During the pandemic a lot about our lives have changed, especially in how we work and communicate with our peers. I’ve especially noticed a rise in the use of video. It is more a part of our work than ever before. Customers too, have asked for more communication via video. This could be due to the fact that we’re all doing zoom / teams or similar such apps. But I’ve also noticed this impacting documentation. There seems to be an appetite for documentation to either be in the form of video or incorporate video in some way. Because of the desire to see more video documentation, I’ve had to expand my skillset beyond MS office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I’m trying to improve my proficiency in iMovie, SnagIt, and OBS.

The Workflow

My current workflow resembles the the following:

Record screen using QuickTime on Mac or SnagIt on PC
Edit using iMovie on Mac
Create individual screenshots or maybe a PowerPoint Presentation
Generate and record a video using Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)

Recording the screen

Software like QuickTime and SnagIt do a pretty good job of recording the action. I generally have no issues with them in terms of generating the base content. I then edit the video to remove dead space using iMovie. An example of this might be to remove extra minutes during an installation. If a process takes 20 minutes to complete in realtime, but it’s watching a progress bar for 15 of those minutes, then it makes sense to edit the video down a few minutes to avoid the less interesting parts.

Presentation Augmentation

Next, I’ll either create a PowerPoint / Keynote presentation as well as some stills of diagrams or other images that may be worth highlighting. The graphics and presentation can be used to augment the narrative.

Putting it all Together

To round it out, I use OBS. OBS uses a concept of “scenes” that can be defined and switched to during the broadcast. I should state at this point that OBS is used a lot by streamers for live streaming. As the name states, it’s a broadcasting tool. I use it, however, like a lot of other folks - to make recorded content feel more like content they consume in other places. OBS adds extra touches like picture in picture, so I can appear in a smaller window in one of the corners of the screen while the other video plays. I can also switch to the Powerpoint or to a still image if it helps to illustrate a point. OBS is ridiculously powerful. I provide my vocal commentary as the video runs and I switch between the video and the graphics. There’s a vibrant ecosystem of plug-ins that increase its capabilities. There’s very little it can’t do in terms of making a slick looking package.

Video is the New Standard

Making video requires effort. I’m not 100% sold on this workflow being optimal, but it’s working for me now. My belief is that it’s worth the time to learn these skills because video is with us to stay. Not only can it provide visual examples to illustrate a point, but it addresses the reality that not all folks learn the same way. While most people learn to learn via reading text, some do better with audio and / or video. The fact that today’s PCs are the most powerful they’ve ever been and video tools have more accessible interfaces than previous apps. Also, and this may be generational, but more people are comfortable making video in their day-to-day lives. YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook, and nearly every other social media platform has a facility to create and/or attach video. Workplace technology trends of the last few years have followed consumer technology trends. We aren’t too far away from a future where most instructional info in the workplace incorporates what is so natural in other parts of people’s lives.

References and Links

Open Broadcaster Software - https://obsproject.com/

HOW TO RECORD VIDEO LECTURES | Using OBS for Online Teaching - https://youtu.be/zTjVBlnEiNI

How to Live Stream in your "home studio" on a budget with WebCams, iPhones, and OBS Studio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_lHk9Lf-ow

How to do a Greenscreen easily in 10 min for $75 with OBS and good lighting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0HIo0P0-qM

Virtual PowerPoint Greenscreens! Change a PowerPoint Slide and Change an OBS Scene - automatically! - https://youtu.be/ciNcxi2bPwM