RobJohnFrank.com

Camstudio Instructions

Here is the link to the YouTube video version of the instructions

  • Step 1: Go to https://camstudio.org
  • Step 2: Scroll down halfway through the page and click on the download link for “Camstudio20.exe”
  • Step 3: Install CamStudio
  • Step 4: Go back to the CamStudio web page and click on the download link for “CamStudioCodec14.exe” (you do not need to download the .zip file)
  • Step 5: Install the Codec
  • Step 6: Run CamStudio
  • Step 7:Go to “Options” > “Video Options” and then use the following settings:
    • [Note: the “Auto Adjust” box at the bottom must be unchecked in order to edit the settings]
    • Compressor: CamStudio Lossless Codec v1.4
    • Quality: 100
    • Set Key Frames Every: 120 frames
    • [Click the “Configure” button, select “LZO,” set the Level to 1, and then click “OK”]
    • Capture Frames Every: 33 milliseconds
    • Playback Rate: 30 frames/second
    • [Move the arrow all the way to the left for “Max Framerate”]
    • Click “OK”
  • Step 8: Go to “Options” and make sure that “Record audio from microphone” is checked
  • Step 9: Go to “Options” > “Audio Options” > “Audio Options for Microphone” and then use the following settings:
    • [Your audio device may be different – I use Logitech’s desktop microphone: https://www.logitech.com/en-us/webcam_communications/microphones/devices/221]
    • Audio Capture Device: Microphone (USB Audio Device)
    • Recording Format: 22.05 kHz, mono, 16-bit [Do Not Record In Stereo]
    • Compressed Format: PCM, 22050 Hz, 16 Bit, Mono, 44100 Bytes/sec
    • Interleave Video and Audio: [Checked] Interleave every 100 Milliseconds
    • Use system method for audio recording: [Unchecked]
    • Click “OK”
  • Step 10: Click on “Region,” select “Fixed Region,” and then do the following:
    • Make sure that the box is un-checked for “Fixed Top-Left Corner,” leaving the Left set at 1 and the Top set at 1
    • Set the Width to 1280 and the Height to 720
      (Note: If you cannot record at 1280×720 due to screen size, then 640×480 and 960×720 may also work)
    • Click “OK”
  • Step 11: I also suggest checking-off the following option in the menu bar:
    “Options” > “Program Options” > “Minimize Program on Start Recording” – this way, the program doesn’t appear in the video, though it is still possible to control recording by right-clicking the CamStudio icon in the notification area of the taskbar
  • Step 12: To begin recording, click the red record button and then move the rectangle to select the viewing area (I usually set the viewing area above the taskbar so that the viewer cannot see it, thereby allowing me to control CamStudio almost invisibly by using the taskbar icon)
  • Step 13: Recording begins when the rectangle starts flashing, and in order to adhere to YouTube requirements, the video must be under 10 minutes long
  • Step 14: When finished recording, go to the CamStudio icon in the notification area of the taskbar and right-click on the icon to bring up the option to stop recording
  • Step 15: Save the file – it will be saved as an .avi video that can be directly uploaded to YouTube with ease – the specific settings have been tested to ensure that the video is in HD-Quality (720p) and that it fits perfectly within the YouTube window, without any extra vertical or horizontal bars

Tips:

  • If you upload the files to YouTube, I recommend turning off the comments and ratings
  • I have played with video editing as well but had difficulty preserving the quality, so I prefer to record the entire video in one shot, as if it’s a performance, and I almost always do take-after-take until I’m satisfied with the result
  • I don’t like to use a script because I think it sounds stilted, and instead I like to pretend that I’m teaching the lesson to the class