This forum software has now been archived into static HTML page (i.e. it does not function as a working forum anymore, so you cannot login.)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

Options

Can someone explain all of the options and what is best for, say, video game recording? Explain the compression especially, please.

Comments

  • Video game recording is best done using Lagarith Lossless or Xvid. Compression does what you'd expect from the name - it makes the file size smaller.

    Slide show recording works well with CamStudio Lossless, but you get even smaller file sizes from Xvid!

    Terry
  • Also, what frame rates are the best for such activites?
  • High-motion Game video:
    SKFE 30-100
    CFE 20
    PBR 50

    Tutorial/slideshow:
    SKFE 100
    CFE 50
    PBR 20

    OR:

    CFE 100
    PBR 10


    Xvid gets you the most time, even at it's highest quality setting.

    Audio - Use MCI to Record checked keeps the audio in sync.

    Terry
  • Is it true that you should keep the playback rate similar to the actual input rate? It makes sense to only do what a pc can do at the max.
  • edited May 2011
    No. That is not true. This playback rate is the setting the player program will use to display the available frames. The "Actual Capture Rate" is only for informational purposes. "Missing" frames are "repeated" via the keyframe technology to fill in the "missing" frames so that the intended playback rate that you had set remains in sync. But if you set the capture rate too slow, it will try less hard, and you'll see your "Actual Capture Rate" suffer accordingly.

    FYI - the base sync rate is always keyed to 1000ms (1 second) and cannot be adjusted via codec panels (like ColdReactive proved using ffmpeg).

    Nick suggests in the FAQ it is somewhat useful to find out what your computer's maximum actual frame rate might be by setting the "Playback Rate" setting very high - like 100-200 via the slider - and then observe what your computer actually can pull off when pushed this hard. I deem this only somewhat useful because ultimately you need to set the Video Options at combinations that multiply to 1000 in the CFE and PBR so that when using MCI your audio will stay in sync. Also, when you push your computer too hard, it starts fighting with the program you are recording for resources, so that program starts to lag, and you get strange things happening as the memory plays its shell game with the available resources!

    So, most people have reported the above settings to be good ones for those two purposes, rendering smooth recordings with the least lagging for either program.

    Terry
  • Which codec is the absolutely best (and free! :-D) codec for video recording (especially for video recording games)?
  • I know you suggested two above, but what are the difference between the two and which one is better? Ignoring the compression, which one outputs the very best quality? Is there a different codec you recomend for getting the highest quality of any codec that works with CamStudio?
  • Either lagarith lossless or Xvid should serve your purposes fine, with Xvid achieving the fastest actual capture rates.

    Terry
  • Does the codec actually influence quality?
  • And also, what settings should be set to get the absolute best quality Xvid can produce?
  • Whenever I use Xvid, it says, "CamStudio could not record the AVI file using current compressor. Use default compressor?" Help?
  • The codec you use vastly influences quality. Xvid is a very good quality compressor.

    Use 1280X720 screen dimension. I have a article on this at http://screencattutorial.org now.

    Terry
  • Okay, thanks.
Sign In or Register to comment.