Super Features: Debut Video Capture

Debut Video Capture Software is one of the most feature-rich video capture programs available, allowing you to capture video from a variety of sources, including your screen, webcam, network camera, or external devices. If you haven�t had time to explore all the amazing ways Debut can make recording video easier for you, we�ve made a list of highlights.

• Add a text caption to your video. Choose the placement, enter the text, change the font, the font color, and add background color to make the text stand out. Be sure to add your caption before recording starts. (more ways to add text to video)
• Add a watermark to your video to ensure you get credit for the video. Choose a watermark image that isn�t too large, adjust the transparency, and set the alignment. The margin percentage controls how far away the watermark is from the edge. Again, be sure to add your watermark before recording.
• Create a time-lapse video. Station your camera and click the Edit Output button. On the tab specific for the type of camera you are using, make sure the Enable Time-lapse checkbox is checked. You can specify how often a frame is captured: the closer in time the images are taken to each other, the smoother your video will look. For a more choppy outcome, space images out further.
• Capture a window or custom area. This is a very useful feature if you want to focus on one area of your screen, rather than the entire thing. Click the selection icon in the lower right corner, next to the caption, color, and watermark buttons. You can then drag the cursor to select a recording area, or highlight and select a specific window on your screen.
• Schedule recordings. If you need to record while you're away from your computer, set up a scheduled recording. Click the Scheduler button on the toolbar to set a recording time.
• Click the Edit Output button to resize the final video or to change the frame rate. Remember that a smaller size and a lower frame rate will make the file size smaller.
• You can specify the file format for the recording from the Record as drop menu. Select the file type, or select which device you are making the recording for.

If you need to edit your recordings after they have been recorded, we recommend you use VideoPad Video Editing Software. With VideoPad, you can edit multiple screen captures or webcam recordings together, add background music and narration, and compile the final product in a format for viewing on your computer, television, portable device, or on the internet.

Create a Time-lapse Video with Debut

You've seen videos that condense hours and hours of time into a short clip: a flower blooms in 30 seconds, or a city scene showcases the busy flit of people and traffic as the shadows of buildings move slowly across the street.

You can easily create your own time-lapse video using your webcam and Debut video capture software. Here is what you need to do:

1. Click the Edit Output button and select the devices tab.
   
2. Select the option to Enable Time-lapse.
   
3. Specify how often you want an image to be taken. For the charactaristic choppness of many time lapse videos, space image captures apart by a minute or longer. For a smoother result, take captures at shorter intervals.
   

When your recording is finished, it will be saved as one video clip rather than a series of images, so you can watch the time fly by in a resulting video.

Next, to turn your time-lapse into something really worth sharing, add a title screen using VideoPad video editor. Keep in mind that VideoPad can also do other time manipulations, such as speeding up or slowing down your video footage, in case you want to fine-tune your time-lapse results.

VideoPad Video Editing Tips & Tricks

One of the blog entries that is consistently getting a lot of traffic is our post announcing the speed changing feature to VideoPad. Not surprising since that was such a long-awaited feature to be added to our popular video editing software. Since it has been a popular post, I decided to expand on the topic with several Tips and Tricks for editing video with VideoPad. If you have any tips of your own please comment and add them to our list. And for those of you new to video editing you may want to get started by checking out the VideoPad video tutorials.

Title Screen and Ending Credits

Add a blank slide to the beginning or end of the timeline. Add text to the slideslide by clicking the green plus button on the Overlay Track, and a fade transition to create a dramatic opening or closing effect to your movie. For ending credits, select the vertical scrolling option and adjust the clip duration to control the scrolling speed.

Text Overlays

Adding captions, title screens and credits is a cinch. See our post on Adding text to your videos for some tips to help you get started using the Overlay Track to add text to video clips.

Video Subtitles

Subtitles are another way of adding text to your video projects. See our post on adding subtitles to your video for a quick overview on importing or creating an .ssa subtitle file in VideoPad, or for more detailed instructions go to our video subtitles tutorial.

