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Capturing game footage: Difference between revisions

Capturing game footage (view source)

Revision as of 15:08, 10 October 2021

3,257 bytes removed ,  10 October 2021
getting with the times: iShowU Audio Capture -> SWB Audio App, Soundflower -> BlackHole
(→‎ScreenFlow: general update)
(getting with the times: iShowU Audio Capture -> SWB Audio App, Soundflower -> BlackHole)
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==Mac A/V recording==
==Mac A/V recording==
These programs will automatically record Oni's sound and video at the same time. Just make sure to close any other applications that play sounds before you record Oni, unless you're using Audio Hijack (see "Mac audio-only recording"). If you don't want to pay for an A/V capture solution, the free alternative is OBS Studio or QuickTime Player (see the "video-only" section) used alongside Soundflower (see the "audio-only" section).
These programs will automatically record Oni's sound and video at the same time. Just make sure to close any other applications that play sounds before you record Oni, unless you're using Audio Hijack (see "Mac audio-only recording"). If you don't want to pay for an A/V capture solution, the free alternative is OBS Studio or QuickTime Player (see the "video-only" section) used alongside BlackHole (see the "audio-only" section).


===ScreenFlow===
===ScreenFlow===
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===iShowU===
===iShowU===
$20-$79, https://www.shinywhitebox.com/
$24-$79, https://www.shinywhitebox.com/


shinywhitebox offers several versions of their capture technology, from the classic version of iShowU ($20, and somehow still supported for macOS) to the full-featured capture-and-editing suite iShowU Studio ($79). If you're thinking of getting classic iShowU, it probably makes more sense to go with the newer product iShowU Instant ($24) instead. Both apps do record system audio, though technically classic iShowU should be under the "video-only" section since it requires Soundflower (bundled with it; see "audio-only" section for info) to capture this sound. The newer iShowU apps come with iShowU Audio Capture, a replacement for the semi-defunct Soundflower that shinywhitebox wrote themselves (all the video capture apps on this page which capture system sound require a kernel extension).
shinywhitebox offers three versions of their video capture product with differing prices and features. All products support region capture and window capture, but if you are recording Oni in windowed mode, keep in mind that iShowU's window capture option records the window's title bar as well. This means that you have to use region capture instead, which in turn means having to precisely select the contents of Oni's window. Fortunately iShowU provides its own zoom feature while you perform this selection, but make a tiny mistake and you could ruin your output with a misaligned recording area. If you have iShowU Instant + Advanced Features ($39) or iShowU Studio ($79), you can just record the Oni window and crop the video afterwards. By contrast, OBS Studio (below) records direct OpenGL output from Oni, giving you a perfect capture of just the game every time (but with the added hassle of configuring OBS and BlackHole).
 
iShowU supports region capture and window capture, but if you are recording Oni in windowed mode, then keep in mind that iShowU's window capture option records the window's title bar as well. This means that you have to use region capture instead, which in turn means having to precisely select the contents of Oni's window. Fortunately, iShowU provides its own zoom feature while you perform this selection, but make a tiny mistake and you could ruin your output with a misaligned recording area. If you have iShowU Instant with the Advanced Features add-on ($34, making the product a total of $58) or iShowU Studio, you can just record the Oni window and crop the video afterwards. By contrast, OBS Studio records the direct OpenGL output from Oni, giving you a perfect capture of just the game every time (but with the added hassle of configuring OBS and Soundflower).


==Mac video-only recording==
==Mac video-only recording==
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[[Image:OBS video capture.jpg|thumb|right|This is what the final setup should look like before pressing "Start Recording". As Oni plays the Main Menu music, the Desktop Audio meter shows an appropriate level of volume for its input.]]
[[Image:OBS video capture.jpg|thumb|right|This is what the final setup should look like before pressing "Start Recording". As Oni plays the Main Menu music, the Desktop Audio meter shows an appropriate level of volume for its input.]]


OBS allows you to record video directly from Oni's OpenGL output, so you don't have to try to select the exact region of the game window. OBS is a bit tricky to set up, but the settings you choose for the "Scene" will be saved automatically for the next time you open OBS. An additional wrinkle is that OBS requires a kernel extension called Soundflower (see "Mac audio-only recording" section) in order to capture audio. Once Soundflower is set up, you will need to enter OBS' Settings screen, choose "Audio", then set the "Desktop Audio Device" to "Soundflower (2ch)" in order to capture the system sound that is being looped around to become input.
OBS allows you to record video directly from Oni's OpenGL output, so you don't have to try to select the exact region of the game window. OBS is a bit tricky to set up, but the settings you choose for the "Scene" will be saved automatically for the next time you open OBS. An additional wrinkle is that OBS requires a kernel extension called BlackHole (see "Mac audio-only recording" section) in order to capture audio. Once BlackHole is set up, you will need to enter OBS' Settings screen, choose "Audio", then set the "Desktop Audio Device" to BlackHole in order to capture the system sound.


