Earlier this week I did a video over at SkillCasting.com about using video for your job search. It was about creating videos to share your knowledge and to position yourself as an expert while you’re looking for a job. It was part video and part screencast. What’s key is that I used 2 cameras to shoot it and only ScreenFlow to edit it.

When I saw Lynn Elliot’s post over at the ScreenFlow blog, I thought this might make a good tutorial. And if nothing else, perhaps it’ll plant some ideas as we take screencasting to the next level.

I think incorporating two (or more) cameras into a single screencast keeps it interesting. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Well, in the video I shot the other day, I made 2 mistakes. I wanted to correct them and give you a better opportunity to really hear the difference between the microphones.

Nick from VeriCorder let me know that the “fart” feedback was RF interference. If you place your iPhone in Airplane mode, you won’t have that problem. He also let me know that I’m lucky because the current VeriCorder Mini Mic isn’t compatible with the iPhone 4. Apple changed their electronics on the new device and VeriCorder is having to design a new one. So if you have an iPhone 4 and want the Mini Mic, hold off until their new one gets released.

I also forgot to bring my stereo adapter for my Audio Technica microphones. Both of these mics are mono mics. I couldn’t turn the audio track into stereo in ScreenFlow which I used to edit the video. (Using ScreenFlow to edit video is a future topic so watch for that one.) Back in this video, I have the stereo adapter plugged in so you can better hear the difference between the mics. It’s not fair to compare the Kodak video with a mono audio track to the iPhone 4 in stereo.

Anyway, watch and listen to the new video and let me know your audio preferences.

In my previous post about iPhone 4 iMovie exports, a few people have asked about the audio from the iPhone videos. I originally said that I recommend keeping a pocket digital camcorder like the Kodak Zi8 because it has a mic-in jack.

But it made me think. What if I used an external mic on my iPhone. Would the audio significantly improve?

In this video, I compare 2 solutions I have at home. First is the Griffen SmartTalk Headphone Adapter. It’s really designed for conducting phone calls while using your headphones. The second is the VeriCorder Mini-mic which is a directional microphone.

They’re both pretty inexpensive at less than $20 each. So neither will break the bank. In the post, Peter suggested a kV Connection adapter that would allow you to plugin your existing 3.5mm microphones. I don’t have that so I can’t test it.

I also throw in the Kodak Zi8 with the Audio Technica lav mic (but it’s in mono) so you can sort of get a comparison.

As you watch the video, which audio do you prefer? Do you prefer the iPhone by itself, the SmartTalk lapel, or the VeriCorder? Have you discovered in better iPhone audio solutions? Would you use the Kodak Zi8 with mic-in jack over the iPhone? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear your opinions.

While shooting our family July 4th video at the Kansas City T-Bones game, I got an error message when I tried to upload it wirelessly to YouTube. Yes, I kept my unlimited data plan so I wasn’t too concerned about the MB’s. But even with the compression and Medium 640 x 360p output, it crapped out on me.

Not to worry though. Where there’s a will, there’s got to be a geeky way.

I uploaded the video to Dropbox instead.

Dropbox is a cloud based storage area. I use it to transfer large business files to clients. I can create a directory, place files in it, and share the directory only with that client. It’s a great service and you get 2 GB’s free to try it out. What was great though was that I could upload a video from my Camera Roll to it. It compressed the file and uploaded it to my Public Dropbox file.

I tried using Box.net too but their app didn’t recognize movies on my iPhone.

Once uploaded to Dropbox, I could quickly share the link via email so I could let the grandparents know that night’s video was available. I also liked the added security knowing that this video wasn’t available on YouTube for the whole world to see. There’s a place for that (like this video!) but sometimes you don’t want everyone to see it. I could have just as easily created a shared directory on Dropbox and uploaded the video there where only they could access the directory. For ease, I just placed it in the Public folder.

Uploaded business, client, and training videos to your Dropbox account can be a great way to immediately share your iPhone videos. And you may find it a little more reliable too.

