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Tablet Capture Video Techniques

Tablet Capture Video Techniques

You, like many of your colleagues, may want to create video in which you can write or draw by hand for your students to see while you narrate. Sometimes this is referred to as “tablet capture” video, “Khan Academy style” video, or “digital whiteboard” video.

Our Tablet Capture Advisor Tool will suggest the best ways we know of to do this with what you have on hand already.

Or, if you prefer, feel free to browse all of the different solutions we have to advise for tablet capture using different combinations of technology, below.

FAQ: But wait, I want to show my face at the same time as I show my writing!

A: Research has shown that having an image of your face in the corner of a video is actually not good for learning! Students are distracted by your face from the content that you are writing or drawing on the rest of the screen. We thus recommend that you do not include video of your face in the corner of your video.

Caveat: Creating a video with no other images or writing but rather only a video of your face is perfectly acceptable! For example, a video in which you introduce yourself, share a personal message with your students, or recap the week is great to see you and only you in. There is nothing else for your face to visually distract from in this case. However, that’s not what this particular page is here to discuss.

Tablet capture video creation solutions

Content

Asynchronous, Mac with drawing tablet

  1. Turn off notifications on your Mac.
  2. Plug in your Wacom (or other brand) drawing tablet to your Mac as a peripheral and set it up to function properly according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  3. Open your preferred Mac drawing / handwriting program and set up your page however you want to start your video. Some options we recommend:
  4. Open your preferred screen capture software. Some options we recommend:
    • Panopto (available free to Pitt users)
    • QuickTime (comes on your Mac)
    • Camtasia (medium-sized purchase price, but much more fully featured)
  5. Start a screen recording that will capture your chosen drawing / handwriting program.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to enable audio recording in your recording software, and narrate while writing. Macs generally have built-in microphones, but if you prefer, you can also use an external USB microphone.
  6. While recording your screen, write or draw as desired using your stylus.
  7. When you are done with your video, stop the recording.
  8. Upload your video to Panopto to share with your students.

Asynchronous, Windows PC with drawing tablet

  1. Turn off notifications on your PC.
  2. Plug in your Wacom (or other brand) drawing tablet to your PC as a peripheral and set it up to function properly according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  3. Open your preferred PC drawing / handwriting program and set up your page however you want to start your video. Some options we recommend:
  4. Open your preferred screen capture software. Some options we recommend:
    • Panopto (available free to Pitt users, simple)
    • OBS Studio (free; very customizable but complex)
    • Camtasia (medium-sized purchase price, but much more fully featured)
  5. Start a screen recording that will capture your chosen drawing / handwriting program.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to enable audio recording in your recording software, and narrate while writing. If your PC has a good built-in microphone, you can use that, or you can also use an external USB microphone.
  6. While recording your screen, write or draw as desired using your stylus.
  7. When you are done with your video, stop the recording.
  8. Upload your video to Panopto to share with your students.

Asynchronous, iPad with Mac

  1. Turn off notifications on your iPad and your Mac.
  2. Plug your iPad into your Mac with a lightning cable and unlock your iPad.
  3. Open your preferred iPad drawing / handwriting app and set up your page however you want to start your video. Some options we recommend:
    • Notability (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • GoodNotes (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • Microsoft OneNote (available free to Pitt Microsoft 365 users)
  4. On your Mac, open the QuickTime application. Start a New Movie Recording (under the File menu). On the recording window, to the right of the Record button, there is a tiny downward arrow. Click this arrow and choose the name of your iPad under Camera.
    • We recommend that you record in landscape mode (wide) instead of portrait mode (tall) because video playback has been built for landscape videos. If you record your video in portrait mode, your video will be shrunk with large black bars added to the sides to make it into landscape video when your students view it in Panopto. In order to record in landscape, open up your drawing program and switch to landscape before starting your recording.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to enable audio recording in QuickTime on your Mac, and narrate while writing. Most Macs have built-in microphones, but if you prefer, you can also use an external USB microphone plugged into your Mac. Click the downward arrow to the right of the record button and under Microphone, select Internal Microphone or the name of your USB microphone.
  5. In QuickTime on your Mac, hit the Record button.
  6. While recording your iPad screen, write or draw on your iPad as desired, ideally using a stylus.
  7. When you are done with your video, stop the recording in QuickTime on your Mac.
  8. Upload your video to Panopto to share with your students.

