Creating Video Tutorials

If you're using a Loaner Laptop from the MLK, you should already have Snagit:​ 

Snagit will be in the “Media Applications” folder on the desktop of loaner laptops, and the “TechSmith” folder in the start menu.

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If you're using your own computer, then you can get Snagit from SJSU eCampus:​

Visit this page [Snagit via eCampus] and fill out the Request Form.

After filling out and submitting the form, you'll receive an email from eCampus (ecampus@sjsu.edu) with a download link and licensing information. Follow the guided instructions for instillation, and when you reach the licensing section of set up, be sure to:

• Select the "I have a key" bubble
• Enter your name in the Name field
• And enter the key found in your email, in the Key field

Once installed, Snagit will be ready to use.

Snagit lets you select a section of your screen (or the entire screen) and records everything you do in that selection.  Have your microphone on, and you can narrate what you are doing on the screen.

 

 

When you finish your recording, you'll be able to "share" the video directly with several other programs, including email.  For our purposes, I suggest you download a copy of the video (it will be a MP4 file). To do so, first click SHARE. Then from the dropdown, look for the option that says FILE.

   

You'll then be able to name and download the file. It's always good to have the original file on hand in case something goes screwy when you try uploading it for your students

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Here's a quick demonstration of a SnagIt recording:

 

Step 1: Accessing Your YouTube Account

Through your Gmail work email account, you already have access to a YouTube account. To get to your YouTube account click the 6 dots in a square () next to your profile picture, and scroll down to the YouTube link.

Be aware: if you are also logged into your personal G-Account, YouTube may default to your personal account even if you navigate to YouTube via the 6 dots in a square () in your work account. Check which account you're using by selecting your profile picture in the top right corner of YouTube. If you are using your personal account, and not work account, select "Switch account" from the same drop down.

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Step 2: Creating a YouTube Channel

A YouTube account will let you watch, comment, and like videos. To upload videos you need to create a YouTube channel. To do so, click your profile picture in the top right of the screen, and select "Create a channel" from the drop down menu.

You have two options when creating your channel, either is fine, just be aware that whatever you choose will be visible under all of your videos:

1. Create a channel using the name and icon associated with your work email
2. Create a channel using a custom name and icon.

You'll be given the option to change your profile picture, add a channel description, and link to your various emails and social media. All of these can be changed later, so fill out as much or as little as you want. And viola! You have a YouTube channel!

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Step 3: Uploading a Video

To upload a video simply select the camera icon () in the upper right corner, and select "Upload video" from the dropdown.

When uploading a video, you'll have 3 pages to fill out: the Details page, Video Elements page, and Visibility page. 

1) Details page: This first page of options you'll see will allow you to enter details about the video and change or add a title. 

• Click the option that says this "Content is NOT made for children".
• Choose the option to ALLOW EMBEDDING.  This will let you embed the video into a Libguide or share it with a faculty member so that they can add it into their Canvas course.
• I also suggest that you turn off comments.  This is to avoid any trolls adding inappropriate comments, or people trying to promote their own channels in your comments.  You can always go back and edit this information later.

2) Video Elements page: This page gives you the option to add cards and end screens. You probably won't use these, but they're here if you want:

• End Screen: the interactive element at the end of a video. Take the video above, it's end screen connects you with the video "Edit Video Settings with YouTube", the playlist "How to Use YouTube Studio", and a link to subscribe to the channel. It allows viewers to continue to interact with your content without having to return to your channel page.
• Cards: interactive element that can be adding anywhere in the video. Like an end screen, they can link to another video or page, or can be used to conduct polls.

3) Visibility Page: You have three options when it comes to Video Visibility. I recommend Public or Unlisted for ease of video sharing:

• Public: Everyone can see your video, comment on your video, and share your video. Your video is searchable on YouTube, so will show up in search results and related video lists.
• Unlisted: Only those with your video's URL link can see, comment on, and share your video. Your video is not searchable on YouTube.
• Private: Video can only be seen by you and people you designate. To allow viewing, you must enter each individual's email. Your video cannot be shared or commented on, and is not searchable on YouTube.

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Here's a quick walkthrough of the process using your SJSU account:

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For additional help navigating your YouTube channel, check out the How to Use YouTube Studio playlist. 

Adding captions (aka: Subtitles) is important in order to be ADA compliant. Luckily, any video you upload to YouTube will be automatically subtitled.  Keep in mind, though, this process is far from perfect, and can take a decent amount of time for YouTube to accomplish.  For example, YouTube needed about 10 minutes to create subtitles for my 58 second video.

After uploading a video, you'll know subtitles are available once the [CC] option appears on your video in the lower right corner.

Once available, you'll want to look over and edit the subtitles. To do so, go to your YouTube Studio page (accessible from your Profile picture) and click on the SUBTITLES option on the left sidebar.  You'll now see a list of your videos and the subtitles that go along with it.  For each video, you can see how many languages your video has available in the "Languages" column. (NOTE: Youtube may have recently removed the Language column so you might not see this part) 

Look for the SUBTITLES column on the right.  If YouTube is done auto-generating subtitles, you will see "Published".  If you hover your mouse over "Published", three dots should appear.  

From this option box, choose "EDIT in Classic" to get to the page where you can edit the subtitles. Here you'll be able to play your video and read the generated subtitles. If you find mistakes, click the EDIT button in the top right corner and make your changes.  Try to add correct grammar (capitalization and punctuation marks).  Remember to click SAVE when you are done.

 

Be aware: it is possible to change the order and duration of the subtitles. So use care when selecting sections to edit, so you don't accidentally move them from their correct position in the video.

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Here's a quick demonstration of editing captions:

 

 

OR....

Instead of Editing the captions in YouTube, you can choose to Download the .srt file.  This can be opened on your computer with a simple text editor and fix any spelling and grammar issues.