A lot of people have commented that iMovie on the iPhone won’t wirelessly export HD movies. And at first, I too was disappointed. However, it’s not that bad. Here’s why.

This video shows the differences between the HD, Large, and Medium export settings in iMovie. Yes, the HD version looks bad, but if you’re doing mobile video editing, you’re not going to be able to upload it anyway. The files are way too big. I exported the exact same video all 3 ways into iPhoto. Here are the sizes for the exact same 1:49 minute movie:

1280 x 720 HD  138 MB
960 x 540 Large  70 MB
640 x 360 Medium  47 MB

There is no way AT&T or any other carrier would let you upload those types of file sizes. But for web video, I don’t think this is a problem. That’s because most websites and blogs do best with 640 x 360 video anyway. The HD and Large videos are just too big for most web pages. Therefore, I think you’ll be surprised with the quality of the Medium 360p output setting.

The other thing I noticed was that YouTube degraded the quality further. It wasn’t much, but it was noticeable.

This video wasn’t shot with my iPhone obviously. But the video I’ve seen and knowing that I embed 640 x 360 into my blog page anyway, I think the Medium 640 x360 iPhone output is acceptable. Can you live with your 640 x 360 output for now?

Last week, along with a few million other users, I got my new iPhone. One of the features I’m most excited about are the new video capabilities–particularly iMovie.

I think being able to shoot, edit, and upload videos on the fly is a real game changer for small businesses and solo-preneurs. I envision users creating video training, promotions, and real-time communications. After playing with iMovie this past weekend, I’ve come across 5 key tips to help take your iPhone videos to the next level.

This 8-minute video demonstrates the 5 tips and concludes with a summary completely shot & edited on the iPhone.

The 5 key tips to take your iPhone video to the next level are:

1. Use lots of short videos
2. Add bumper graphics
3. Kill Ken Burns (effect)
4. Export to iPhoto
5. Create a self-portrait boom

There you have it, 5-key tips to improve your iPhone videos. What are your tips? Share with me your iPhone video creations in the comments too. I can’t wait to see ‘em.

A lot of people incorporate picture-in-picture video into the screencasts. But did you know you can incorporate even more dynamic green screen (chromakey) video into your screencasts? And did you know you could use iMovie ’09 to do it?

This video shows you a 5-step process utilizing iMovie ’09. But while it’s easy, don’t kid yourself. It takes planning to get everything working together. Watch how.

For direct iPhone access click here.

Using transparent PNG files is a great way to make call outs or watermarks for your screencast videos. It’s a pretty common question that comes up all the times on screencasting boards and Twitter.

Use this technique if you want to add creativity to your screencasts. It’s perfect for call out’s and visual reminders. It’s also a great solution for adding a watermark for protection or branding.

This screencast shows how easy it is to add a transparent png file to your project.

Access the direct MP4 version of this movie (viewable on iPhones) here.

There are just a handful of tools in my tool bag that I swear by. Jing is one of them.

Jing allows you to capture screen images and quick, down & dirty, screencasts on your computer. Jing is from TechSmith, the makers of SnagIt and Camtasia. There is a free version and a Pro version that enables MP4 video capture, YouTube uploads, and Webcam capture. What really sets Jing apart though is it’s tight integration with Screencast.com for hosting. This makes sharing your screen captures and screencasts, super easy.

This video introduces you to Jing. I share 5 simple ideas for using Jing, show you how to use it, and provide 5 best practices for recording a screencast with Jing.

I think you’ll find Jing to be a worthy addition to your tool bag.

Creating a few one-off screencasts is no big deal. But what happens when you have a hundred to create? At that point, you better have a process.

Here is a 5-step screencast development process. This will enable you to consistently produce screencasts in an efficient manner. An added benefit is the ability to localize, or customize your screencast for different markets. When you follow a consistent methodology, it’s easier to re-purpose and re-use your content. It’s also easier to swap out elements.

For example, if you need to create English and Spanish versions of your screencasts, it’s easy to swap out the title slides and audio track if developed in a modular fashion.

The video below shows you one process I’ve employed.