Deli's guide to capture WinUAE output with Camtasia Studio

[NewDeli]

Hi,


I have rewritten, expanded and improved (hopefully) the guide I had created in the Green Alien Guides subsection.
It is still based on using an (expensive ) shareware instead of WinUAE built-in feature, so if you're able to make perfect captures with the latter, please don't post just to repeat that it is not the recommended way.

To see it in action, download this archive or/and that one.

For now, I'll throw in the FAQ :

Q : Where should I find the official guide for making WinUAE video captures, the recommended way ?
It's part of the Green Alien guides
http://guide.abime.net/gguides/video.htm

Q : Why not use the built-in AVI output feature of WinUAE, with the encoder set to xvid or full-frames (as shown in the Green Alien guide) ?
Concerning xvid encoding, The system-shared codec panels wouldn't allow you to fine tune any encoding preset; For example it's not possible to make a 2-pass encoding in one go (screenshot shows the 2nd pass has to pick up the stat file to continue)
Concerning full-frames outputting, DVDBOX (aka the Host PC used for 50Hz WinUAE video capturing) would go berzerk with such a strain. It might not be the case when using (much) more powerful PCs.

Q : Why not use full-frame capture from within Camtasia Studio, then ?
Again, full-frame capturing puts a huge strain on the host machine, and fills in a medium-sized HDD quite fast. Unfortunately, its allegated advantages (lowered dropped frama ratio) cannot compensate for it being a ressource hog. Without a very powerful computer (Core i7, RAID...), the game scrolling would be jerky, due to the HDD overhead.

Q : So you're converting to xvid/mp3 something that is already compressed to some extend ?
After all said and done, I found it more adequate for my needs (saves HDD space too) to stick with TechSmith technology, from start to finish, as long as Camtasia studio is being used. In other words, I found using the provided codecs for the screen capture AND then, after editing, to be outputting the video in "a shareable format" (for YT...) to be optimum, INMHO. (although in this scenario the latter would be deemed shareable after proper xvid/LAME conversion).

Q : Why not do all the recording @50 fps ?
Camtasia Studio wouldn't produce any .AVI above 30 fps. I think even full HD movies are either 25 or 29.97 fps, so dropped frames would occur at a point or another.

Q : Camstasia suite software is very expensive, why should I buy it when CamStudio is offered for free ?
The capture suite can be downloaded free of charge and used with all its features for 30-days. It is primarily aimed at teachers and people making HD video reviews on web sites (all the more so). If you ask me, I think the way the screen codec handles the capture tasks is pretty awesome. For one, it gives you some control over the captured "window" (and no, I am not affiliated with them, in case you were wondering).

Q : I want to capture DirectDraw scanlines (not the ones from the Direct3D or PAL filters). How should I do ?
Without line-doubling in Diplay tab, I found it pretty impossible to capture the "original" output (unfiltered).

Q : Amiga nominal resolution (PAL HiRes) is 640x256, why should I use 720x576 ?
My CRT monitor (from Viewsonic) can do 50/100 Hz only @720x576 (via Powerstrip), so these are the values expected in Display tab / Screen / Fullscreen. In most cases, the "original" output ratio would be preserved. There's nothing wrong with making "smaller" captures, if your monitor can handle it.

Q : What software do you use to convert the "raw" TechSmith captures to xvid clips ?
avidemux (+ gui). This versatile tool is mostly used by divx "nerds" for quick video editing tasks. As much as possible, I avoid using the "industry standard" clogged-up suites like Premiere (Cf. the Gimp VS Photoshop debate) as long as things can be done otherwise (without any noticeable drop in quality).
Q : Any reason why you would lower the CPU idle slider AFTER the game had started ?
I found it uncessary to start a capture with the slider all the way to the right (it's not recommended anyway). So I thought about doing this : Apparently, no matter from which point I am starting to move that slider right, should it be of one notch or more, the beneficial effect on the CPU load would be similar AFTER the game had started. I think it's a nice trick because the beginning of a capture is always a CPU intensive task.

Q : Now that it's out, it could have been desirable to use Windows Se7en...
I have set up a dual boot with both OS's. In Se7en, I conducted the "one-monitor-only at my disposal" capture tests.

