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Filed under: Video

Screencast4Cash contest ends on Monday, get your entry in soon!

Time is quickly running out for you to join the Screencast 4 Cash contest for a chance to win big by teaching others via screencast.

To be eligible, entries must be submitted by 11:59PM CST on Monday, June 1st. So far, creative contestants have uploaded screencasts on everything from using MAME to being a Google search ninja.

Just as before, entrants can submit an original screencast to be eligible to win a Grand Prize of $1000, plus a copy of Snagit/Camtasia Studio. There will also be a People's Choice Prize, determined by popular vote, and the winner will get $500 and a copy of Snagit. The grand prize will be determined by a panel of judges including some of your favorite Download Squad bloggers.

Even if you're not the teaching kind, there's no excuse not to put on your own critics hat and vote for your favorites! Every vote puts a dime in the pocket of the Youth for Technology Foundation, so every click goes a little bit further in support of the geeks of tomorrow.

Filed under: Developer, Video, Education

Two weeks left to enter MindBites Screencast 4 Cash contest

We're hitting the home stretch in the MindBites Screencast 4 Cash contest! As I discussed last month, MindBites is holding a contest in conjunction with Techsmith's Jing Pro and Download Squad (that's us!). Entrants can submit an original screencast to be eligible to win a Grand Prize of $1000, plus a copy of Snagit/Camtasia Studio. There will also be a People's Choice Prize, determined by popular vote, and the winner will get $500 and a copy of Snagit.

The deadline for entries was extended until June 1, so you still have time to enter in your own screencast. Have some awesome coding or web design skills you want to share? Share them with the world!

Right now, individuals can vote once per week, but starting June 2, you can also vote daily! Even better, for every vote cast, $0.10 will be donated to the Youth for Technology Foundation, which helps underprivileged kids get access and instruction to technology.

If you want to create a screencast but you're unsure of what software to use, peruse our past reviews and tests of web and client-based screencasting apps! Check out the contest page for all the rules and requirements, plus check out the entries that have been submitted thus far.

If you've got a great idea for a screencast, you have until June 1 to enter. Grant and I are two of the judges and we can't wait to see what else gets submitted!

Filed under: Developer, Video, Education, sxsw

MindBites launches Screencast 4 Cash contest

At SXSWi 2008, Grant and I met Jason Reneau, the founder and CEO of MindBites, a platform and marketplace for video lessons. We were really impressed with the MindBites vision last year. When we met up with them this year, it was awesome to see how far the community, the site and the market for quality video tutorials has come.

Today, MindBites is launching the Screencast 4 Cash contest in conjunction with Techsmith's Jing Pro and Download Squad (that's us!). Entrants can submit an original screencast to be eligible to win a Grand Prize of $1000, plus a copy of Snagit/Camtasia Studio. There will also be a People's Choice Prize, determined by popular vote, and the winner will get $500 and a copy of Snagit.

Every vote cast in the contest will yield a $0.10 US donation to the
Youth for Technology Foundation, which exposes children in underdeveloped parts of the world to technology through instruction and staffed technology centers. So just by voting, you can help underprivileged kids get access and instruction to technology.

Screencasts are a great way to learn, or teach a specialty. We covered some iPhone-specific screencasts last month and found the medium really, really ripe for learning or supplementing other forms of instruction.

If you've got a great idea for a screencast, enter the contest! Grant and I are two of the judges and we can't wait to see what stuff gets submitted! You can read more details on deadlines and voting dates over at MindBites.

Want to know more about MindBites? Check out this video from SXSWi 2009!

Read more →

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Freeware

Jing turns one, offers 10x more storage space for screencasts

jing projectIt's been just over a year since TechSmith launched the Jing Project, a free utility for capturing screenshots and screencasts. Users can also upload their video recordings to Screencast.com to share with other users. Techsmith is celebrating Jing's birthday by increasing the amount of storage space it gives to Screencast.com users to 2GB. That's ten times more space than you would have gotten last week.

The program is pretty powerful as free screencast recorders go. But there's one major limit: You can only record screencasts up to 5 minutes. One of the reasons the company gives for this time limit is the sheer file size of long videos. Perhaps now that TechSmith is giving away more free storage space, we'll see the company remove the 5 minute time limit as well.

Jing is available for Windows and OS X.

Filed under: Design, Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Get SnagIt 7.25 from TechSmith for free

SnagIt
Last week we told you that TechSmith was offering a free version of the Camtasia Studio screencasting software for free. As luck would have it, TechSmith is also giving away free licenses for SnagIt, the company's popular screen capture utility.

The only catch is that just like with the Camtasia Studio offer, TechSmith is offering an older version of SnagIt for free. If you want all the latest features, you'll have to upgrade to SnagIt 8.2, which will set you back $20. But SnagIt 7.2.5 (the free version) is still quite a few steps up from the Windows print screen button. Here are a few of the features you get with SnagIt:
  • Capture a region
  • Capture a file
  • Capture a scrolling window (like an entire web page)
  • Capture a freehand region (draw a shape around the portion of the screen you want to capture
SnagIt 8.2 adds Vista compatibility, the ability to save a file to an application like Word, Excel, or even Flickr, and new printing options.

[via Digital Inspiration]

Filed under: Business, Design, Fun, Photo, Video, Podcasting

Techsmith offers free Camtasia Studio download

Camtasia Studio free downloadWhat's almost as good as stuffing your belly with a healthy Thanksgiving dinner? Free downloads! And Techsmith is offering a deal that will make your screencasting wishes come true.

The company is offering its popular Camtasia Studio software up as a free download. The screencasting software currently sells for $300. But there is one small catch. The most recent version of Camtasia Studio is Camtasia 5, while the version available for free download is Camtasia 3. That means a few of the newer features will not be available. Nonetheless, it's free and upgradable to version 5 for half price if you choose.

To get started, grab your copy here, and request a registration key from Techsmith. Sorry, this is only available for PC users.

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