Top Ten Software Programs for Product Developers - Part I A list of the software I find most useful for creating profitable products - tools of product development.

". . . having the right product development tool can open the door to a whole new world of opportunity "

As product developers we are always looking for tools that can help us create new and better products. We know that having the right product development tool can open the door to a whole new world of opportunity.

Last year, I invested well over $5,000 in software tools - in search of tools that could help me create better products, quicker and easier.

Most of the software tools I purchased were a big disappointment. They either didn't work at all, or were so lacking in features and so poorly designed as to not make them worth the effort to install on my computer.

But there were a few standouts - products so good that they made the search and expense worthwhile.

Here's the products that made the cut

My Favorite Software Tools for Product Development

Camtasia Studio - If you need to create software tutorials or demos for use on CDs or web sites, Camtasia Studio is the tool you want. Camtasia captures all your computer screen activity with your voice narration, and saves it as a movie you can edit.
After editing your Camtasia movie, you can save the movie to either .avi or flash format (which I prefer), and instantly add it to your web site. (See examples at Video Tutorials). Or if you are creating a training CD, you can use Camtasia Studio to create the entire user interface with menu for the CD.

Camtasia is extremely easy to use, extremely powerful, and very reliable (never crashes). It is ideal for creating productions to be viewed on a computer (via CD ROM), or on the web. (However I wouldn't use it to create video for viewing on TV screens.)

Camtasia Studio
Snagit - From the developers of Camtasia studio, Snagit is the perfect tool for capturing computer screen images for use in books, web sites, even videos.
I have used Snagit to capture hundreds of images for computer how-to books, videos, and web pages. Once you set it the capture parameters for your project, you can quickly get perfect screen captures ideal for republishing. (See full review and video at Capture computer screens for use in print, web pages, and video).

A little known feature of Snagit is that it can capture moving screen images just like Camtasia. The only limitation is that with Snagit you can't edit the captured video within Snagit or export it to Flash (without using other programs).

Snagit is a bargain at $39.95.

Snag It
Vegas Video + DVD Architect - If you plan to create video or DVDs, you'll definitely want to check out Vegas Video (now called Vegas+DVD Production Suite). In my testing I found Vegas the most reliable, easiest to install, easiest to use, video editing package available.
Using Vegas you can quickly create and edit anything from a TV commercial to a how-to video to a full length movie. (Using Vegas+DVD, I've created 7 DVDs which have earned well over $100,000.)

The downside - the retail price of Vegas+DVD is now $799. However, you can often find Vegas+DVD v4 on Ebay for under $250. In my opinion, Vegas+DVD v4, is just as good as the latest version.

Vegas+DVD Production Suite
Swish2 - If you need to quickly create a 'text and photos' video with animation and sound for use on your web site, video or DVD, Swish2 is definitely the tool to use.
Productions created with Swish2 can be used stand-alone (on a web site or in a video production), or used to enhance your web site with banners, animated ads, movies, and intros.

Many developers make a living creating web movies for clients - and then integrate those movies into video and other offline productions (I use Swish2 to create graphics for use in Vegas Video Productions).

To get an idea of the kinds of productions that can be created with Swish2, see Swish2 Example Productions.

The downside - Swish2 is very addictive. The more you use it, the more you want to use it.

Swish2 is an absolute bargain at $49.95. Find it at Swish2
WildForm Flix Pro - One of the best ways to place video on a web site is to convert the video into a flash file. Flash video is the most widely compatible video format, and can be created so that it loads quickly and runs smoothly on almost any internet connection speed.
Unfortunately, not all video editing programs have the ability to export video into flash format - and that's where WildForm Flix Pro comes in. It can import .avi video files, resize the video, compress it, and output in Flash Format. WildForm Flix Pro can also add a pre loader VCR-like player controls to your video - so that it looks and feels like the work of a pro.

I use WildForm Flix Pro to convert video I create in other programs (ie Vegas), into flash format for web viewing. By converting video to flash, I no longer have to provide multiple versions of the same video at different speeds and formats for web viewing.

The downside - Flix Pro costs $149. You can download a free trial or purchase the lite version. But if you plan to add much video to your web site, you might as well get the Pro version and also invest in the $29 FlixPro PowerPlayers add on.

WildForm Flix Pro

You probably noticed . . .

You probably noticed that all of the above tools are related to the production of video - for use either on the web, or DVD.

The reason is simple - the creation of video products is one of the best areas for product developers to work in.

Video products (especially DVDs) . . .

offer a low cost of production (in terms of equipment and skills needed)
have a high profit margin (usually 20:1 price to cost ratio)
require little or no support
are easy to package and ship
have a world wide market
can be sold on eBay and Amazon (as well as your own web site)
can be created relatively quickly
and have great upside potential (licensing and buy out offers)

By focusing on the production of video products, you aquire tools and learn skills that can be used to create online as well as offline products - any where in the world.

In part II of this article, I'll focus on other product development tools - specifically those tools that I use to create software products, web sites, and handle day to day office activities.

Bill Myers - The Product Developers Resource Center
For product developers, information publishers, software developers and others who create and market products.

Find how-to's, project ideas, project examples, tutorials, the Product Developers Newsletters, a large download library of tools and resellable products and more - to help you build your product development business.

Find our more - Click here: Bill Myers Online

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