Q : Did you "produce" any set of videos to demonstrate the resilience of your tutorial ?
I captured Menace in demo mode with and without sound, it's not as exciting as some longplays out there, just the results of some testing with various WinUAE filters.
I am planning to capture some gameplay of a few classic Amiga games, but I still have to find a convenient way to present them without spending too much time on coding an elaborate DVD menu (also, xvid/mp3 might not be the best suited format for such productions).

Q : Is there any special benefit at lowering the refresh rate down to 50/100Hz ?
Yes and no. Usually, advanced users tend to operate WinUAE within a "comfort zone", meaning they try to get the best out of the emulator (Host-settings wise, at least) while sticking to actual beefed-up Amiga's being emulated (typically, they would be using the A1200 QuickConfig's as their main config). Simply put, 50Hz should improve WinUAE "smoothness" in all scenarios, but it would be unnoticeable to them, especially if WinUAE in running on a small monitor.
I did some testing with different filters like Direct3D, HQ2x... And my conclusion is that BiLinear Direct3D filters benefit greatly from reducing the refresh rate. Of course it should help the CPU to deal with the daunting task of capturing a complex video output LIVE. This said, the raw numbers are against me because the CPU load gauge wouldn't be different in one mode or another. Also I don't think the videos will look much more "accurate" this way, just like setting the wrong CPU type for a given config. won't change much the quality of the perceived emulation.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

Q : Where should I find the official guide for making WinUAE video captures, the recommended way ?
It's part of the Green Alien guides
http://guide.abime.net/gguides/video.htm

Would like to add the Recorded Amiga Games tutorial aswell : http://recordedamigagames.ath.cx/mod..._id=94&forum=1

[NewDeli]

Here attached, you may examine (please, don't load them before doing so) the two typical WinUAE config I use for this. They aren't specially tweaked for video capture, but should be devoid of pointless overwhelming settings. One bears the Null filter, the other has no filter & does line-doubling, both output "plain" stereo audio. Just don't expect lowered framerate or similarly crippling setting :

Since it's the recording utility (the lossless TechSmith codec in fact, which you could as well use from within WinUAE) which handles the job of capturing at 50 fps while (trying to) staying in sync, no need to modify WinUAE behavior any further.

EDIT :
Get the first one for captures using the WinUAE AVI output feature, and the 'No Filter Set' one for captures using this method,
the 4 channels one is exclusively for using with an external capture tool, except if you're only interested in recording a game/demo soundtrack

[NewDeli]

This HowTo have been tested with DVDBOX running 32-bit Windows Vista, Ultimate edition, with some stuff removed -not just deactivated (Cf. vLite).

Some of DVDBOX's specs. :

• Core 2 Duo E8600 @ 3340 MHz
• 4(3 of which are detected) GB of OCZ Reaper DDR2 PCII-8500
• ATI Radeon 4850 Palit (a relatively unknown brand, topping their adapters with a nice fan) 512MB GDDR3
• Western Digital HDD @10kRPM / 16MB cache (Velociraptor) for the system partition (the captures would have to be copied onto another drive, of course)
• An Audigy II ZS PCI audio adapter

Workbench is an AmigaOS 3.9 powered AmigaSYS (v4 upgraded). I choosed to use the preinstalled versions, since I wish to be able to start a game capture after the other, without having to reset WinUAE.
I did some preliminary testing of course : The game having been captured was Menace (by Psygnosis), an R-type like h-shooter.

Prerequisites -
Host OS must be in clean state :

• All temp. folders empty (get something a bit more efficient than Disk Cleanup, especially if you do a lot of web surfing)
• Minimal background activity (halt useless services, servers... )
• Explorer closed (Cf. popular shell replacements : Total Commander...) (optional)
• Fresh reboot
• Hard drive defragmented

Don't waste time trying it otherwise...


Some of the WinUAE settings used in the config's :

• Cycle Exact enabled
• If you don't use Cycle Exact (not recommended), tick Immediate Blitter to speed up emulation, ("not so safe" : a few games will run too fast once activated)
• Disable the onscreen leds (in native mode)
• Switch to LowRes resolution, no line-doubling if you're using a filter
• No stereo separation
• Set sound emulation to enabled, stereo, DirectSound / Total Recorder WDM / ASIO4ALL audio driver depending on your audio device capabilities, frequency set to 44100 (or 48000 if you have DVD compatibility in mind)
• Set sound filter to always on (at least A500) for a smoother listening experience

Note : Double check that audio frequency isn't set any higher "behind your back". It may happen with non-conventional non-DirectSound devices set.

