Persephone's Guide to Making Raid Videos

[eternalwhitemoon]

Ok, so you just KNOW your guild is gonna down that impossible boss tonight, and you want to make it a moment that will live on forever. How do you do that exactly? Make a raid video!

It may seem intimidating at first, but it's a lot easier than it looks, and I'll show you how! If you can follow step-by-step directions, you too can create videos that are almost as good as TankSpot. (Everyone loves TankSpot.)

Phase 1: Optimize your UI

The number one flaw of most novice raid videos is that the UI is cluttered. Many videos are so clogged up by the person's UI that it's difficult to see the fight!

The idea is to have as much free space on the screen as possible while still showing you the information you absolutely need to have (since you still need to raid while recording). Try to avoid having too many warnings/timers/bars centered on the screen unless you absolutely can't raid without them. If you can't avoid it, try altering the display settings so that they have an out-of-the-way appearance. Disable anything that you can do without, and also try zooming your camera out a bit so that there's a better view of the entire raid area.

This is bad. Very bad.

Let's discuss why this is a bad UI to record videos in.

1) Party frames are showing. Unless you really need them, they take up too much screen space and can be disabled.
2) The character is zoomed in way more than is necessary, blocking view of important raid happenings.
3) Addons are encroaching on the center of the screen, and are larger than necessary. These should be repositioned and resized. Also consider installing bar or chat addons such as Bartender4, PitBull, Xperl or Chatter to customize the screen more to your liking.
4) The default action bars are distracting and take up screen space. This character isn't a clicker, so it's not necessary to have these bars visible.

This is much better.

Let's discuss why this is better.

1) Timers, raid warnings, etc are out of the way enough to not impede vision, but in view enough for the player to still utilize them.
2) The UI has been cleaned up by UI mods. Most action bars have been hidden.
3) The necessary addons have been scaled down in size, and their appearance changed to be less obtrusive.
4) The character is zoomed out much further, giving a better view of the raid.
5) Buffs are consolidated and scrolling battle text is in use, giving more free screen space.

Good news: Your screen is now prepared! Get ready to install some helpful programs and start recording!

Phase 2: Record the Video!

You will first need a program that actually does the recording. If your video card is fancy enough, it may have these capabilities built in, but it's safe to assume this is not the case. You want a program that can record cleanly and without affecting your framerate, since not only will it affect your raid performance, but the final recording will rely on having a smooth framerate.

My personal recommendation is Fraps because of its ability to record very high quality video at minimal framerate impact. You can download a free trial, but the free trial only allows for 30 seconds of recording at a time. Buying the software entitles you to download it over and over again, on as many computers as you want, and get unlimited updates indefinitely.

The rest of this section will assume that you are using Fraps. If you have chosen another program, follow the program's user guide to record video.

This is the settings pane for video in Fraps.

The General tab will be what you see when you launch Fraps. It contains settings for whether you want to start it minimized (in other words, to not be bothered by this screen at launch), where the framerate is displayed, and things of that nature. Once you're done changing settings on the General tab, click Movies and you'll have the movie-specific options (displayed above).

If you minimize this box, you'll see the Fraps icon in your system tray (the area at the bottom right of your screen with the clock). From here, you can either right-click the icon and select Settings or double-click the icon to reopen the settings menu. To exit Fraps entirely, either right-click on the icon and select Exit Fraps or, when the Settings menu is open, simply hit the red X at the top right.

When the program is running, and you're in WoW, you will see a yellow number rapidly fluctuating at one corner of your screen. This is your framerate and the yellow color indicates you're not recording anything. Now when you press your keybind (for me, F9 as you can see) the numbers will turn red as Fraps starts to record. Simply hit your chosen keybind again to stop recording.

Fraps will automatically store your video in the location noted above. If the file gets to be over 4 GB in size, it will automatically split into a new file. We'll cover how to get around this later.

Phase 3: Editing, Adding Music, and Saving

Now comes the fun part. You will need a program that can take video, edit it, compress it, and add things like subtitling and audio. VirtualDub is by far my favorite program for this task, and best of all, it is 100% free!

