Part I. basic things

  • Video standards
  • Video recording software
  • Setting up fraps
  • Phototools & cameratools
  • Setting SL viewer windows to correct size
  • Hiding interface & HUDs
  • Renaming video captured files

Video Standards

Image Resolution
Frame rate

Programmer’s Guide to Video Systems

Video recording software

Windows

Paid software: Fraps Bandicam Dxtory Play Claw MachinimaCam 2
Free software: VirtualDUB Taksi CamStudio EzVid
Fraps vs Bandicam vs Dxtory

Apple

iShowU

Linux

glc

Setting up FRAPS

machinima-tutorials-01-fraps

Folder to save movies in
If you have several hard disks, select a folder on a different hard disk than the one you use for SL viewer cache.

Video Capture Hotkey
Choose a hotkey to capture the video. F5 for instance.

Video Capture Settings
Select 30 fps for NTSC, 25 for PAL.

Split movie every 4 Gigabytes
Check it if the folder you choose is on a FAT32 hard disk only.

Sound Capture Settings
Check “Record Win7 sound” to record sound from SL.

Hide mouse cursor in video
Check it for machinima, left uncheck for tutorials.

Lock framerate while recording
Let it checked to prevent extra unneeded computation.

Phototools

You will need to add two useful tools to firestorm viewer. Phototools and camera tools.

To add Phototools.
Right click on any toolbar button.
Select Toolbar buttons.
Drag phototools and phototools camera buttons to the toolbar.

You can also open Phototools using Alt + P, and Cameratools using Shift + Ctrl + C.

Read more
Paperwork Shows
Colorcompletely Youtube Channel – Phototools Tutorials

Window Size

SL viewer should be sized very precisely to suits the future video size.

  • If the viewer size is too small you will lose resolution
  • If the viewer size is too big you will generate unnecessary overload

Size used for HDTV are :

HDTV 720p: 1280 x 720
HDTV 1080p: 1920 x 1080

Resizing windows with Standard Viewer

Ctrl+Alt+D to add Advanced menu if you don’t have it yet.
Menu Advanced / Set Windows Size…
select
1280 x 720 (16:9 HDT)
1920 x 1080 (16:9 HDTV)

Resizing windows with Firestorm

Open Phototools
Aids Tab
Set Window Viewer Size
1280 x 720 (16:9 HDTV) : HD / 720p on YouTube
1920 x 1080 (16:9 HDTV) : Full HD / 1080p on YouTube

Resizing windows with Singularity

Edit / Preferences… (Ctrl+P)
General
Windows Size:
1280×720 (HD)

Resizing with other viewer

Sizer

Hiding interface & HUDs

to hide interface: Ctrl + Alt + F1
to hide HUD: Shift + Control + H

If Ctrl+Alt+F1 is not working on a windows 8 system.
Right click on the Desktop / Graphics properties / Advanced mode / Ok / Options and Support / Uncheck box Enable.

See the discussion here Second Life Community – Key combo to hide the UI does not work

Renaming files

Video recording software like fraps creates files with very long name. Those names are hard to deal with within the video editor. You can use software tool like Renamer to shorten them.

Other Links

Second Life Wiki

Machinima
Video Resources
Making movies

Video Recording software

Fraps
Bandicam
Dxtory

Torley Tutorials

Space Navigator – Getting started
Space Navigator – Advanced customization
Space Navigator – Summary, buttons & more tips
Space Navigator – Avatar, Flycam & Build modes