We will be using Camtasia Studio for the captures with its TechSmith (the makers of Snag-it) screen capture codecs, it's a bit heavier on the system resources than FRAPS or CamStudio, but it's packed with useful features (smart focus, annotations, highlights...).

It is assumed that to capture videos LIVE without any specific capture peripherals, the higher your system overall speed, the better it is. At least, producing the videos would be faster. Any rig based on a 2,4+GHz class Dual or Quad Core CPU with 2+GB of DDRAM should do.

[NewDeli]

On to the actual screen recording sessions, if we're all set. You probably have figured out it would be done in two steps. First reason for this is to allow the clip to be edited (as a project) before further processing :
Adding captions, voiceover comments, transition effects, watermark...
The other one being avidemux would provide additional editing options (cropping out the black borders...) so it shouldn't be necessary/desirable to do the conversion that early.
FIRST SCENARIO : You have one monitor (16:10 60Hz capable LCD, typically) and one audio adapter (PCI / PCI-e Soundblaster typically) only
The "What you Hear" device should be set as recording default. Total Recorder should come handy if you don't have that type of "internal mixer". Note that the more you virtualize what is supposed to be "solid", the less system resources you will be able to tap from, once the recording has started.

SECOND SCENARIO : You have two monitors, either of which capable of outputting video @50Hz
Benefit : Letting a smaller monitor go into full-screen @50Hz instead of your main display should induce a noticeable drop in CPU usage, especially during the captures.

Start Camtasia Studio (v6.0.3, at the time of this writing), then click on Record the Screen
The black floating capture toolbar (see screenshot) is where all the initial screen recording configuration takes place.
To start with, from the Capture menu, choose whether to record the audio or not.

To set AV capture settings
Tools / Options / Video :

• Video Configuration set to Manual
• Screen capture rate set to 50 frames/sec.
• Click on Video Compression, Compressor should be set to TechSmith Screen Capture Codec
• Add a keyframe for every 50 frames
• Click Configure, set the slider to the leftmost (Faster Compression) for the captured video to contain as much data as possible

Tools / Options / Audio :

• Set Audio device to your preferred recording device ("what you hear" mixer or total recorder microphone)
• Advanced audio set to TechSmith MP3 (or PCM if you absolutely want to deal with some raw data)
• Set the attributs this way : 44100 Hz, 320k kbps - it's the max., Average Bitrate - Stereo)

On to the starting the recording, then :

• Set second Host PC monitor resolution to 720x576 & refresh rate to 50Hz, if your setup supports it (optional, Cf. Appendix)
• Start the game / demo you want to make a capture of via Camtasia Studio / WinUAE, native mode set to Windowed
• Click Custom / Select Area, The dotten green area should be adjusted to the outer borders of the window the game is running into (it shouldn't be necessary to always check that 720x576 in Screen / windowed mode is set, just input the value once)
• Click on the small white arrow next to Dimensions, select Lock to Application (at this point, you should realize the captured area dimensions won't be any bigger just because you switch to fullscreen, the idea behind this is the game will run smoother, also it prevents the borders from being captured)
• It's easier to see if the audio recording takes place when in "monitoring mode" -> Click on Audio to view the volume in the capture software bar oscillating when sound can be heard in WinUAE
• Click on the red rec. button
• Move the CPU Idle slider (CPU & FPU tab) two notches to the right (optional)
• As fast as you can, switch WinUAE to Fullscreen mode + AutoVSync for the game / demo to be displayed in full-screen onto your (primary) secondary monitor.

When you're done recording :

• Quit the game/demo, then Alt+tab
• Choose stop from right-clicking the blinking icon, in the system tray
• From the preview window, click Save
• Maximize the Editing window of Camtasia Studio
• Import your freshly recorded media, typically game-x.camrec
• Move the clip onto the Timeline (note the presence of a convenient Storyboard mode)
• It will ask for a resolution, 720x480 entered manually or chosen from a preset (DVD-Ready) should be fine (SmartFocus won't necessarily apply here)
• When you're done editing the video (it can be great fun if you spend 10 minutes compulsing the related online documentation), save the project
• Click on Produce video as...

