How does ScreenFlow 2.0 stack up against Camtasia for Mac?

So, ScreenFlow 2.0, the latest version of the ScreenFlow screencasting application for the Mac, has finally arrived. Despite issuing a press release back in August stating that the update was slated for September, the makers of ScreenFlow finally got their new product out the door this Monday (26th October) – almost a whole month after September had been and gone. Interestingly, Telestream initially revealed their intention to update ScreenFlow to version 2.0 on the very same day that TechSmith launched Camtasia for Mac. A coincidence? I think not. Some might conclude that Telestream were anxious not to lose customers to their new rival on the Mac platform and therefore rashly promised a new version that they were then unable to deliver on time.

Having said this, I’m more than happy to overlook the delayed launch if the final product is a winner. After all, I’d much rather that they made sure that the application was stable before releasing it into the wild.

I’ll get around to my initial impressions of ScreenFlow 2.0 in a moment but before doing so I’d like to mention some of the limitations that I’ve encountered in the previous release. I’d also like to comment on the recently released Camtasia for Mac as it is likely that many people will see these as the two main options for video screen-capture on the Mac and will be trying to decide between them.

I’ve had a little bit of experience of using different Mac screen-capture software over the years. I had a brief flirtation with Snapz Pro back in the latter days of OS 9, but I then got frustrated when it took Ambrosia Software what seemed like an age to publish an OS X compatible version of the software. In more recent years, since the Mac moved to Intel, I’ve had some experience of using Camtasia Studio, the Windows-based progenitor of Camtasia for Mac. This worked nicely under Parallels Desktop and enabled me to create some good quality screencasts featuring Windows software. However, what I really wanted was a native Mac screencasting application and so I was delighted to discover ScreenFlow shortly after its 1.0 launch. ScreenFlow’s easy editing features really appealed to me and it instantly felt like a proper Mac application, with an attractive and intuitive interface.

However, ScreenFlow 1.0 did, in my opinion, have some significant room for future improvement. It certainly wasn’t perfect (is any application?). I soon became frustrated by the lack of easy media management. Moving captured video between documents was a far from intuitive process, involving dragging files to the desktop and then back into another project. This occasionally resulted in me accidentally deleting media files from the desktop that were actually in use in one of my projects. Another irritation was the inability to re-join clips that had previously been split. This became particularly problematic when I wanted to add a video action that spanned two clips. Other limitations included the lack of more sophisticated audio editing features and the non-existence of any video transition effects. Whilst many folk got round the latter weakness by exporting projects into apps like Final Cut for further editing, my personal Holy Grail, in screen capture terms, is an application that removes the need for further editing in additional applications. I’m pleased to say that ScreenFlow 2.0 takes a big step in the right direction in this regard. More of which later.

Now, not long ago now, TechSmith used the experience that they had from years of developing Camtasia Studio – highly successful screencasting software for Windows – and built a native Mac screencasting application, imaginatively named Camtasia for Mac. I’ve had a bit of a play with Camtasia for Mac, and my first impressions have not been entirely favourable. Perhaps its Windows heritage makes me slightly biased (I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case) but I just don’t find it as enjoyable to use. The interface, although similar in many ways to that of ScreenFlow, feels slightly too busy and just a little clunky. However, whilst I’ve bemoaned the lack of video transition effects in ScreenFlow 1.0, Camtasia for Mac offers several of these. It also offers various filters, such as color adjustment, drop shadows, glows and reflections. I’m sure that these filters will appeal to many users but I rather like the ‘less-is-more’ approach of ScreenFlow as this enables me to focus on the most important aspects of effective screencasting, rather than getting distracted by the more gimmicky frills. And whilst Camtasia for Mac offers what at first sounds to be a magical ‘Smart Zoom’ feature for automatically zooming relevant areas of the screen, I found this action didn’t always behave as I expected.

Perhaps more significantly I’ve also found that Camtasia for Mac, in its current 1.0 state, doesn’t cope very well with processor-intensive graphics – at least not on the Macs that I’ve tested it with. Other users seem to have experienced similar issues (for instance, read the MacWorld review). Conversely, I’ve always found ScreenFlow’s playback to be very smooth, whatever source I’ve been capturing.

Now, I wouldn’t want to give the impression that I think Camtasia for Mac is a heap of junk. It most certainly isn’t. And given that it is currently only a few months old, I expect that it will only get better in subsequent iterations. But, despite being tempted by some of its features, I found myself sticking with ScreenFlow 1.0 in preference to switching to the new kid on the block.

So how do I feel about ScreenFlow 2.0 now that its finally here? Well, in truth I’ve not yet had an opportunity to give it a thorough workout but my initial impressions are mostly very positive and I feel glad that I made the decision to stick with ScreenFlow, despite having my head turned by TechSmith’s Camtasia for Mac.

Telestream have added a number of video transitions in ScreenFlow 2.0 and for many people these will remove the need to use other applications for further editing of their screencasts. Much improved audio editing features also help in this regard. For instance, the audio ducking feature will mean that I no longer have to use GarageBand to create the intro/outro audio for my screencasts (where I narrate over a music track). The publish to YouTube feature will be a bonus for many, although it’s not a feature that I expect to use myself. There are also a number of small but very useful additions in this release. For instance, I like the option to ‘Hide Desktop’ from the menu bar icon. This simply hides any files/folders that are visible on your desktop, giving you a nice clean environment for your screen capture.

What I really like about this new version is that it remains consistent with the older version. Telestream haven’t made the mistake of trying to add too many new features. The new features that they have added are all really useful and they serve to enhance the overall experience of using the application. I can now simply drag and drop media from one document into another, which is a big improvement over the previous workaround. However there is still no option to re-join clips that have been split. Hopefully this option will be added in future releases but, on balance, so far I’m very happy with this update. I’m looking forward to using it in earnest over the coming weeks and months.

If you want to make a suggestion for a future feature, Telestream have set up a page on their blog where you can do just that. Some great suggestions have already been posted and seem to have been noted so I think we can look forward to ScreenFlow continuing to mature over the coming years.

If you have any tips for getting the best out of ScreenFlow, or Camtasia for Mac, please post a comment below.

Some more detailed reviews of ScreenFlow 2.0 and Camtasia for Mac…
MacWorld review of ScreenFlow 2.0
MacWorld review of Camtasia for Mac
MacSparky review of Camtasia for Mac