Camtasia Studio Learning Center

One of the big questions many people have about recording with Camtasia Studio is how to capture media players such as Quick Time, Windows Media Player, and Real Player. If the recorded video player comes out black or blank, the culprit is usually hardware acceleration.

Camtasia Studio Video Tutorial

Learn how to record video and audio from media players, such as from Window Media Player and QuickTime. This video is safe for all audiences.

Legal issues with recording video

Before recording video that you did not create, make sure you have the rights to do so. Check the copyright laws in your area or country before beginning.

Please, do the right thing.

Recording Video in Media Players

Recording video in a media player is about the same as making any other screen recording. However, when you record video and you want to also record the sound that goes along with the video, you must tell Camtasia Recorder to also capture the speaker audio.

Here's how you do it:

1. In Camtasia Recorder, before beginning the recording, click the Audio… link.
2. Select Speaker Audio (what you hear)

3. Click Finish.

Settings to change in Windows XP

If you’re having issues recording a video player on a Windows XP machine, you’ll need to turn off hardware acceleration on your computer, at least while you’re recording. To do so:

1. Right click on your desktop to bring up the menu.

2. Select Properties.

3. Select the Settings tab.

4. Click Advanced.

5. Select the Troubleshoot tab.

6. Move the Hardware acceleration slider somewhere in the middle.

Note: You may need to play with this setting depending on your computer. If you move the slider somewhere in the middle and you still can’t record video in your video player, come back to this setting and move the slider left some more. On the other hand, if you are experiencing poor playback in your video player, you may need to move the slider to the right some more.

7. Click OK.

Settings to change in Windows Vista

Most video players should record just fine with Camtasia Recorder. However, if you still have issues, try one of the following:

• Use a different media player. If you are using Windows Media Player, you might try Quicktime, VLC, or Real Player.
• Since there is no setting to disable hardware acceleration in Windows Vista, you might be able to adjust settings in your media player. See below for more information.

Settings in individual players

Each media player has its own settings, and even within the same application, settings may change between versions. Check the owner’s manual or help files of your media player for terms like:

• Hardware acceleration
• Hardware decode acceleration
• Performance
• Video card compatibility
• Direct Draw