How To Create A Basic Online Software Course

In this lecture we're just getting ready to start screen recording.  We'll be using OBS for our screen recording as it is free, and a fantastic screen capture app.

Before recording, organize your workspace. Make sure your desktop is clutter-free to avoid distractions. Close any unnecessary programs and notifications to prevent interruptions.

Next, set up your screen so viewers can easily follow along. Use a large, clear font, especially if you're navigating through menus. Highlight important parts of the screen with your mouse or pointer to guide viewers’ attention.

Now that your tools are ready, let’s dive into creating engaging content. Break complex software into manageable topics. Instead of trying to teach everything at once, focus on one feature at a time. This makes it easier for your students to follow.

Use real-world examples and scenarios. This helps learners see how the software is useful in practical situations.

When recording, start with a clear introduction to the lesson’s topic. Walk through the software step-by-step, explaining what you’re doing as you go. Make sure to highlight key buttons, tools, and menus.

Avoid going too fast. Give your viewers time to follow along, and repeat complex steps when necessary. Consider using keyboard shortcuts to show efficiency tips. Incorporate zoom-in effects when dealing with small details.

To make your tutorials even more engaging, use annotations and highlights. You can add arrows, circles, or text to emphasize important areas of the screen.

Zooming helps students see clearly without straining their eyes. You can also use split-screen views if you want to show multiple windows or processes at once.

Editing is where your recording comes to life. You’ll want to trim out mistakes, cut unnecessary parts, and add some polish. Basic video editors like Camtasia, iMovie, or even online tools like Clipchamp allow you to clean up your videos.

We'll be using Final Cut Pro for our video editing.  You can use many other video editors out there, and they all work in the same fashion as Final Cut.  One of the most popular free editors is DaVinci Resolve.  If you're not a Mac user I'd suggest Davinci for sure.

In this lecture we talk specifically about editing video with Finalcut Pro.  The videos we captured with OBS can be imported into Finalcut for final edits.  Correcting sound issues, trimming the videos, color correcting, and more.  Give that you're creating a software class, there won't be much variation from one recording to the next.

We weren't going to cover any other video editing platforms, but I changed my mind.  I wanted to share one more editor just so students could see how similar the editing programs are.  Whatever editor you choose, there will be a learning curve, but not a huge one.  We leave it to you to try out other editors and see what works best for you.

After editing your videos, the next step is to export them to their final format for replay.  Whatever video editor you choose to use, the final step is always to export the final video.  Different platforms may require different settings.  YouTube may require a different setting than Vimeo, or Udemy, or other sharing platform you use. 

In this section we'll quickly setup for a whole new class.  We'll use ChatGPT to help us structure an outline for a course on Apple's Pages application (like Microsoft Word).  Once we've got our outline we'll move on to quickly start laying out our video lessons.  Included below you'll find a PDF file containing our class outline.