Asynchronous, tablet PC (ex: Surface)

  1. Turn off notifications on your Surface.
  2. Open your preferred PC drawing / handwriting program and set up your page however you want to start your video. Some options we recommend:
  3. Open your preferred screen capture software. Some options we recommend:
    • Panopto (available free to Pitt users, simple)
    • OBS Studio (free; very customizable but complex)
    • Camtasia (medium-sized purchase price, but much more fully featured)
  4. Start a screen recording that will capture your chosen drawing / handwriting program.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to enable audio recording in your recording software, and narrate while writing. If your tablet PC has a good built-in microphone, you can use that, or you can also use an external USB microphone.
  5. While recording your screen, write or draw as desired using your stylus.
  6. When you are done with your video, stop the recording.
  7. Upload your video to Panopto to share with your students.

Asynchronous, iPad only

  1. Turn off notifications on your iPad.
  2. Open your preferred iPad drawing / handwriting app and set up your page however you want to start your video. Some options we recommend:
    • Notability (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • GoodNotes (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • Microsoft OneNote (available free to Pitt Microsoft 365 users)
  3. Start a screen recording that will capture your chosen drawing / handwriting app.
    • We recommend that you record in landscape mode (wide) instead of portrait mode (tall) because video playback has been built for landscape videos. If you record your video in portrait mode, your video will be shrunk with large black bars added to the sides to make it into landscape video when your students view it in Panopto. In order to record in landscape, open up your drawing program as in step 1 and switch to landscape before starting your recording.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to enable audio recording, and narrate while writing. iPads have built-in microphones, but if you prefer, you can also use an external USB microphone with your iPad if you purchase a lightning-to-USB adapter.
  4. While recording your screen, write or draw as desired, ideally using a stylus.
  5. When you are done with your video, stop the recording.
  6. Upload your video to Panopto to share with your students.

Asynchronous, Android tablet

  1. Turn off notifications on your tablet.
  2. Open your preferred Android drawing / handwriting app and set up your page however you want to start your video. Some options we recommend:
  3. Open your preferred screen capture app.
  4. Start a screen recording that will capture your chosen drawing / handwriting program.
    • We recommend that you record in landscape mode (wide) instead of portrait mode (tall) because video playback has been built for landscape videos. If you record your video in portrait mode, your video will be shrunk with large black bars added to the sides to make it into landscape video when your students view it in Panopto.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to enable audio recording, and narrate while writing. If your Android tablet has a built-in microphone that seems like it produces decent quality audio, you can use that, but if you prefer, some Android devices can also use an external USB microphone if you purchase a USB adapter.
  5. While recording your screen, write or draw as desired, ideally using a stylus.
  6. When you are done with your video, stop the recording.
  7. Upload your video to Panopto using the web interface to share with your students.

Asynchronous, “document camera” made from your smartphone or tablet (or even your digital camera)

  1. Set up your tablet/phone so it is recording your sheet of paper with its camera.
    • If you have a smartphone mount arm, that is ideal. Otherwise, you could use cans, books, etc., to support it.
    • We recommend that you record in landscape mode (wide) instead of portrait mode (tall) because video playback has been built for landscape videos. If you record your video in portrait mode, your video will be shrunk with large black bars added to the sides to make it into landscape video when your students view it in Panopto.
  2. Record a video using your phone/tablet camera while you write on the sheet of paper.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to enable audio recording, and narrate while writing. If your phone / tablet has a built-in microphone that seems like it produces decent quality audio, you can use that, but if you prefer, iOS devices and some Android devices can also use an external USB microphone if you purchase a USB adapter.
  3. When you are done with your video, stop the recording.
  4. Upload your video to Panopto using the web interface to share with your students.

Synchronous, Mac with drawing tablet

  1. Turn off notifications on your Mac.
  2. Plug in your Wacom (or other brand) drawing tablet to your Mac as a peripheral and set it up to function properly according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  3. Open your preferred Mac drawing / handwriting program and set up your page however you want to start your video. (OR, skip this step and use the built-in Zoom whiteboard under Share Screen in step 5) Some options we recommend:
  4. Open Zoom and join/start your meeting.
  5. Click on Share Screen and select the application you chose in step 3 or the Whiteboard.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to unmute yourself, and narrate while writing. Macs generally have built-in microphones, but if you prefer, you can also use an external USB microphone.
    • Feel free to turn off your video while you share your screen: this will provide less distraction for students from looking at what you are writing, and will also save on internet bandwidth.
  6. While sharing your screen, write or draw as desired using your stylus.
  7. When you are done with your writing, stop sharing your screen.

