Screen-captured movies are pixelated

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Level 1

8 points

Screen-captured movies are pixelated

I am capturing video from my screen as I navigate within a software application (we are making training videos). The Quicktime movie that is produced at the end of the capture is flawless, but when I bring it into Final Cut Express, the final movie is pixelated and un-readable. I am using an application called iShowU to do the capture and have the video set at MAX and 40 frames/sec.

Has anyone had success capturing video from the screen and incorporating that video into Final Cut Express? I am also having similar trouble with images exported from PowerPoint, even when they are exported at 1200DPI PNG.

Thanks for any help!
Michael

Macbook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Feb 7, 2009 8:49 AM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Feb 7, 2009 8:58 AM in response to Michael9104

FCE is a fixed resolution video editing application. It only works with specific frame resolutions, codecs, and video standard frame rates.

DPI is irrelevant to digital video. Only the frame resolution is important.

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Answer 2

Michael9104 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 7, 2009 9:19 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Tom - THANK YOU for your quick reply. If you have done what I am describing, do you have any advice as to the required Frame rate and Resolution of the inital capture? Any online-references for this information would also be a big help. (I have no fear of doing my own research but we need to produce about 40 videos TODAY and are in a huge crunch, so any spoon-fed help at this point would be a major help). Thanks again! - Mike

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Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Feb 7, 2009 9:54 AM in response to Michael9104

If you intend to output on video, like tape or DVD, then the way to do the screen capture is to rent a scan converter and record in a digital video medium, either on tape or directly to computer in a correct standard video format.

If you're going to deliver on the web then you can use computer resolution to scan your material. You would however then need to work with a resolution independent editing application that can work in different codecs that are suitable for this, like Final Cut Pro.

If you are only doing simple editing and trimming you might also be able to use the QuickTime Pro player to trim and assemble screen captures.

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Answer 4

bach01

Level 1

0 points

Feb 7, 2009 2:18 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

So, being a QT movie does not assure that it will work with FCE?

Sonny

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Answer 5

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Feb 7, 2009 3:22 PM in response to bach01

No. There are many different types of QuickTime movie using many different codecs, not all of which will work with FCE.

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