When I first started working at Brightstar, one of my first projects was to develop their online help using Adobe Robohelp. I was familiar with the tool, but this was an opportunity to become more proficient. The company’s ability to display their online help was a bit more restrictive than I was accustomed to, making it a welcomed challenge.

But what happened next puzzled me. I didn’t realize there was existing online content. I thought I would be creating this content from scratch. The help authoring tool used previously was the free version of HelpNDoc. Now, I had to teach myself this tool to effectively move all of the content that was useful over to RoboHelp. During the conversion, I quickly learned how to use HelpNDoc. It was a short learning curve because HelpNdoc makes it easy for the novice to master and publish online content in a short timeframe. I also saw the value in RoboHelp’s ability to create a more professional looking end product. This is not to say that RoboHelp doesn’t have its flaws. But I feel that purchasing RoboHelp versus using the free version of HelpNDoc provided the company with a better way to produce their online help.

The difference between these help authoring tools made me look at other tools that are often compared. I used to create all of my videos using TechSmith Camtasia. But I was challenged by my manager to learn Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. I learned both tools and assessed the differences between the two. I discovered that I had an appreciation for each of them for different reasons.

• Camtasia is a great tool to create quick videos without a lot of elements or assets. Although you can develop larger products, I found in creating a project that had an excessive amount of assets, that I had to render the video in sections. Then, combine all of the final products into one. However, most companies are not doing full-on mini-series, therefore, for the price and effectiveness, Camtasia is an excellent choice for video development. Also, callouts and various effects come standard in Camtasia, whereas some of the other tools require either a template or the developer to create them from scratch.

• Premiere Pro is a great tool for delivering those videos that are element and asset-heavy. Because it is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud package, the ability to go from one tool to another within the suite is seamless. Many of the callouts and other effects that come standard with Premiere Pro generally need more of the developer’s time to create the intended effect. But again, most companies want quick videos. If all you need is the ability to create quick videos, Camtasia is more cost-effective and can deliver the same result.

• Since learning how to use After Effects, I realized that it’s not a video development tool as many people think it is. Instead, it’s actually a digital motion graphics platform. When I attempted to use After Effects for a project that required green screen CGI effects, it was difficult to remove the green screen “haze” than when I used a simpler tool like Camtasia. I now typically use After Effects only when creating simple animations using custom templates.

Regardless of which tool you use, being selective and choosing the right tool means:

• Making strategic decisions about the tool that works best for the company.

• Comparing the cost of the tool versus the ultimate payoff of using the tool.

• Staying true to the overall goals of your training.