Recording Windows
3 messages in this thread
I'm trying to find a method of recording an applications output and putting it
in some form of video/movie format . The idea being to add demos of 'HOW TOO'
into a help application. Can anyone point me in the right direction.
Cheers
Jonathan Richardson
Jonathan:
I don't know if you've gotten any responses to your querry about saving an
applications output in some form of video format. Which application do you
have in mind? Do you want to record the mouse moves and what actually
transpires on the screen? There are scan converters which will get your output
to video tape and capture boards to get that video back into your computer for
editing. This sounds a bit contrived but it would work. Provide more info and
maybe we can come up with a better answer.
– Bob Ritger
Two solutions, Microsoft Video for Windows or Lotus ScreenCam.
Lotus ScreenCam has better capture and playback, but uses a proprietary format.
It's player is liscense free and with something like RoboHelp, you can
integrate them easily into a windows help-file.
VFW's capture is lacking, but it records them in an AVI format, which allows
you to edit the audio and kick out frames into 3DS or something like that.
If you are doing an "online" multimedia help system, I'd recommend ScreenCam.
I did this same thing for training, tutoring, and help, and ScreenCam was the
solution. Lotus may have more utilities out now, I don't know.
IDEA: Build a CD with ScreenCam movies of every screen in a multiuser client
server app. The help always points at the server (NT of course) and was
context sensitive (In other words, you hit F1, and a sexy voice over said
something like "The Widget inventory screen … blah blah blah." then,
depending on what you clicked, went more and more indepth. I _highly_
recomment something like robohelp for a project like this. (Robohelp: you make
all your help screens in MS Word, and it converts them. very cool)