This essential screen recorder delivers new cinematic effects in major update

A person using a desktop computer.
(Image credit: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock)

Camtasia 2022 is now live - and developer TechSmith has added a raft of creative features to the popular recording and video editing software.

The tool, which tops our list for the best screen recorder, benefits from a number of new additions. The makers behind Camtasia say these are “focused on helping customers tell a compelling story with their mouse cursor and easily add visual effects and treatments that make videos more engaging”.

Highlights include cursor enhancements, new transitions, transcription tools, templates, video effects, and a streamlined export process when screen recording on Windows. 

What’s new in Camtasia 2022? 

Improvements to cursors top the list of upgrades rolled out by TechSmith. Users will now be able to change and add cursor paths post-recording, and override the default operating system cursor. 

With an eye on helping users “create more professional and visually captivating videos in even less time,” Camtasia’s workflows have also been refined. In addition to streamlined exports, the screen recording software now offers a redesigned library housing more than 1000 customizable templates and elements, including stock music tracks and animated titles.

Audiate integration is worth a special mention, as it makes videos more accessible to a broader audience. Audiate is TechSmith’s audio editor, automatically transcribing videos in editable text. Now, Camtasia users can easily transfer recordings between the two tools and apply edited transcriptions to their timeline.

On the video effects side, TechSmith has introduced 30 new transitions, plus Spotlight and Outline Edge effects to draw an audience’s attention or make videos look like drawings. The new Blend Mode, meanwhile, lets users merge footage from two media types to create high-quality cinematic effects. 

“We strive to make Camtasia the best video editor available for subject matter experts that have limited time to learn video editing. The new Camtasia 2022 makes it faster and easier to create training and educational videos while also providing fabulous new effects for software demo videos,” said Wendy Hamilton, TechSmith CEO. 

Camtasia 2022 is out now for $299.99 / £289.07, with discounted pricing available to owners of the 2020 and 2021 editions. 

Steve Clark
B2B Editor - Creative & Hardware

Steve is TechRadar Pro’s B2B Editor for Creative & Hardware. He explores the apps and devices for individuals and organizations that thrive on design and innovation. A former journalist at Web User magazine, he's covered software and hardware news, reviews, features, and guides. He's previously worked on content for Microsoft, Sony, and countless SaaS & product design firms. Once upon a time, he wrote commercials and movie trailers. Relentless champion of the Oxford comma.