CapScrn Help Contents

You can use CapScrn to capture video sequences from your computer screen. To learn how to use Help, press F1.

	About CapScrn
	Capturing Video from the Computer Screen


About CapScrn Folder
CapScrn Help Contents

You can use CapScrn to capture video sequences from your computer screen. To learn how to use Help, press F1.

	About CapScrn   Introducing CapScrn   CapScrn Menu Commands
	Capturing Video from the Computer Screen


Capturing Video from the Computer Screen Folder
CapScrn Help Contents

You can use CapScrn to capture video sequences from your computer screen. To learn how to use Help, press F1.

	About CapScrn
	Capturing Video from the Computer Screen   Setting the Capture File   Setting the Capture Area   Setting Capture Options   Setting Audio Options   Capturing the Screen


Introducing CapScrn

You can use CapScrn to capture video images from the computer screen. For example, you can capture a training video showing how to use a database application. Or, you can capture individual screen shots of a word-processing application or game. You can capture sound along with the video; for example, while capturing your work on the screen, you can speak into a microphone to explain the action.

CapScrn appears as an icon on the desktop. You can click the icon to display a menu providing access to commands.

Color Usage in CapScrn

You'll get the best capture performance on 8-bit (256-color) displays. Performance is slower when capturing video on a 16- or 24-bit display, so you may experience more dropped frames when using such a display.

However, on 8-bit (palettized) displays, if the captured application changes the palette during capture, CapScrn will stop capturing and display an error message. (The video captured up to that point is intact.) For such applications, it's best to switch to 16- or 24-bit (true-color) display.

On palettized displays (8-bit, 256-color), CapScrn establishes the capture palette when first started. If the application you're capturing uses color palettes, be sure to display the preferred palette before starting CapScrn.

To change to a different display driver, use Windows Setup.

Compression of Captured Screen Sequences

CapScrn compresses the video sequence during capture, storing the sequence using run-length encoding. CapScrn only stores those portions of the image that change from frame to frame.


See Also

CapScrn Menu Commands

Capturing the Screen


CapScrn Menu Commands

To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon or press ALT+SPACEBAR. The menu has the following commands:

Command	Description
Move	Lets you move the icon using the arrow keys.
Close	Closes CapScrn.
Set Capture File	Lets you choose the file in which the video sequence will be captured.
Set Capture Window	Sets the screen area to capture.
Preferences	Sets options for the captured video sequence, and for the CapScrn application.
Capture	Starts capturing video from the capture area.
Copy Frame	Copies a single frame from the capture area to the Clipboard.
Edit Captured Video	Starts VidEdit to edit the captured video sequence.
Help	Displays the Contents topic for Help.


See Also

Capture Window Dialog Box

Preferences Dialog Box

Set Capture File Dialog Box


Setting the Capture File

Before capturing your video sequence, you must choose a place to store the captured video and audio information. A capture file resides on your hard disk and stores the images captured from the display.

 To set the capture file

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Set Capture File.

3	Select a filename you want for the capture file.

4	Choose OK.

Automatically Incrementing Filenames

If you're capturing several screen sequences, CapScrn can save you time by automatically assigning a new filename each time you capture. With this feature, you assign a filename consisting of a prefix followed by one or more numbers (for example, CAP0001.AVI). CapScrn automatically increments the numerical portion of the filename each time you capture.

Note The caption of the CapScrn icon displays the current filename.

 To activate automatic file naming

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Preferences.

3	Select the Increment Filename box at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box.

4	Choose OK.

 To specify the first filename

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Set Capture File.

3	Select a filename you want for the capture file. The filename should consist of a prefix followed by one or more digits (for example, CAP000.AVI).

4	Choose OK.


See Also

Set Capture File Dialog Box

Setting the Capture Area

Setting Capture Options

Capturing the Screen


Setting the Capture Area

Before capturing, you can specify the area of the screen to capture. Larger capture areas require more storage space, so you might consider limiting the capture area to 320-by-240 pixels, or smaller.

 To set the capture area

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Set Capture Window.

The Capture Window dialog box appears, along with a frame showing the location of the capture region.

