Vlog It lets you produce your 'show'

The scoop: Vlog It software, by Serious Magic, about $50.

What it is: Vlog It is a stripped-down version of the company's Visual Communicator software, which lets users create their own video communications with only a PC and camcorder (or Web camera). Just like the Visual Communicator family of products (VC Web and Studio are others), Vlog It includes a teleprompter area that lets users write a script and employ video effects (including transitions, wipes and over-the-shoulder graphics) that give the appearance of a professional video broadcast. When users record videos using the software, the teleprompter scrolls and they can read their script to the camera, just like a news anchor. The Vlog It name change is designed to appeal to bloggers who want to add video blogs (or vlogs) to text-based blogs.

To continue reading, register here and become an Insider. You'll get free access to premium content from CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. See more Insider content or sign in.

Click to see: Interface for Vlog It

The scoop: Vlog It software, by Serious Magic, about $50.

What it is: Vlog It is a stripped-down version of the company's Visual Communicator software, which lets users create their own video communications with only a PC and camcorder (or Web camera). Just like the Visual Communicator family of products (VC Web and Studio are others), Vlog It includes a teleprompter area that lets users write a script and employ video effects (including transitions, wipes and over-the-shoulder graphics) that give the appearance of a professional video broadcast. When users record videos using the software, the teleprompter scrolls and they can read their script to the camera, just like a news anchor. The Vlog It name change is designed to appeal to bloggers who want to add video blogs (or vlogs) to text-based blogs.

At $50, the software doesn't include as many features as the higher-level Visual Communicator products, and you also can't create your own graphics. You can modify existing ones, but I preferred using Visual Communicator's basic graphics editor to create, for example, a customized title screen. Like Visual Communicator, Vlog It lets you add video files, audio clips and photos to your vlog.

Through a partnership with PlayStream (which hosts videos for $7.95 per month, with the first 30 days free), users can publish their shows directly through the Vlog It software. Users can also save their videos to a hard disk, send them via e-mail or to a different FTP server. After a show is published, the creator can post a vlog to a blog by dragging and dropping the vlog's thumbnail into a standard blog-authoring tool and then writing a text blog post.

Why it's cool: Creating somewhat professional-looking video communications without having to spend a lot of money on production services should appeal to bloggers, especially because they need only a Webcam and PC to get up and running. But there's also a business appeal to this software. Managers who want to communicate with employees in a fun and interesting way can use the software to provide weekly or monthly updates. An IT manager who wants to show the best ways users can protect themselves from viruses or spyware can use the Vlog It software instead of sending out an e-mail. Anyone using the software for the first time will come up with more show ideas. For $50, it's a steal, though users who get addicted to the software will probably want to upgrade to the Visual Communicator or Visual Communicator Studio software for the extra features.

In a lot of cases, Vlog It can cut down on the need for video-editing software, saving lots of time in the process. For example, this week's Cool Tools video show features a report on Vlog It software that took less time to produce than it would have using traditional editing and production techniques (although we cut down on the number of cuts and B-roll video that we normally use).

Some caveats: The software doesn't support output to QuickTime format, and video blog postings created with Vlog It cannot be viewed on a video iPod. There's also the "brush script" effect - Vlog It offers so many video effects that first-time users may go overboard and put in so many that they produce a visual headache.