1. hobbies and interests
2. home recording

Personal Capture
Windows Guide &
Macintosh Guide
Active Learning Platform
June 2015
Table of Contents
Personal Capture.......................................................................................................................... 1
Network considerations ........................................................................................................... 1
Personal Capture Specifications ................................................................................................ 2
System requirements for Personal Capture for Windows .................................................... 2
System requirements for Personal Capture for Mac ............................................................ 2
Capture inputs........................................................................................................................... 3
Capture options ........................................................................................................................ 3
Capture products ..................................................................................................................... 4
Personal Capture for Windows................................................................................................ 5
Recommended Devices for Classroom Capture and Personal Capture Windows ........... 6
Best practices for web cameras ............................................................................................. 6
Test Protocol for Web Cameras .............................................................................................. 6
Supported video devices (webcams) ................................................................................... 7
Supported video devices - other.......................................................................................... 14
Supported audio devices (external USB microphones) .................................................... 15
Supported document cameras............................................................................................ 19
Install Personal Capture for Windows ...................................................................................... 22
Download the Installer ........................................................................................................... 22
Install the Program .................................................................................................................. 22
Uninstall from Windows........................................................................................................... 23
Configure Personal Capture for Windows Defaults ............................................................... 24
Configure login........................................................................................................................ 24
Configure or view settings ..................................................................................................... 24
Configure Input and Output for Personal Capture for Windows ......................................... 26
Select inputs for recording..................................................................................................... 26
Select output quality for capture ......................................................................................... 27
Recording Captures with Personal Capture for Windows .................................................... 29
Before you begin .................................................................................................................... 29
Clean up the desktop ........................................................................................................ 29
Open the presentation file(s) ............................................................................................ 29
Enter a title and select publishing option ........................................................................ 29
Learn the keyboard shortcuts ........................................................................................... 30
Start recording......................................................................................................................... 30
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Table of Contents
Stop the recording .................................................................................................................. 31
Deleting a recording .............................................................................................................. 33
Review and Edit Recordings in Personal Capture for Windows ........................................... 34
Open a recording for editing ................................................................................................ 34
Review the recording ............................................................................................................. 35
Trim the recording ................................................................................................................... 36
Cut segments from the recording ........................................................................................ 36
Publish Recordings with Personal Capture for Windows ....................................................... 38
Notes about publishing .......................................................................................................... 38
Auto-Publish a Recording ...................................................................................................... 38
Manually Publishing a Recording ......................................................................................... 40
Personal Capture for Mac ..................................................................................................... 42
Recommended Devices for Personal Capture Mac ............................................................ 43
Best practices for web cameras ........................................................................................... 43
Test Protocol for Web Cameras ............................................................................................ 43
Supported Video Devices ..................................................................................................... 44
Install Personal Capture for Mac .............................................................................................. 47
Download the Installer ........................................................................................................... 47
Install the Program .................................................................................................................. 48
Uninstall from Mac OS X ......................................................................................................... 48
Configure Personal Capture for Mac Preferences ................................................................ 49
Set General Preferences ........................................................................................................ 49
Set Server Preferences ........................................................................................................... 50
Configure Recording Devices for Personal Capture for Mac .............................................. 52
What Does It Mean to "Configure Devices"? ...................................................................... 52
Configuring audio and video settings ................................................................................. 52
Addressing Audio Issues ......................................................................................................... 54
Using Multiple or HD Cameras............................................................................................... 55
Create a Recording in Personal Capture for Mac ................................................................ 58
Workflow................................................................................................................................... 58
Best Practice - Use the keyboard shortcuts......................................................................... 58
Prepare and preview the recording space ........................................................................ 59
Clean up the desktop ........................................................................................................ 59
Open the presentation file(s) ............................................................................................ 59
Preview the items being captured ................................................................................... 59
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Table of Contents
Start recording......................................................................................................................... 60
Pause and resume a recording ............................................................................................ 61
Stop recording......................................................................................................................... 62
Review and Edit a Recording in Personal Capture for Mac ................................................ 63
Review a recording ................................................................................................................ 63
Trim the ends of a recording ................................................................................................. 64
Cut one or more segments out of a recording .................................................................. 65
Reinstating cut segments....................................................................................................... 67
Permanently applying changes ........................................................................................... 68
Publish a Recording from Personal Capture for Mac............................................................ 69
iii
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Personal Capture
Echo360 Personal Capture is a stand-alone application that runs on either Windows or
Mac, and allows you to create recordings to supplement your in-class materials.
Our goal is to keep the application simple and clean. Creating recordings is as simple
as selecting the inputs and clicking Record. You can edit the recording if you want,
then publish the recording to a class. YOU select which recordings are published,
meaning you can create as many recordings as you want, select the best one for class,
and delete the rest.
Once published, the recording is available to students, or you can configure availability
on a schedule if you prefer.
Please refer to the following topics as appropriate for further information and
instructions:



Personal Capture Specifications
Personal Capture for Mac - Installation and user instructions for Mac users
o See Also: Recommended Devices for Personal Capture Mac
Personal Capture for Windows - Installation and user instructions for Windows
users
o See Also: Recommended Devices for CCAP and PCAP Windows
Network considerations
A network or internet connection is NOT necessary to use Personal Capture to record or
edit a capture. You will, however, need connectivity to upload and publish any
captures to the Active Learning Platform.
When you select to publish a recording, you are asked for your ALP login credentials.
Once provided, these tells Personal Capture who you are and what courses you can
select to receive the published capture. In addition, all uploaded personal captures
appear in your LIBRARY page, for future use or sharing with other classes or individuals.
1
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Personal Capture Specifications
Personal Capture (PCAP) is a downloadable, stand-alone application, for either
Windows or Mac, that allows you to create captures using your personal computer,
then publish them to one or more courses.
Please refer to the following topics as appropriate for further information and
instructions:


Personal Capture for Mac - Installation and user instructions for Mac users
o See Also: Recommended Devices for Personal Capture Mac
Personal Capture for Windows - Installation and user instructions for Windows
users
o See Also: Recommended Devices for CCAP and PCAP Windows
System requirements for Personal Capture for Windows
In addition to the below-listed system requirements, PCAP for Windows also requires
Windows .NET 3.5. If it is not present at installation, you will be prompted to install it.
PCAP for Windows is not supported on netbook computers.
The following are the minimum specifications for a Personal Capture for Windows PC:

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Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 operating system
Windows .NET 3.5 (required - you will be prompted to install it if necessary)
Intel Core i5 Processor for A/V or A/D
Intel i7 recommended for A/D/V or A/V/V
2 GB RAM
10/100 network interface
20 GB free hard drive space
Internal audio device or USB port for audio capture
NOTE: Capturing CPU or memory-intensive applications such as CAD or 3D modeling
software may require a more capable computer.
System requirements for Personal Capture for Mac
Personal Capture for Mac is supported on the Mac OS X 10.7 and above. However, if
you are planning to upgrade your Mac OS, refer to the below note before doing so.
The following are the minimum specifications for a Personal Capture for Mac device:


Mac OS X 10.8 or 10.9
QuickTime 7.5.5 or later (installed with OS X, but you may need to update to the
latest version)
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
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Intel Single Core1.8 GHz processor (or equivalent) for A/V or A/D
Intel Dual Core1.8 GHz processor (or equivalent) for A/D/V or A/V/V
2 GB RAM
10/100 network interface
20 GB free hard drive space
Internal audio device or USB port for audio capture (audio is required)
NOTE about Upgrading Mac OS: Personal Capture for Mac is supported on Mac OS X
10.9 and 10.10, however upgrading the Mac OS may cause corruption in an existing
PCAP installation. Captures will work fine but publishing the capture will get stuck in the
"Transcode Pending" state. If possible, upgrade the OS before installing PCAP Mac. If
that is not possible and you encounter this problem, save any un-published captures,
then uninstall and reinstall Personal Capture.
Capture inputs
Audio MUST be captured. You can use the built-in sound card input, a 1/8" line-in/mic-in
connection, or a USB-attached audio device (including a microphone on an attached
video camera, if there is one). Audio levels should be configured on the input to be as
high as possible without reaching maximum levels during peaks, which can cause
audible distortion during recording.
Display is captured from the local VGA screen buffer, and requires no external
connection or configuration.
Video can be captured using the built in web-camera on the computer, or via one or
more USB-attached video cameras.
NOTE: If possible, for externally-attached devices, install only the necessary drivers for
the device. Do not install the accompanying application software, as these programs
can sometimes interfere with PCAP.
Capture options
Personal Capture supports the following input combinations:
Audio (A)
 Audio/Video (A/V)
 Audio/Display (A/D)
 Audio/Display/Video (A/D/V)
 Audio/Video/Video (A/V/V)
BEST PRACTICE: A/D/V and A/V/V recordings can be processor-intensive. Do test
captures to be sure your computer and input devices can capture the quality
necessary. You may also want to review the published captures from the Classroom
side, to be sure the output quality also meets your standards.
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3
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Capture products
Classroom Capture can generate the following output:
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Classroom Player presentation, including audio, display, and/or video
Downloadable mp3 audio-only file
Downloadable SD mp4 file, including audio, display, and/or video
Downloadable HD mp4 file, including audio, display, and/or video
4
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Personal Capture for Windows
Personal Capture (PCAP) is a stand-alone application designed to be used by
Instructors on their personal computers to generate captures outside of the classroom
environment.
The PCAP for Windows program is closely aligned with the Classroom Capture program.
This means that Academic Staff who use the Classroom Capture interface on the
classroom PC will have a very similar experience using PCAP for Windows.
The topics in this section of the Online Help provide installation and user instructions for
Personal Capture for Windows, and include:


