This forum software has now been archived into static HTML page (i.e. it does not function as a working forum anymore, so you cannot login.)

In due course a new forum will be available to help support newer CamStudio versions.

Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

First try with Camstudio 2.7

edited August 2013 in Support
Well, I've kinda' created my first Camstudio video.

It only seemed to capture part of what I was doing with the cursor.

I'm wondering if anyone can detect what might have gone wrong?

I'm not sure how to upload the video here?

Thank you.

Comments

  • Upload it to YouTube and then share the link to it here. You can set it to "unpublished" so your friends won't see the video in your lineup, but don't use "private" or only people you invite with a special link can see it.

    Not sure what you meant by "capture part of what I was doing with the cursor". Care to elaborate?

    Terry
  • I uploaded the short video I created with CamStudio 2.7 to YouTube as "unlisted" as I did not see an option for "unpublished." It's at

    I just tried to record my opening up tabs and moving the cursor around Camstudio but it only captured some of the CamStudio tabs, features. I'm not sure what I did wrong.

    At least I got that far! Progress measured in small steps is still better than regress.

    Thank you!
  • edited August 2013
    This is fine! Well, to start, anyway! You probably want to show the green corners (Change Options/Program Options/Show Flashing Window). You can even select "Drag Corners to Pan" in the Fixed Region settings or turn on AutoPanning in the Options menu.

    You want to use the fixed region to make videos that capture more of your screen. To do so, Follow these steps:

    1) Select "Fixed Region"
    2) Un-check the upper box for the "Fixed top left Corner" settings.
    3) Hit the "Select" button and drag out the region you want to capture.
    4) Adjust the numbers for width and height so they read 1280 width and 720 height.
    5) Now check the upper "Fixed top left Corner" box so it will use the top/left settings you had used when you used the Select button. Adjust to suit.
    6) Optionally check the box "Drag Corners to Pan" - which sometimes is a bit wonky!

    Do a test recording -- this will play in 720p HD on YouTube now!

    Terry
  • Well, it's one step forward 3 steps back. I have both Drag Corners to Pan with a checkmark next to it *and* a checkmark next to AutoPanning.

    With My CRT monitor set at 1024 x 768 - the max it will go- if I type in 1280 for Width it prompts me to type in a number between 0 - 800 and when I type in 800 (Width) it then prompts me to type in a number between 0-600 (Height).

    I then selected File>Record and a box tried to open which would have filled 70% of the screen but it never fully opened. It's like a translucent box where I can see through it to my screen saver. I have no idea if it's recording. I then double click the Camstudio icon in the system tray to stop it (if it is even recording).

    I'm not prompted to save the recording or to name it. I looked on my hard driver under the CamStudio folder but I saw nothing for today's date.

    I'm not sure what's going on here.

    Any thoughts?

    Thank you.

  • edited October 2013
    Referencing this post here: http://camstudio.org/forum/discussion/1300/use-default-compressor-error-use-fixed-region-for-best-results-with-xvid-x264vfw-and-others

    You would be limited to using 854x480 (or you can try 856x480 if 854 gives you trouble, which it does on rare video cards).

    Your monitor does not make it possible to record HD videos, but you can make very clear ones in 854x480 (480p)

    That's 854 wide by 480 high.

    Also, you have a 2GB file size limit that you MUST stay under or CamStudio will crash while compressing the video. So, do tests with short videos.

    If you use a compressor like Xvid or X264vfw you'll be able to record much longer videos than when using the default compressor, Microsoft Video 1.

    Watch this tutorial video end-to-end to avoid many problems. Links to useful programs and to Xvid and X264vfw are in the "Show More" area underneath the video if you view it at YouTube.

    Terry

  • I get an error message stating it will not accept any integer higher than 800 (Width) and 400 (Height). So, I set them as such. I click File>Record and that same translucent box appears but it fails to record anything. The tutorial does not address this issue. Any further thoughts about enabling CamStudio to record? Thanks.
  • By any chance, might you have the text scaling feature turned on, enlarging the text larger than the default?

    Bring up the Display resolution settings, and at the bottom it shows a link to "make text and other items larger or smaller". The default is 100%, but it sound like it might be set to 125% or 160% (assuming a Win7 machine).

    XP and Vista have this setting also, but I do not recall how to get to it right now.

    Terry
  • I have XP so when I click Properties on the screen saver then Settings there's Resolution, Advanced and Troubleshoot. I don't see anything about a link to "make text and other items larger or smaller, even when I look under Advanced.

    Thanks.
  • It is accessed from the Display "Advanced" settings button which you from the right-most tab at the top which is "Advanced" as you said. There is a place where you can change the dpi from the default of 96dpi. Or I believe the Accessibility control panel also has a place to change that setting.

    Terry

  • My CRT monitor setting under Properties > Settings > Advanced has a DPI setting of Normal size (96 DPI) as the highlighted, listed default. Yet, CamStudio won't record when I click File > Record. That same translucent box appears with Left: 100 Top - 100 Width 320 Height 240 (nothing listed after that) white bar appears next to the translucent box.

    Does CamStudio have to be run under admin? Or is regular user sufficient permission?

    Thanks.
  • Hmmm--- well, 96 is the right setting, alright.

    It does not need to be run under admin.

    The translucent box is curious - where is that coming from? It has text accompanying it?

    Sounds like a hardware dysfunction. This CRT isn't a high-end one by any chance with something like a Radius or Mirage card driving it by any chance, is it? With RGB connectors instead of a VGA connector?

    This has all been very mysterious from the outset! The way it won't let you enter an integer higher than 800w or 400h in the Fixed Region command is very, very strange.

    I hope we stumble upon something to explain all of this!!

    Terry
  • It worked once which is the graphics I posted with images cut off.

