In this article, I am sharing the content creation tools I use to deliver my sessions / workshops and create content for YouTube, blog articles and social posts. This is a long table. If you want to know more about specific aspects, do post your queries or suggestions. I will be happy to write detailed articles about individual tool / scenario.
This is not a sponsored post. I do not get any commission from the sale of any of these products.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Content creation tools
| Usage | Tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard with 6 custom keys. Mapped to screen capture, window switching, screen zoom and more. Also used for gaming. | Logitech G613 keyboard | |
| Default mouse. Extra buttons mapped to screen zoom and open in new tab (Ctrl Click), and more. Scroll wheel is surprisingly useful for long scrolls during demos / browsing. Works across devices. | MX Master 3 mouse | |
| Alternate mouse – kept on the left side. Quite useful when the right hand is busy typing / adjusting things. | Logitech G102 mouse | |
| Customization: Logitech software to customize mouse, camera and keyboard options. Created multiple profiles for online and offline use. Mouse has application based profiles as well. Macro recording is outstanding. Excellent for gamers too. | Logitech G Hub | |
| Webcam for meetings and webinars. I have been using it for years, till I got the Sony camera. Now it serves as the backup camera. The mechanical and simple privacy shutter is a lifesaver! | Logitech Brio 4K | |
| Camera. Better quality video for streaming, video content, meetings and webinars. With the firmware update, supports streaming on USB. | Sony ZV 1 Camera | |
| Microphone. Using this workhorse for over 6 years now. Still works flawlessly. With Rodecaster Pro, I am using the XLR connection. For regular PC use, USB connection. | Blue Yeti Pro | |
| AI Background Removal: This is a gamechanger. Amazing tool. Hardware level AI noise cancellation for mic and Video background removal for camera. Invaluable tool. Much better than background removal in Teams / Zoom / anything else. Needs NVIDIA RTX 20 series onwards. If you have a compatible card, download and use it NOW! | Nvidia Broadcast | |
| Headphones: Plantronics Teams compliant headphone. Best in class. Amazing noise cancellation. Excellent integration with Teams and Zoom. | Plantronics Voyager Focus UC | |
| Audio interface and mixer. Great for live voice enhancement & compression, music channel, audio effects like claps and laughter. I use it extensively during online sessions as well as an offline content creation tool. Especially useful as a stand-alone podcasting setup. | Rodecaster Pro | |
| Pen Tablet. Annotation during live sessions as well as video demos. Useful for graphics editing as well. | Huion Tablet Inspiroy Dial Q620M | |
| MIDI keyboard. Useful as additional mapped keys for automating streaming tasks and any system shortcuts. Also for creating custom sound effects / ambient music clips. | Arturia Minilab Mk2 | |
| Tripod – tabletop – for mounting the Sony camera. The Logitech camera mounts on top of the monitor. | Joby Tripod | |
| Speakers: For regular audio as well for audio editing. I also use Sony headphones like a studio monitor (by disabling all the processing). | Logi Z623 speaker system | |
| Graphics Card: Mind boggling performance. Powers the graphics processing for streaming, video editing as well as live noise cancellation and video background replacement. | NVIDIA RTX 3080 TI graphics card (MSI) | |
| Monitors: Dual monitor setup. Invaluable for conducting live webinars and demos. Increases efficiency of video and audio editing as well. Also used for gaming and OTT streaming. | ASUS VP28U Acer ProDesigner | |
| Fault tolerant router: Combines two separate fibre connections into one pooled internet connection. | TpLink Gigabit Router | |
| Image processing, posters, blog featured images, channel art, social media posts | Photoshop | |
| Graphics: For quick creation of social media images | Canva Pro | |
| Presentations: Mainstay of my presentations, demos, workshops. I also use it extensively as an image editing tool. Also useful for creating full featured Animated GIFs for social media. | PowerPoint | |
| Vector Graphics: Used in specific circumstances where precise vector editing is required. Like UI Icons, Logos, printing giveaways, etc. | Illustrator | |
| Video editing where screen demos are not included. | Premier Pro | |
| Special effects to be inserted for YouTube or customer deliverable videos. Also use it for specific illustrations during regular presentations. | After Effects | |
| PDF: Create professional deliverables with copy protection. | Acrobat | |
| Video editing of screen demos and software-oriented content. | Camtasia | |
| Quick video editing: Sometimes, we need to just trim parts of a video. Typically in an online webinar where the recording starts some time before the actual session begins and ends with some Q&A. When I want to trim unwanted parts of the video without re-rendering, this tool is absolutely essential. | XSplit Video Editor | |
| Screen Capture: Absolute must for any software-oriented content creator. Outstanding screen capture features. | SnagIT | |
| Video review: If you create videos which require multiple persons to review, this is an absolute must. Upload video. Send link. Multiple reviewers can play, annotate, and add comments. | Video Review | |