You should then be presented with the Production Wizard :

• Choose Add/Edit Preset (you will need to do this just once) to create a preferred preset
• In this scenario, preset would be an exact "reflection" of the settings that were in use for screen capture (see above), except for the resolution
• Set a fairly high bitrate (3200 kb/s) when converting to xvid, since 4:3 ratio bearing 19" monitors have become a thing of the past) / "post-produce" your video with avidemux
• Done

Note that "shareable format" involves a lot of combined settings for a given output method (see Camtasia's online video presentations, it should be equally easy to produce clips suited for YouTube, CD presentations...).

[Mad-Matt]

I dunno why, but all the above makes what is normaly a simple 2 -3 step recording procedure into a real chore !

[killergorilla]

Wow, I can't believe how simple it is!

[NewDeli]

1. Leave WinUAE in windowed mode (with the A4000 QuickConfig loaded)
2. Start Camtasia Studio
3. Click on record

Is that simple enough for you ?

...except you will get horribly slow performance (all other things being equal), PCM audio instead of MP3, your HDD filled in no time, and an undetermined video capture in size and quality encoded with a proprietary codec.

Most of the above steps just need to be done once. It all makes sense after a little bit of practise.
I could capture myself doing all the above, including creating the custom config. but only if I get non-sarcastic comments (sorry 'bout that).

The difficult part consist in reviewing the settings if relying solely on your memory (had I Immediate Blitter checked in the first place ?...).

• The config(s) should be set (to balance speed VS quality, to adjust at the resolution the capture will take place)
• Camtasia options should be set (some presets are provided, so you don't have to start one from scracth)
• I think WinUAE output should definitely be captured full-screen (and in this case you could just as well be capturing "blindly" a toolbar or other non-relevant parts of the screen if starting the capture without notice)

I don't see any reason to relinquish on any of those pre- and if you firmly disagree, I'd ask you to at least go into a little detail.

[Maccara]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

...except you will get horribly slow performance (all other things being equal), PCM audio instead of MP3, your HDD filled in no time, and an undetermined video capture in size and quality encoded with a proprietary codec.

...due to Camtasia's nature (not really designed for this kind of application; Especially Direct3D, as Camtasia disables most HW acceleration when capturing D3D surfaces -> Fraps is MUCH better for this purpose).

I don't see any reason to relinquish on any of those pre- and if you firmly disagree, I'd ask you to at least go into a little detail.

Could you provide some enlightement why one should use Camtasia for this task in the first place, as the alternatives (winuae's own recording facility / fraps) seem 1. easier 2. not use so much resources (perfectly workable solutions with "out-of-the-box" settings even on a "lowly" AMD X2)

Nothing against you putting up instructions how to achieve this with Camtasia (might be handy for someone), just genuinely wondering why go through the trouble in the first place...

[NewDeli]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

Q : Why not use the built-in AVI output feature of WinUAE, with the encoder set to xvid or full-frames (as shown in the Green Alien guide) ?
Concerning xvid encoding, The system-shared codec panels wouldn't allow you to fine tune any encoding preset; For example it's not possible to make a 2-pass encoding in one go (screenshot shows the 2nd pass has to pick up the stat file to continue)
Concerning full-frames outputting, DVDBOX (aka the Host PC used for 50Hz WinUAE video capturing) would go berzerk with such a strain. It might not be the case when using (much) more powerful PCs.

I had anticipated on this one . Please, see screenshot from post #1.

In short, for xvid encoding, not only it's restricted to do it this way, but also it's too early :
I want to rework my capture to some extend before making it shareable
and full-frame is basically overkill (to my standards).

[Maccara]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

I had anticipated on this one . Please, see screenshot from post #1.

Eh? You can't do direct 2-pass encode with any software anyway (I would do a lossless/low-loss raw capture first anyway and edit for final production; probably H.264 CFR encode in my case).

I read that FAQ, but it needs clarification. What does Camtasia exactly do any better here? (you're using proprietary codec still anyway which you need to convert to something useful)

[T_hairy_bootson]

Capturing 30fps @50hz would be jerky no?

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Maccara

(I would do a lossless/low-loss raw capture first anyway and edit for final production; probably H.264 CFR encode in my case).

Which is exactly the thing that the Recorded Amiga Games tutorial recommends btw.

[Maccara]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

In short, for xvid encoding, not only it's restricted to do it this way, but also it's too early

Restricted where?

Winuae allows you to choose any number of codecs for capture - no need to use xvid to get a raw capture (and you could use that too if you would choose proper settings, like a low quantizer for the raw capture).

