The Visual Lounge

End-of-Year Tips and Holiday Cheer from the TechSmith Team

As the new year starts, it’s the perfect time to reflect (and look forward) on how we create and communicate learning content.In this special episode of The Visual Lounge, Matt is joined by some TechSmith team members (or TechSmithies!) who share their favourite tips, shortcuts, and features in Snagit and Camtasia. These are real workflows used every day to support creators, teams, and organizations.From speeding up video editing with simple keyboard shortcuts, to collaborating without meetings, to building consistency across projects, this episode is packed with practical insider tips from our TechSmithies that you can start using right away.It’s also a moment to say thank you to The Visual Lounge community for tuning in, sharing feedback, and being part of the conversation throughout the year.Learning points from the episode include:00:00 - 00:39 Intro 00:39 - 01:31 Matt’s most used features in Camtasia 01:31 - 02:55 A look back on a great year02:55 - 03:20 Happy Holidays from Cameron, Senior Customer Care Specialist at TechSmith03:20 - 05:41 Collaboration workflow in Camtasia Online05:41 - 08:20 How presets in SnagIt make your life easier08:20 - 08:48 Capturing text directly with Snagit08:48 - 10:51 Using placeholders in Camtasia10:51 Looking forward to the year aheadImportant links and mentions:Explore TechSmith: https://www.techsmith.com/ Learn more about Snagit: https://www.techsmith.com/snagit/ Learn more about Camtasia: https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/ Explore Camtasia AI: https://camtasia.ai/

Adapting to Change: Surviving the Rapid AI Transformation in the Workplace

AI is reshaping learning and development faster than any of us expected. So how do we adapt? And what skills will matter most as tools, workflows and expectations keep changing in the workplace?In this episode, Matt speaks with Josh Cavalier, an AI and L&D expert with more than two decades of experience helping organizations modernize the way they design learning. Josh is also the author of Applying AI in Learning and Development, a practical guide for teams looking to build confidence, capability and structure around AI-powered work.Josh shares real-world insights on handling rapid change inside organizations, understanding how AI affects creative and instructional output, and building the skills to keep up. He explores how the role of L&D is shifting, why integrity matters more than ever, and what it looks like to create a personal AI training plan for 2026.You'll also hear how to identify your 'sources of truth' so you can keep up with changes in your industry and in AI without getting overwhelmed, plus why having access to multiple AI models can dramatically improve the quality of your work.Learning points from the episode include:00:55 – 02:17 Introduction to Josh’s book02:17 – 05:37 How do we apply AI to the jobs that we do?05:37 – 08:13 How do we keep up and use AI in the day-to-day?08:13 – 13:41 Why adaptability is paramount with AI13:41 – 17:49 How AI has raised the bar in work17:49 – 19:39 AI as an enabler for creativity19:39 – 25:08 Maintaining your integrity25:08 – 28:48 Avatars vs humans in video28:48 – 30:30 The HUMAN framework30:30 – 34:25 Faster? Or faster and better?34:25 – 37:08 Josh’s final takeImportant links and mentions:Find Josh’s book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Applying-Learning-Development-Platforms-PerformanceVisit Josh’s website: https://www.joshcavalier.com/Connect with Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcavalier/Learn more about The HUMAN framework: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/human-framework-for-ai-training-videos/

