Video Capture
Logger Pro can capture video directly from a video input such as a
digital video camera or web camera.
Recommended Cameras:
- A consumer-grade AV camcorder with a firewire or USB 2 connection.
- Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000
- Proscope
Video capture may work with other USB or firewire cameras, however
Logger Pro has not been tested with them.
Note:
Digital still cameras that can collect videos cannot capture
video under the control of Logger Pro. Instead, the video must be
collected using the camera's
controls and transferred from the camera as a file.
Quick Start Instructions to Capture a
Video
- Camera Drivers - Before you attempt to capture video, you need to
install any drivers or software that comes with your camera. Verify
that
you can see video using the manufacturer's software. Do not continue
until this software functions, but exit that software before continuing.
- Connect the camera to the computer, if not already connected.
- Launch Logger Pro. Choose Video
Capture from the insert menu. If a camera is detected, the Video
Capture dialog box will
appear, and it will display an active video feed from the camera. If
you do not see the live video feed, click the set up camera button and
configure your camera.
- You are now ready to capture video in one of two modes. One mode
is to collect the video by itself. The other mode is to capture
a video while simultaneously collecting data with sensors. Each method
is described below.
Video Capture Only
Logger Pro will capture video with or without sensor data. Follow these
instructions for video without data.
- Complete the Quick Start Instructions above.
- The Video Capture dialog box will show live video. Click the
Options button (see below) in the Video Capture dialog box to choose
the Video Capture Only mode. Set your desired capture duration. Note: Long
captures that are not time-lapse will create very large files.
- To capture video, click the Start Capture button. You can let the
capture run for the allotted time or click the
Stop Capture button.
- At the end of the capture, a movie
object for the capture will
appear on the Logger Pro main window. If you capture additional videos,
they will also appear on the Logger Pro main window.
- To save the movie or movies, choose Save from the File menu.
Choose the appropriate folder and give your Logger Pro file a
name. The movie(s) will be saved with your Logger Pro file and in the
same directory as the Logger Pro file. If you have not changed any
Advanced Settings (see below), the video files will be named
sequentially, MovieCapture1, MovieCapture2, etc.
Video Capture While Simultaneously
Collecting Data
- Complete the Quick Start Instructions shown above.
- The Video Capture dialog box will show live video. Click the
Options
button to open the Video
Capture Options dialog.
- Choose the Video Capture Synchronized with Sensor Data Collection
option.
- If data collection will run more than 10~15 seconds, you may want
to capture a time-lapse movie to avoid creating a very large video
file. To enable this mode, click the Time Lapse Mode option, and choose
how often an image should be collected.
- Click OK.
- When you click the Start Capture or Start Time Lapse button,
video capture and data
collection will start.
- At the end of the capture, a movie
object for the capture will
appear on the Logger Pro main window.
- To save the movie or movies, choose Save from the File menu.
Choose the appropriate folder and give your Logger Pro file a
name. The movie(s) will be saved with your Logger Pro file and in the
same directory as the Logger Pro file. If you have not changed any
Advanced Settings (see below), the video files will be named
sequentially, MovieCapture1, MovieCapture2, etc.
Take Photo
You can take a snapshot, henceforth treated as a picture in JPEG format, from your movie by
clicking the Take Photo
button.
Note: The picture will be placed in the same location as the saved
Logger Pro experiment file.
See Also:
Video Capture Options
Video Capture Troubleshooting