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Have you recorded animation or moving video, and the results weren't what you hoped? Here are some tips to put things right.
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BB FlashBack performs best when recording ‘standard’ Windows applications like MS Word and Windows Explorer. It’ll do this with next to no impact on PC performance and make these movies really small.
But it can still record moving video and animations - you may simply need to change some settings from the defaults. |
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| Step 1 - make sure GDI record mode is used |
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BB FlashBack has 2 record modes: GDI and Capture Driver. The best mode for recording moving video is GDI mode.
How to check the record mode:
- Go to the Record Mode step of the Record wizard or the Record mode tab of the Options window.
GDI mode should be selected.
- If GDI mode is not enabled, this is because your PC can't run it at a good frame rate - see below for hints on improving video performance.
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| Step 2 - Disable graphics hardware acceleration |
Media player-type programs use 'hardware acceleration' features provided by video cards to improve performance. When they do this, BB FlashBack can't record the images, and you'll end up with a black rectangle in your recordings where the video should be.
By default BB FlashBack turns off hardware acceleration while recording, but here is how to make sure:
How to turn off hardware acceleration while recording:
- Go to the Record Mode page of the Record Wizard (shown above).
- Select GDI mode.
- Check the 'Turn off hardware acceleration while recording' box.
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| Some fine tuning – DirectX mode and Frame Rates |
DirectX Mode
On the Record mode step, under the "GDI" mode selector is a setting: "Use DirectX mode". Try setting this to 'on' - it improves performance on some PCs.
Frame Rate
When GDI modes is selected, you can set a frame rate – the number of times BB FlashBack will capture the screen per second.
BB Flashback sets a sensible default frame rate automatically, but you might find that experimenting with this can produce better results. If you’re recording something that demands a lot from your PC, reducing the frame rate can give better performance and a smoother movie.
You set the frame rate from a control under the mode selector:
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| Improving Video Performance |
If GDI mode is still disabled after clicking the Test / Retest button, there are a couple of things you can do to improve the video performance of your PC and possibly enable GDI mode recording.
- Update your video drivers.
You'll need to go to the website of your PC or video card maker, download and install the latest drivers. We've found this can make a huge difference to performance.
- Update DirectX.
To download and install the latest version of DirectX for your operating system, go to http://www.microsoft.com/directx.
After updating the software, go back to the Record mode tab of the Options window and click the Retest button again. BB FlashBack will retest your video capabilities and enable the modes accordingly. |
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