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Install Personal Capture for Windows
Configure Defaults in Personal Capture for Windows
Configure Input and Output for Personal Capture for Windows
Recording Captures with Personal Capture for Windows
Review and Edit Recordings in Personal Capture for Windows
Publish Recordings with Personal Capture for Windows
Refer also to:


Personal Capture Specifications - for minimum Windows system requirements
Recommended Devices for CCAP and PCAP Windows for a list of supported
microphones and cameras.
See the Personal Capture for Mac guide for instructions for Mac OS users.
If Your Capture Is Blank
PCAP for Windows uses the Windows Media Foundation (WMF) for video capturing.
Specifically the cameras should be YUY2 or RGB24 compliant (the camera packaging
should indicate this) and supported on a Windows 7 or Windows 8 platform. If your
capture is blank, first check to make sure the camera is attached (if external) and then
try an Audio/Video capture. Refer to Test Protocol for Web Cameras for basic
instructions. You may also try lowering the output quality of the capture, if you selected
High Quality/Large Files. This setting requires significant system resources to process.
5
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Recommended Devices for Classroom Capture and
Personal Capture Windows
Both Classroom Capture and Personal Capture for Windows use Windows Media
Foundation (WMF) for capturing media. It is supported on Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Windows Media Foundation is the latest toolkit from Microsoft and provides a solid
foundation for supporting the latest input devices.
For best results, the cameras should be YUY2, RGB24 and M-JPEG compliant (the
camera packaging should indicate this).
Personal Capture and Classroom Capture automatically detect attached USB devices.
If the camera has a built-in microphone, you can use the same device to capture both
audio and video.
Best practices for web cameras
The following are best practices for using webcams to capture media:
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Current drivers: Use the most current drivers for your web camera. You can find
these drivers on the website of your PC or laptop manufacturer. You can also
have the operating system of your computer search for current drivers.
OS Updates: Please have the most current updates applied to your operating
system.
Driver-only installation: If possible, use the "driver-only" installation of the camera
software. Most web camera vendors allow for this. In some cases, the software
included with the web camera can interfere with the Personal Capture or
Classroom Capture software, and the "driver-only" method is the supported
method.
Test a capture: Perform and review a test capture before using the camera
routinely.
Test Protocol for Web Cameras
To ensure successful recording, we encourage you to follow the below test protocol the
first time you use any web camera, especially if you are using a camera not specifically
listed as a recommended device. In many cases an unsupported web camera will
work.
Testing web cameras
1. Ensure there are no other software applications accessing the web camera
while Personal Capture is running.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
2. Do a 15 minute A/V recording with the camera.
3. Examine the media using the Personal Capture software editor.
4. Publish the capture and wait for processing.
5. Evaluate the processed capture. Does the output meet your standards?
Supported video devices (webcams)
Manufactur
er
Model
Qualificatio
n Status
Features/Descripti
on
Use Cases
Suitable for
use with
Personal
Capture on
presenter's
computer
Best for use
when
presenter
stays in a
static
location
Live! Cam Socialize
VF0640
Qualified
by Echo360
Creative
Monitor mount
800x600/30fps
camera (non-HD)
Noise canceling
microphone
Ideal as an
inexpensive
solution
where
video
quality is
not
important
Low
capturing
resolution
ensure
better
compatibilit
y with
underpowered
systems.
HP
HD-3110
Qualified
by Echo360
Monitor mount
720p/30fps
camera with 5x
Suitable for
both
Classroom
7
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
digital zoom
Pan and tilt
functionality
Directional
microphone
Face tracking and
auto-focus
Adaptive lighting
and white
balance
adjustments
Capture
and
Personal
Capture
recording
application
s
Best for
capturing
presenter
as he/she
moves
around the
room
Ideal for
rooms with
poor
lighting
conditions
Monitor mount
1080p/30fps
camera with 5x
digital zoom
HD-4110
Pan and tilt
functionality
Qualified
by Echo360
HP
Directional
microphone
Face tracking and
auto-focus
Adaptive lighting
and white
balance
adjustments
Logitech
C270
Qualified
by Echo360
Monitor mount,
fixed focus
720p/30fps
Suitable for
both
Classroom
Capture
and
Personal
Capture
recording
application
s
Best for
capturing
presenter
as he/she
moves
around the
room
Ideal for
rooms with
poor
lighting
conditions
Suitable for
use with
Personal
Capture on
8
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
camera
Noise reducing
microphone
Automatic light
correction
presenter's
computer
Best for use
when
presenter
stays in a
static
location
Ideal for
rooms with
poor
lighting
conditions
Monitor mount,
fixed focus
720p/30fps
camera
C310
Qualified
by Echo360
Logitech
Pan, tilt, and zoom
controls
Face tracking
Motion detection
Built-in mic with
Logitech
RightSound™
technology
Monitor mount
720p/30fps
camera with
autofocus
C525
Logitech
Qualified
by Echo360
Pan, tilt, and zoom
controls
Face tracking
Motion detection
Built-in mic with
Logitech
RightSound™
technology
Suitable for
use with
Personal
Capture on
presenter's
computer
Best for use
when
presenter
stays in a
static
location
Ideal for
locations
with
increased
backgroun
d noise
Suitable for
both
Classroom
Capture
and
Personal
Capture
recording
application
s
Best for
capturing
presenter
9
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
as he/she
moves
around the
room
Ideal for
locations
with
increased
backgroun
d noise
Suitable for
both
Classroom
Capture
and
Personal
Capture
recording
application
s
Monitor mount
1080p/30fps
camera with
autofocus
C615
Logitech
Qualified
by Echo360
Pan, tilt, and zoom
controls
Face tracking
Motion detection
Noise reducing
microphone
Automatic lowlight correction
Best for
capturing
presenter
as he/she
moves
around the
room
Ideal for
locations
with
increased
backgroun
d noise
Ideal for
rooms with
poor
lighting
conditions
High
capturing
resolution
ensures
best video
quality
10
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Suitable for
use with
Personal
Capture on
presenter's
computer
Portable/noteboo
k 720p/30fps
camera with
autofocus
C905
Qualified
by Echo360
Logitech
Built-in mic with
Logitech
RightSound™
technology
Can be mounted
via desktop stand
Automatic lowlight correction
Best for
capturing
presenter
as he/she
moves
around the
room
Ideal for
rooms with
poor
lighting
conditions
Ideal for
locations
with
increased
backgroun
d noise
Versatile
mounting
system
provides
additional
placement
options
Monitor mount
1080p/30fps
camera with
autofocus
C910
Logitech
Qualified
by Echo360
Built-in stereo mics
with Logitech
RightSound™
technology
Automatic lowlight correction
Logitech RightLight
2 technology
Suitable for
both
Classroom
and
Personal
Capture
recording
application
s
Best for
capturing
presenter
as he/she
moves
11
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
around the
room
Ideal for
high-quality
audio
recording
Ideal for
rooms with
poor
lighting
conditions
High
capturing
resolution
ensures
best video
quality
Tripod-mountable
1080p/30fps
camera with
autofocus
C920
Logitech
H.264 video
compression
Qualified
by Echo360
Carl Zeiss® lens
with 20-step
autofocus
Built-in dual stereo
mics with
automatic noise
reduction
Automatic lowlight correction
Suitable for
both
Classroom
Capture
and
Personal
Capture
recording
application
s
Best for
capturing
presenter
as he/she
moves
around the
room
Ideal for
high-quality
audio
recording in
noisy
conditions
Ideal for
rooms with
poor
lighting
12
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
conditions
High
capturing
resolution
ensures
best video
quality
Versatile
mounting
system
provides
additional
placement
options
Multi-mount
720p/30fps
camera with
autofocus
Lifecam Cinema
Qualified
by Echo360
Microsoft
TrueColor
Technology with
face tracking
Wide angle lens
360-degree
rotation
Wideband
microphone
Suitable for
both
Classroom
and
Personal
Capture
recording
application
s
Best for
capturing
presenter
as he/she
moves
around the
room
Versatile
mounting
system
provides
additional
placement
options
Ideal for
picking up
audio
during
recording in
large room
Microsoft
Lifecam HD-3000
Qualified
Multi-mount, fixed
Suitable for
13
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
by Echo360
focus 720p/30fps
camera
TrueColor
Technology
Noise reducing
microphone
use with
Personal
Capture on
presenter's
computer
Best for use
when
presenter
stays in a
static
location
Ideal for
locations
with
increased
backgroun
d noise
HP
HP Integrated
Cameras
Qualified
by Echo360
Specifications and
features vary
Leveraging
built-in
functionalit
y of existing
hardware
Features/Descripti
on
Use Cases
Supported video devices - other
Manufactur
er
Model
Qualificatio
n Status
DVI2USB 3.0
Epiphan
Not
Qualified
by
Echo360;
Customers
have
reported
success
1080p/60fps high
performance
video frame
grabber
Captures DVI/VGA
and HDMI video
display or camera
sources
Captures video
and audio from
HDMI sources
Supports USB 3.0 or
USB 2.0 data uplink
Supports true 24-bit
NOTE: You
must use
the
v3.30.1.000
4 64-bit
driver to
ensure
proper
functionalit
y; available
from
Epiphan.
Suitable for
both
Classroom
14
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
color
Provides consistent
frame rate
performance
regardless of
content
and
Personal
Capture
(Windows
only)
