Additional Blogs by SAP
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
JasonLax
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert
0 Kudos

We receive some really interesting articles for SDN and BPX.  After editing and publishing so many of these, I can see the challenge of trying to explain a complicated process or setup with mere words and screen shots.  I often wonder how many hours have been lost just trying to show an exception or a tricky work around that is just easier to narrate and demonstrate!

Well, that's where eLearning comes in.  But how do you make it?  We’ll, it’s easier and freer than you think! I recently discovered a free utility called the Jing Project*.  It was created by the good people over at TechSmith (Snag-It, Camtasia).  Jing is a screen and voice capture application without any Ka-Ching (or “Ka-Jing”) - for now.  It's really easy to use and it runs on both Windows and Mac.  The output file is a nifty little SWF file with a similar interface found on video sharing websites.

Before you get started, Jing has a couple of challenges that make using it a bit more interesting...

  • 5 minute time limit: Jing has a 5 minute limitation so you need to make your recording short and sweet.  There is no reason why you cannot create and submit multiple demos: just imagine each screen capture is equal to a separate procedure belonging to a single chapter in an article.
  • Not-Resizable (yet): Whatever you record has fit inside a browser window on a computer with a screen resolution of 1024x768.  You should consider reducing your screen resolution before starting a screen grab and avoid capturing stuff we don't need to see such as how many applications you are running at the moment (yes, we know you are VERY busy but...).  Don’t capture an area larger 950x700!!!

When you’re done, just ZIP the output SWF file and submit is to the SAP Community Network Content Submission System.  After your content is approved, we’ll upload it to the library and it will appear in the corresponding eLearning catalog.  You can also link your demos from an article or blog, just as I’ve done here:


Screen Capture Made with Jing

Pretty soon, you’ll be an SCN eLearning Star!

* As in all my blogs, this one represents my own personal recommendation/opinion and not that of SAP. 

15 Comments