TechSmith Corporation has released new editions of its flagship screen recording and video editing software, Camtasia Studio 8 for Windows ($299), and Camtasia for Mac 2.2 ($99). And this is no minor upgrade: the latest versions include some very substantial new features.

Flash and HTML5 support mean it’s now possible to add many new interactive elements to a video for instance. This could be as simple as providing a hotspot link to web content, but it’s also possible to ask the viewer questions in a variety of types (multiple choice, true/ false, “fill in the blank”, and more). TechSmith’s servers compile the answers and you’re emailed detailed reports on the results.

The new TechSmith Smart Player is provided to support all this, and also provides an additional benefit: you’ll no longer have to create the same video for multiple screen sizes, as the Player will deliver the best possible results on everything from a smartphone to a desktop.

It's now easy to insert interactive content at particular spots within the video

Elsewhere, the new multi-track timeline ensures it’s now quicker and easier to create your videos in the first place. And if your project is looking a little plain, then the new Asset Library means you can add music, callouts, animations and more with just a drag and drop.

And TechSmith claim that the redesigned video engine ensures that Camtasia Studio 8 is now optimized for high definition video capture, with a new default recording rate of 30 frames per second (double the previous edition) delivering notably smoother playback.

While the features we’ve listed so far relate to Camtasia Studio 8, Camtasia for Mac 2.2 also now supports in-video hotlinks to web content, enhanced video sharing (your content will play on most devices), spotlight and mask video effects (an easy way to make viewers focus on a particular area), and more. Sounds good to us, but if you’d like to find out more for yourself, then trial versions are available now.