50 Ways to Make a Podcast

by Jim Lengel, Hunter College, City University of New York.

There must be 50 ways to make a podcast:

Depending on what kind of podcast you want to make, what kind of content you have gathered, and how much time is available, you may choose from a small array of podcast-producing tools. Here's a review of the six most common ways of creating podcasts with the built-in software that comes with the Apple Macintosh computer. A future article will cover this topic for Windows.

Keynote
Especially for those whose content is already in the form of a slide show, this may be the easiest approach. Simply open or create your slide show with Keynote, record your voice as you click through the slides, and export for the iPod. Here are the steps:

  1. Create a short slide show with Keynote. Use large, clear images on the slides; avoid text (your voice will carry the message.)
  2. Play your slide show a few times as you rehearse he narration in your mind.
  3. When you're ready, choose from the menubar File --> Record Slideshow.
  4. Speak loudly in a clear voice as you click through the slides.
  5. Click one more time on the last side to end the recording.
  6. Save your work.
  7. From the menubar, choose File --> Export.
  8. From the icons at the top, choose iPod.
  9. Click the Next button, choose a place to export to, then click Export.

The resulting video file will play on all computers, Windows or Mac, as well as on the iPod or iPad.

QuickTime Screen Recording
Want to capture your computer display as you voice over a demonstration of how to do something, or comment orally on a document as you highlight the words? Then use QuickTime screen recording. Here's how:

  1. Get your document or demonstration set up, ready to go.
  2. Launch QuickTime Player X (free download from Apple.com; requires the most recent operating system, 10.6)
  3. From the menubar, choose File --> New Screen Recording.
  4. Click the red button.
  5. Click Start Recording.
  6. Conduct your demonstration as you narrate. Speak up.
  7. When you're done, click the square black Stop button in the menubar (or press command+control+escape on the keyboard) to stop the recording.
  8. From the menubar, choose File --> Save As.
  9. From the Movie drop-down menu, choose iPod.
  10. Click Save.

The resulting video file will play on all computers, as well as on the iPod or iPad.

QuickTime Movie Recording
Suppose you want to record a short personal video greeting for the students in your online course. QuickTime Video recording makes this easy and quick. Here's what to do:

  1. Think through what you're going to say.
  2. Launch QuickTime Player X (free download from Apple.com; requires the most recent operating system, 10.6)
  3. From the menubar, choose File --> New Movie Recording.
  4. Click the red button.
  5. Click Start Recording.
  6. Look right into he camera as you speak. Speak up.
  7. When you're done, click the square black Stop button in the menubar (or press command+control+escape on the keyboard) to stop the recording.
  8. From the menubar, choose File --> Save As.
  9. From the Movie drop-down menu, choose iPod.
  10. Click Save.

The resulting video file will play on all computers, as well as on the iPod or iPad.

GarageBand Podcast
This approach gives you the most control over the mixing editing of the audio portions -- it can produce a professional-sounding podcast with overlaid images. Follow these steps:

  1. Place any images you want to use in the podcast into your iPhoto Library.
  2. Place any music you want to use into your iTunes Library.
  3. Launch GarageBand.
  4. Choose Podcast from the project icons.
  5. Record your voice into one of the voice tracks. Record one sentence at a time. Speak up.
  6. Edit your voice, and re-record as necessary, to get it just right.
  7. Open the Media Browser (from the menubar Control --> Show Media Browser).
  8. Click the Audio tab at the top.
  9. Add music, if necessary, by dragging it from the Loop or Media Browser into the Jingles track.
  10. Slide items in the various tracks back and forth to get them synchronized properly.
  11. In the Media Browser, click the Photos tab at the top.
  12. Drag images from the Media Browser into the Podcast Track at the top of the window.
  13. Make sure you fill every square millimeter of the Podcast Track, leaving no space between the images.
  14. Rewind to the beginning of your podcast.
  15. Click the little image in the Podcast Track selector to open the preview window.
  16. Play your podcast, watching the images display as you listen.
  17. Tweak the horizontal position of the various elements to get everything synchronized as you wish.
  18. From the menubar, choose Share --> Save Podcast to Disk.

The resulting enhanced audio file will play on all computers, as well as on the iPod or iPad.

iMovie
Use iMovie when the visual material for your podcast is from video sources. iMovie lets you record your own video, incorporate pre-recorded video, add visual effects, titles and transitions, add voice-over narration, sound effects, and music. Follow these steps.

