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Hey all,
What is the best video capture software for FSX?
Presently I use Fraps/pay version, and the size of the AVI files are EXTREME! 1 to 10 Gigs are easy, and the computer has issues converting to a smaller sized format.
I need one also that is low resource heavy, since FSX will be a huge hit already on resources.
Bill
I would be interested in hearing about this too. Been wanting to try my hand at making video.
I spent some time looking for an alternative to Fraps and the one I found mentioned the most was Gamecam. But the quality wasn't nearly as good so I've stuck with Fraps.
I think the key is not to try and capture the whole video at once. On average my clips are about 1 gig per minute. Most views only last from 5 to 15 seconds. If you hold one camera shot longer than 30 seconds it really starts to get very boring from a visual point of view. The real value of the FSrecorder module is that it lets you play a flight over and over exactly, so you can easily get a lot of different camera views from different angles.
A major development is underway in the way flight sim videos are made. Matthias Neusinger, the develper of the FSRecorder, is currently working on a totally new way of making video renderings. Instead of capturing everything live, he uses an approach similar to how 3d programs make their videos, one frame at a time. Here's a YouTube clip showing early test results. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMhevhN4S0g
The only downside to the process is that audio isn't captured. But that's a limitation easily overcome. What this means is that a flight can be recorded with FSRecorder with all the FS settings at the minimum to allow for the smoothest flight possible, then during rendering, all those settings can be maxed out for the most stunning image possible. You can read about it over at Matthias's forum http://www.fs-recorder.net/forum/vie....php?f=8&t=433
Another key is the programs that you use for video editing. MovieMaker might be the program you start with, but you'll be wanting a bit more once you start making your second video. VirtualDub is a free program and it gives some very good tools for cropping and editing your raw video footage. If you get bitten by the bug and want to get serious about making flight sim videos, Sony's Vegas Movie Studio is the preferred program. You can get a 30 day free trial to check it out. It's easy to learn, full of powerful tools, and most important for me, very stable.
To get rid of the huge avi files generated by FRaps, the following works well in my experience.
1) Capture your takes at FULL size, don't use FRAps's inbuilt half-size reduction format.
2) Get VirtualDub, here:
http://www.virtualdub.org/
Read what you can about VirtualDub; it's not entirely intuitive. But the main steps are:
3) Open your take in VirtualDub.
Optional: Invoke Filters > Add > Resize or half-size.
Essential: Video Tab > Compression > pick a codec, such as MS Video 1, Quality = 100.
Export your take as AVI (F7), using a new name.
4) Play the new avi - you'll be surprised how good it is even after using the half-size option, and the file size should now be down to 10 percent of the original or so.
When satisfied with the result, delete the original avi.
VirtualDub doesn't remember your settings, so once you have your perfect configuration it's a good idea to save it to a file (Ctrl-S), and load it (Ctrl-L) for each new session.
BTW Bill, always loved your videos, the Valkyrie promotional and that formation of nine He111's were just sensational. Are they one YouTube?
Manfred