Installing VirtualDub
VirtualDub doesn't "install" like a normal program; that is, it doesn't have an install.exe and you don't uninstall it from your Control Panel like any other program. When you download VirtualDub, you are downloading a ZIP file containing the actual executable and some supporting files. Create and name a new folder (you should probably name it VirtualDub to make it easy to remember). Extract the entire contents of the ZIP file directly to that folder. When you open the folder, you'll see VirtualDub.exe and some supporting files. VirtualDub.exe is the actual program; this is what you'll want to open.

If you right-click on the VirtualDub.exe icon after perfoming the above steps, you can select Send To>Desktop (create shortcut) to create a handy icon directly on your desktop.

Video Compression
This is where things are going to get a bit technical. Once you've installed VirtualDub you're going to want a codec (compressor/decompressor) for video that still keeps a clear image. Some codecs are "lossy", meaning that there is a significant loss of the original video data when you use it. Codecs that are lossy can make your final video appear choppy, blocky, grainy, or otherwise visually unappealing. Obviously we don't want that, so download Xvid. It's a) non-lossy, and b) free. Here is the 64-bit version; thanks to Apurocko for pointing this out and providing the link!

Getting it all Together
Now that you've done that, open your newly-recorded video in VirtualDub. You'll notice that VirtualDub shows you two panes of the same image: on the left is the input video, which will be the original footage. On the right will be your output video, or your final product. You can use the two panes to compare your changes between the original footage and the final product. I personally prefer to switch the input and output panes so that the output is on the left. You can do this by going to View, and then Swap Input/Output Panes.




Chances are your video was too big for one file and got automatically split into multiple files. To put them all together in VirtualDub, use the File>Append AVI Segment option, and select the next file in the sequence. (Note: if you have multiple segments to join you will have to repeat this process for each clip portion to be added; you can't select multiple clips in this menu.) You can use the slider bar at the bottom to review your newly-appended file and ensure you didn't insert the same clip twice. You can also play the video directly in VirtualDub if you prefer.

Basic Editing
Deleting: VirtualDub uses the Home and End keys to mark the beginning or end of a segment. To select a portion of the video, when you reach the frame where you want to start at hit Home and you'll see an arrow appear at that spot. Move to the end of the section you want to select and hit End. You'll see that the section is now selected. You can hit Delete to remove the section, or use the Edit menu to make other changes. You would use this if you accidentally recorded too much at the beginning or end. You can also simply use the Delete key to delete the particular frame you're viewing (in case you didn't delete quite enough, or only need to remove a few frames).
Brightness/Contrast: You can access these settings by going to the Video>Filters menu. You'll see a blank list; click Add and you'll now see a list of filters installed with VirtualDub. Click Brightness/Contrast and then OK. This will bring up another window with two sliders and a preview button. Adjust the sliders to your liking, utilize 'Show preview' liberally, and click OK, and then OK again to get back to your main VirtualDub screen.
Size: This is only necessary if you want to make your finished video smaller than your source. You can choose whether to make it a specific pixel-by-pixel size (Absolute), or to be a percentage of the current video's size (Relative). This is also found under Video>Filters. Click Add, then Resize, and then OK, and then you will get a window with your resize parameters. Again, utilize 'Show preview' liberally.

Once you have the video looking how you want, then we can save it. VirtualDub's one flaw is how it handles audio; if you deleted any part of the video, the audio will also be clipped by that much. For now, we will go to the Audio menu and select No Audio. This will save on file size because it won't be writing a "blank" audio track.

If you opted not to delete any part of your video, you can add the audio in at this point by going to the Audio menu and selecting Audio from Other File instead of No Audio, then selecting your desired audio file. You can then ignore the subsection about adding audio which is conveniently located a few paragraphs down.

Go to Video>Compression and you'll now see a list of several different codecs. Choosing a codec has an impact both on the visual quality and the file size, so choose wisely. If Xvid was installed properly you should see it on this list. Highlight it, and click OK. The video, when saved, will now save with Xvid compression.

Let's save it! Go to File>Save as AVI and give it a name. Because we didn't add audio (and what raid video would be complete without some good music?), try to give it a file name that denotes this, like AwesomeRaidNoSound.avi. When you click OK you will see it start to render. VirtualDub will show you the frames being processed in the background with a status window in front.

Once rendering is complete, close VirtualDub entirely to wipe the previously used settings.