3	Choose from the following actions:

To	Do this
Set pixel locations and dimensions	In the Capture Window dialog box, type the position and size values for the capture region. The preview is updated when you tab out of a field.
Move the capture region	Click inside the frame border and drag the region.
Size the capture region	Drag the frame border to set the size.
4	When you're finished positioning the capture area, choose OK.


See Also

Capture Window Dialog Box

Setting the Capture File

Setting Capture Options

Capturing the Screen


Setting Capture Options

CapScrn lets you choose the following options for the capture session:

Frame rate of the video sequence

Audio format (sampling rate, sample size, and number of channels)

Session options, including the keystrokes to stop recording video

 To set options for the capture session and for the video sequence

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Preferences.

3	Select the options settings. For information about the settings, see Preferences Dialog Box.

4	Choose OK.

 To set the stop-capture key

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Preferences.

3	In Stop Recording Key, select a key combination not used by the applications you'll be capturing.

4	Choose OK.


See Also

Preferences Dialog Box

Setting Audio Options

Setting the Capture File

Setting the Capture Area

Capturing the Screen


Setting Audio Options

CapScrn lets you choose among different sound styles defined for the Audio Compression Manager (ACM). These sound styles provide names for different combinations of audio-compression techniques and formats. When choosing an audio format for your video sequence, you can use one of the existing styles, or define a new style to match your specific requirements.

 To select audio options

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Preferences.

3	In Audio Settings, choose the Change button.

4	Select a sound style by name, or choose a specific format and set of attributes. For information about sound formats and attributes, see Sound Selection Dialog Box.

5	Choose OK.

Defining Audio Styles

The Audio Compression Manager (ACM) lets you define new sound styles for special combinations of compression methods and audio formats. You can create and delete these sound styles using the Sound Selection dialog box. To change the attributes of an existing style, delete the style and then recreate it using the new attributes.

 To define a new style

1	From the CapScrn menu, choose Preferences. Then, in Audio Settings, choose the Change button.

2	From either the Format or the Attributes box, click the arrow to display the available choices. Select the choice you want from the list. For information about audio formats and attributes, see Sound Selection Dialog Box.

The style name changes to Untitled when you change the format or attribute.

3	Choose the Save As button.

4	Type a name for the new style, and choose OK.

5	To return to the Preferences dialog box, choose Cancel.

 To delete a style

1	From the CapScrn menu, choose Preferences. Then, in Audio Settings, choose the Change button.

2	In the Name box, select the style you want to delete.

3	Choose the Remove button.

4	To close the Sound Selection dialog box, choose Cancel.


See Also

Sound Selection Dialog Box

Setting Capture Options


Capturing the Screen

Once you've set the capture file and specified the display region to capture, you can start recording the action on your computer display. You can use the following methods to capture screen displays:

You can capture individual frames to the Clipboard. You can't capture audio while capturing single frames.

You can capture screen action to the capture file. This method is useful for capturing user interaction on screen (for example, filling in options in a dialog box). You can also capture audio while recording the video sequence.

Before performing an automatic capture, you must specify a capture file, select a capture region, and set options for the capture session. Click the See Also button to view a list of related topics describing how to perform these tasks.

 To capture frame by frame

Each time you want to capture a frame, click the CapScrn icon to display the menu, and choose Capture Frame. The selected capture region is copied to the Clipboard.

 To capture automatically

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Capture.

3	Perform the screen actions within the selected capture region. When you're finished, press the stop-recording key.

 To set the stop-recording key

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Preferences.

3	In Stop Recording Key, select a key combination not used by the applications you'll be capturing.

4	Choose OK.

 To start VidEdit to edit the captured video sequence

1	To display the menu, click the CapScrn icon.

2	Choose Edit Captured Video.

CapScrn starts VidEdit with the captured video sequence.


See Also

Setting the Capture File

Setting the Capture Area

Setting Capture Options


Capture Window Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to set the screen region to capture. This dialog box displays a preview frame that shows the selected capture area. You can drag the frame border to change the size, or click and drag inside the frame border to move the region.

