Software and Hardware Recommendations: Recording a Video for an Automated Webinar

Getting started with automated webinars and want to make the most of each video? 

At eWebinar, we believe every user should be empowered to create knockout content with ease — so we’ve put together a list of hardware and software recommendations to simplify your process.

From lighting solutions to editing software, these tools can help you turn out a professional, polished product that you’ll be proud of.

Prefer to learn with video? We get it. You can register for Creating an Automated Webinar with High Engagement — a webinar that introduces this topic — right here.

For those who want a deeper dive, our most complete, current and exhaustive list is below:

• Video Recording & Editing:
  • Best Options for Solo Recording
  • Best Options for Recording with Guests 
  • Other Options for You to Explore
• Slide Decks
• Virtual Backgrounds and Camera Takeover
• eWebinar’s Hardware Recommendations: Cameras, Sound, Light, and more

Video Recording & Editing

One of the great things about webinars is that they’re not about formality, special effects, flashy editing, or following scripts. Webinars are a great way for attendees to get to know the real you. That said, video quality can make a difference when it comes to making casual, interactive content engaging. 

Video editing can seem intimidating, granted — but you don’t need expert skills to make a great webinar. What follows is a list of easy-to-use solutions for basic, manageable recording and edits.

Said something you wish you hadn’t? No worries. Just cut it out! 

Best Options for Solo Recording

Descript
descript.com
Free version
$12/month and up

Shout Out from eWebinar: Descript is a new and innovative video editing software that is simplifying video editing for the masses. Here’s how it works. When you load a video into their software, a transcript is automatically generated. Want to delete part of your video? Just remove the words from the transcript, and your video will automatically be edited to match. It’s magic, and it doesn’t get easier than that! P.S. Descript comes with a free, hi-res video recorder that can capture your video, screen, or both!

JOIN THIS WEBINAR to learn more: Edit an Awesome Demo Video with Descript — No Experience Required!

GREAT FOR: 

• Solo recording, video and/or screen capture (speaker-in-corner)
• Super easy edits
• Speedy turnaround

Loom
loom.com
Free version
$8/month and up

eWebinar’s Recommendation: Loom is an easy recording solution, especially when you just want a screen recording of slides or a demo that also shows the speaker in the corner. Since Loom has very limited editing capabilities, we recommend it for simple demos and presentations only — generally ones where you don’t need a script. You can also edit your Loom videos in a different piece of software, like Descript or Camtasia. Keep in mind, the free version of Loom does not support longer, high-def videos, but there are lots of paid options available.

GREAT FOR: 

• Screen capture
• Slide presentations
• Speaker-in-corner feature

eWebinar’s Recommendation: Camtasia is powerful recording and editing software for both video and sound that lets you do things like combine and layer video clips and remove your video background and replace it. When we make our videos, we often record two separate videos and then combine them. We use an iPad Pro with a teleprompter app to record the speaker, and a laptop to record the slides. (We like Google Slides, by the way, because it is simple and free.) Camtasia then lets us layer the two videos with relative ease — and offers the versatility we need to add a video of our speaker in the corner.

GREAT FOR:

• Split screens
• More complicated edits
• Advanced production quality
  
  

Best Options for Recording with Guests

Switcher Studio
switcherstudio.com
$45/month and up

Shout Out from eWebinar: Switcher Studio outputs hi-res multi-person recordings (with a screen share option) that are the best we’ve ever seen. It is a mobile video-creation platform that allows you to livestream to various platforms at once and produce a stunning, finished product with the devices you already own. There's a learning curve but once you get the hang of it, no other solution can beat Switcher Studio when it comes to video quality, especially if you need to share your screen. If you're really into video production, there are plenty of advanced features to explore.

• Brilliant video quality with screen capture option
• Customization
• Complicated formats
  
  
  

Zoom
zoom.us

Free version

• Beginner
• Large Groups
• Easy interviews
  
  

Riverside
riverside.fm
Free version
$7.50/month and up

Shout Out from eWebinar: Riverside lets you record video interviews that look and sound like they were recorded in the same room. The secret? Both sides record locally on their own device and then the software puts the streams together to create a combined audio-video file. Since recording is not done via the cloud as it is with Zoom, you get a higher quality result!

BEST FOR:

• High-quality visuals
• Distance Interviews
• Simple process
  

Other Recording Options for You to Explore

Soapbox by Wistia
wista.com/soapbox
Free

Quicktime by Apple
apple.com/quicktime
Comes free on any Mac

Vimeo Record
vimeo.com/features/screen-recorder
Free

Screenflow
telestream.net/screenflow
Free trial
$129 and up (one-time)

If you find video editing too difficult to figure out, you may consider hiring a freelancer from Upwork or Fiverr to do it for you.

Slide Decks

Google Slides
google.com/slides/about
Free

eWebinar’s Recommendation: Google Slides is free and has all of the core features you need to make a great presentation. We used it for our demo slide deck. Its animation features — along with a few animated GIFs — is how we created  the fun animated bits.

Canva
canva.com
Free plan to get started

Virtual Backgrounds and Camera Takeover

If you want to spice up your videos with virtual backgrounds or other visual effects, or to get others involved in making a video, here are a couple pieces of software worth checking out.

mmhmm
mmhmm.app
$99/year or $9.99/month

manycam
manycam.com
$59/year and up

eWebinar’s Hardware Recommendations

People often ask us what they should use for their camera, lights, and sound when creating a video for eWebinar. We have experimented with a lot of things and have compiled a list of the options that work best for us. 

Keep in mind, we travel a lot, so portability is a key factor in the decisions we’ve made.

Camera

Our favorite recording option is to pair an iPhone with Camo! Camo is an easy-to-use desktop and mobile app that turns your iPhone into an amazing webcam with DSLR-level quality. Android user? No sweat. The version for Android is currently in beta.

Also — you may want to grab a gooseneck mount ($24.99 on Amazon) to keep your phone where you want it.

We have also used an iPad Pro ($799 from Apple) to record our videos, which allows us to use a teleprompter app (PromptSmart Pro for $29.99/year or $2.99/month) and more easily look into the camera while talking. A swivel stand for the iPad ($26.99 on Amazon) completes this setup.

Sound
We keep it very simple when it comes to sound. An inexpensive clip-on mic ($13.99 on Amazon) does the trick. Previously, we used Airpods Pro ($249 from Apple), which did work well — but we prefer the clip-on mic because it’s easier to hear ourselves while we’re talking.

Lights
For lighting, we use a small light from Lume Cube ($79.95) that sticks on to the back of a laptop. It’s travel-friendly and lets you adjust the brightness and softness of the light.

Background
A portable green screen ($89.99 from Amazon) serves as the background for our videos. It lets us record in small spaces without having to worry about finding a good place to shoot. We just swap out the background later in Camtasia.

All-in-One: Soapbox Station by Wistia
Finally, a simple but comprehensive option is to use Soapbox by Wistia, a plug-in that allows you to record your screen and from your webcam simultaneously. From there, you can also make simple edits. Wistia also offers a list of basic hardware suggestions they’ve compiled to create what they call the Soapbox Station, which you can check out here.

Ready to turn your videos into automated webinars? Check out ewebinar.com and sign up for a free trial here.