FAQ Videos

How do I get my videos online?

I have had several requests and questions regarding how does one get a video from their camera to SpecMiataVideos.com.  This page will serve as a guide and illustration of how I do my video editing.  I know there are better ways, I know there are simpler ways but this is how I do it.

I’ll start off assuming you have a video camera and a tape with some fantastic race footage.  The first step in getting your video to SpecMiataVideos.com is to transfer the video from the tape to the computer.

How you do this will in part be determined by what type of camera you have and if that camera has a USB or Firewire output.  Most newer cameras have one or the other and come with the needed cables to connect to your computer.  As you will be connecting to your computer you must also have a USB or Firewire connection on your computer.  I personally always use USB.

If your camera doesn’t have USB or Firewire the good news is that you can still move the video to your computer, the bad news is that you might have to spend some cash to purchase the proper card for you computer.  Click here for additional instructions.

The other item you will need is software to capture (capture is the term used to describe the process of recording from your video tape to the computer’s hard drive) the video.  There are many great products available to do this.  If you are interested in doing serious video editing, I suggest you research and purchase the best product for your needs.  For my needs I have used almost exclusively Microsoft Movie Maker.  The absolute best part of this software is the cost.  It is free.  If you don’t have it just click here to be taken to the Microsoft page for download.  After you have the software installed;

1)      Connect your camera to your computer via USB or Firewire.  Turn the camera on in the “VCR” or “Player” mode.  Your computer should recognize the camera and load the drivers for it.  If not you will need to go the manufacturers website and download the most recent drivers for your operating system.

2)      Launch Windows Movie Maker.  This program is very simple and has a 1-2-3 menu that allows you to easily capture your video and process it for web publishing.

3)      In the left had column under “1. Capture Video” click on “Capture from video device.” This will bring up the Video Capture Wizard.

4)       In the Available devices box your camera should be shown.  Click the icon for your camera.

5)      Check the Audio device drop down box and make sure that your camera’s audio input is listed there.  For my Sony camera, the Audio device is “Sony Digital Imaging Audio.”  If you click play on your camera while on this screen you should see the Input level bar move up and down if the sound input is set correctly.  On this screen you will not hear the sound only see the bar move.  Click “Next”

6)      Choose and name for the captured video and a location.  Click “Next”

7)      On this screen you can choose the quality of the video saved to your computer.  I generally use the default of “Best quality for playback on my computer.”  If you plan to burn the video back to a DVD you might want to choose a different setting.  I will leave that to you.  The minimum bit rate I use for videos on SMVideos.com is 340 kbps at 320x420 pixels.  Once your choice is made click “Next”

8)      The next screen is the actual “Capture Video” screen.  Before you start your capture there are a couple of things to check.  First make sure the check box for “Create clips when wizard finishes” is NOT checked.  If you have the box checked you’ll be sorry, trust me.  Second, start the play back on the video to make sure you have a picture.  If you see your video in the box you should be good to go.

9)      Start you tape playback a few seconds before you want to start the capture.  When you see your starting point hit the “Start Capture” button.  When the video clip is finished click the “Stop Capture” button.

10)  Click Finish

11)  When the Capture Video Wizard closes, the video you captured should show up in the middle section of the Movie Maker screen.

12)  Drag and drop the clip into the timeline that runs across the bottom of the screen.  This adds the video to the final clip that will be compressed.

13)  If you’d like to add a title you can do that with the commands under “2. Edit Movie”

14)  After you are done with any editing you want to do it is time to “3. Finish Movie.”  Click “Save to my computer”

15)  Once again enter a file name and a place to save the file.  Click “Next”

16)  One this screen choose the radio button for Other Settings and choose Video for broadband (340 Kbps).  Click “Next”

17)  Windows Movie Maker will now encode your file and save it.

18)  All the hard work is done.  All you have to do now is upload the file to the web and I will add it to the site.

19)  Click this link ftp.specmiatavideos.com and upload your file.  Just double click on the "incoming" folder and you can drag and drop your video file into the browser.  The upload will begin automatically.

What do I do if I my camera doesn’t have USB or Firewire outputs?

As with video capture I am sure there are many answers.  I’ll just give you my solution.  I purchased an ATI TV Wonder card (http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=2407447) that allows me to capture video through composite (RCA) output from any device (camera, VCR, DVD, etc…)  If you search you can find them for under $50.

If you are using this card Windows Movie Maker will list the card as an “Available Device” in the Video Capture Wizard.  When following the instructions above, just select this input device instead of the Camera that would otherwise be connected with USB/Firewire.