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Photo Booth froze while recording video and did not save

Hi-


I was in the middle of recording a video on Photo Booth for a school project. Before you go any further- I now know that I should have used iMovie or Quick Time to record, but I was having the same problem with freezing/lagging video. So I decided on using Photo Booth because it is what I am most familiar with.


It was about a 20 minute video and I noticed that the picture would freeze every so often, even right after I began recording, so I know it is not a size issue. I also do not have anything in my Photo Booth tray or library, so I know I have enough space.


Here's my issue: I pressed stop when I was done recording. But I got the infamous "spinning wheel of death." It didn't go away, even after 10 minutes so I force quit. I have located the recording in Finder. It says the name of the video, and the size, but the thumbnail is just the default QuickTime icon, not an icon.


How do I recover this? It's extremely important that I do. Hoping EZ Jim will respond! Thank you so much in advance.


I am using a MacBook Pro 13" from 2011.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Feb 10, 2015 11:03 AM

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Feb 11, 2015 10:47 AM

l_kleiman wrote: ... I should have used iMovie or Quick Time to record...

Yes, you should have. Do so in future recordings that are important or longer than a couple of minutes.


l_kleiman wrote:... the picture would freeze every so often,...


Because your problem is the same with all three video recording applications, we can rule out application software as the cause of your trouble. Here are some possible causes and what you can do to try to solve them:


(1) Video recording is processor intensive. If you are also running many more apps than only the video app while you are recording, your Mac's processor may be working near its limit.


Restarting your Mac before recording video ensures you will not have interference from multiple user accounts or widgets (unless they are included as  > System Preferences... > Account > Login iTems.


Remember that things like widgets and automatic checks for Mail, TimeMachine backups, iCal alarms, etc., and other background activities also add to your Mac's workload. The actions for the apps mentioned (and for most other such apps) can be disabled in "Preferences" for the apps that control them.


Disconnect all peripherals while you are recording video, and make your record monitoring window as small as possible. These suggestions help reduce processor power requirements while recording.


(2) Installing the maximum amount of RAM your MBP can use may help you. Your retailer can help you check what you have and install more if necessary.


(3) Alternatively, the cause of your symptoms May lie in your system software.

Consider the information in OS X Mountain Lion: If your Mac runs slowly. It applies equally to your OS X Lion system.

If you are not already running the latest Lion version, apply the OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 (Client Combo)update.)

l_kleiman wrote:... the picture would freeze ... even right after I began recording, so I know it is not a size issue. I also do not have anything in my Photo Booth tray or library, so I know I have enough space...

Neither freeze timing nor Photo Booth tray or library space tells you whether your startup disk has enough free ("Available") space for best operation.

Use your Mac's Finder > File > Get Info menu command to check available free space. Be sure you have LOTS of room (I keep 75% of my disk space free when recording video) on your MBP's disk.

Capture your movie clips on your MBP's startup disk rather than on an external drive which is almost certainly slower.

l_kleiman wrote:... when I was done recording... I force quit... but the thumbnail is ...not an icon. How do I recover this?...

If something here doesn't work, http://bit.ly/1An6zjD, your only remedy it to record the video again.



l_kleiman wrote:... Thank you so much in advance...



You're welcome. If you need to post back for other suggestions, please tell us the following:


0. What Lion version number you are using? You can find the version with the  > About This Macmenu command.


1. Are you recording your video subjects in bright lighting?


2. Did your Mac ever record video properly? If so, what happened immediately before the problem first appeared? (new software, hardware, etc?)


3. How much free space is "Available" on your startup disk?


4. How much RAM is installed in your Mac?


5. If you added RAM, what brand (Apple, Crucial, Other World, etc.) did you install?


6. Have you used Apple Hardware Test to verify your RAM is all working? (If you don't know how to use AHT, see your MBP's User Guide.)


We will offer more specific suggestions based on the details in your response.



Message was edited by: EZ Jim


Mac OSX 10.10.2

1 reply
Question marked as Best reply

Feb 11, 2015 10:47 AM in response to l_kleiman

l_kleiman wrote: ... I should have used iMovie or Quick Time to record...

Yes, you should have. Do so in future recordings that are important or longer than a couple of minutes.


l_kleiman wrote:... the picture would freeze every so often,...


Because your problem is the same with all three video recording applications, we can rule out application software as the cause of your trouble. Here are some possible causes and what you can do to try to solve them:


(1) Video recording is processor intensive. If you are also running many more apps than only the video app while you are recording, your Mac's processor may be working near its limit.


Restarting your Mac before recording video ensures you will not have interference from multiple user accounts or widgets (unless they are included as  > System Preferences... > Account > Login iTems.


Remember that things like widgets and automatic checks for Mail, TimeMachine backups, iCal alarms, etc., and other background activities also add to your Mac's workload. The actions for the apps mentioned (and for most other such apps) can be disabled in "Preferences" for the apps that control them.


Disconnect all peripherals while you are recording video, and make your record monitoring window as small as possible. These suggestions help reduce processor power requirements while recording.


(2) Installing the maximum amount of RAM your MBP can use may help you. Your retailer can help you check what you have and install more if necessary.


(3) Alternatively, the cause of your symptoms May lie in your system software.

Consider the information in OS X Mountain Lion: If your Mac runs slowly. It applies equally to your OS X Lion system.

If you are not already running the latest Lion version, apply the OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 (Client Combo)update.)

l_kleiman wrote:... the picture would freeze ... even right after I began recording, so I know it is not a size issue. I also do not have anything in my Photo Booth tray or library, so I know I have enough space...

Neither freeze timing nor Photo Booth tray or library space tells you whether your startup disk has enough free ("Available") space for best operation.

Use your Mac's Finder > File > Get Info menu command to check available free space. Be sure you have LOTS of room (I keep 75% of my disk space free when recording video) on your MBP's disk.

Capture your movie clips on your MBP's startup disk rather than on an external drive which is almost certainly slower.

l_kleiman wrote:... when I was done recording... I force quit... but the thumbnail is ...not an icon. How do I recover this?...

If something here doesn't work, http://bit.ly/1An6zjD, your only remedy it to record the video again.



l_kleiman wrote:... Thank you so much in advance...



You're welcome. If you need to post back for other suggestions, please tell us the following:


0. What Lion version number you are using? You can find the version with the  > About This Macmenu command.


1. Are you recording your video subjects in bright lighting?


2. Did your Mac ever record video properly? If so, what happened immediately before the problem first appeared? (new software, hardware, etc?)


3. How much free space is "Available" on your startup disk?


4. How much RAM is installed in your Mac?


5. If you added RAM, what brand (Apple, Crucial, Other World, etc.) did you install?


6. Have you used Apple Hardware Test to verify your RAM is all working? (If you don't know how to use AHT, see your MBP's User Guide.)


We will offer more specific suggestions based on the details in your response.



Message was edited by: EZ Jim


Mac OSX 10.10.2

Photo Booth froze while recording video and did not save

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