ScreenFlow: New Screencasting Software for Mac

February 14, 2008

After kvetching about the lack of decent motion screen capture software for Mac, and mentioning that TechSmith is finally coming to the rescue with a Mac version of Camtasia, it appears a contender has already entered the ring while TechSmith is still in the dressing room getting taped up for the fight (while thinking they might remain unchallenged?).

Vara Software announced today the release of ScreenFlow, a Mac-native Camtasia-like screen capture application. While ScreenFlow certainly doesn’t look to be in the same zip code, features-wise, as Camtasia for Windows (and at a third the price, how could it be), it’s definitely a step in the right direction and fills a gap otherwise unoccupied.

The visuals in ScreenFlow look quite nice, including some excellent opacity and blur effects, and the interface has a nice, clean Mac-like look and feel. The demo video on the main product page was created entirely in ScreenFlow and provides a good overview of its capabilities.

I have not yet had a chance to try ScreenFlow, but some early user reports indicate some bugs. Hopefully Vara will get those sorted quickly, and continue to refine their new app with additional features that will make it a worthy Camtasia competitor. I’ll have to give ScreenFlow a full workout and report my findings here.

Give this baby a spin, Mac-based eLearning developers. Download the fully-functional (but watermarked) demo now.

Thank you, Vara, for hearing my pleas and creating ScreenFlow just for me. And so quickly too! Who knew I had such power.

Gripe and ye shall receive.

So what are you going to do about this brash young interloper, TechSmith? Better bring your best stuff when you climb into the ring later this year.

Posted in Apple, eLearning Development Tools