Video Recording with Built-in Camera

[cheeryble]

Hi
I'd like to record myself speaking for use on a YouTube video.

How could I use the built in camera for this?
Is iMovie good for simple editing?

thanx
Cheeryble

 

[spinnerlys]

You can use Photo Booth in the Applications folder to record your self.
The videos are stored inside the following folder: Users/YOU/Pictures/Photo Booth as H264 encoded .mov files.
You can use iMovie to edit them.
Look here for more info on iMovie http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/ and Photo Booth http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is-macosx/photo-booth.html .

 

[cheeryble]

You can use Photo Booth in the Applications folder to record your self.
The videos are stored inside the following folder: Users/YOU/Pictures/Photo Booth as H264 encoded .mov files.
You can use iMovie to edit them.
Look here for more info on iMovie http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/ and Photo Booth http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is-macosx/photo-booth.html .

Thankyou Spinner that was news about Photobooth.
I opened Photobooth and whilst on the information sheet you gave it said

Capture video clips.....
Photo Booth is not just for pictures. Using your iSight camera, you can shoot video clips and send them to friends and family via email with just a few clicks. Backdrops and effects work for your videos, too.

There seemed to be no facilities for doing so in the top toolbar.
Two possibilities.
1 I need an update.
2 I have an earlier MacBook Intel core duo but does it need the core2duo? enough

I shall check the updates first
In the meantime any other possibilities for recording?

Cheeryble

ps: just thought Photobooth does mirror image snaps. is this the same with video?

 

[cheeryble]

Belay my last post!
I noticed the icon on Photobooth which looks like a little snip of film. That's the one and it works....

HOWEVER.
It's coming out mirror image, and I'd prefer it didn't.

Any fixes (or other apps?)

 

[greg400]

You can use pretty much any version of iMovie after and on 6 (Not sure about the versions prior to 6) or you can use Quicktime X in which you go to File > New Movie Recording.

 

[cheeryble]

Well I'm doing a lot of answering my own posts here but learning fast.
It's possible to use iMovie and recored by clicking IMPORT FROM CAMERA under FILE and it's not mirror imaged.
However nothing's simple and questions 10 and 15 need addressing vis a vis large file size in iMovie. Here they are

Quote:
Originally Posted by alexlin9008 View Post
iMovie takes up a LOT of space. Just a few seconds is more than a megabyte. I don't have a clue why.

and the answer

because you are recording to dv.

if you change the output video type it will be less.

The question is:

How do I change the output Video type ?

thanx Cheeryble

ps: Still interested in free alternatives and de-mirroring in Photobooth....

 

[spinnerlys]

If you want to edit your self-recorded video, any more compression than the already compressed DV codec will not be really suitable.

The DV codec takes 220MB/min which is only 125KB per frame (with 29.97fps) on a picture of 640x480 pixel (307200 pixel) which is less than half a byte per pixel (0.41B per pixel).

So that's what you have to live with. If you don't want to edit the videos, you can always convert them to something more compressed via iMovie or even Photo Booth.

The de-mirroring should be done via iMovie which will have an effect or two to reach that goal.

Why do you want to de-mirror the image anyways?
It looks unnatural and is considered a bad habit or frivolity when people are mirrored, at least in the circle of editors.
That's just the way cameras and the human eye work.

 

[cheeryble]

If you want to edit your self-recorded video, any more compression than the already compressed DV codec will not be really suitable.

The DV codec takes 220MB/min which is only 125KB per frame (with 29.97fps) on a picture of 640x480 pixel (307200 pixel) which is less than half a byte per pixel (0.41B per pixel).

So that's what you have to live with. If you don't want to edit the videos, you can always convert them to something more compressed via iMovie or even Photo Booth

Great info thanx it sounds like you're an expert.....

The de-mirroring should be done via iMovie which will have an effect or two to reach that goal.

Why do you want to de-mirror the image anyways?
It looks unnatural and is considered a bad habit or frivolity when people are mirrored, at least in the circle of editors.
That's just the way cameras and the human eye work.

Errr.......but Photobooth is not representing the real world. If for instance I had a tattoo on my forehead saying MUM it would say.....oh ****, if I had a tattoo on my forehead saying PUNK IS NOT DEAD it would look like DEAD IS NOT PUNK or even worse backward letters
Besides which my parting won't be on the right side, or wouldn't be if Ihad one!

elbyreehC