recording
application
s
Provides
flexibility to
record any
VGA, HDMI,
or DVI
source
High
capturing
resolution
ensures
best video
quality
Supported audio devices (external USB microphones)
Manufact
urer
Model
Qualificat
ion Status
Features/Descri
ption
Picks up ranges
at up to 30 feet
Voice Tracker (USB Array
Microphone)
Acoustic
Magic
*Sample Recording with
Echo360
Not
Qualified
by
Echo360;
Customer
s have
reported
success
Automatic and
electronic
scanning
“listening
beam” with a
field of view of
360°
Spatial filtering
for noise
reduction
Constructive
addition of
multiple
microphone
elements for
Use Cases
Suitable for
capturing
the
presenter's
audio as
he/she
moves
around the
room, as
well as
picking up
questions
from the
class
Best for use
in a
medium-tolarge sized
15
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
long-range
classrooms
Rapidly
converging
AEC algorithm
(Voice Tracker II
only)
Ideal for
locations
with
increased
backgroun
d noise
Embedded
algorithms for
ease of use
UB1
Not
Qualified
by
Echo360;
Samson
Customer
s have
reported
success
16-Bit, 44.148kHz sample
rates
Miniature, lowprofile design
Omnidirectional
pickup pattern
Suitable for
capturing
the
presenter's
audio as
he/she
moves
remains
near the
podium, or
for
meetings
and
conference
s
Best for use
in a
mediumsized rooms
Jabra Speak 410
Jabra
Qualified
by
Echo360
Omnidirectional /
Noise filter
microphone
Standard (ESTD)
microphone
sensitivity
Mute function
Suitable for
capturing
the
presenter's
audio as
he/she
moves
remains
near the
podium, or
for
meetings
and
conference
s
Best for use
in a
16
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
mediumsized rooms
Multipattern
condenser USB
microphone
Three custom
condenser
capsules and
four different
polar pattern
settings:
Cardioid,
Stereo,
Bidirectional
and
Omnidirectiona
l
Yeti Pro USB & XLR
Microphone
Qualified
by
Echo360
Blue
A/D converter
chip and
separate
analog circuit
path for use
with
professional
studio mixers
and preamps
Built-in
headphone
amplifier for
zero-latency
monitoring, and
direct controls
for headphone
volume, pattern
selection, mute,
and
microphone
gain
Suitable for
capturing
the
presenter's
audio as
he/she
moves
remains at
the podium
Best for use
when
presenter
stays in a
static
location
Ideal
situations
where high
audio
sampling
rate is
required
15 Hz-22 kHz
frequency
response and
92 kHz/24 bit
Sample/Word
Blue
Snowball USB Condenser
Qualified
by
Dual capsule
design
Suitable for
capturing
17
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Microphone
Echo360
incorporates
omnidirectional
and cardioid
elements to
give you a
choice
-10dB pad
switch
eliminates noise
and distortion
when capturing
signals at
extreme
volume levels
the
presenter's
audio as
he/she
moves
remains
near the
podium
18 Hz-40 Hz
frequency
response and
44.1 kHz/16 bit
Sample/Word
xTag Wireless Microphone
RevoLabs
Not
Qualified
by
Echo360;
Customer
s have
reported
success
Can be
configured for
use with lapel
mic
Plug-and-play
USB operation
65 foot range
for microphone
Bi-directional
audio
8 hours of
battery life
Logitech
USB Desktop Microphone
Not
Qualified
by
Echo360;
Noisecanceling
microphone
Suitable for
capturing
the
presenter's
audio as
he/she
moves
around the
room, as
well as
picking up
questions
from the
class using
the
microphon
e
Best for use
in large
classrooms
or
auditoriums
Ideal for
capturing
presenter's
audio in a
18
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Customer
s have
reported
success
Power switch
16 Hz-100 Hz
frequency
response
small
desktop
environme
nt using
Personal
Capture
Not
recommen
ded for
classroom
use
U7 USB Boundary
Condenser Microphone
Not
Qualified
by
Echo360;
CAD
Customer
s have
reported
success
Frequency
response
tailored for
speech
Omnidirectiona
l pick-up
pattern for 360
degree
coverage
Condenser
microphone
element for
high sensitivity
Ideal for
meetings or
conference
s in smallto-medium
sized rooms
Supported document cameras
Manufactur
er
Model
Qualificatio
n Status
SDP-760
Samsung
Qualified
by Echo360
Features/Descripti
on
Compact
1080p/30fps
document
camera
3 Megapixel
CMOS sensor
Digital 16x zoom &
Digital Image
Rotation
Use Cases
Best for
scenarios
that require
easy
transport and
storage
High
capturing
resolution
ensures best
19
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
SDP-860
Qualified
by Echo360
Samsung
User scalable
display outputs
from XGA to 1080p
video quality
SXGA
(1280x1024)/30fps
document
camera
Best for
capturing
greater
detail when
pages are
magnified
2D/3D Noise
Reduction
Technology
48X Combined
Zoom (6X Optical
+ 8X Digital)
SXGA
(1280x1024)/30fps
document
camera
SDP-960
48X Combined
Zoom (6X Optical
+ 8X Digital)
Qualified
by Echo360
Samsung
Built-in reference
monitor
Proprietary
Chipset with Noise
Reduction
Accepts SD Cards
and USB Thumb
drives for
image/video
storage
VZ-3
Wolfvizion
Not
Qualified
by
Echo360;
Customers
have
reported
success
1280x960
(4:3)/30fps
document
camera
12x Optical Zoom
+ 2x Digital Zoom
High-speed
autofocus with
manual focus
Ideal for
classrooms
with poor
lighting
conditions
Best for
capturing
greater
detail when
pages are
magnified
Ideal for
classrooms
with poor
lighting
conditions
Best for
capturing
high motion
activities
such as
writing
Ideal for use
with
transparenci
es
20
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
21
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Install Personal Capture for Windows
If you have not already done so, please see Personal Capture Specifications to be sure
the computer you are using meets the minimum system requirement for Personal
Capture for Windows.
Do I Need to Remove Personal Capture If It's Already Installed?
If you are installing a new version, re-installing Personal Capture (PCAP) to resolve some
issue, or are migrating from an ESS version of PCAP to an ALP version, you must remove
the old version first. The installer checks for any existing versions and may prompt you to
remove the old version before installing, or may simply not allow installation until the old
version is uninstalled. Be sure to back up your recordings to another location BEFORE
removing the program. All recordings and logs are deleted when the program is
removed.
Download the Installer
Be sure you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8 before installing.
1. Log into the Active Learning Platform.
2. Click the Settings menu to open it and select Downloads, as shown in the below
figure.
3. Click the Windows Download link from the Personal Capture section of the
Downloads page, shown below. The installer must be run locally, so save the file
to your computer.
Install the Program
The Personal Capture Windows Download link downloads an .exe file for installing
PCAP. Use the steps below to install Personal Capture from the .exe file.
If an appropriate version of the .NET framework is not detected, the installer will attempt
to download and install it for you. If it cannot be installed, installation will stop. If .NET
must be installed or upgraded, you may be prompted to restart the computer after
installation.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
To install Personal Capture on Windows
1. Locate the downloaded Echo360PersonalCaptureInstaller.exe file. It should be
located in the Downloads folder.
2. On the warning message that appears, click Open.
3. Once the installer is launched, follow the prompts to complete installation.
Use Local Directories for Installation and Capture Storage Directories!
The Personal Capture installation and data directories must be on the local drive;
they cannot be located on a network, remote (mapped), or USB thumb drive.
Use the defaults provided during installation or select another local directory if
desired.
After Personal Capture is installed, launch it. Run a test capture to ensure it works as
expected. If it does, you may delete the downloaded installer file.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstalling Personal Capture is easy, however, make sure that you have backed up
your recordings to separate storage before uninstalling, or that they have been
uploaded to ALP.
All captures and logs are deleted when the program is removed.
To remove Personal Capture
1. Open the Start menu and select All Programs.
2. Click the Echo360 folder.
3. Select Uninstall Echo360 Personal Capture from the options.
4. Follow the prompts, clicking OK to remove the program.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Configure Personal Capture for Windows Defaults
In general, Personal Capture will self-configure on installation. It defines the local
storage locations for your recordings during installation, and identifies the Active
Learning Platform location for uploading and publishing recordings. You can also
configure the login to use for publishing recordings, so you don't have to re-enter it
every time.
Configure these items for Personal Capture the first time, and as long as the information
doesn't change, the settings are used every time for publishing captures.
Configure login
Click the Login link at the top of the Personal Capture window, shown in the below
figure. The credentials you enter are used to identify your content library as well as the
course sections to which you are associated.
Use the dialog box that appears to enter your ALP Login credentials.
Enable the Save Password checkbox to retain this information and use it for all captures
published from this installation. Or leave the box unchecked and enter your credentials
every time you publish a capture.
Once you are logged in, the "Login" label at the top of the window changes to show
your username.
Configure or view settings
Click the Settings button at the top of the Personal Capture window, identified in the
below figure (it looks like a gear).
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
The Settings page, shown below, contains the following information:


