SVEN'S HOW TO: PAGE
How to make a Video Capture:
1. Get a Video Capture card. I use the ATI All-in-Wonder card. Works really well I think.
2. Do not scale captured image. Stretching the image will make it distorted.
3. Sometimes channels are lighter than others, I use a darker setting on the Brightness gauge. Dark movies are tough to get a clean capture.
4. Save the capture in BMP 24bit format. It is the best quality. Then convert it to a high quality JPEG useing Photoshop 4.0.
5. Use shielded cables! There was a big improvement in quality. S-VHS is the best, RCA connectors are second, Coaxial cable is the worst. There is a lot of interference from all the power supply cords around the computer.
6. DSS satellite dishes and S-VHS VCR's are the best digital sources for captures. Cable and store bought video tapes are good as well. I connect my Mitsubishi HS-U54 VCR to my computer by shielded RCA connector because it has a better tuner.
Photoshop 4.0 tips:
1. Use Ulead Smartsaver 3.0 to compress image files for the web. It is available in Demo format. You can see before and after pictures on the same screen. This saves a lot of web space.
2. Batch convert image files from BMP to JPEG (taken from Adobe Q&A)
Before you batch convert files, configure Photoshop so that it always appends a filename extension to saved images: Choose File > Preferences > Saving Files > Append File Extension > Always.
Next, create an action for saving your images in JPEG format: 1. Open a BMP image. 2. Click the New Action button on the Actions palette. 3. Name the action and click the record button. 4. Choose File > Save As. 5. Enter a filename, then select JPEG as the file format, and then pick a location to save the file to. Click Ok. 6. Select the desired options (e.g., Image options and Format options), then click Ok. 7. Click Stop in the Actions palette.
Finally, batch process an entire folder of BMP images and place the resulting JPEGs into a different destination folder using the Action you created above: 1. Select Batch from the Actions Palette option menu. (The Batch option is located in the upper right corner of the Actions palette.) 2. Select Folder in the Source drop-down list. 3. Click the Choose button and then select the folder that conains your BMP images. 4. Click the Override Action 'Open' Commands box. 5. In the Action drop down list, select the action you created above. 6. Select Folder from the "Destination" drop downlist, then click Choose to select a destination folder for JPEG images. 7. Click Override Action 'Save In' Commands in the checkbox. 8. Click OK to convert all BMP images to JPEG format and to add the .JPG extension to each image.
3. Use the filter NTSC colors on video captures.
I'll add more stuff when I think of it.