    Then, when I tried to do another simple record, that translucent box appears and in a separate round bar, with white background, ot states the height, width, etc.

    It's a regular Sony Trinitron - nothing special to it.

    I seem to have all the settings as described in your tutorial video so I'm at a loss at how to proceed?

    Thanks.
  • I'm also at a loss. A Sony Trinitron is a television set, so what sort of video card are you using to get the signal out to it? I suspect that card is what is giving us problems.

    CamStudio gets its info from the video frame buffers, from my understanding of it, and relies on "typical" hardware standards in the video card's communication with the machine to work. So, that's why I'm picking on the video card in particular.

    Terry
  • Well, Sony Trinitrons are also some of the best CRT monitors. It's what graphic designers use (of which I am not). But, I think the problem does lie with the graphics card. I think CamStudio requires a separate video card as I have on-board graphics. A friend also tried CamStudio with his on-board graphics and it did not work well.

    I guess I'll have to look for another free screen capture program.

    Thanks for your help.
  • We have CamStudio working on thousands and thousands of computers all around the world, I assure you. It does not require anything special. That is the point - you DO have a VERY SPECIAL graphics monitor. I very much doubt you have a normal VGA video card - most likely you have an RGB video card feeding that Trinitron monitor. Are there three BNC connectors connected to the monitor by any chance? One red, one green and one blue? That would be an RGB setup. I used to teach graphic arts for several years, and owned quite a few nice monitors like what you describe.

    Anyway, I could be off entirely on that. I'm very surprised that your friend also had problems. We have an extremely low failure rate with this software. I mean - one or two a YEAR! So, this is strange to have two back-to-back.

    Try Hyperstudio, FFMPEG for a command-line recorder, Jing, the new Snagit (see their blog) - let me know what you find that works well for your situation!

    Terry
  • I wonder if the problem I'm facing has something to do with which codec is downloaded for CamStudio? Is there one which is used universally by many users? Does the recipient of a CamStudio file have to be using the same codec as the one used to create the CamStudio file?

    Which codec would you recommend?

    I'm trying to use CamStudio as I've found that Hyperstudio and Snagit are not free. Jing seems to only record for 5 minutes at a time and FFMPEG, being a command-line recorder is kind of a pain.

    Thanks!
  • I use Xvid for everything. Gamers prefer x264vfw.

    Terry
  • Where would you recommend downloading Xvid?

    Is it a straight-forward download and then click install?

    Or are there other steps involved?

    Thanks.
  • Addressing some of the earlier problems and questions ....

    Your player needs useful access to the decoder for the same codec which you used to encode the video. Editors would also need the same decoder to open the file. Most of the computers on which Cam is used have “onboard” graphics and work fine.

    But the codec is definitely not the source of the problem as you originally described it.

    I’m just guessing here, but I have to agree with Terry’s original observation that there is some scaling going on here, if completely unintended. The suspicious element is the XP graphics adapter (driver) which may not be recognizing the monitor beyond the SVGA level. That would explain the 800 x 600 limitation. Note also that the 800 x 400 res mentioned elsewhere applies almost exclusively to mobile devices, so one has to assume that such a limitation implies that the graphics adapter is out of sync with the display device. One simple procedure would involve making a short “full screen” recording and then taking the product into a video editor to check whether it is actually 1024 x 768, with the pixel dimensions at 1:1 at 4:3.

    Again, just guessing here and relying on a vague recollection, but I believe that, Trinitron monitors made before 2001 or so used some unusual kind of scaling procedure to bring the resolution up to 1024 x 768, and if so, that may be a serious complication. Depending on how old your computer is, a check of its bios for supported graphics levels might be in order as well.

    The simple ultimate test is to try another PNP monitor, to see if your XP installs it with a more conventional driver. Note that the display device itself has no affect whatsoever on the quality of a capture over and above how the OS is equipped to install it. It’ll make a difference in the way the eventual display looks, but the capture characteristics are determined by the XP adaptor.


    Ken
  • Thanks, Ken! I think you may be correct about the pixel size issue - Trinitron uses an elliptical pixel shape, if I recall, which may be compensated for in spacing somewhere in the drivers.

    Meanwhile, Ken, let me know what you think of this video on x264vfw! http://camstudio.org/forum/discussion/1338/x264vfw-codec-and-render-settings-guide

    Terry
  • I re-purposed a Vizio 19 inch LED HD TV screen as a PC monitor.

    I downloaded the latest version of CamStudio and it does record screen movements.

    The problem is that once I click Record this small black box appears on screen. All the lines of the box are not connected so there’s 4 black right angles which show all arranged to look like a box but without all the lines connected.

    That just sits there while it’s recording and when I watch the saved .avi recording in VLC Media Player it doesn’t show the entire screen but just where that black box was situated.

    Is there a way to enlarge that black box so each of its corners align with the 4 corners of the LED screen so it captures all the movements over the entire viewing area?

    Thank you.
  • eagertolearn,

    Use the "Fixed Region" setting set to 1280x720 and you should be ok.

    Terry
  • Tried changing the "Fixed Region" setting set to 1280x720 and got the error message - Value exceeded screen width - width adjusted to 320.

    This is on a new 19 inch TV screen.

    I then tried filming but again there's just this small box - approx 3 inches by 3 inches with 4 black corners blinking so it just captures that small area of the screen.
  • What dimensions are you setting up in your Display manager for that TV screen? CamStudio gets its information about the screen size from that control panel. If it said you were set to 320 pixels wide, that is very, very odd.

    How exactly did you "repurpose" this Vizio TV as a PC monitor? Did it have VGA jacks or HDMI jacks on it that you used? How did you do this? I think your method is where the bottleneck may exist.

    Terry
Sign In or Register to comment.