Server URL: Identifies the ALP server and location for uploading content from this
installation of PCAP.
Port: If your system administrator asks that you specify a particular port for PCAP
communication, enter that number into the Port text box. By default, PCAP uses
port 443 for capture uploads.
If you are having problems with publishing or make changes in this tab, click Test
Connection.


After a few moments, you should see a message in the tab indicating the
settings are correct. If you receive a different message, contact your system
administrator.
Server Proxy: The communication proxy for PCAP is automatically configured.
Edit this section only if your system administrator provides you with specific
direction for configuring Manual proxy or to turn HTTP proxy off.
Storage Location: Identifies the local directory where recordings are saved. Click
Browse to change this location if necessary.
Use Local Directory for Capture Storage Location
The Personal Capture storage location must be on the local drive; it cannot be
located on a network, remote (mapped), or USB thumb drive.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Configure Input and Output for Personal Capture for
Windows
Personal Capture allows you to select the inputs you want to capture for each
recording, and the output quality for the capture. The below figure identifies the
locations of the drop-down lists for selecting recording inputs and capture quality
output.
The input and output selections you make are retained, even after you close the
program. This means you can configure these settings once and use the same ones
each time you create a recording, without the need to re-select them.
Select inputs for recording
Personal Capture allows you to record up to three inputs, as follows:





Audio only - capturing only audio input. This will generate an MP3 file for students
to listen to.
Audio and Video (A/V) - capturing sound and video input from the built in or
USB-connected video camera.
Audio and Display (A/D) - capturing sound and whatever is shown on the
computer screen.
Audio, Display, and Video (A/D/V) - capturing sound, the display on the
computer screen, and video input.
Audio and Dual Video (A/V/V) - capturing sound and the input from two
different video sources.
Use the three drop-down lists on the left side of the preview screen, identified in the
above picture, to select the inputs you want to use. Choose None Selected if
applicable to that input.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Note the following about Audio input:



You cannot choose None Selected for audio input; audio is always captured.
You can use the internal microphone, an externally-attached microphone, or a
microphone on an externally-attached camera if there is one.
You MUST have at least one audio input. Personal Capture will not record without
audio.
After you select the appropriate inputs, check the preview of those inputs shown on the
screen. Each are identified in the following figure and described below.

Microphone Input is level shown in the light-bar above the preview panes. If you
do NOT see this bar changing as sounds are made, check your microphone
connection and functionality. If the sound bar on the screen is not registering
sounds, your capture may not have audio.

Display or Second Video Input is shown in the left panel of the preview panes.
Capturing Primary Display, captures whatever appears on the computer screen
(or selected display device). If you are using two video inputs, this will show
whatever the selected camera is currently aimed to view.

Primary Video Input is shown in the right panel of the preview panes. If you are
not capturing video, this option will show None Selected, and the right preview
pane will be blank.
Select output quality for capture
The output selection drop-down list is located on the right side of the preview screen
above the Primary Video preview pane. It is circled in the figure at the top of this page.
This selection allows you to determine the resolution of the video and display output of
the capture, which in turn determines the size of the capture files.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
The selections available are as follows:

Good Quality/Smaller Files - This creates a capture with low resolution video and
display. The lower resolution keeps the final file size to a minimum. This is a good
choice if file storage size is a concern, or if you or your students have bandwidth
issues that may cause larger file uploads or capture playback to fail.

Better Quality/Medium Files - This is the default setting. It generates a capture
with medium resolution video and display. This setting creates medium sized files
for the recording. This setting is the default and is probably sufficient for most
recording needs

Best Quality/Larger Files - This setting creates high-definition resolution for video
and display. Consequently this setting also creates very large files for these
captures. Use this setting if you have visual details in the display or video of the
capture that requires students to see the recording in very high resolution.
Otherwise this setting should be used sparingly, due to the time required to
upload and process the completed capture. In addition, this setting uses
significant computer resources; if your computer cannot process a high quality
capture properly, your capture may be blank. If you DO need to use the High
Quality setting, run a test capture first, to be sure it will work.
28
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Recording Captures with Personal Capture for
Windows
Before recording a capture withe Personal Capture (PCAP) for Windows, be sure you
have installed Personal Capture for Windows, and properly installed the devices you
want to use for capture, if necessary.
Before you begin
Before beginning a recording, you have the opportunity to preview the inputs being
captured. You may also want to take this opportunity to clear the computer desktop of
unneeded programs, and open any presentations or materials you plan to show.
Clean up the desktop
We recommend that you close (or at least minimize) all applications and windows
except for Personal Capture and any applications you will use during the recording. The
recording will be less cluttered and more professional looking.
Open the presentation file(s)
If your capture will include computer Display input, open any files or other items you
plan to show on the computer during capture. This helps reduce any "fumbling" or
unnecessary computer actions, all of which are captured in the recording, and help
ensure a smooth presentation of materials.
After opening the presentation(s) or other files, minimize any you won't be showing at
the beginning, and note their location in the taskbar. This provides a clean space to
capture, and for smoother transitions from one item to the next.
Enter a title and select publishing option
If you haven't yet, launch Personal Capture by double-clicking the desktop icon, or by
selecting Launch Echo360 Personal Capture from the Windows Start menu.
Enter a Title for the recording in the title bar. This is optional; you can add a title later if
you prefer.
Check or uncheck the Auto-publish checkbox. If checked, the following occurs:

When you click Record, you will be required to select a course section to publish
the capture to.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)

The recording will be automatically published to the selected section as soon as
the recording is stopped. You will not be given the opportunity to edit the
recording in PCAP.
See Publish Recordings with Personal Capture for Windows for additional information.
Learn the keyboard shortcuts
For more streamlined and professional looking results, we recommend learning and
using the keyboard shortcuts to pause, resume, and stop the capture.
Action
Keyboard Shortcuts
Pause & Resume
(toggle)
Alt +F5
Stop the recording
Alt+F6
Practice! Practice! Practice! We recommend you spend some time creating test
captures, just so you get used to working with PCAP. Go ahead! Make a holiday
greetings video for some relatives, or the product advertisement you always thought
they should make. Edit your captures, so you understand the PCAP editor's capabilities
and limitations. All recordings are saved locally (until you publish them), so no one even
has to know you did it. And you can delete any capture at any time.
Start recording
If you have performed some/all of the above Before you begin recommended
activities, you can skip the first steps in the below procedure.
To start a Personal Capture recording:
1. Launch Personal Capture.
2. Enter a Title for the recording into the title bar at the top of the page.
3. Check or set the capture inputs. Use the Preview window to make sure they are
capturing what you need to include in the recording.
4. Check or set the capture output quality.
5. Set up the presentation or visual experiment or other items you are planning to
capture, and check the Preview panes for verification.
6. Check or clear auto-publish as appropriate.
30
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
7. Click Record. The locations for performing each of these steps is identified in the
below figure.
8. If Auto-publish is checked, you will be asked to log in if you have not already
entered login information. Then the following dialog box appears asking you to
enter (or confirm) a Title and select an Upload location for the published
recording, either a course or your personal library.
9. Click Record (if you needed to enter publishing information). The following
occurs:



A five second countdown appears in the window, shown in the below
figure.
Once the countdown finishes, recording begins and the preview window
minimizes to the taskbar.
The Record button changes to show Stop and Pause.
You can use the Stop and Pause buttons in the interface to manipulate the recording,
or you can use the keyboard shortcuts.
Stop the recording
When you are done recording, maximize the PCAP window and click Stop, or press
Alt+F6.
If Auto-publish was checked, the capture is automatically uploaded, processed, and
published to the selected course when you stop recording.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Regardless of whether it is auto published or not, the recording appears in the list of
recordings at the bottom of the Personal Capture window.
From there you can publish, review and edit, or delete the recording. The figure below
shows the Publish, Edit and Delete icons that appear when you hover your mouse over
a recording in the list.
32
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Deleting a recording
If you no longer need to keep a recording, you can delete it. Deletion is permanent
and cannot be undone.
Deleting a recording in Personal Capture only deletes the recording locally. It does not
delete any published captures from ALP. Whether or not the recording was published
(and to where) is shown with the recording in the Recordings list.
To delete a recording