The resulting recording is in FLV format by default, which is inconvenient for editing purposes because Apple's video-editing software, such as iMovie, requires a .mp4 or .mov file as input. If you don't plan to make any edits, and you take care to record only what you want the user to see, then you can simply feed the FLV directly into YouTube in order to publish it. You can also convert it to a Mac-friendly format with video-conversion software such as Flip4Mac Player Pro ($29) or Perian (free, but no longer under development). But you'll probably prefer to go to OBS' Settings screen, choose "Output", and change the "Recording Format" to "mp4" or "mov".
The resulting recording is in FLV format by default, which is inconvenient for editing purposes because Apple's video-editing software, such as iMovie, requires a .mp4 or .mov file as input. If you don't plan to make any edits, and you take care to record only what you want the user to see, then you can simply feed the FLV directly into YouTube in order to publish it. You can also convert it to a Mac-friendly format with video-conversion software such as Flip4Mac Player Pro ($29) or Perian (free, but no longer under development). But you'll probably prefer to go to OBS' Settings screen, choose "Output", and change the "Recording Format" to "mp4" or "mov".
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Additionally, you need to ensure that your levels are correct. Once you believe you are ready to record sound, go to System Preferences>Sound and make sure that the "Output volume" at the bottom and the "Input volume" under the Input tab are set properly. You can test this by generating some sound from the game without starting a recording, and watching the "Input level" bar in Sound's Input tab to see if it lights up appropriately while the sound is playing.
Additionally, you need to ensure that your levels are correct. Once you believe you are ready to record sound, go to System Preferences>Sound and make sure that the "Output volume" at the bottom and the "Input volume" under the Input tab are set properly. You can test this by generating some sound from the game without starting a recording, and watching the "Input level" bar in Sound's Input tab to see if it lights up appropriately while the sound is playing.


Note that you may not hear sound output from the game when you are directing the audio output to your video recording program, unless you have passthrough turned on. macOS' Audio MIDI Setup app should allow this if you select your input device and check the "Thru" box on the "M" (or "Master") channel's line. If you send passthrough to your speakers, you might get an echo that is captured in the audio recording (yes, even though you are not recording through the Mac's built-in microphone). You should use headphones to prevent this. Note that "Thru" is disabled when using Soundflower, below, but there are instructions under Soundflower's section for getting passthrough audio sent to your headphones.
Note that you may not hear sound output from the game when you are directing the audio output to your video recording program, unless you have passthrough turned on. macOS' Audio MIDI Setup app should allow this if you select your input device and check the "Thru" box on the "M" (or "Master") channel's line. If you send passthrough to your speakers, you might get an echo that is captured in the audio recording (yes, even though you are not recording through the Mac's built-in microphone). You should use headphones to prevent this.


===Audio Hijack===
===Audio Hijack===
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The basic issue with most programs that record your system sound is that they record <u>all</u> the sound, including various sound effects from your mail client, instant messenger, etc. This program allows you to specifically record the audio from just Oni.
The basic issue with most programs that record your system sound is that they record <u>all</u> the sound, including various sound effects from your mail client, instant messenger, etc. This program allows you to specifically record the audio from just Oni.


===Soundflower===
===BlackHole===
Free, https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower
Free, https://github.com/ExistentialAudio/BlackHole
 
[[Image:Audio MIDI Setup Multi-Output.jpg|thumb|right|The settings needed for output to both the video-recording app and your headphones.]]
[[Image:Mac Sound Prefs Multi-Output.jpg|thumb|right|Ditto above.]]
 
Soundflower lets you loop the audio from your system output to your system input. Once it's installed, launch the controller app (actually called Soundflowerbed; note that, as of the time of this writing, the app is no longer distributed pre-built; you must download the Xcode project from the GitHub page above and build it yourself). You will get a flower icon in your menu bar; from it, select "Built-in Output" under the "Soundflower (2ch)" section (the "64ch" part doesn't matter). Then go to System Preferences>Sound, and under both the Input and Output tabs, choose "Soundflower (2ch)". This is the software equivalent of the audio cable loop method described below.
 
Now, if you want to have passthrough audio, so that you can actually hear the game while playing and recording it, you need to go an extra mile. First, plug in some headphones. Then, open macOS' Audio MIDI Setup app (which can be reached by choosing Soundflowerbed's "Audio Setup…" menu item), click the "+" button at the lower-left, and create a new "Multi-Output Device", then check the "Use" box for both "Built-in Output" and "Soundflower (2ch)". Then, expand the Multi-Output Device item in the left-hand list of the window and select the Built-in Output sub-item. You'll want to turn the volume for channels 1 and 2 down to -33dB or lower in order not to blow your ears out (macOS doesn't automatically dampen the volume for headphones when they are part of a multi-output device). Note that once you are recording, you won't simply be able to adjust the headphones' volume from the speaker icon in your menu bar; it will be grayed out because macOS cannot set the volume for multiple devices at once. Finally, go back into System Preferences>Sound, under the Output tab, and choose "Multi-Output Device" instead of "Soundflower (2ch)".
 
Either way, before you can record the audio that is being looped around by Soundflower, you must select Soundflower as the audio input source in your video capture program before starting to record Oni.


Note that, as of April 2016, Soundflower the extension is in a somewhat precarious state of development, and Soundflowerbed the app is discontinued or in the process of being rewritten. See iShowU Audio Capture for a solution that may be newer and easier to use.
This open-source program has replaced the defunct Soundflower as the app to use for audio capture on the Mac. If you try it out and have information to share about the proper configuration for recording Oni, please add some instructions here. Absent any special instructions on our wiki, you can look at instructions for using OBS Studio on Macs, as these will usually include setting up BlackHole.


===iShowU Audio Capture===
===SWB Audio App===
Free, [https://support.shinywhitebox.com/hc/en-us/articles/204161459-Installing-iShowU-Audio-Capture https://www.shinywhitebox.com/]
$12/year, [https://shinywhitebox.com/swb-audio-app https://www.shinywhitebox.com/]


It appears that shinywhitebox's free Audio Capture extension, designed for use with their iShowU video capture apps, will work on its own, allowing you to add system audio to any video recording app, including QuickTime Player. It probably works similarly to Soundflower, but if anyone actually tests it, please update this section.
shinywhitebox's audio capture app works on its own, allowing you to add system audio to any video recording app, including QuickTime Player. If anyone actually tests it, please update this section.


===An audio cable===
===An audio cable===
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