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Video Podcasting Software for PC and Mac

Ever wanted to create your own Vidcasts like Rocketboom ? All you require is a decent computer, some free or inexpensive software and a video camera. Now, assuming that you already have a camcorder and a computer, let's discuss the software options for amateur videographers.

Vidcasting if you are on a Mac

You are lucky since the Apple iLife '06 suite has built-in support for video podcasting. Create your video podcasts using Apple iMovie HD and publish them as video podcasts in the iTunes Podcast Directory using iWeb. The video podcasts can directly be hosted on Apple servers with a .Mac account. You will however need a Video Camcorder with Firewire port for iMovie to directly import your video footage. Apple iLife iMovie

iStage is another video podcasting software for the Macintosh integrated with .Mac service and iLife. iStage is a single solution for all your video podcast creation needs from storyboards, layout, sound editing and even creates the podcast feeds for you. iStage creates H.264 and mpeg4 encoded movies supported by Apple Quicktime 7. iStage is available as a universal binary that runs on the PowerPC and Mactel processors. iStage

We also have VideoCue 2 from Vara. Videocue lets you write a speech, then records you reading it back. You can even include movies, images and titles in your presentation. The final presentation is saved in QuickTime format. Videocue integrates with most popular blog systems (LiveJournal, MovableType, Blogger, TypePad).

If you are a serious video podcasting contender, my suggestion would be invest your time and money in Final Cut Studio - the big daddy of all video editing software.

Video Podcasting when you are on a PC

Serious Magic, developers of Visual Communicator 2, have a software called Vlog It specially for creating vlogs (or video blogs). It is more suitable when your video podcast show is of type of a news channel where you sit infront of the camera and narrate the events. The finished video files can be in Flash Video, Real Media or Windows Media formats. Vlog It comes with a newscaster-style teleprompter for narration so you don't have to look at paper notes or memorize anything.

If you have the budget, you can even opt for Visual communicator which is more advance that Vlog It. Serious Magic has a tieup with PlayStream Streaming service to host your video. Playstream can be integrated with TypePad, MySpace or any blogging platform. If I get a chance, you may see a detailed review of Visual Communicator 2 on this site. Let's Vlog It

Unlike Apple, Microsoft doesn't provide any podcasting or videcasting support yet in their software though Movie Maker and Photostory can be used for creating videos for free. With Windows Moview Maker, it is easy to add narrations, transitions, scrolling titles - enough features to make a good looking home video. But yes, you will have to write all the XML feeds yourself.

If you are Windows and want some professional looking video podcast, invest in a video editing software like Adobe Production Studio which has software for video creation (Adobe Premiere Pro) and sound editing (Adobe Audition). Other alternatives include Pinnacle Studio Plus, Ulead VideoStudio, Sony Vegas Studio.

» Podcasting, Vidcasting, Screencasting explained

» How to make Money from Video Podcasting

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