Gabriel Hasbun (gasto) is another long-time screencaster at ShowMeDo.com where he has created over 20 tutorial screencasts.

What sort of screencasts do you make?

Educational screencasts for programming (C and Python) and software usage (GIMP, and in the future Blender).

How long does it take you to make each screencast?

It depends. There are 2 types of screencast (if one wants to show discrimination) :

1. Straight forward screencasting. One simply records one’s voice and screen while showing the educational material on-screen. A 20 minutes screencast takes about 1 hour, and 4 if I went through a rehearsal script before. So it will depend also on the familiarity of the subject to me.
2. Edited screencasting. These are the most time consuming. Only recommended if what one wants is to emphasize on concepts rather than sole “clicking here creates X” screencasts. One needs video editing software. A 20 minutes screencast might take 3 days (if I really want it polished)

What software do you use to screencast?

• CamStudio for screencasting
• VirtualDub and the GIMP/GAP for video editing
• Audacity and Cubase LE for sound/music editing

What hardware do you use?

An old Pentium Celeron 2.6 Ghz, 2 GB RAM, 255 MB GeForce 6200 AGP graphics card, with a Lexicon Labmda mini audio studio, a Dexun Pro-58 microphone, a Casio music keyboard, SoldSound headphones and a lot of patience.

What does a new screencaster need to get started?

• Patience, like everything worth one’s time.
• A lot of knowledge and a lot of research.
• The will to help people.
• Love of computers
• Didactics knowledge
• Creativity
• A computer with minimum performance (to 2009 mainstream standards), unless one wants advanced video editing, in which case I would recommend a fast processor and a mid-profile graphics card. Integrated audio is OK unless one is interested in composing music, in which case I’d recommend a cheap audio interface from Lexicon (Alpha is OK).
• Articulated speech

What useful sites have you found that teach screencasting?

• ShowMeDo.com
• Screencast Patterns

Do you recommend screencasts as a good technique to teach new users about software?

Yes. Multimedia in general will always be better than plain boring text. It enhances the learning experience:

• Provides immediate confidence with software/programming because of the I-am-at-your-side-teaching feeling the screencaster gives with the voice
• The visual feedback inherent in screencasts of what needs to be done on screen with the input device replaces the need of a distracting textual explanation
• Text is boring. Writing 5000 characters to explain how one’s software/library/website works is a good way of scaring away your potential users
• Watching a screencast is fun, easy-going, and easy to the eyes;
• Following a screencast and mimicking is straightforward, no need for translations of text to action

In my opinion all computer documentation should use screencasting and leave text for medieval transcripts.

You see, in my previous paragraph, it is not clear whether I am referring to a computer booklet which explains the motherboard specifications, or documentation written digitally. I could’ve used more refined terms or add extra lines for the clarification. In screencasting, that is not necessary at all. Language issues are resolved visually immediately.

Become a better screencaster – read The Screencasting Handbook.  We’re distilling 4 years of experience into our book, the book will tell you everything you need to know to screencast faster, better and more efficiently.

The Interview: Gabrial Hasbun, open-source screencaster at ShowMeDo.com by ProCasts' Blog about Professional Screencast Production, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England License.

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