| Video screen capture: High resolution. Better than Camtasia. Supports native NVIDIA dependent formats. Comprehensive customization. | Bandicam | |
| Screen Zoom: Microsoft Sysinternals tool for zooming into the display screen. Helps focus audience attention during demos. Increases impact and comprehension. | ZoomIt | |
| VTT / SRT captions: Lesser known but extremely powerful service. Creates SRT / VTT files in 675 languages automatically. Based upon AZURE AI (Cognitive services). Gives free service even for consumer (Hotmail / Outlook.com / Gmail) account. If you need captions, you need this tool. Saves enormous amount of time and increases reach of your content. | VideoIndexer | |
| Timer: A simple countdown timer. Useful before an event / stream starts and during breaks. Also useful for timing regular work. | Xnote stopwatch | |
| URL Shortner: The best URL shortening app to my knowledge. Can change the base URL anytime. Supports A/B testing, custom domain, pixels, privacy popup, display image and description and more… indispensable. | Switchy | |
| Keyboard shortcut mapping: Often, we need to combine shortcuts or customize the response to keystrokes in a conditional manner. This is where AutoHotkey is the undisputed leader. Amazing scripting functionality. Also useful for MIDI keyboard key mapping to complex and app specific actions. | AutoHotkey | |
| File search: Lightning-fast tool. Just download it and use it. I use it even during a live session to find files on-the-fly. Works across network drives as well. Only file search. To search within the file contents, we need to use Windows Search. | Everything file search | |
| PC Phone sync: Great tool to sync photos and messages from phone to desktop. Allows you to use the PC to make calls using the phone with a Bluetooth connection. Also needed to create content (screen capture) for teaching mobile apps. | Your Phone | |
| Polls: Create one link and create multiple polls. Very handy during online session. Integrates well with PowerPoint. Similar to MentiMeter. Can be used in a stand-alone manner as well. Increases interactivity and retention during online sessions. | Poll Everywhere (Engage) | |
| Bandwidth test: First thing I do before any session or when I start my day. Check the bandwidth. Better than other more popular tools. No fluff, ads or distractions. Just run it. | Fast.com | |
| Video SEO: Great actionable analysis. Time saving tools like comment reply templates, Bulk SEO. Daily ideas, competitor analysis and more. | VidIQ Boost | |
| Notes, Ideas, Checklists: OneNote is the de-facto standard – using it since 2003. Very useful for capturing thoughts on desktop or mobile. I find sticky notes less useful because those do not get categorized. Also used for meeting notes. But with Teams shared meeting notes, OneNote usage has decreased. | OneNote | |
| Mind Mapping: Trying this instead of linear thinking. Great tool. Feature rich. Visually appealing. Easy navigation. I use the Boost version. | Xmind | |
| Streaming: I find XSplit better and more flexible compared to OBS. Maps to MIDI keyboard easily. Supports NDI. | XSplit | |
| 3D Graphics: Quick and easy. No need to learn the complexity of 3D modelling. Ideal for presentation illustrations and social media visuals. Dimension is partially discontinued. | Dimension | |
| Audio editing: for video production. Also, for voice-overs, dubbing and multi-track mixing. | Adobe Audition | |
| SEO for blog. Feature rich tool. Related links, readability analysis, social media previews, actionable and dynamic suggestions. | Yoast SEO Premium | |
| WordPress Page creation: for my web site and blog. Comprehensive functionality. Simple authoring. Flexible themes and templates. Highly customizable for complex requirements. Allows components to be added to regular blog articles as well. | Elementor | |
| Website Caching: Blog and website caching along with Rocket CDN. WordPress integration works flawlessly. Granular control over features. | WPRocket | |
| Forms: For capturing feedback during sessions, webinars, training programs and workshops. Integrates well with other M365 tools. | Microsoft Forms | |
| Analytics: Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Trends | Google Analytics | |
| Website: Of course, WordPress – self hosted. With lots of plugins. Mainly Yoast for SEO, Elementor for page creation and WPRocket for caching. | WordPress.org | |
| Password Management: Absolutely mandatory in today’s world. Using it since 2008. Outstanding value for protecting and managing passwords, software keys, important documents, card details and more. The family subscription is the most suitable and economical to use. If you have never used a password manager, please start using one NOW. Watch my video to understand why. | Lastpass |
5 Responses
Trying some for sure
Doc, that’s a fantastic list!
Two questions:
1. Unfortunately XSplit Video Editor is no longer available. Any other suggestions for simple video editing?
2. Any tools for ripping my own DVDs to standard video formats? Must be able to choose/capture various audio formats (e.g. 5.1, DTS, PCM)?
Thanks in advance.
Use https://www.openshot.org/ for video editing.
Also learn ffmpeg. Great command line av tools.
https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/rip-dvd-vlc
1. OpenShot
2. VLC
Thanks Doc.
I’ve just installed openShot and i’s looking good…
Meanwhile, I already had VLC but I didn’t know VLC was capable of that!