Pause. Rewind. Learn. More Effective Learning with Patti Shank

Ever clicked play on a learning video that looks polished and professional, only to finish it and think, “Wait, what did I just learn?” In this episode, we’re revisiting a conversation with Patti Shank, an internationally recognized learning designer, researcher, and author who has spent years studying how people really take in information. Patti knows that effective learning isn’t about the video itself, it’s about how the viewer processes it. She unpacks the hidden reasons instructional videos fall short, why cognitive overload is more common than we think, and how simple design choices can make or break viewer understanding. You’ll hear Patti explain the critical role of learner control, the pitfalls of combining text, visuals, and narration, and why background music (even the relaxed kind) can silently derail understanding. Plus, she shares practical ways to design video, so it supports effective thinking, processing, and learning. Learning points from the episode include: 00:00 - 01:12 Introduction 01:12 - 01:59 The difference between reading and listening 01:59 - 02:57 The importance of learner control 02:57 - 04:28 Why background music usually hurts learning 04:28 - 05:07 Why video is powerful when designed well 05:07 - Outro Important links and mentions: Connect with Patti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattishank Check out Patti’s website: https://www.pattishank.com/ Listen to Patti’s first appearance on The Visual Lounge in episode 155: https://the-visual-lounge.captivate.fm/episode/research-learning-from-videos

How to Choose the Right AI Video Tools Without Breaking the Bank

Imagine logging in next month to find your bill for the AI tool you use has doubled, or that you've run out of credits halfway through a critical project.The explosion of AI video tools has brought incredible capabilities to content creators, but alongside these innovations comes a new challenge: complex pricing models that make it difficult to budget, explain costs to your boss, or know if you're getting sustainable value from your tools.Joining us in this episode is Daniel Foster, Director of Monetization at TechSmith, who studies the evolution of software pricing and has been closely watching how AI tools are being packaged and priced.Daniel shares practical advice for evaluating AI tools beyond just their features, looking at the "whole product" including support, documentation, and pricing sustainability. He explains how to navigate credit-based systems, and why bundled solutions might save you both money and headaches.Learning points from the episode include:00:38 - 01:52 Introduction to Daniel01:52 - 03:06 Daniel's tip for using images and video in work03:06 - 05:05 Why pricing decisions matter as much as features05:05 - 07:51 Current AI pricing models emerging in the market07:51 - 10:56 The complexity of credit-based systems10:56 - 13:47 Alternatives and features to look for in pricing13:47 - 19:54 Evaluating all-in-one vs. specialized tools19:54 - 22:29 Support and documentation considerations22:29 - 23:23 The most popular AI feature: Voice generation23:23 - 27:56 Speed round questions27:56 - 28:53 Daniel's final take28:53 - 30:14 OutroImportant links and mentions:Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielfoster/Camtasia: https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/

From "Watch Bait" to Workflow: Leveraging AI Video for Success

What happens when everyone can create AI videos with just a text prompt?We’re entering the “watch bait era” where AI-generated short clips may start dominating social media feeds, making it harder to distinguish between AI content, misinformation, and reality.The technology is improving but still has real limitations. While AI avatars and lip-sync are getting better, we’re still dealing with 8-second clip restrictions, consistency issues (your character might lose their glasses between scenes), and the ongoing challenge of writing effective prompts.Joining us is Myra Roldan, Founder and Chief AI Officer at UnDesto AI, who’s been working in the AI space for 12 years. She shares practical insights on what AI video can actually do today, why you need authorization before using these tools with company data, and why storyboarding remains essential.Learning points from the episode include:00:00 - 02:45 Introduction to Myra Roldan02:45 - 03:41 12 years in AI: pushing limits and finding considerations03:41 - 05:18 Current state: better avatars, but still limited05:18 - 06:58 Understanding the "watch bait era"06:58 - 08:52 Corporate AI use: authorization and strategy first08:52 - 10:11 Cheap, fast or good, pick two10:11 - 12:38 Consistency challenges with AI characters12:38 - 16:00 Writing effective short prompts and accepting waste16:00 - 17:05 Generation costs and platform caps17:05 - 18:08 The "drunk intern" analogy18:08 - 20:14 Moving from experimentation to everyday use20:14 - 23:45 Why video editing skills still matter23:45 - 29:12 Speed round questions29:12 - 29:19 Myra's final take29:19 - 31:04 OutroImportant links and mentions:Connect with Myra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myraroldan/Find out more about UnDesto AI: https://intelligence.undesto.ai/Watch Hey It’s Myra on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learnwithmyraCamtasia: https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/