Many editing headaches can be avoided simply by planning ahead when capturing footage. These tips and tricks will help you get started on the right foot, saving you time down the line.
#1: Don’t use Infinite Meter. If you don’t want to keep switching back and forth between Infinite Meter and Normal Meter, then just use the Refill/Recover option. Not only does Infinite Meter look really tacky, but it also makes it difficult to tell how much meter is being used.
#2: Turn off background music so it doesn’t clash with whatever song you end up using. Almost every game has a way of shutting off BGM without sacrificing sound effects.
#3: Try to mix things up a little. Use different stages, different opponents, and different costume colors throughout your video. But please stay away from those over-the-top custom colors with really high contrast. Also make sure that the costume colors you choose stand out against the background. For example, don’t pick dark colors on the CvS2 rainy rooftop stage.
#4: When capturing clips, leave plenty of empty space before and after each combo for clear transitions. Take a deep breath and relax between combo retries. It’ll make the editing process much easier and the final product will look much cleaner.
#5: Always use the best capture method available. If you find a killer glitch and the only recording device you have in your home is your cell phone, then it’ll have to do. But if you have (or can borrow) a digital camcorder, there’s no reason not to use it. And please take the time to figure out how connect it directly to your console. The end result will be much nicer.
Remember, your video can only look as good as your captured footage, so don’t be lazy with this step. Set everything up properly with the highest settings available. Then try to think ahead by imagining how each clip will look within the edited video.
if only I had a good quality capture card. . . I bought the Dazzle, but for some reason it drops frames, no matter how low in quality I go, and no matter how many programs I close. I even got an external hard drive so I could record straight to it for a boost in speed, but nothing seems to work. And my computer meets the requirements. And the Pinnacle company has the worst customer service I’ve ever faced in my life. I’m stuck with an 80 dollar recording tool that sits there and teases me.
So you have your capture card connected directly to your external hard drive? Because if you’re running it through your computer, then that might be causing some lag which would explain the dropped frames.
The other factor is hard drive speed. Mine’s 7200rpm but i know they go up to 10,000. Those are expensive though.
But yeah, if your capture card is external, maybe try testing it with another computer?
Hm. . . well, I tried my girlfriend’s Vaio, but it was actually worse. My computer surpasses the minimum requirements. It is bugging me really bad. I got Vegas pro when I got the Dazzle. It was supposed to be a huge upgrade, but it’s been 2 months since I got both, and haven’t used them because of this problem. . . I need a computer wiz in my pocket.
Haha that’s definitely not me then. Technology has gotten too complicated for me to try to understand it. As far as i’m concerned, it’s a good day when it works like it’s supposed to and it’s a Skynet insurgency when it doesn’t. My only recourse is shaking it.
Speaking of which, have you tried shaking it?
… Nah don’t try that, it never works. But have you tried other capturing software? VirtualDub is free and it’s all i use these days. Then again, i’m capturing in standard definition so if you’re capturing in HD, then i don’t even know what the requirements are for that.
Wow, does virtual dub detect certain video capturing devices? well, let me see. . . thanks man, and . . . yes, i did shake it before.
Verdict: The software works great! No dropped frames! No white dashes on the top of my videos by use of the cropper tool!
bad: The horizontal lines. I consulted the FAQs on the site and they said those lines are inevitable as long as I go over 280pxls in height. That wouldn’t really bother me, but what does, is the SIZE of the video file. Is there a way to compress the size? I couldn’t find it on the FAQs. And sorry for all the need of help. I’m just very frustrated. Been at it all day and night.
I’d be surprised if VirtualDub didn’t support encoding on-the-fly, but then again i’ve never used it. I always keep the source files uncompressed (or store them as .RAR archives if necessary).
Worst case scenario, you can always capture uncompressed files and batch-encode them yourself. And i’m not sure what you mean by horizontal lines, but if you’re referring to interlacing artifacts, you can eliminate those by deinterlacing the videos after you’ve captured them. Pretty much every editing program has a way of doing that.
But when it comes to compression and deinterlacing, i only know enough to get by so you’re probably better off asking someone who actually knows what they’re doing.
This is what I got. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RW_Y0Q6es0
Id say it’s pretty good. You can notice the horizontal line, but it’s alright. It’ll work for now. Thanks for all your help Maj! You’re the best.
Those lines are interlacing artifacts. Look up how to use the “Deinterlace” filter. That should solve the problem. I’d tell you, but it’s got way more options now than i’m familiar with, so you’re better off finding a legit tutorial.
Well! It worked! except the audio got delayed for some reason. Seems like I keep running into walls every time I think it’s the last one. Well, thanks anyway, man.