Jing is an application developed by TechSmith that can be considered to be a notch or two higher above your normal video screen capture apps. Screenshots can be taken with a single push of your desired hotkey, and you can also choose what dimensions (4: 3 ratio "control key" or 16:9 ratio "shift key") your pictures will be. Aside from that, it also records video saveable in FLV format (five minutes of video for the free version) and endless length for the Pro version (MPEG-4 AVC video files for Flash delivery w/ H.26 +AAC Compression), also having the option of customizable dimensions. Screencaps may be auto-uploaded to screencast.com, flickr, and other photosharing websites, with the click of a button. Videos can also be auto-uploaded to YouTube and other video services like Vimeo and Viddler. And this all comes with a user-friendly, not to mention creative and appealing interface that allows even the most inexperienced of users to record anything they want to on their monitors or webcams, may it be for business, pleasure, or something in between.


Why I Use It

 
I came across this application as I was looking for a way to send clearer instructions for some tutorials about image editors, yet putting instructions into words were often not enough for me to express what I wanted to tell. So after a rather frustrating time of writing a tutorial, with little progress, I cruised around the internet via search engines, looking for video recorders. A review had a link to Jing’s website and advised me to record my tutorials, and then put them up on youtube or some other site for people to see. After 10 minutes of downloading, installing, and recording, and familiarizing myself with the newest addition to my computer’s long list of programs, I set out to do my task via Jing.
 
To my surprise, what I thought would be a long, tedious session of endlessly trying to master the program was just actually a single recording of my monitor’s contents, going along nicely with my voice in telling the viewers what they needed to do to achieve a certain effect on one of the programs I had decided to give a review on.
 
If you are looking for a simple solution to all your screen –capping and –recording problems, then Jing is the solution. It is also fun to have around your desktop; with Jing reducing to a small yellow sun that can be stuck to the edges of your desktop every time you are not using it, it provides for something to mess around with when you want to move something around, play a little bit, or distract yourself from what you are doing for a while.


Looking For A More Professional Quality or Your Branding

 
Since it is very useful, you might consider upgrading your copy from Jing to Jing Pro. Jing Pro can do what Jing does, with added features. The limit on your video recording duration is removed, as well as the Jing branding seen at the start and end of your video. File size is minimized as Jing Pro allows you to save your videos using MPEG-4 AVC, producing tidy, high quality clips. You can also opt for giving your videos a personal touch by recording from a webcam, a feature not included on unsubscribed Jing. Another feature not included on unsubscribed Jing is the option to directly upload to video sharing sites like Youtube, Vimeo, Viddler, and the like.
 
It might seem that only a few features are added, but these features are well worth the $14.95 a year (“that’s, um, 28.8 cents a week” as Jing puts it) that you are going to pay for it. If you plan on using this piece of software frequently, why not? It will certainly give TechSmith a run for its money.
 
Reviews, tutorials, greetings, video correspondence, those are just some of the many things that you can do with Jing. The creativity of how you use Jing it is up to you.