Appendix E: Tips and techniques

A. DV camcorder tips

B. Web video tips

C. Troubleshooting tips

A. DV camcorder tips

· Format the DV tape before shooting video.

Formatting a DV tape is desirable for batch capture and for accurately locating timecodes. Formatting here means to record a blank video from start to end without interruption. This is what a professional cameraman will do with a new DV tape. Once it is formatted, you can start shooting video. Thus, when you play your video footage on the DV camcorder, the counter (displayed as Timecode on the camcorder’s LCD monitor or viewfinder) keeps running even when there’s no actual video.

· How to get the best video quality out of a DV camcorder.

Capturing video using the IEEE-1394 interface card provides loss-proof quality. After editing your project, you can then render your final movie at any file format of your choice.

If you don’t have an IEEE-1394 card or a DV camcorder, the second choice is to use an analog capture card. If you intend to record your finished project back to the videotape, using an analog capture card with S-video output yields better video quality.

B. Web video tips

· Use a smaller frame size for movie files intended for the Web.

A one-minute video clip, which is captured in its native DV AVI format from a DV camcorder, takes about 200MB of disk space. If you have such a large-size captured clip inserted in your project, it will also take much time to render the project into a movie file. For files that you intend to send over the Internet, it’s better to use a smaller frame size (for example, 352 x 240) when rendering.

· About Windows Media Video (*.WMV) and RealVideo (*.RM) files

Corel VideoStudio lets you create movies in file formats such as Windows Media Video (*.WMV) and RealNetworks RealVideo (*.RM) formats for streaming over the Internet and for playback on computers. Windows Media Video files can be directly inserted into a VideoStudio project and edited.

C. Troubleshooting tips

· Power on the camcorder to reestablish connection.

Camcorders may automatically shut down to save power, as such, losing the connection between the camcorder and Corel VideoStudio is common. When this happens, users need to turn on the camcorder to reestablish connection. There is no need to close and reopen VideoStudio, since the program can automatically detect capture devices.

· When VideoStudio cannot accurately locate timecodes…

When capturing video or positioning the tape at a particular timecode, sometimes VideoStudio may not be able to locate the timecode accurately and may even halt the program itself. When this happens, you may need to
shut down the program. Another option is to turn off your camcorder, then wait for a few seconds (at least six seconds) before turning it back on. This resets VideoStudio, and once again, allows the program to properly detect capture devices.

· If VideoStudio cannot control the DV camcorder…

If VideoStudio cannot control your DV camcorder and locate specific timecodes accurately, select Tools: Select Device Control and click the Options button. A Device Control Options dialog box then appears. Here, you can fine-tune the control settings so that your camcorder and VideoStudio can work together more closely in the way that you like.

Note: Failure to locate the correct timecode may lead to unexpected problems (such as noise or delays) during capturing or recording back to the DV camcorder.

· If VideoStudio does not work properly…

Repair VideoStudio if it does not work properly. To repair VideoStudio, double-click Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Select Corel VideoStudio, click Change/Remove, then click Repair.

Appendix E: Tips and techniques