Tutorial Creation Application?

[bzbrown]

Any suggestions for software that helps create tutorials for things like databases etc?

Signed
A Librarian

[MarvinSum]

Not sure what you mean. I'm assuming you're looking for a word processor to create documents? Try Pages or Microsoft Word 2004.

[bzbrown]

Hey thanks for writing back. I should have been more specific but I was in a bit of a rush. I am looking for something like Viewlet (which I don't really like) that will help me to create a tutorial. I suppose the funtional needs would be to capture screens, assign data to my captures and well...make a tutorial. In my particular case I am looking to teach patrons how to use a specific database owned by a library.

Does that make more sense?

[Miles]

Ohhh...Like a presentation? You could maybe use Keynote for that. Very easy to use and the results are amazing.

[bzbrown]

Well...it's not for a presentation per se. Like, I won't be standing in front of the person presenting the ins and outs of a database, I would be able to do that in powerpoint or keynote like you mentioned. I want to create a file that an individual can use by themselves that helps a person navigate a database. Being able to highlight certain areas, something you can do with flash but I am not trying to get that fancy with it. Maybe I am doing to a terrible job of describing what I am looking for but I have appreciated the suggestions thusfar.

[Miles]

How about a video demonstrating the usage of the database? Some good screencasting apps exist for Mac including iShowU (http://www.shinywhitebox.com/home/home.html).

[bzbrown]

Thanks, I think that is exactly what I am looking for. For windows there is a program called Camtasia that does all this stuff, and that was the reference I was working from.

Thanks you

[Miles]

Yeah if you are familiar with Camtasia you will like iShowU. Good luck and glad I could help ;)

[Kelly]

Digging up an old post here. If video isn't the direction you'd like to go, there's a pretty neat little application called ScreenSteps (http://www.screensteps.com/), it allows you to create snapshots and narrate on the photos, there are some pretty nice export options as well.