Synchronous, Windows PC with drawing tablet

  1. Turn off notifications on your PC.
  2. Plug in your Wacom (or other brand) drawing tablet to your PC as a peripheral and set it up to function properly according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  3. Open your preferred Windows drawing / handwriting program and set up your page however you want to start your video. (OR, skip this step and use the built-in Zoom whiteboard under Share Screen in step 5) Some options we recommend:
  4. Open Zoom and join/start your meeting.
  5. Click on Share Screen and select the application you chose in step 3 or the Whiteboard.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to unmute yourself, and narrate while writing. If your PC has a good built-in microphone, you can use that, or you can also use an external USB microphone.
    • Feel free to turn off your video while you share your screen: this will provide less distraction for students from looking at what you are writing, and will also save on internet bandwidth.
  6. While sharing your screen, write or draw as desired using your stylus.
  7. When you are done with your writing, stop sharing your screen.

Synchronous, iPad with Mac

  1. Turn off notifications on your iPad.
  2. Open your preferred iPad drawing / handwriting app and set up your page however you want to start your video. Some options we recommend:
    • Notability (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • GoodNotes (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • Microsoft OneNote (available free to Pitt Microsoft 365 users)
  3. Connect your iPad to your computer with a lightning cable if possible.
  4. Open Zoom on your Mac and join/start your meeting.
  5. In Zoom on your Mac, click on Share Screen and select iPhone/iPad via Cable (or via AirPlay if you are not able to connect your devices via cable). Follow the instructions on the screen.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to unmute yourself on Zoom on your Mac, and narrate while writing. Macs generally have built-in microphones, but if you prefer, you can also use an external USB microphone.
    • Feel free to turn off your video on Zoom while you share your iPad screen: this will provide less distraction for students from looking at what you are writing, and will also save on internet bandwidth.
    • We recommend that you keep your iPad in landscape mode (wide) instead of portrait mode (tall) because other participants in your Zoom meeting are likely looking at (landscape) computer screens. If you share your screen in portrait mode, your iPad screen will be shrunk to fit top-to-bottom on their screen, with lots of wasted space to the sides.
  6. While sharing your screen, write or draw on your iPad as desired, ideally using a stylus.
  7. When you are done with your writing, stop sharing your screen in Zoom.

Synchronous, iPad with PC

  1. Turn off notifications on your iPad.
  2. Open your preferred iPad drawing / handwriting app and set up your page however you want to start your video. Some options we recommend:
    • Notability (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • GoodNotes (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • Microsoft OneNote (available free to Pitt Microsoft 365 users)
  3. Open Zoom on your PC and join/start your meeting.
  4. In Zoom on your PC, click on Share Screen and select iPhone/iPad. Follow the instructions on the screen.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to unmute yourself in Zoom on your PC, and narrate while writing. If your computer has a good built-in microphone, you can use that, or you can also use an external USB microphone connected to your computer.
    • Feel free to turn off your video in Zoom on your PC while you share your iPad screen: this will provide less distraction for students from looking at what you are writing, and will also save on internet bandwidth.
    • We recommend that you keep your iPad in landscape mode (wide) instead of portrait mode (tall) because other participants in your Zoom meeting are likely looking at (landscape) computer screens. If you share your screen in portrait mode, your iPad screen will be shrunk to fit top-to-bottom on their screen, with lots of wasted space to the sides.
  5. While sharing your screen, write or draw on your iPad as desired, ideally using a stylus.
  6. When you are done with your writing, stop sharing your screen in Zoom.

Synchronous, tablet PC

  1. Turn off notifications on your PC.
  2. Open your preferred Windows drawing / handwriting program and set up your page however you want to start your video. (OR, skip this step and use the built-in Zoom whiteboard under Share Screen in step 4) Some options we recommend:
  3. Open Zoom and join/start your meeting.
  4. Click on Share Screen and select the application you chose in step 2 or the Whiteboard.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to unmute yourself, and narrate while writing. If your PC has a good built-in microphone, you can use that, or you can also use an external USB microphone.
    • Feel free to turn off your video while you share your screen: this will provide less distraction for students from looking at what you are writing, and will also save on internet bandwidth.
  5. While sharing your screen, write or draw as desired using your stylus.
  6. When you are done with your writing, stop sharing your screen.