Hover the mouse over the recording you want to delete and click the Delete
icon (the X), shown in the above figure.
You will be asked to confirm the deletion.
33
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Review and Edit Recordings in Personal Capture for
Windows
Personal Capture (PCAP) allows you to review any recording you've made, and
contains some basic editing functions that allow you to trim or cut out portions of the
recording as needed.
NOTE: Captures that are Auto-Published cannot be edited in Personal Capture first; they
are automatically published to course as soon as recording ends. You can, however,
can edit the locally saved version of the recording, and manually re-publish the
capture, replacing the original, if appropriate.
Open a recording for editing
Review and edit of a PCAP recording are both performed in the Editing window.
To open the editing window,

Hover your mouse over the recording and click the Edit button, as shown in the
below figure.
Long Recordings Take Time to Load for Editing
If you are editing a very long recording (multiple hours) it may take up to several
minutes for the capture to fully load in the Editing Window. You will see the capture in
the window, along with the editing tools, and you can make temporary cuts or trim the
recording as needed. However you may notice that the Apply edits button reads
Loading... instead. This will continue until the entire capture is loaded for editing.
34
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
The Edit Window appears, as shown in the below figure. Identified in the graphic are the
main editing features, including Save Title, the Playback controls, the Playhead
(showing where you are in the playback of the recording), and the right-trim slider
(there's one on the left too). These are discussed in more detail later on this page.
Review the recording
Use the playback controls to play the recording. If you have made cuts in the
recording, the playback will skip the cut areas, so you can see how the edits affect the
final product.
The figure below shows the playback controls, and has the current location of the
playhead identified, both as the timed location, and within the playback bar itself.
It can be useful to note the timed location of the playhead when the recording gets to
a point you need to edit, either as a cut, or to trim the beginning or end of the
recording. Jotting down the timed location can help you move the trim sliders or cut
marks more quickly and accurately, to make edits.
35
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
When the playhead gets to a cut location (identified as the lighter area in the playback
bar), the playhead will skip over the cut in the bar, and the timed location will change
in conjunction with the skip.
Trim the recording
Also referred to as "top and tail", the editing window allows you to cut off the beginning
and ending of the recording as needed. The figure below shows the trim sliders circled
(located on either end of the timeline).

Click and drag the trim sliders to move them.
For example, you may begin recording then have to start over again. With the Trim
capability, you don't have to stop and create a new recording. You can simply begin
again while the current session is running, and then trim the "false start" from the
beginning of the capture when finished.
This also allows you to remove any last keystrokes or other movements used to end the
recording, such as opening the Personal Capture window and clicking Stop to end the
session. This too can be trimmed from the final capture.
Notice that as you drag the sliders toward the center of the playback bar, the start time
and end time change in conjunction with the new start or end points of the recording.

When finished, click Apply edits to permanently apply these changes to the
recording. This cannot be undone!
Cut segments from the recording
When you first open the Edit window, you see a larger triangle positioned at the
beginning of the recording. If you click the triangle and slide it, you will notice that it is
made up of two smaller triangles. These are cut markers and are used to identify the
beginning and end points of a section to cut from the recording.
NOTE: Any cuts you make are temporary until you select to Apply edits. This is discussed
in more detail below.
To temporarily cut a segment from the recording:
1. Click and drag the two smaller triangles to the appropriate beginning and end
points of a segment.
2. Click Make cut, located at the bottom right of the window.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
The below figure shows the two parts of this process.
Once the cut is made, the segment turns darker than the original playback bar.
Clicking Make cut frees up the cut markers to make another cut in the recording. The
figure below shows a playback bar with multiple temporary cuts made.
As long as the cuts remain temporary, you can remove the cut and return that section
of the recording to its original state.
To remove a temporary cut:

Double-click the cut segment in the playback bar.
When a cut is removed, the segment returns to the same color as the rest of the
playback bar.
To clear all temporary cuts:

Click Clear Cuts, located on the bottom left side of the window.
Use the playback controls to review your edited recording. The playback head will skip
over any cuts you have made so you can see how the recording will look when it is
published.
To permanently apply changes:

Click Apply edits, located in the bottom right corner of the window, as identified
in the above figure.
Clicking Apply edits makes your changes permanent. This cannot be undone! You will
receive a warning message to be sure you want to apply your changes to the
recording.
In the list of your recordings at the bottom of the Preview Window, those that have
been edited are marked as Edited. This allows you to quickly determine which
recordings may still require edits before publishing.
37
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Publish Recordings with Personal Capture for Windows
Publishing a Personal Capture recording uploads the file to the Active Learning Platform
for processing. Once processed, the recording is posted in the Class list for the section
you identify or to your Library. If you select to make the capture available on publish,
students can view it as soon as processing and publishing is complete.
There are two publishing modes for Personal Capture:


Auto-Publish
Manual Publish
Notes about publishing
You should also understand the following about the publishing process as a whole,
which applies to both Auto and Manual publishing:

While the actual file upload process happens in the background, you MUST wait
until the "Finalization" and "Prepare to Publish" processes have finished, BEFORE
closing the application. These statuses are noted on the screen and you will
receive a notice if you attempt to close the application before they are
complete.
 The Prepare to Publish process should take less than a minute.


The Finalization process may take several seconds, or several minutes,
depending on the length of the recording. Plan to allot for this time for
longer recordings.
The Publishing process occurs in the background but does require an active
network connection. If this process is interrupted (network outage, turning off the
computer or putting it to sleep), publishing will resume once the connection is reestablished.
Once the recording is uploaded, it must be processed before it is published to the
section. This may take from several minutes to several hours, depending on the current
load of the ALP server. Wait an appropriate period of time, then check your Library
page or the Class List page for the section to find the newly published capture.
Auto-Publish a Recording
The Preview Window of Personal Capture provides an Auto-publish option, shown in the
below figure.
Auto-publish allows you to complete the recording, after which the capture is
immediately uploaded and published to the section you selected before the recording
began.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
If you plan to use Auto-publish, keep in mind:


You cannot review or edit the recording before it is auto-published to the
selected course section.
The recording is still saved locally, so you can edit the capture and re-publish it
later, replacing the original capture, if appropriate.
To auto-publish a recording:
1. Before you record, check the Auto-publish checkbox, shown in the figure
above.
2. Click Record.
3. If you are not logged in, you will receive a Login dialog box. Enter your login
credentials and click Login.
4. In the publishing information dialog box, enter or edit the Title of the capture
5. Select an Upload To location for the capture from the drop-down list. Your
options include one of your courses or your personal ALP Library page.
Note that all recordings you publish to a course automatically appear in your
Library.
6. When finished, click Record.
7. When you are finished recording, click Stop. The recording is immediately
uploaded to the server, processed, then placed in your Library or published
immediately to the selected course.
39
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Manually Publishing a Recording
If the Auto-publish checkbox is NOT checked, you will need to manually publish your
captures to your courses. You can also manually published edited versions of your
captures to replace those that may have been auto-published originally.
To manually publish a recording
1. Hover the mouse over the recording you want to publish and click the Publish
icon, as shown in the below figure.
2. If you are not logged in, the Login window appears, asking for your Username
and Password.
3. Once logged in, the Recordings list changes to display the Publishing Details
fields shown in the below figure.
4. Enter or edit the capture Title
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
5. Select the Upload To location to publish the recording to. You can select one of
your courses or your personal ALP Library page.
Note that all recordings you publish to a course also appear in your Library page.
6. When finished, click Upload. You will see a status bar, indicating the status of the
file upload.
41
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Personal Capture for Mac
Personal Capture (PCAP) is a stand-alone application designed to be used by
Instructors on their personal computers to generate captures outside of the classroom
environment.
The topics in this section of the Online Help provide installation and user instructions for
Personal Capture for Mac, and include:






Install Personal Capture for Mac
Configure Personal Capture for Mac
Configure Recording Devices for Personal Capture for Mac
Create a Recording in Personal Capture for Mac
Review and Edit a Recording in Personal Capture for Mac
Publish a Recording from Personal Capture for Mac
Refer also to:


Personal Capture Specifications - for minimum Mac system requirements
Recommended Devices for Personal Capture Mac for a list of supported
microphones and cameras.
See Personal Capture For Windows for instructions for Windows users.
Known Issues for Display capture on some Retina Macbook Pro/Macbook Air models:
On the Macbook Air 11" Retina Display model, the native resolution is 1366x768.
Personal capture does not support this resolution/ratio. Workaround: Open System
Preferences and change the screen resolution to something smaller (i.e., 1280x720).
On the Macbook Pro 15" Retina Display model, the native resolution is 2880x1880.
Personal Capture does not support this resolution/ratio. Furthermore the Macbook Pro
does not provide the ability to change screen resolution settings.
Workaround 1 (for Macbook Pro 15" Retina Display model): Use an External Monitor via
the Macbook Pro Thunderbolt port.
Workaround 2 (for Macbook Pro 15" Retina Display model): Install a third-party
application that allows you to select a different screen resolution. Echo360 has been
successful testing with QuickRes, available at http://www.quickresapp.com. QuickRes is
priced at $2.99 at the time of this update.
Install and run QuickRes first, setting the screen resolution below 2880 x 1880, then
launch Personal Capture. If Display capture still shows issues or distortion, try a different
resolution.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Recommended Devices for Personal Capture Mac
Personal Capture for Mac uses QT Kit for capturing media. It is supported on OS X 10.8
and above. Personal Capture for Mac automatically detects attached USB devices. If
the camera has a built-in microphone, you can use one camera for both audio and
video capture.
Best practices for web cameras
The following are best practices for using webcams to capture media:




Current drivers: Use the most current drivers for your web camera. You can find
these drivers on the website of your PC or laptop manufacturer. You can also
have the operating system of your computer search for current drivers.
OS Updates: Please have the most current updates applied to your operating
system.
Driver-only installation: If possible, use the "driver-only" installation of the camera
software. Most web camera vendors allow for this. In some cases, the software
included with the web camera can interfere with the Personal Capture or
Classroom Capture software, and the "driver-only" method is the supported
method.
Test a capture: Perform and review a test capture before using the camera
routinely.
Test Protocol for Web Cameras
To ensure successful recording, we encourage you to follow the below test protocol the
first time you use any web camera, especially if you are using a camera not specifically
listed as a recommended device. In many cases an unsupported web camera will
work.
Testing web cameras
1. Ensure there are no other software applications accessing the web camera
while Personal Capture is running.
2. Do a 15 minute A/V recording with the camera.
3. Examine the media using the Personal Capture software editor.
4. Publish the capture and wait for processing.
5. Evaluate the processed capture. Does the output meet your standards?
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Supported Video Devices
Manufactur
er
Model
Qualificatio
n Status
iSight Camera
(Macbooks and
iMacs)
Specifications and
features vary
Qualified
by Echo360
Apple
Features/Descripti
on
Either external or
built-in solution
Requires no
additional drivers
Monitor mount
1080p/30fps
camera with
autofocus
C910
Logitech
Qualified
by Echo360
Built-in stereo mics
with Logitech
RightSound™
technology
Automatic lowlight correction
Logitech
RightLight 2
technology
Use Cases
Leveraging
built-in
functionalit
y of
existing
hardware
Suitable for
both
Classroom
and
Personal
Capture
recording
applicatio
ns
Best for
capturing
presenter
as he/she
moves
around the
room
Ideal for
highquality
audio
recording
Ideal for
rooms with
poor
lighting
conditions
High
capturing
44
Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
resolution
ensures
best video
quality
Suitable for
both
Classroom
Capture
and
Personal
Capture
recording
applicatio
ns
Tripod-mountable
1080p/30fps
camera with
autofocus
C920
Logitech
H.264 video
compression
Qualified
by Echo360
Carl Zeiss® lens
with 20-step
autofocus
Built-in dual stereo
mics with
automatic noise
reduction
Automatic lowlight correction
Best for
capturing
presenter
as he/she
moves
around the
room
Ideal for
highquality
audio
recording
in noisy
conditions
Ideal for
rooms with
poor
lighting
conditions
High
capturing
resolution
ensures
best video
quality
Versatile
mounting
system
provides
additional
placement
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
options
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Install Personal Capture for Mac
If you have not already done so, please see Personal Capture Specifications to be sure
the computer you are using meets the minimum system requirement for Personal
Capture for Mac.
Do I Need to Remove Personal Capture If It's Already Installed?
If you are installing a new version, re-installing Personal Capture (PCAP) to resolve some
issue, or are migrating from an ESS version of PCAP to an ALP version, you must remove
the old version first. The installer checks for any existing versions and may prompt you to
remove the old version before installing, or may simply not allow installation until the old
version is uninstalled. Be sure to back up your recordings to another location BEFORE
removing the program. All recordings and logs are deleted when the program is
removed.
Download the Installer
1. Log into the Active Learning Platform.
2. Click the Settings menu to open it and select Downloads, as shown in the below
figure.
3. Click the Mac Download link from the Personal Capture section of the
Downloads page, shown below. The installer must be run locally, so save the file
to your computer.
Use Local Directories for Installation and Capture Storage Directories!
The Personal Capture installation and data directories must be on the local drive; They
cannot be located on a network, remote (mapped), or USB thumb drive.
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Install the Program
The Personal Capture Mac Download link downloads an .app file for installing PCAP.
Use the steps below to install Personal Capture from the .app file.
Mac OS Security settings may not allow for clicking the .app file to launch it
When you click the .app file in the Downloads list in the Mac toolbar, or double-click it
from the Downloads folder, you may receive the following dialog box indicating that
the installer cannot be opened.
In this case, you must either right-click or control+click the .app file from the Downloads
folder, then select Open from the popup menu. This launch method is identified in the
procedure below.
To install Personal Capture on Mac OS
1. Locate the downloaded Echo360PersonalCaptureInstaller.app file. It should be
located in the Downloads folder (Finder > Downloads).
Your security settings will probably not allow you to launch the installer from the
Downloads list in the Mac toolbar.
2. Right-click or control+click the .app file and select Open from the pop-up menu.
3. On the warning message that appears, click Open.
4. Once the installer is launched, follow the prompts to complete installation.
After Personal Capture is installed, launch it. Run a test capture to ensure it works as
expected. If it does, you may delete the downloaded installation file, as it is no longer
needed.
Uninstall from Mac OS X
Uninstalling Personal Capture is easy, however, make sure that you have backed up
your recordings to separate storage before uninstalling, or that they have been
uploaded to ALP.
All captures and logs are deleted when the program is removed.

To remove Personal Capture, delete it from the Applications folder (Finder >
Applications).
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Configure Personal Capture for Mac Preferences
In general, Personal Capture will self-configure on installation. It defines the local
storage locations for your recordings during installation, and identifies the Active
Learning Platform location for uploading and publishing recordings. These
configurations are maintained in the Personal Capture Preferences, and can be
viewed or edited at any time.
The Preferences dialog box contains a General tab and a Server tab, allowing you to
set or change the corresponding preferences, as described below.
Set General Preferences
General preferences include configurable items as follows:



The Default presenter name to appear
The local directory where recordings are saved
Whether to show the Welcome screen or My Recordings list at startup
To configure PCAP general preferences
1. Open Personal Capture.
2. From the main menu, select Echo360 Personal Capture > Preferences.
The General tab appears by default.
3. If necessary, e the Default presenter name (usually your name). When students
see this recording listed, the name specified here will be associated with it. You
can customize the name any time you need to.
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4. If necessary, edit the Recordings folder (local storage location). This is the
location established during installation. All recordings made with PCAP are
saved to this location. Unless you changed it at installation, this is
/System/Users/{user}/Documents/Echo360/Personal Capture/recordings
5. To change the storage location, click Change... and navigate to the desired
directory.
Use Local Directory for Capture Storage Location
The Personal Capture storage location must be on the local drive; it cannot be
located on a network, remote (mapped), or USB thumb drive.
6. Check or clear the Show welcome screen at startup box.

If you check the box, you see the Welcome Screen at startup:

If you clear the box, you see the My Recordings screen at startup:
7. When finished, click OK to close the Preferences box, or click Server to open the
Server tab, described below.
Set Server Preferences
Personal Capture automatically configures the location of the ALP server to which you
will publish your recordings. This is based on the location from which you downloaded
the installer.
Change Server settings only under direction from your System Administrator.
To view or change PCAP server preferences
1. Open Personal Capture.
2. From the main menu, select Echo360 Personal Capture > Preferences.
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3. Click Server to open the server preferences tab.
4. The fields shown on the tab are as follows:
Server URL: Identifies the ALP server and location for uploading content
from this installation of PCAP.
 Port: If your system administrator asks that you specify a particular port for
PCAP communication, enter that number into the Port text box. By
default, PCAP uses port 443 for capture uploads.
 HTTP Proxy: The communication proxy for PCAP is automatically
configured. Edit this section only if your system administrator provides you
with specific direction for configuring Manual proxy or to turn HTTP proxy
off.
5. If you are having problems with publishing or make changes in this tab, click Test
Connection. After a few moments, you should see a message in the tab
indicating the settings are correct.
If you receive a different message, contact your system administrator.

6. When finished, click OK to close the dialog box, or click General to return to the
general tab.
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Configure Recording Devices for Personal Capture for
Mac
What Does It Mean to "Configure Devices"?
There are two different parts to configuring devices for Personal Capture (PCAP):
Selecting which inputs to record (audio, display, and/or video). This is done at
the time you create the recording.
 Selecting which device will typically capture each input and the output settings
for each device.
This page is devoted to the second of these two, selecting and configuring the devices
and settings for each input.