[NewDeli]

avidemux would allow you to do direct 2 pass (that is, without the need to manually pick up the stat file in the middle).

Camtasia Studio bears many options to enhance the presentation of the video, a bit like Flash and similar big animation suites.

Also, it offers an aternative to lossless if you prefer to keeping your CPU load nice & gentle. What is does, AFAI understand, is capturing @ a max. of 30 fps already compressed data (LIVE encoding, but not as degraded as if xvid/LAME was applied directly to the source material). The codecs are not open-source, but they should be versatile enough to convert the output to whatever suits you best (within certain limits, we're not talking about full HD / Dolby as the final stage production).


@THB
It's not jerky if CPU idle slider is moved to the right from 2-3 notches AFTER the game had started (a little trick I found about while experimenting).

It would be convenient but unfortunate quality-wise to upload my videos onto YouTube, so I uploaded my videos "as is" on . If you can think of any better place to upload a demo and a sexier game to capture than Menace (not RTG), feel free to say so.

[Maccara]

Originally Posted by TheCyberDruid

Which is exactly the thing that the Recorded Amiga Games tutorial recommends btw.

Ah, quickly checked your link (Recorded Amiga Games), and so it does (as any sane guide would ).

Needs a bit updating, though, as info regarding huffyuv codec, for example, is incorrect (supports RGB encoding just fine).

[andreas]

Originally Posted by Mad-Matt

I dunno why, but all the above makes what is normaly a simple 2 -3 step recording procedure into a real chore !

And I feared I was the only one who thought this on reading this ... uh ... comprehensive essay

The "quick 'n dirty" bit was the funniest of all - I had almost spilled my coffee

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

@THB
It's not jerky if CPU idle slider is moved to the right from 2-3 notches AFTER the game had started (a little trick I found about while experimenting).

He means that capturing a 50 Hz game at 30 frames results in a jerky vid.

@Maccara
Yep, needs to be updated, but the basic way (capture lossless, then use a good codec) is still valid

[NewDeli]

Originally Posted by Maccara

you could use xvid if you would choose proper settings, like a low quantizer for the raw capture.

Possibly, but I's rather do it the old-school way :
Setting a fixed bitrate seems easier to get an approx. idea of the final size, and avidemux bears some interesing options over a plain xvid encoding (advanced deinterlacing, chroma correction...).

Also, the xvid encoded output wouldn't be of any use in Camtasia Studio. Or if it could be imported and layed onto the timeline, it would probably bear artifacts. With the above settings, the "raw" captures don't feel light weight at all. Only minimal compression is applied because it seems the codec excels in preserving the quality of the original output. I still have to check if TechSmith MP3 wouldn't limit you to LAME MP3 at the final production stage, but to me 160-192k stereo MP3s are quite acceptable, sonically speaking.

[Maccara]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

avidemux would allow you to do direct 2 pass (that is, without the need to manually pick up the stat file in the middle).

We're talking about capturing live footage, so no, it wouldn't. It still needs a complete file first (which you have to capture first). Many apps allow direct 2-pass as you have defined above (without manually selecting the stats file). And, of course, for H.264 2-pass isn't even required if you don't need to fit the footage to some exact size restriction; just do a 1-pass quality based encode.

I have no idea what your 2-pass -argument is...

Camtasia Studio bears many options to enhance the presentation of the video, a bit like Flash and similar big animation suites.

So you like Camtasia because of its editing capabilities? Is that the reason then?

Also, it offers an aternative to lossless if you prefer to keeping your CPU load nice & gentle.

For low CPU load, you could use huffyuv. I'm pretty sure that loads the CPU even less (ab 5-10% cpu load for 720x576x32bpp @ 50fps here).

What is does, AFAI understand, is capturing @ a max. of 30 fps already compressed data (LIVE encoding, but not as degraded as if xvid/LAME was applied directly to the source material).

Which is a minus. Not a good idea to throw away frames, especially if you try to capture interlaced material which you intend to produce as such too.

The codecs are not open-source, but they should be versatile enough to convert the output to whatever suits you best (within certain limits, we're not talking about full HD / Dolby as the final stage production).

Codec certainly is not a reason to use Camtasia. There are many free codecs too, you know, which you could use directly from winuae (as you could use the techsmith codecs too).

Still see no reason for Camtasia-hassle myself.