Synchronous, iPad only

  1. Turn off notifications on your iPad.
  2. Open your preferred iPad drawing / handwriting app and set up your page however you want to start your video. (OR, skip this step and use the built-in Zoom whiteboard under Share Content in step 4.) Some options we recommend:
    • Notability (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • GoodNotes (small purchase price; works only on Mac OS and iOS)
    • Microsoft OneNote (available free to Pitt Microsoft 365 users)
  3. Open Zoom on your iPad and join/start your meeting.
  4. In Zoom, click on Share Content and select Screen (OR select Whiteboard if desired instead). Select Screen Broadcast to Zoom. Press Start Broadcast and switch to your desired drawing app.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to turn Microphone On before you press Start Broadcast, and narrate while writing. iPads have built-in microphones, but if you prefer, you can also use an external USB microphone with your iPad if you purchase a lightning-to-USB adapter.
    • Feel free to turn off your video on Zoom while you share your iPad screen: this will provide less distraction for students from looking at what you are writing, and will also save on internet bandwidth.
    • We recommend that you keep your iPad in landscape mode (wide) instead of portrait mode (tall) because other participants in your Zoom meeting are likely looking at (landscape) computer screens. If you share your screen in portrait mode, your iPad screen will be shrunk to fit top-to-bottom on their screen, with lots of wasted space to the sides.
  5. While sharing your screen, write or draw on your iPad as desired, ideally using a stylus.
  6. When you are done with your writing, click Stop Broadcast in Zoom.

Synchronous, Android tablet

  1. Turn off notifications on your tablet.
  2. Open your preferred Android drawing / handwriting app and set up your page however you want to start your video. (OR, skip this step and use the built-in Zoom whiteboard under Share Content in step 4.) Some options we recommend:
  3. Open Zoom on your tablet and join/start your meeting.
  4. In Zoom, click on Share Content and select Screen (OR select Whiteboard if desired instead). Select Screen Broadcast to Zoom. Press Start Broadcast and switch to your desired drawing app.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to turn Microphone On before you press Start Broadcast, and narrate while writing. If your Android tablet has a built-in microphone that seems like it produces decent quality audio, you can use that, but if you prefer, some Android devices can also use an external USB microphone if you purchase a USB adapter.
    • Feel free to turn off your video on Zoom while you share your tablet screen: this will provide less distraction for students from looking at what you are writing, and will also save on internet bandwidth.
    • We recommend that you keep your tablet in landscape mode (wide) instead of portrait mode (tall) because other participants in your Zoom meeting are likely looking at (landscape) computer screens. If you share your screen in portrait mode, your tablet screen will be shrunk to fit top-to-bottom on their screen, with lots of wasted space to the sides.
  5. While sharing your screen, write or draw on your tablet as desired, ideally using a stylus.
  6. When you are done with your writing, click Stop Broadcast in Zoom.

Synchronous, “document camera” made from your smartphone or tablet

  1. Open the Zoom app on your smartphone or tablet and join or start your meeting. Make sure your video is on. Switch your video feed to use the camera on the back of the tablet/phone.
    • If desired (recommended), you should make sure to unmute yourself, and narrate while writing. If your phone / tablet has a built-in microphone that seems like it produces decent quality audio, you can use that, but if you prefer, iOS devices and some Android devices can also use an external USB microphone if you purchase a USB adapter.
  2. Set up your tablet/phone so it is filming your sheet of paper with its back camera, screen up so you can see what is being filmed.
    • If you have a smartphone mount arm, that is ideal. Otherwise, you could use cans, books, etc., to support it.
    • We recommend that you keep your camera in landscape mode (wide) instead of portrait mode (tall) because other participants in your Zoom meeting are likely looking at (landscape) computer screens. If you use portrait mode, your video feed will be shrunk to fit top-to-bottom on their screen, with lots of wasted space to the sides.
  3. When you are done with your writing, you can remove your phone from its mount and show your face on Zoom instead, if desired.
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