You can also type position and size values in the Top, Left, Width, and Height fields of the dialog box. When you click or tab outside the fields, the preview frame is updated to show the new value.


See Also

Setting the Capture Area


Preferences Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to set the following options for the CapScrn application, and for the captured video sequence:

Option	Description
Frame Rate	Specifies the speed at which frames are captured (frames per second). Higher frame rates provide smoother motion, but require more storage space.
Audio Settings	Specify quality settings for audio captured with the video sequence. The current settings are displayed below the Format label. To capture audio with video, select Capture Audio. To change the audio format, choose the Change button.
Stop Recording Key	Specifies the keystroke used to stop a capture session. Select a key combination not used by the applications you'll be capturing.
Increment Filename	Select this option to create a new capture file each time you start capturing video. The default capture file is named CAP0000.AVI. You can specify a different capture filename, just be sure to include a numerical suffix in the filename.
Keep on top	Select this option to position the CapScrn icon on top of other applications.
OK	Saves the selected options.
Cancel	Closes the dialog box without saving the options.


See Also

Setting Capture Options

Sound Selection Dialog Box

Setting Audio Options

Setting the Capture File


Set Capture File Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to specify a file to store the captured video and audio data. The dialog box has the following options:

Option	Description
File Name	Identifies the currently selected file. To specify another file, select another filename from the list beneath the box or type another filename. If you're using automatically incremented filenames, be sure to include a numeric suffix (for example, CAP0001.AVI). For more information, see Setting the Capture File.
Directories	Specifies the directory path that contains the current file. To specify another directory, select another directory from the list beneath the box, or type another directory path in the File Name box.
List Files Of Type	Specifies the type of file that you want to use. To specify another type of file, select another entry from the list beneath the box.
Drives	Specifies the device that contains the current file. to specify another device, select another device from the list beneath the box, or type another device name in the File Name box.
OK	Sets the capture file to the specified filename.
Cancel	Closes the dialog box without setting a capture file.


See Also

Setting the Capture File

Setting Capture Options

Preferences Dialog Box


Sound Selection Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to choose characteristics for a new sound file, or to define sound styles. The dialog box has the following options:

Option	Description
Name	Lists different sound styles defined on your system. Click the arrow to select from a list of sound styles. The Format and Attribute boxes show the audio format and attributes associated with the style.
Save As button	Use this button to save a new sound style under a name you choose. You can select a combination of format and attributes, then create a name for the combination.
Remove button	Use this button to remove the selected sound style from the list of names.
Format	Lists different sound formats. The sound format determines the compression method used when storing the sound. Some standard formats include the following: PCM: Standard waveform audio format, without compression Microsoft ADPCM: Compressed audio format, using the Microsoft ADPCM format IMA ADPCM: Compressed audio format, using the IMA ADPCM format
Attributes	Lists different attribute combinations. Attributes determine the quality and size requirements for the audio data. The attribute combinations vary according to the sound formats. For example, consider the following combination (available when Microsoft ADCPM is selected as the audio format): 22.050 kHz, 4 bits, Stereo    21K/sec This audio data has a sampling frequency of 22.050 kHz, uses a sample size of 4 bits per sample, and uses two channels of sound (stereo). This combination requires 21K of storage space per second of audio.
OK	Saves the selected audio settings.
Cancel	Closes the dialog box without saving the settings.


See Also

Setting Audio Options

Preferences Dialog Box

Setting Capture Options


sampling frequency

The rate at which digital--audio samples are taken. Higher sampling frequencies provide better fidelity but require more storage space.


sample size

The amount of storage space used for each digitized portion of the audio. Larger sample sizes provide greater dynamic rage and, therefore, better audio reproduction, (but they require more storage space).


channels

Mono, or monophonic sound, stores the entire sound recording as one track of data.

Stereo, or stereophonic sound, stores a sound recording as two tracks of data. For example, voices might be recorded on one data track and instrumental accompaniment on the second data track.

Stereo sound files can provide higher recording quality than mono sound files, but they also require double the storage space of mono sound files. To create stereo files, you need a stereo microphone and a sound card that supports stereo recording.