Animate Your Holiday Greeting Card Video with Camtasia Studio 8.4

In this tutorial, I’ll discuss a simple way to further customize your greeting card video with photos using Camtasia’s Visual Properties animations. Here’s a demo video: http://www.screencast.com/t/SFVbNa4NHB.

Note: this tutorial is a continuation of the tutorials entitled “Create a Holiday Greeting Card Video with Camtasia Studio 8.4 – Part 1“ and Add Motion Effects to Your Holiday Greeting Card Video with Camtasia Studio 8.4 – Part 2.

Before You Begin – Some General Tips

In the first tutorial in this series, you added transitions to the timeline. For this tutorial, time the images to come onscreen before or after the transitions.
If you added green screen motion video from the second tutorial in this series, and you want the snow or other effects to be on top of the photos you will add in the tutorial, you might need to change the order of the clips on the timeline. Media on the topmost timeline track is the topmost layer in the preview window. So, if the green screen clips are not on the very top track, the animations will be under the photos.
To move the media on one track to a higher track:
1. Zoom out on the timeline so you can see all the tracks at once.
2. Start at the blank space on the track you want to move. Now, click down and drag the cursor to make a selection around all the media clips on that one track. Clips are blue when selected.

3. When the selection is made, release the mouse and drag the selection upward to an empty track and drop it there. The photos should be added to the empty track you just created which is now under the green screen video.

Open the Holiday Greeting Card Project

Open the holiday project file in Camtasia Studio.

– or –

If you just want to learn how to animate the photos, use any project or even a brand new project.

Import the Images into the Clip Bin

Use the Import Media button to add your photos to the Clip Bin.
Don’t have any photos to use? Download some here.

Drag the first image from the Clip Bin onto the timeline.

Animations Overview

Animations are instructions you add to a clip on the timeline to tell the image or video on the canvas how to behave.

Animations might include:

A talking head video that smoothly transitions or trades places with a screen recording video.
A spinning image that enters the video from the left, pauses, then flies off to the right.
Several videos that play simultaneously on the canvas while moving in a pattern you create.
Callouts that animate on the canvas to draw attention to an area in the video.

Visual Properties Tab

The options in the Visual Properties tab allow you to easily animate clips on the timeline. Other options in the tab allow you to add color, shadow, and opacity effects to most media on the timeline such as video, callouts, and images.

For most effects, add the animation to the clip, then perform the desired action on the canvas. Editor records the action and adds it to the animation.
To set the actions at the start of the animation: Place the playhead over the small white dot at the beginning of the animation.
To set the actions at the end of the animation: Place the playhead over the larger blue dot at the end of the animation.

Add an Animation to a Clip on the Timeline

The animations added in this process mimic the animations in the sample video – a simple fade in and fade out.

1. Add the First Photo to the Timeline
Adjust the location of the photo on the timeline to have it show before or after a transition. The photo will automatically be centered on the video.
Tip: If you want it in a different location, adjust it within the preview window. For example, if you want the photo to move onto the screen from the far left or top of the video, move the image off the preview window to that location.

2. Open the Visual Properties Tab
Double-click the photo on the timeline to select it and move the playhead to the beginning > Click the More tab > select Visual Properties.

3. Add the First Animation
Use the zoom slider to zoom in a bit on the timeline to get a better view. Then, click the Add animation button. An animation is added to the media at the point of the playhead.

4. Adjust the Duration of the Animation
Use your cursor to drag the animation out a bit. Notice there is a white dot at the beginning of the animation and a blue dot at the end. When the animation is selected, it is yellow.
The length of the animation is the actual duration of the effect you are adding. This can be adjusted at any time by dragging the dots on either end.

5. Add Instructions to the First Animation
This animation will cause the photo to zoom and fade in.

Make sure the animation is selected and the playhead is on the white dot. At the top of the Visual Properties tab, change the Scale to 1% and the Opacity to 0%.
Now, select the blue dot and change the Scale to the size you want the photo to be and change the Opacity to 100%.
Move the playhead over your animation to see it in action. It will fade in until it is completely visible at the size and location you set.

5. Add Instructions to the Second Animation
This animation will cause the photo to zoom and fade out.

Move the playhead to a location almost to the end of the clip. Click the Add animation button.
Make sure the animation is selected and the playhead is on the blue dot. Change the Scale to 1% then change the Opacity to 100%.
Note: The beginning, or white dot on this animation will not be changed.
Move the playhead over your animation to see it in action.
Drag the end points of the animation to adjust the durations to match up with the timing in the video.