Creating a Tutorial

[Allegheny]

I've created a solution for a customer, but won't be able to spend any time with the users. I'd like to create a tutorial to walk them through the database and to show them all the neat nooks and crannies I created. We'd like to use video (i.e., a camera facing my screen as I navigate the file and supply commentary and tips), but between the limitations of the camera and the limitations of the computer's screen we get a disheartening line across the video we shot.

Some other thoughts: 1) create a script to move among the fields and layouts, limiting interaction to a click of a "continue" button when done reading each page; 2) take snapshots of appropriate layouts to point out the important features.

Any thoughts? I can't believe no one else has ever wanted to do this before.

Allegheny

[Kurt Knippel]

a couple of options:

rather than record with a camera, hookup your video port to a VCR. You may need an adapter if your computer does not have a video out port.

use one of the many screen recording applications out there to capture the screen to a video file, designed for playback from CD.

create a user manual with screenshots and text explanations.

[Allegheny]

Can you suggest a screen recording application we should use?

I like your idea about screeshots, but the Flash-It method doesn't want to work for me. Suggestions?

Allegheny

[SteveB]

Most screen capture programs will create output that doesn't reproduce well on hard copy and you can't change the image size without serious image quality problems (the output is generally JPEG or Bitmaps). I put a manual together using Adobe Acrobat. You can create an entire layout very easily by printing to the PDF Writer or to Distiller.