Video Capture Software

I never cease to be amazed when I am talking about technology. Nowadays we use devices that did not even exist ten years ago. This development is really fast and it spreads rapidly unlike in the past when it took people several decades to get used to let's say the radio or the TV. Every period in history has its own charm and beauty and some people want to preserve their memories for the future. I am talking about important moments in people's lives that were immortalized on video tapes, like weddings, anniversaries and parties. We all know that these devices lose their properties in time and will end up showing a very poor video image. That is why we can use technology and capture the video picture, then record it on DVDs, that have a much bigger storage space and a higher quality.

I surfed the internet for a while looking for free download of video capture software and I found indeed here, here and here.

But people don't use video capture software just for this purpose: there are some people who want to keep a certain movie they saw on TV and they liked it very much, so they make a capture of this movie and turn it into a digital format. Then there are all those people who like editing video and photos and then posting the result on the internet web sites in order to share them with others or just for fun. They are the ones who post home made videos on You Tube for example. You can use any kind of device for making this kind of video: analog or digital video camera, web camera, mobile phone,etc. When editing a video file you can add sound to it, special effects or even crop it, resize it and other features that are similar to photo editing. When you are happy with the result, you can either upload the video on free specialized web sites or keep it for personal use on your computer.

Usually when you want to make a capture file from a VCR or a TV set, you need a special cord to connect the two devices together. The principle is not that complicate: play the video tape using the VCR and at the same time use the capture software on your computer to start saving the video capture. Basically it is the same principle used like when you are copying the tape with another VCR. You plug the coloured ends of the cord both in the computer and in the VCR in order to make the exchange of data. You cannot make only one video file, as they are pretty big in size, so you will obtain several videos in digital format. After that you can use all the features available to enhance clarity, luminosity, add sound or special effects or whatever changes you might want to . After the editing is done, too you can burn the video on a CD or DVD or share it with friends or relatives by uploading it on a video blog or specialized web site like You Tube or any other web site of this kind.



Besides the video capture from a TV or VCR, there is another possibility of using video capture software, but this time on another device, in fact our favourite device: the computer. You can use screen capture software if you have a TV tuner on your computer and want to record a certain show or movie that you watch on your favourite TV channel, but using the computer screen. You can even set up the time and date when you want this capture to be done and the duration (for 2 hours for example, between 10,30 and 12, 30 on 20th April 2009). You can stay or go away from the computer, but the software will still do its job and capture the film for you. This software is also very useful if you want to teach a certain operation that has to be done on the computer (about installing a software for example or let's say adjust the settings of the computer mouse from the control panel) and the person you want to help is miles away. It will be difficult to do this over the phone, but it will be a lot more useful if that person could actually see the process step by step. So you can make a short movie with the steps that must be followed by using screen capture software, then mail this movie to the respective person and that's it. He or she will watch it and find out exactly what they have to do. You can even add voice commentaries to your movie, indications and directions that have to be followed in order to fulfill the task.



But this kind of screen capture software is really complex in fact. You can include full screen, scrollin capture text capture , media players and other computer tools. The files that you obtain by using capture software can be edited in so many ways: you can add comments, underline or circle a certain word or part of a text or computer command with a virtual coloured marker, resize the capture or do whatever changes you may like. Save it and use it afterwards.



I am a little lazy when it comes to learning all kinds of new technological stuff and instructions. I prefer things to be simple and clear and there are a lot of people who think the same way. So make sure you choose a video capture software that is easy to use and simple and, at the same time, offers you a wide variety of features that you could use.This should be the basic criteria for choosing the best video capture software for home use. Then it is very important if this software is easy to download and install, offering step by step indications and help. It is very useful if you have access to online or phone help because you may have certain things you don't understand and the producer is the most appropriate person to answer. A really good video capture software should have a lor of feature like scrolling captures, menu captures, color and text captures, video game screen and media player capture, mouse pointer capture and should also be capable to capture the entire web page and to make the capture from more than one monitor.

Here is a top ten screen capture software to choose from when you decide to purchase one:

1. SnagIt
2. FullShot
3.HyperSnap DX
4. !Quick ScreenShot maker
5. Any capture
6. SPX Instant screen capture
7. Easy screen capture
8. Solid capture
9. Screenshot Magic
10. Screenshot utility

Have fun trying, choosing and then using the video capture software!