See Personal Capture Specifications for information on input and output options for
PCAP recordings, and Recommended Devices for Personal Capture Mac for a list of
suggested devices.
If your device does not appear in the drop-down lists described below, exit Personal
Capture, re-attach the device, and restart Personal Capture. Devices not detected by
the operating system are not usable by Personal Capture.
Configuring audio and video settings
Configuring audio and video settings simply defines the devices and settings you
normally want to use. You can change these selections any time you need to.
To configure audio/video settings
1. From the Welcome Screen or My Recordings screen, click Start Recording. This
opens the capture preview page.
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2. In the bottom panel of the capture preview page, click Configure.
3. The Audio/Video Settings page appears, containing three sections, one for each
input that can be captured. Review and configure the selections as described in
the next steps.
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4. In the Audio section of the dialog box, use the Device drop-down list to select
the device you typically want to use to capture audio input. All captures must
have audio.
5. In the Video (Left) section of the dialog box, use the Device drop-down list to
select the device where your Display input (Powerpoint or other computerscreen-based presentation)will appear and from which will be captured. If you
typically plan to capture dual-video, select your Secondary Video device here.
Understand the following points about your Video (Left) selections:

The preview for this selection appears in the left panel of the preview
pane.

Video (Left) is used for Display capture input selection. If you will normally
capture Display input, you must select a display device here (shown as
Screen 1 above).

Alternately, you can use this selection for Secondary video if you are
capturing A/V/V.
6. Under Video Quality, select the appropriate choice as follows:

Actual Size (Lower Framerate): This is the default and is probably fine for
your needs. It creates the best capture but may require a large amount
of storage and processing time, particularly if you are capturing two
video inputs.

Smaller Size (Higher Framerate): Select this option if you are concerned
about file size or processing time. This may be more appropriate for one or
both video inputs, if high-resolution detail is not required for the capture.
7. In the Video (Right) section of the dialog box, use the Device drop-down list to
select the device to use for your primary Video input. This selection must identify
a video input device.
8. Under Video Quality, select the appropriate choice as described in the step
above.
9. When finished, click Save.
Understand that you have simply identified the devices that will provide the input for
each type. You do not have to capture video or display all the time (only audio is
required for captures). You can select which inputs are captured when you create the
recording.
Addressing Audio Issues
In certain circumstances, audio recorded on a Macintosh sounds unusually loud when
the recording is played back within Personal Capture but is too low when students play
the Echo.
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This occurs because playback within Personal Capture artificially raises the audio
volume. When you hear this loud volume during playback, you may attempt to
compensate by adjusting the Sound system preferences.
If you encounter this and you are concerned about it, create and publish a short test
capture, then review it through the ALP Classroom. Be sure to remove the test recording
from the class it is published to, to be sure students cannot view it accidentally. It will
remain in your library until you delete it.
If you do need to adjust the input volume:
1. Open the Sound settings in Mac System Preferences (System Preferences >
Sound).
2. Click the Input tab to activate it.
The Sound Input tab appears, including the Input volume slider and Input level
indicator, identified in the below figure.
3. If you are using audio input other than the built-in microphone, be sure to select
that device from the list.
4. Speak for several seconds at the normal volume you use for captures. Notice the
Input level indicator changing. It should register to at least 2/3 to 3/4 of the
maximum volume level. If, however, you find it "maxing out" frequently, you may
need to adjust the input level lower, to avoid distortion that can happen during
peaking.
5. If necessary, adjust the Input volume slider up or down as appropriate.
6. Run a test capture and publish the recording. Review the recording in the
classroom to appraise volume level.
7. Repeat the steps above if necessary.
Using Multiple or HD Cameras
Echo360 gives you the ability to capture multiple and High Definition (HD) video inputs.
However, using multiple cameras can introduce significant computational and storage
loads on personal computers and laptops. Even with the increased power of newer
hardware, dual and HD camera captures can strain some machines.
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When you use multiple and/or HD video cameras, please consider these issues:


Insufficient processing power. The sheer amount of data captured by newer
video cameras, especially if the cameras are capturing at high definition, can
strain the processing power and internal bandwidth (data transfer) of your
computer.
Mis-sychronization. Differences in camera quality, initialization/start-up time, and
configuration can cause the multiple and/or HD videos to be slightly missychronized.
Follow the below tips to minimize potential issues.
Perform Some Test Captures. This is a good idea for any camera or any change in input
devices but especially important with newer, high definition cameras, which can strain
the processing power of your computer. Make sure the capture proceeds well, editing
and publishing are successful, and the output as viewed in the classroom is what you
expect.
Adjust Video Quality to alleviate synchronization issues. On Macintosh systems, we
have found that adjusting the Video Quality settings to a Smaller Size for both video
channels (as shown below) alleviates synchronization issues in an A/V/V capture. On
the Macintosh, the Smaller Size resolution is equivalent to TV/VCR quality and requires
less processing power from your computer.
When recording A/D/V captures, if you are having synchronization issues, mix Actual
Size and Smaller Size, choosing Actual Size (Lower Framerate) for the Video
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
(Left)/Display input, and Smaller Size (Higher Framerate) for the Video (Right)/Camera
input. This mixed configuration (shown below) provides high-quality display while
optimizing the size of the video capture.
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Create a Recording in Personal Capture for Mac
Before creating a Personal Capture (PCAP) recording, be sure you have installed
Personal Capture for Mac and have identified and configured the recording devices
you want to use for the input types you want to capture.
Workflow
1. Launch Personal Capture: Double-click the desktop icon, or select Echo360
Personal Capture from the Applications folder.
2. Prepare and preview the items to be recorded.
3. Start the recording.
4. Pause and resume the recording as needed.
5. Stop the recording.
6. Review and edit the recording as needed.
7. Publish the recording.
Once your capture is published, it is processed and placed into the classroom for
student viewing. You may need to make it unavailable if you don't want students
viewing it immediately.
Practice! Practice! Practice! We recommend you spend some time creating test
captures, just so you get used to working with PCAP. Go ahead! Make a holiday
greetings video for some relatives, or the product advertisement you always thought
they should make. Edit your captures, so you understand the PCAP editor's capabilities
and limitations. All recordings are saved locally (until you publish them), so no one even
has to know you did it. And you can delete any capture at any time.
Best Practice - Use the keyboard shortcuts
For more streamlined and professional looking results, we recommend learning and
using the keyboard shortcuts to pause, resume, and stop the capture. This allows to
control the recording without showing your actions (either on video or on the display
being captured), potentially reducing items that may need to be edited from the
capture before publishing.
Action
Keyboard Shortcuts
Pause & Resume
(toggle)
Command + 6
Stop the recording
Command + 8
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Prepare and preview the recording space
Before beginning a recording, you have the opportunity to preview the inputs being
captured. You may also want to take this opportunity to clear the computer desktop of
unneeded programs, and open any presentations or materials you plan to show.
Clean up the desktop
We recommend that you close (or at least minimize) all applications and windows
except for Personal Capture and any applications you will use during the recording. The
recording will be less cluttered and more professional looking.
Open the presentation file(s)
If your capture will include computer Display input, open any files or other items you
plan to show on the computer during capture. This helps reduce any "fumbling" or
unnecessary computer actions, all of which are captured in the recording, and help
ensure a smooth presentation of materials.
After opening the presentation(s) or other files, minimize any you won't be showing at
the beginning, and note their location in the taskbar. This provides a clean space to
capture, and for smoother transitions from one item to the next.
Preview the items being captured

Launch Personal Capture, then click Start Recording.
RELAX! This doesn't actually start the capture. It does, however, open the preview
screen, shown below, where you can select what inputs you want to capture (display
and/or video), and preview them before actually beginning to record.
It also allows you to enter a Title for the recording (though you can add this later if you
prefer).
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Check or Uncheck each input to see how it changes the preview.
Use the preview to be sure what you want to capture is actually being captured. What
you see on the screen is what will be recorded.
Audio is always captured. You cannot uncheck the audio input.
If the input device you want is not showing:
If, for example, your input selections show a display device and a video input, but you
want to capture dual video, you will have to change the recording device input
configuration. Be sure the second camera is attached to the computer, then click
Configure from the preview screen (shown above). From there, be sure that the Device
selections for Video (Left) and Video (Right) are both cameras. You may also want to
lower the video quality, depending on the processing power of the computer you are
using.
Start recording
After setting up the items you want to capture, and selecting and previewing the
inputs, you are ready to begin recording.
1. From the preview screen, shown above, click Start Capture.
2. The Personal Capture window minimizes and a countdown dialog box appears.
This countdown box also provides a reminder of the keyboard shortcuts you can
use to control the capture.
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If your capture aborts at this point, see the note below this procedure for possible
cause/resolution.
3. When the countdown timer disappears, notice that a Personal Capture icon and
timer appears in the menu bar at the top of the screen to let you know how long
you've been recording.
Clicking the icon also provides access to the pause/resume/stop commands for
the recording.
4. Begin the presentation.
5. During the recording you can pause and resume the capture, using the
keyboard shortcuts or the commands accessed from the Personal Capture icon.
6. When finished, stop the recording.
After the recording stops, the Personal Capture window re-appears on the screen. At
this point, you can review and edit the recording, and publish it when you are ready.
If your capture aborts immediately after starting
This situation, while rare, typically occurs when performing dual-video capture using two
high definition cameras. It can occur if your computer does not have sufficient
resources to process the flood of data from both cameras.
You have these alternatives:
-- Reduce the resolution on one or both cameras and restart your capture
-- Capture a single video input using just one high definition camera, then restart your
capture
Pause and resume a recording
To pause a capture