Adding Audio
Once the file is saved, if you want to add audio you will have to reopen the file. Reopen VirtualDub, then go to File>Open and select your AwesomeRaidNoSound.avi. Now go back into the Audio menu, and instead of No Audio, use Audio from Other File. When you select that, it will bring up a menu that lets you browse to the file. Select the file you want and click OK. Now, play the video and make sure the audio and video blend well together, and that they both end at about the same time. If they don't, select another song or edit the current one in an audio program (which is outside the scope of this guide).

Re-select your video compression by going to Video>Compression and selecting Xvid, then save it again. Name it something different from the original file, like AwesomeRaid.avi or AwesomeRaidWithSound.avi. Wait for it to render (again).

Phase 4: Profit!

Now that you've done all that work, go upload your new file to wherever you see fit. Possible options include:

* YouTube. You can upload it in high definition, which is a plus, but they are sensitive about what music you have on your video due to copyright reasons. If the music you selected violates copyright, they will mute the existing audio, but give you a large selection of tracks to replace it with via a feature called AudioSwap. Videos can be up to 2 GB in size and up to 15 minutes in length.

* 4shared.com. This is a free file sharing website rated 93 by PC World Magazine (which means that it's both safe and really awesome to use). You're allotted 10 GB of free space which should be more than enough for a video or two.

* YouSendIt. This is another file sharing site. This one is a Better Business Bureau accredited business, and it emails anyone you specify a link directly to the file. Each file you send this way is allowed to be 2 GB in size. This is a paid service, but it has a free 14-day trial option that you could use.

If you choose to look for a different file sharing website, be very careful. Not all file sharing websites are legitimate, and some may contain viruses or malware. Surf with caution!

Once you've uploaded it, share it! Put it in your Vent comment to share with friends, put it on your guild's website. Be proud, and welcome to the world of creating raid videos!

[DeathStigma]

How do I check if my video card has the ability to record?

[Deleted]

Really nice guide!

[eternalwhitemoon]

How do I check if my video card has the ability to record?

Generally, it'd be something heavily advertised on the box. If you have to ask, the usual answer is no (these types of cards are quite expensive!). If your video card doesn't have innate recording capability, don't fret--Fraps will still work just fine for you.

[Deleted]

I personally prefer Sony Vegas.
Additionally, I would have liked a section on improving performance as I imagine a lot of people will have fps-issues.

[_Fire_]

Very nice guide Thanks for spending the time to write this

[Deleted]

Thanks, this will help me a lot!

[Deleted]

Obviously we don't want that, so download Xvid. It's a) non-lossy, and b) free.

While certainly a nice codec and free Xvid is not a lossless codec and in fact lossy.

Hence, Xvid can somewhat be seen as a ZIP for video. But unlike ZIP, Xvid is not lossless.

Source: http://www.xvid.org/General-Info.19.0.html

[Prothera]

Isn't H.264 a better video codec?

I tried many options that xvid gives me, but still found H.264 to be better. And by better I mean that I can clearly see the difference by just watching 1 video after the other. I'm not sure if I used an wrong option on xvid.

I'm using a different program, though.

I used single pass 10k bitrate, chroma optmizer, quantization type mpeg, motion search 6, VHQ mode 4, chroma motion, no B-VOPS and I also tried with and without cartoon mode.

I'll try using virtualdub with mostly default options like you used and will post about my results later.

[Weeping Angel]

Isn't H.264 a better video codec?

I tried many options that xvid gives me, but still found H.264 to be better. And by better I mean that I can clearly see the difference by just watching 1 video after the other. I'm not sure if I used an wrong option on xvid.

I'm using a different program, though.

I used single pass 10k bitrate, chroma optmizer, quantization type mpeg, motion search 6, VHQ mode 4, chroma motion, no B-VOPS and I also tried with and without cartoon mode.

I'll try using virtualdub with mostly default options like you used and will post about my results later.

Yes, H.264 is a superior video codec. For those who aim for highest quality, I'd recommend using combination of MeGUI and AviSynth. It may look overwhelming if you have never used it before; however, there are many guides out there (including the ones on YouTube) to help you get started.

Overall, I enjoyed your guide, Persephone, well done.

[eosy]

Nice guide thanks alot.

