online course during the fall 2011 term
• Microsoft,  Apple  and  Pearson  recommended  an  investment  of  £100  million in online education (119 million euros).
• eLearning market should see estimated revenues of $49.9 billion in 2015

Sources here:

https://elearningindustry.com/elearning-statistics-and-facts-for-2015

https://www.docebo.com/landing/contactform/elearning-market-trends-and-forecast-2014-2016-docebo-report.pdf

Just my two cents about this.