Press Command + 6, or click on the Echo360 icon in the menu bar and select
Pause.
To resume a capture

Press Command + 6, or click Resume in the Personal Capture window (which
appears when you pause).
You can pause a capture for up to 15 minutes. After that, you are prompted to either
continue or stop the capture.
Best Practice: Use the Keyboard Shortcuts
We strongly recommend that you use the keyboard shortcuts for pause, resume, and
stop. If you do not use the shortcuts, your capture will include screen actions that you
will have to cut out in the editor.
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Stop recording
When you are finished with your recording, you can stop it. Once stopped, the
recording file is saved to your local computer, and can be reviewed, edited, and
ultimately published to a class.
To stop a capture

Press Command + 8, or click on the Echo360 icon in the menu bar and select
Stop Recording.
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Review and Edit a Recording in Personal Capture for
Mac
Personal Capture (PCAP) allows you to review any recording you've made, and
contains some basic editing functions that allow you to trim or cut out portions of the
recording as needed.
Review a recording
Reviewing and editing is done in the View/Edit screen of Personal Capture. This allows
you to review the original recording as well as review the edited version before
applying the final edits.
Keep in mind that you can make changes, review those changes, then apply
successful edits as you go. That way if you make a change you like, you can save those
changes, then re-open the recording for editing.
The view/edit screen appears automatically when a recording is stopped. Otherwise it
is accessed from the My Recordings list.
To open the view/edit screen
1. Navigate to the My Recordings list.
Depending on your preferences settings, My Recordings may appear when you
launch PCAP or you may need to click Go to My Recordings from the Welcome
screen.
2. Select the recording you want to review or edit from the list.
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3. Click View/Edit.
4. Use the playback control buttons to view and/or listen to the recording.
The playback buttons and volume control are located in the bottom-left, below
the preview pane of the View/Edit screen.
If you have made temporary edits, those edits are reflected in the playback, so you
can review the changes and made adjustments as needed before applying final edits.
Trim the ends of a recording
You may want to trim off the beginning and end of a presentation, to remove the
preparation or closing actions, or perhaps a false start for the recording.
The trim function is useful because it lets you re-do the beginning without having to stop
and generate a new recording.
Helpful Tip: Play the recording to find the location from which you want the final
capture to start, then use the location of the playhead (identified in the below figure)
to show where your opening trim marker should go. Do the same for the end of the
recording, to determine where you want it to stop.
To trim (remove) the beginning and end of a recording
1. If necessary, select the recording to be edited from the My Recordings list and
click View/Edit. The view/edit screen appears automatically after stopping a
recording.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
2. Drag the left slider
3. Drag the right slider
in (toward the right) to trim the beginning of the recording.
in (toward the left) to trim the end of the recording.
4. Play the recording with the trims in place to see how the recording opens and/or
ends.
5. If necessary, make adjustments to the trim slider locations. As suggested in the
Tip above, you can play and pause the recording to put the playhead at the
location where you want the trim markers to go.
6. If you need to remove your changes, click Clear Cuts. This removes ALL changes
and reverts to the recording you started with.
7. If you are happy with the trim changes, click Apply Edits to save your changes.
Apply Edits makes your changes permanent.
You will receive a confirmation dialog box for applying your changes.
8. After applying edits, the My Recordings screen appears as the changes are
applied to the recording. Once finished, the recording is listed as Edited.
Cut one or more segments out of a recording
The PCAP editor lets you cut segments from the recording. If you had to change
materials in the middle of the recording, or move the camera to capture a different
scene, you can simply cut these actions out of the recording.
The cut segments function is useful because it lets you perform activities without pausing
the recording, or alternately to cut out the recorded actions that invoked the
pause/resume actions.
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)
Helpful Tip: Play the recording to find the location where you want to place the first cut,
pause at that location, then click the mark-in button (left triangle next to the scissors).
This places the beginning of the cut at the location of the playhead. Click Play again,
then pause and do the same with the mark-out button. This is an easy way to identify
both ends of a segment to cut out or remove.
To cut segments out of a recording
NOTE: You can mark only one cut at a time. Click Cut (the scissors button) to temporarily
apply each cut. This frees up the markers to identify another segment to cut. No
changes are final until you click Apply Edits.
1. If necessary, select the recording to be edited from the My Recordings list and
click View/Edit. The view/edit screen appears automatically after stopping a
recording.
2. Mark the segment you want cut, using the playhead and mark-in/mark-out
buttons as described in the Tip above, or slide the mark-in/mark-out sliders to the
proper locations.
3. Click Cut (the scissors button). RELAX! This is a temporary cut. No edits are final
until you select to Apply Edits. But you must cut each segment separately to freeup the markers for another segment.
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4. The cut area now appears gray in the timeline. At this point you can mark and
cut another segment by repeating the above two steps.
5. Play the recording with the cuts in place.
6. If you are not happy with the edits made, you have the following choices:
To clear a single cut, double-click in the cut segment. The segment reverts
to its original state, and appears in the same color blue as the rest of the
timeline.
 To clear all of the cuts you have made (during this editing session), click
Clear Cuts. This only reverts the cut segments to their original state; it does
not alter any trim changes made to the recording.
7. If you are happy with the cuts, click Apply Edits to save your changes. Apply
Edits makes your changes permanent.
You will receive a confirmation dialog box for applying your changes.

8. After applying edits, the My Recordings screen appears as the changes are
applied to the recording. Once finished, the recording is listed as Edited.
Reinstating cut segments
All changes you make to a recording can be reverted or "undone" up until the point
you click Apply Edits.
Undoing trims to the ends of the recording are reverted by sliding the trim sliders back to
their original locations.
Reverting cut segments is performed as follows:
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Personal Capture Guides (Windows & Mac)


To clear a single cut, double-click in the cut segment. The segment reverts to its
original state, and appears in the same color blue as the rest of the timeline.
To clear all of the cuts you have made (during this editing session), click Clear
Cuts. You will receive a confirmation message, to be sure this is your intent.
NOTE: This only reverts the cut segments to their original state; it does not alter any
trim changes made to the recording.
Permanently applying changes
1. Click Apply Edits.
As indicated by the confirmation dialog box that appears, this makes your
changes permanent. Once applied these edits cannot be undone.
2. Click OK.
After applying edits, the My Recordings screen appears as the changes are applied to
the recording. Once finished, the recording is listed as Edited.
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Publish a Recording from Personal Capture for Mac
Publishing a Personal Capture (PCAP) recording is the process of both uploading the
recording to the server and publishing it to a class for students to view. Once published,
PCAP recordings are available immediately for students. You can change the
availability of the recording through the class list page if necessary.
Transcoding and Publishing May Take Some Time
Publishing time depends on the edits you made, the size of the recording, and network
conditions. Once you click Publish, the process of transcoding and publishing the
media happens in the background, though you will see a progress bar in the My
Recordings page. Background publishing means that as long as the computer is
running (not in "sleep" mode) and there is an active internet connection, these tasks will
continue to run until they are complete, even if you close the application. In the event
your internet connection is interrupted during the publishing process, the publishing task
will start again when the connection is restored.
To publish a PCAP recording
1. Navigate to the My Recordings list.
Depending on your preferences settings, My Recordings may appear when you
launch PCAP or you may need to click Go to My Recordings from the Welcome
screen.
2. Select the recording you want to publish.
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3. Click Publish Recording.
A Login dialog box appears.
4. Enter your Username and Password, and click Login.
A Select Course dialog box appears.
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5. Select the course section you want to publish the recording to, then click Next.
6. Select whether you are creating a new published echo for the system or if you
are replacing a previously published PCAP recording. The latter option is
provided in the event you make additional edits to a recording and want to
replace the old one with a new one.
7. Set the date and time for the published recording. This identifies the class that
gets created to hold the capture.
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8. Click Next.
The Edit Echo Details page appears.
9. If necessary, enter or edit the title of the recording. Be sure it is descriptive
enough to easily identify in your library, and so that students can both find it and
understand its purpose or content.
10. When finished, click Publish.
The My Recordings list appears, first showing the status of Transcoding, with a progress
bar, then Publishing with a progress bar. When publishing is complete, the recording is
listed as Published. Since published captures are available to students immediately, you
may need to change the availability of the capture on the Class list page.
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