This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Capturing DV Video
There are several capture options and other settings that you could mess with, but let's capture some video using Studio's default settings and return to the key capture options later in the chapter.
Begin by working your way through the steps in the last two tasks. Once you enter Capture mode, the Camcorder Controller should appear, with live time code information. If it doesn't, run through the steps in the previous two tasks again.
Note that it doesn't matter whether you're capturing 16:9 or 4:3 video; Studio will automatically adjust accordingly. You don't need to set any switches or controls to make this happen.
To capture DV video
- Click the Capture tab to enter Capture mode.
- Use the Camcorder Controller to move the DV tape in the camera to the desired starting point.
- Click the Start Capture button on the Diskometer (
Figure 3.15
).
The Capture Video dialog box opens ( Figure 3.16 ), and the Start Capture button changes to Stop Capture ( Figure 3.17 ).
Figure 3.15 Click the Start Capture button on the Diskometer.
Figure 3.16 You can name your file before capture and elect to capture for a specified interval. This is useful, for example, when you want to capture a 60-minute tape while you're away from the computer.
Figure 3.17 To stop capture, click Stop Capture on the Diskometer or press the Esc key on your keyboard.
- For this test, enter a duration of 1 minute and 00 seconds in the Capture Video dialog box, as shown in Figure 3.16. When the Capture Video dialog box first appears, it displays the maximum duration of video your disk can store, which is limited by the available space on your hard disk, the file system used in your capture drive, or the version of Windows you're running. (For more information, see the sidebar "Windows File Size Limitations," later in this chapter.) If the maximum duration shown in your program is less than one minute, either your capture disk is almost full or you're pointing toward the wrong disk. See "Selecting Your Capture Drive" in Chapter 2.
- If desired, click the Create "SmartMovie" Automatically After Capture checkbox shown in Figure 3.16. For more information on SmartMovies, see "Creating Music Videos Automatically," in Chapter 9.
- Click Start Capture in the Capture Video dialog box to start capturing.
- If an error message appears (
Figure 3.18
), you've already captured some video using the same file name. Do one of the following:
Figure 3.18 Studio won't automatically overwrite previously captured files—a nice feature.
- Click Yes to overwrite the file and start the capture.
- Click No to return to the Capture Video dialog box and rename the file. Then click Start Capture to start capturing.
- Your DV camera starts playing, and capture begins.
- Studio should capture one minute of video. To stop capture before then, do one of the following:
- Click Stop Capture on the Diskometer.
- Press the Esc key on your keyboard.
- After the capture stops, a file labeled Tape 1 (or whatever name you may have chosen) appears in the Album (
Figure 3.19
). You'll see multiple files if any scene changes occurred in the source video during the one-minute capture. (See the sidebar "Making the Scene with Scene Detection," earlier in this chapter, for scene-detection options.)
Figure 3.19 Your captured file appears in the Album, with a separate icon for each scene identified by Studio during capture.
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TIPS
- If you attempt to capture 4:3 and 16:9 footage from the same tape during the same capture session, you'll see the error message displayed in
Figure 3.20
.
Figure 3.20 Studio won't capture 4:3 and 16:9 footage from the same tape during the same capture session.
- You can't view your captured video in Capture mode. To play back your captured file, see the section "Viewing Your Captured Video," later in this chapter.
- Note the Frames Dropped counter at the bottom of the Player in Figure 3.14. Dropped frames are frames that the computer couldn't capture, usually because the disk wasn't fast enough to keep up with the incoming video. This counter updates in real time during capture. If you drop more than one or two frames, stop capturing and attempt to resolve the problem. Often, running other applications while capturing will cause Studio to drop frames, which should be reason enough not to do so.
- The first several hundred times I used Studio, I would start the video rolling, click the Start Capture button, and get frustrated when Studio asked me for a file name before starting capture, since the video I wanted to capture would be speeding by while I named the file. Then the nickel dropped in my brain, and I realized that I should simply move the video to the desired spot and let Studio do the rest by following the procedures in the preceding task.
- When you capture DV video, Studio's default scene-detection mode automatically detects scenes based on time code. If you desire, change this option on the Capture Source tab, accessible from the Studio menu by choosing Setup > Capture Source.
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