Windows Movie Maker: Learn About Video Capture Settings.

Capturing Video

Many people at home are going to be transferring their video from their camera directly to their computer. They do this through capturing, which is a process by where the video from the camera is recorded onto the computer.

For this, you need a capture card, a device that transfers the footage from the camera storage device to a computer one. As part of this capture process, you have to select video settings for how Windows Movie Maker reads and incorporates this footage.

Video Settings

If you want to begin altering the settings for video capture you go to File in the upper task bar and choose “Capture Video. You can also start by going to the Movie Tasks side bar and selecting “Capture from video device” from under the Capture Video heading. If you do not have a capture card on your computer, you will be informed of this and will not be able to continue with this process in Windows Movie Maker.

Once the Video Capture Device page is open, you can look to the Available Devices list to find your capture card. There will likely only be one item here that will actually be able to be of use, unless you have a variety of different capture cards as with a professional editing system. Find the one you want to use, select it, and choose Configure.

When looking at the Configure Video Capture Device window, go ahead and select Video Settings. Now, you will be able to make changes to the way the video is captured from the available options. There are a number of these, including things like the overall size of the video display. It is important to remember that the degree of choice you have are limited by your computer, your capture card and the software you have with your capture card.

Default

It is best to keep default settings until you see your normal process and volume for video capture. The default settings were applied because they were the best all-around option for most video editors, and any changes can cause unintended consequences that you will find objectionable. Since Windows Movie Maker attempts to simplify most of these processes, it is easy to go back and change your video capture settings.