Monday, January 16, 2012

A Review of Jing Screen Capture Software

A client of mine recently asked me to make some computer tutorials showing people how to use certain websites, and he told me to use Jing to create the videos. I had never used that program before, but I had used other programs like it. I figured I'd give it a shot. After personally going through the program, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to operate and how well it worked for what I needed. I figured I would take the time to share my experiences with you. Here is my review of Jing screen capture software.

What Is Jing?

Jing is a screen capture program that you can use to either create print screens of your computer or create videos of what is happening on your computer screen. This is great for times when you want to create video tutorials about the computer because it gives you a chance to show people what your computer looks like as you go through various steps in a project. You can use a microphone with it to enhance your video with audio, or you could just use Jing to create a print screen for you. It depends on what you want.

Is Jing Free to Use?

There is a free version of Jing and a pro version of it. I personally recommend getting the pro version because it only costs $15 a year, and you can get a ton of use out of it after that. the videos from the pro version come out in .swf formatting, which is not compatible with YouTube or most other video posting networks. If you try to convert the file to a .mp4, you will either lose out on the audio or the video. With the pro version, you can save your video in .mp4 and upload it directly to YouTube. Unless you just want to watch videos for your own entertainment, you need to think about upgrading to pro. Then you can use the program in your teaching jobs in the future.

The Positive Features of Jing

There are tons of great features that you can get from using Jing. Those include:

  • Video and still shot screen capturing
  • Text inserts for screen shots
  • Zooming capabilities
  • Instant upload access to Screencast, Flikr, Facebook, Twitter, and more
  • Fast saving times
  • Webcam video capture (only on pro)

I could keep going, but that should give you a rough idea of some of the beneficial options this program has to offer. This program is really easy to use, and it does provide a decent amount of options to get your screen shot looking exactly how you want to. There may be better programs out there, but this is probably the best one for its price point.

The Negative Features of Jing

The main problem I have with Jing is the fact that it only allows for five minute videos – even in the pro version. It creates the videos quickly and allows you to customize them to your needs, but it still put that time limit on you no matter what. I have only gone over on time once, but it was pretty frustrating to lose a 5 minute video just because I didn't know I needed to conclude it. Now I just watch the time bar to make sure I am not going to go over on my recordings.

The only other issue I have had with Jing is that it occasionally stops working, to the point that I have to restart my computer to get everything back to normal. That only happens every once and a while though, and it may just be my computer. You can test this program out for yourself and see if you experience the same problems in the future.

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