Record Badass Screencasts for egghead.io
Pick a Lesson Title
- "How do I" approach
- asking this before the title, let the user know exactly what they are getting out of it
Teach Step-by-Step
- separate your lesson into steps.
- you don't have to be explicit by saying the steps, but it also can help you as a guidance while recording
Show first, then maybe explain
- Show exactly WHAT to do, then explain if necessary.
- Often times the previous explanation ends being unnecessary. Explain after you show.
Remove Distractions
- take out all distractions from your screen
- I do have a separate VSCode settings when teaching
- you can also use ezprompt.net to clean your prompt
- use split screen and make your editor take out most of the space and the browser the remaining.
- setup a high-contrast theme in your code editor.
- Bump up the font size on both the browser (demo) and your editor
Avoid Intros and Outros
- "Just start doing it".
- Use the Lesson description for Intro.
- avoid exits, and mention "the next lesson"
- It's all about respecting your audience, and not wasting their time
Stay on Topic
- Avoid explanations of things that are not related to the actual topic.
- Anything that deveates from your lesson title should not be disclose, remember that you can do extra lessons on those other topics
Guide their Eyes
- Help the user follow along.
- walk-through the flow of the app
- Highlight what you are explaining
- if you change file or change context, be very explicit of the change.
Prepare to Record - Screen Resolution and Mic check
- before recording, make sure:
- screen resolution is 1280x720 hidp
- mic has good levels
Record One thought at a time
- Just press record
- anything can happen, but you are recording so you can record again.
- relax and go thought by thought.
- use as many takes as you want!
- take your time. stop, think, record. Rinse & repeat
- remember you can EDIT. don't worry about mistakes, you can cut them out later.
Horacio's Tip: when I record a take that I like, I "clap" at the end of it. That helps me reduce time editing, because I can go to the audio high picks and cut that part without the need of listening the whole record again
Edit with Ripple Delete
- delete all the bad parts and keep the good parts.
ctrl + Tto Ripple delete in Screenflow- in iMovie is
cmd + Bto cut a take and then select and delete the bad parts
Reformat code to fit Screen
- you can change the column width in your code editor to avoid having code that overflows your screen.
- Prettier helps a lot with this lately