From IVTWiki

Contents 1 Authoring Tips and Best Practices 1.1 Using Screen Capture in IVT Studio 1.2 DV and Firewire Recording 1.2.1 Preview Issues 1.2.2 FireWire and Screen Capture 1.3 Importing PowerPoint as GIF, JPG, PNG?!? I don't know! 1.4 Post Processing 1.5 Production 1.5.1 Setup 1.5.2 Lighting 1.5.3 Clothing 1.5.4 Performance Tips 1.5.5 PowerPoint Slide Creation Guidlines

Authoring Tips and Best Practices

Using Screen Capture in IVT Studio

Studio's screen capture function can add a great deal to your web cast presentation or demo. Using it is easy, here's a few tips on how to get the best screen capture you can.

   * Record your video first and then go back and create the screen capture on the slides you'd like
   * Capture a single application
   * If your screen resolution is greater than 800x600, scale the applications window down to something close to 800x600
   * If you want to capture your whole screen, change your resolution to 1024x768

DV and Firewire Recording

IVT Studio will work with some Firewire or IEEE 1394 DV Cameras (see supported cameras). Plug your camera in and turn it on before starting Studio. Once Studio has started and you have set up or opened a project you should see the video preview from the DV camera. If not go to "Capture -> Video Device" (ADD PIC HERE) and be sure the Microsoft DV Camera item is checked. Then double check the Audio Devices and make sure the "Use Video Device" item is checked. Record your presentation. If you find your Audio did not record try going back to Audio Devices, select "None" and then go back into the Audio Devices menu and reselct the "Use Video Device" item. Audio should now record.

Preview Issues

Note that the preview playback of your video may appear to be in "slow motion." While we're working to fix this you should know that the video recorded just fine and in synch with the audio. If you'd like to double check follow the steps below:

• Save your project
• Open Windows Explorer (usually in Start->Programs->Accessories)
• Navigate to the Program Files folder
• Open the IVT folder
• Open the Media folder, there you'll see a folder for each saved project
• Open the folder for your current project
• Double click one of the avi files that has a number as the name (i.e. 1.avi)

This is the raw recorded video and you'll notice the audio and video are in synch during playback. Studio uses this file to create the encoded video that is uploaded to the streaming server.

FireWire and Screen Capture

If you want to do screen capture and you're using a FireWire device you'll need another audio capture device plugged into the system (i.e. a USB webcam or microphone). During screen capture Studio will use this alternate audio input to record the audio.

Importing PowerPoint as GIF, JPG, PNG?!? I don't know!

When you initially add a PowerPoint slide deck to your porject in IVT Studio, it converts the slides to JPG images by default. JPG is generally the correct choice as it balances file size and image quality well. Occasionally with a PowerPoint deck that is mostly text with clashing colors, GIF might be the better format. The GIF format is limited in color depth but it works great for graphics. The third option is PNG. We have found the PNG offers the best image quality for your Powerpoint slides however it does create larger files. This will slightly effect your web hosting account as the slides will take up a little more space than if they were JPG or GIF.

To keep the Project Dialog screen simple, no option was added to choose slide formats. However, if you simply select your PowerPoint deck as you normally do in the Project Dialog screen, after Studio opens, you can go to File | Load Slides.. and pick the same PowerPoint deck again. This time you are presented with a dialog that allows you to select GIF, JPEG or PNG encoding. Experiment with the "Load Slides" option in Studio to see how the different formats effect your slide deck.

Post Processing

Production

Setup

Before you begin shooting you should take a look around the area and make sure a few things are in order:

• If your camera is at a bit of an angle be sure it's to your right and your eyes are looking to the left when addressing the slide deck. This will make it appear that you're looking into the page in the final presentation.
• Clean up the area around behind you. The background shouldn't be cluttered .
• Place something in the background but make it simple and off center. When you look at your video preview make sure it there's no defined object directly behind your head. It will appear to be sticking out of your head and it's quite a distraction to the viewer.

Lighting

The look of your webcast will be enhanced greatly if you do a few things to tweak the lighting in the location that you're recording. Flourescent lights typically make things look a little greenish and that makes for some unnatural looking skin and details. Try turning off the over head flourescents in favor of an incadescent desk lamp. Incadescent light is warmer and will help make your video pleasing to the eye.