Image Overlays

To create a watermark effect or add images to your video for presentations, use image overlays. Click the green plus button on the Overlay Track, select the Image or Video radio button, browse for a file and apply it to the sequence. Once it�s on the sequence, you can select it and edit its size, opacity, positioning and more.

Control Effect Duration

To apply an effect to only part of a clip, try slicing the clip in two. Apply an effect to only one slice, and place a cross-fade between the slices for a seamless transition.

Change Video Speed

Speed up or slow down video clips by selecting a clip and selecting the Speed effect from the Effects tab, then use the slider to select the new speed for the video clip, (i.e. 50% for half speed, 200% for double). You can also choose to play the clip backward.

Video Stabilization

One possible problem you may have with videos you have recorded on your camcorder is video clips that are shaky or unsteady. This is a common problem when you film without a tripod to keep the camcorder still no matter how steady you think your hands are. The video stabilization feature is an easy solution to eliminating camera jitter in your videos, giving you a final video that won't make you seasick to watch.

Upload Videos to YouTube

VideoPad has a wide range of output options for saving your final video, and if you are creating your video for YouTube you can even skip a step and upload to YouTube from VideoPad by entering your YouTube account information and other details, which is just one of the many choices available when saving your finished movie. VideoPad also has automated upload options for Facebook and Flickr.

Sound Effects

VideoPad comes with a Sound Effect Library. You can preview and download sounds from the Sound Effects Library by going to Edit -> Sound -> NCH Sound Effect Library. And since VideoPad has unlimited audio tracks, you have plenty of room to add and mix in the sound effect to your movie soundtrack.

Greenscreen Video Editing

For shooting those scenes you can�t do on location, use the chroma-key feature to transport yourself to another locale. To use chroma-key, click the green plus button on the Overlay Track, select the Image or Video radio button, click the Record button, click the Remove Background button, and follow the onscreen instructions. Also see out post on Easy Chroma Key Overlays.

VirtualDub Video Plugins

For even more effects, VideoPad supports VirtualDub plugins. You can add new plugins by selecting Load/Unload Plugins on the Effects Tab, and loading your saved .vdf format VirtaulDub plugin filter.

Looking Back at 2010

The New Year is always a time of reflection. What went well the last year? What could have been better? This is where many New Year�s resolutions come from. Not only is the New Year starting you off with a clean slate but it�s a good reason to find things you can do improve on years past. In the spirit of reflection I took a little time to look at what our most popular blog posts from the last year in hopes of finding a little bit of insight into what we should work on or write about in the year to come.

1. Change the speed of video clips in VideoPad
   
2. Practice audio transcription files now available
   
3. NCH Software iPhone Software Update, see all the NCH Software iPhone apps
   
4. Make a Glee Music Mash Up with MixPad
   
5. Record audio playing through your computer
   
6. WavePad recognized as top mac audio editing software
   
7. Zulu virtual DJ Software now avaialable for Mac
   
8. The Secret Life of Tone Generator Software
   
9. Complete transcription quickly and easily with FastFox word expansion software
   
10. Radio World User report on BroadWave streaming Audio server software
    
11. PitchPerfect Guitar Tuning Software Now an iPhone App
    
12. WavePad Audio Editor Software Now available as an iPhone App
    
13. FTC Bans Unsolicited robocalls
    
14. MixPad Multitrack audio recording and mixing software now available for Mac
    
15. New Sound Effect Library Added to WavePad Sound Editor
    
16. Create unique sounds with MixPad and WavePad Audio Software
    
17. TempoPerfect metronome software is now also an iPhone App
    
18. Internet Use in the Office and Cyberslacking is costing employers millions
    
19. A movie maker solution for Windows 7�Videopad
    
20. CardWorks new free business card designer software
    

What I take from this is that not only are our big announcements such as the addition of the sound effect library and adding speed control into VideoPad important, but that our readers like to see more about how software is being used by other people in interesting and creative ways. There also seem to be a fair amount of Mac users looking for software solutions who will be pleased to hear that we are going to continue to bring more of our popular software over to the Mac platform. We are also going to continue to try to write about a breadth of different software topics. If there is anything in particular you would like to hear about, let us know.