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I am about the create a pitch/marketing video, so I would be keen to find out about any software that helps you create various animations, overlays, etc. Possibly bundled with some sound effects.

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A screen recording, or a video of you / people / offices with added special effects? If it's a screencast, then start here: answers.onstartups.com/questions/2497 – Jesper Mortensen♦ Nov 9 '09 at 11:55
Thanks for the link Jasper – Miro Nov 9 '09 at 18:14

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No doubt about it: Camtasia by TechSmith.

A bit pricy at $299, but well worth it. You may find discounts online, or earlier versions available at a lower price.

I have Camtasia 3.1.3 which I got free on a special promotion 2 years ago. They are now up to Version 6.

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I might be off base here, but if your idea is good, you shouldn't need fancy animation with your presentation. Keep it really really simple, with white on black text, and let the idea shine through.

Simple PowerPoint can do this but beware that the animations and sound effects are very very hackneyed. For a fun take on this, see Peter Norvig here.

If you later decide that you do need to have a fancy presentation for marketing then hire an external agency to do it for you. It's surprising how inexpensive a proper professional sales video can be and how much better it is than a home-made alternative.

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@Jeremy, do you have any recommendations for an external agency, and any idea on how much such professional videos can cost? (this can help in planning when to talk to such an agency) – Vineet Nov 9 '09 at 7:08
I agree with KISS, but I also think that a few non-intrusive text slides, element fadeouts, etc. can only help. Besides, the question asked what software to use rather than how to make the video. – Miro Nov 9 '09 at 18:52
@Miro - actually I disagree, element fadeouts and sound effects can be very obtrusive. Unless you really know what you're doing, leave them out. @Vineet - back when I did Product Marketing I reckoned on a day's preparation for an hour's presentation. So I'd anticipate a good agency would charge a couple of days time or so for a sales presentation, plus the cost of photography, voice talent, and suchlike. A marketing communications / PR agency would be able to do this kind of work. In other words, do you need it? I think that's a question in its own right. – Jeremy McGee Nov 9 '09 at 19:45
up vote 1 down vote

Prezi is software which is a different take on presentations. Check them out.

Also, if you want to do an intro video with pictures and animations, try Animoto.

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I use a combination of Apple Keynote and Omnigraffle. (both Mac-only) I find very simple graphics, with spare animation can tell a story very effectively.

I've also seen some folks do nice work with Prezi.

Too many of the "serious professional tools" are just unusable unless you spend a lot of time with them. They are very powerful for folks who make their living at it, but for the rest of us they are just too much.

For great examples of visual descriptions, as well as an excellent agency for creating these sorts of things, check out Xplane: http://www.xplane.com/ and Dave Grey's blog (He's the Xplane founder and chairman): http://communicationnation.blogspot.com/

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+1 for Camtasia. If you want to look professional, you need to upgrade to pro-level tools. They have a free trial if you want to check it out.

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