If you're near a window the outdoor light may be enough for your video. Check the preview to make sure you are well lit. Note: Mixing indoor and outdoor light will result in mixed color temperatures. Chances are you will want to stick with either indoor or outdoor light but not to use both. However, color temperature can be mixed for artistic effect. We'll leave that up to you.

Contrast. Contrast is OK! You don't need to be completely lit for your video to look "professional." It's definitely ok for one side of your face to be slightly darker than the other. This adds definition and is pleasing to the eye. If you light yourself so that the light level is perfectly even everywhere you will look washed out. Experiment with placing your desk lamp (or a nearby light) in different places to see how the video looks to you. Obviously, if one side of your face is in complete shadow you should adjust your lighting.

Clothing

You may not always be able to change when you need to create a webcast. No problem, but there are a few things to think about if you know you'll be recording video. Small patterns on any piece of clothing that appears on camera will create a moire effect. These patterns make the video appear jittery and are a distraction to your viewers. What's worse is that the encoded video will simply look low quality when the small patterns are compressed for viewing over the web. Here are some dressing tips:

• Wear tailored clothes that have simple and clean lines. These photograph best.
• Wear clothes that are comfortable and support the image meant to be presented.
• Avoid clothes that are extremely bright or "saturated". These colors can interfere with the picture’s normal contrast with dark colors.
• Avoid wearing stark black or white. Instead wear ivory, gray or muted pastels. These work well, especially when combined with dark colors.
• Avoid busy patterns or small plaids, stripes, checks, and herringbones. These can create a vibrating effect on the screen. Instead, wear solids as much as possible.
• Shiny fabrics, heavily starched fabrics, or jewelry can cause a reflection on camera, and be difficult to encode. Velvet and velour fabrics absorb light causing details to look muddy or to even disappear.
• If you have a pale complexion, dark colors will make your skin look even lighter. A dark complexion will look even darker in light color clothing.
• Neckties that are solid or have simple patterns are preferable.
• Wearing a jacket or a shirt with a lapel provides a good place to clip a microphone.

Performance Tips

• Look at the camera or your computer screen. Remember, the camera is likely getting a close shot—head and shoulders only.
• Avoid looking off camera. The multimedia audience will not feel you are speaking to them.
• Avoid excessive and exaggerated hand gestures.
• Rehearse if you can. Using a low-end video to practice with would give you an idea of how to present best with a camera.
• Be lively! Remember that you don’t have to be perfect! Act as if you are speaking to colleagues. Technical content is much easier to comprehend when delivered in an upbeat manner.
• Have the outline of your presentation ready and all materials on hand prior to starting the videotaping. The day of the shoot is not the best time to be ironing out content questions.
• It is helpful to start with a brief introduction of yourself and what you’ll be covering. A brief conclusion is also nice.
• If you are using a computer (a laptop is ideal), position the screen so that it is down and slightly to your left. When the multimedia CD-ROM is put together, it will appear that you are looking at your graphics.
• If you are using a mouse to click through your slides during the on-camera presentation, click the mouse softly, if possible. The sound of the mouse clicking is sometimes picked up on your microphone and becomes a distracting sound in your audio.
• If you need to pause for any reason, return your gaze to the camera before you begin speaking. At the end of your presentation, stare (and smile) at the camera for 5 seconds without talking.
• Keep in mind that it’s not necessary to stop for a minor verbal trip-up. Either ignore the stumble, or simply restart with an, “that is to say….”, or something similar.

PowerPoint Slide Creation Guidlines

As you create your PowerPoints or graphics, it is important to keep in mind that they will be resized (and optimized for streaming if your presentation will be hosted). Following these guidelines will ensure that the quality of your slides is maintained during the translation and compression processes.

• Limit the amount of information you put on each slide. A typical guideline is no more than 7 lines of text, with no more than 10 words per line—but remember, less is better!
• Use a mixture of upper and lower case type. The larger the font size the better—28 and above is good. San serif fonts look nicer than fonts with serifs when compressed and streamed. Arial and Tahoma are examples of san serif fonts, and are often used by IVT clients.
• Use tabs to create your alignment—don’t use the spacebar.
• Graphics are a nice touch—and if you can make your point with a graphic instead of words—even better! Or, use a great graphic with a pointed caption.
• Use a nice background color with a contrasting color for the text.
• When creating slides that will be streamed across the Internet, you’ll want to keep them fairly simple, particularly if you plan to stream at low speeds (anything under 56k). Complex backgrounds make it difficult to create slides that are small enough to stream efficiently.