  1. Arrange the visual elements
    1. Drag photos and video clips from the bottom of the iMovie window up into the timeline.
    2. Drag them around into the proper order in the timeline.
    3. To change the length of a still image:
      1. ⁃ Select the image in the timeline.
      2. ⁃ From the menubar, choose Window --> Clip Adjustments.
      3. ⁃ Change the duration in seconds, and click Done.
    4. To trim a video clip:
      1. Click and drag on the clip in the timeline to selct the portion you want to keep.
      2. From the menubar, choose Edit --> Trim to selection.
    5. Review your video from time to time by choosing from the menubar View --> Play full screen.

1. Insert titles and transitions
Titles
1. Open the Title window by choosing Window --> Titles from the menubar.
2. Drag a title from the Title Window into the timeline area, and drop it either:
◦ on top of a video or still image (the title will be superimposed on the underlying visual); or
◦ in between two visual elements in the timeline (the title will appear by itself on its own background).
3. In the preview window (upper right) enter the text for the title (and subtitle if necessary).
Transitions
1. Open the Transitions window by choosing Window --> ransitions from the menubar.
2. Drag a transition from the Transitions Window into the timeline area, and drop it between two visual elements in the timeline.

6. Add audio
Add narration
1. Click the Voiceover button in the middle (looks like a microphone) to open the Voiceover window.
2. Click in the timeline on the beginning of the clip where you want the narration to start.
3. Countdown 1-2-3 and begin speaking as you watch the movie play.
4. Click the spacebar to stop recording.
Add sound effects
1. From the menubar, choose Window --> Music and Sound Effects.
2. Use the drop-down menu at the top of the Music and Sound Effects window to browse the various folders full of audio clips.
3. Drag the audio clip you want up to the timeline window and drop it on top of a visual clip.

Add background music
1. From the menubar, choose Window --> Music and Sound Effects.
2. Use the drop-down menu at the top of the Music and Sound Effects window to browse the various folders full of music (Jingles and iTunes will have the most background clips).
3. Drag the music clip you want up to the timeline window and drop it onto the dark gray background.

7. Publish your video podcast
1. From the menubar, choose Share --> Export Movie.
2. Choose a size that works on the iPod (Medium works best).
3. Click the Export button in the lower right.
4. The published movie will be saved in your iTunes library, under movies.

Podcast Producer
This can be as quick and easy as using Keynote (described above), but requires that your school has set up Podcast Producer on its server, and that you have an account on that server. Once that's done, follow these steps:
2. On your Macintosh Computer, launch the Podcast Capture application. This is included with the latest operating system, 10.6. You'll find it in Applications --> Utilities.
3. The Podcast Capture program will ask you for the name of the podcast sever. Enter the URL of the server.
4. The Podcast Capture program will ask you for your username and password. Enter the username and password that the server administrator gave you. (One you've done this, you'll never have to do it again.)
5. Choose a podcast type: Video only; Dual: video plus screen; Screen only; or Audio only. Most people are producing dual-mode podcasts, which record voice, video, and the contents of your screen all at once.
6. Get ready. If you are going to show slides, get your Keynote or PowerPoint file ready to go (but don't play it just yet). If you are showing web sites or other items, get them all staged on the screen.
7. Click the record button at the bottom of the Podcast Capture window.
8. Start your slide show or bring up your other displays onto the screen.
9. Look into the camera, speak up, and begin presenting.
10. When you are finished, escape from your slide show or whatever you were doing.
11. In the Podcast Capture window, click the pause button at the bottom.
12. In the Podcast Capture window, click the Publish button at the bottom right.
13. Choose Dual Source as the workflow; enter a name that communicates what the podcast is about; and enter a description that includes your name.
14. Wait as your files are sent to the server. This may take several minutes.
15. Now the server is working on your files, combining the video, audio, and screen capture into a podcast. This will take several more minutes. Go get a cup of coffee…
16. To see your podcast, in Podcast Capture, choose from the menubar Podcast --> Browse My Episodes.
17. If the server has finished with your project, you will see your podcast in the list.
18. Click on the name of the podcast to see and hear it.
If you want to make your podcast available to students or colleagues, follow these steps:
• Copy the URL of your podcast. It will be long a long string of nonsense, but don't worry, it will copy and paste just fine.
• Paste the URL into an email, blog, wiki, or web page that your correspondents will read.
Podcast Producer is the quickest way to get a podcast from your brain (or your student's) and onto the web. The resulting file will play on any computer, and on most mobile devices, including the iPod, iPad, and iPhone. Its quality is high enough to display well on the big screen from the classroom projector.
That's six different ways to make a podcast.