Add Interactive Hotspots to a Video

The hotspot feature in Camtasia is an effect that is applied to visual objects, such as videos, images, and annotations. It makes objects “clickable,” with a customizable action associated with the click.

From the tools panel, click and drag the hotspot effect to an object on the timeline or canvas.

If you use Camtasia on Windows, you can use the hotspot annotation found in the annotation tab of the tools panel. Choose the Blur & Highlight tab under annotations and drag the hotspot annotation to the canvas or timeline.

By default, the video pauses at the end of a hotspot and requires the viewer to click to continue. To customize this behavior and other settings associated with a hotspot, choose from the options below:

URL: The URL option sends the viewer to the link entered in this box after they click the hotspot.

Marker: The Marker option, sends the user to a specific marker in the video. If you don’t have markers in your video, this option will be disabled.

Time: The Time option sends the user to a specific point in the video.

Lastly, to test the hotspot, click the Test button.

It’s important to note that videos with hotspots must be viewed in the TechSmith Smart Player. There are two ways to produce a video that uses the Smart player.

The first is to upload a video to a TechSmith hosting solution, such as Screencast.com, or TechSmith Relay. Both services use the Smart Player, provide an easy to use embed code, and a quick link for sharing.

The second way to use the Smart Player is to host both the video and the Smart Player on your own website. After producing the video with the Smart Player, upload the video and associated files to your website to view the video with hotspots online.