[eternalwhitemoon]

Yes, H.264 is a superior video codec. For those who aim for highest quality, I'd recommend using combination of MeGUI and AviSynth. It may look overwhelming if you have never used it before; however, there are many guides out there (including the ones on YouTube) to help you get started.

Overall, I enjoyed your guide, Persephone, well done.

I personally have had issues getting H.264 to work correctly. Additionally, keep in mind this guide is intended for people who are new to video making, so something like AviSynth could easily become incredibly overwhelming. (It was for me at first. O.o)

Thanks for the compliment

---------- Post added 2011-01-18 at 09:16 AM ----------

I personally prefer Sony Vegas.
Additionally, I would have liked a section on improving performance as I imagine a lot of people will have fps-issues.

I haven't tried it, but due to the cost I opted not to, and also why I did not discuss it here. WoW players don't always have a bunch of spare money lying around :P

Yes, I should have added a section about performance. It might have made the guide a bit too long though. That is however why I suggested Fraps as per my testing it has one of the smallest impacts on frame rate that I've been able to see.

[coldbear]

[anti-hater helmet on]

Or you can just do what I did for my massive "Every Boss In The Game" project - and buy a computer specifically to record raiding videos while not displaying the UI at all. The native WoW client supports this by letting you raid or pvp normally with the UI showing, but recording everything as it happens without any UI at all.

Proof in sig.

---------- Post added 2011-01-18 at 04:08 PM ----------

In other news, raiding videos that are PURELY zoomed out tend to be great for people who want to see mechanics and learn a boss. If you're aiming more for fun and artistic value that'll still be very enjoyable a month or a year later - then you might want to work with creative camera angles and zooming in to a 1st person perspective (careful! - jerky camera movements are way too easy there) and getting some nice model shots/action shots of your friends or w/e.

I died during our second Yogg-Saron kill (?) and stayed unreleased while zooming in all the way and managed to get some great shots of our MT while I was dead on the floor:

http://www.warcraftmovies.com/movieview.php?id=121027

---------- Post added 2011-01-18 at 04:22 PM ----------

If you're a melee raider you're gonna have a huge issue trying to make visually interesting raiding video due to normally looking straight at an ankle or buttcrack. If you know your stuff 100% and don't mind taking a lot of risk you can zoom out to the max and swing your camera around on a big boss which puts the boss' face right smack in the center of the camera. Looks kinda cool, but nothing beats being creative. New and cool is fun. Experiment.

Also, recording to a second hard-drive when the game client runs off the first HDD is supposed to be the shiznit. I wouldn't know, but I will.

---------- Post added 2011-01-18 at 04:30 PM ----------

As far as video size goes - there's little significant difference between playing a high-quality (let's say around 4-5000 kbits/sec data rate) video of 1280*720p resolution maximized on a screen and having the resolution be exactly what you're playing the game at, with the added bonus of a much much smaller file size. I play the game of a 26" (or 28?) screen at 1920*1200 but record and edit at ~1280*720p for speed, convenience, medium file size and still great quality.

Also don't forget that you can crop the raw video if you can't record without the UI showing - just push all you UI elements to the bottom or sides and then crop a rectangle out of it.

[eternalwhitemoon]

<awesomeness removed because it's just too awesome>

These are all very very good ideas. As a healer, they don't like it when I die, so I never got to play around like that :/ I'd like to one day though.

So yeah, if you can get creative with it listen to Coldbear!

[coldbear]

Following was recorded while playing normally with the UI showing, and should be far enough down on this page not to count as self-aggrandizing advertising. Creative camera angles and fun you can do with the same old content that everyone has seen on TankSpot and NihilumEnsidiaDeath&Taxes.com by the time regular raiders on backwater servers get to it:



---------- Post added 2011-01-18 at 05:16 PM ----------

Ummm where be my "Edit Post" button? Plox hit the little button down in the right corner of yer Yootoobe embedder that says "360p" - that should pop up a little list that says some numbers. Click the 720p clicky. Quality through the roof and still loads quickly.

[eternalwhitemoon]

Ummm where be my "Edit Post" button?

Unfortunately, edits were locked at the end of the contest to prevent further editing. I know, I hate it too, as I always think of something after I've posted. Also, I cannot see your link. :/

[coldbear]

http://www.warcraftmovies.com/downlo...06475&mirror=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1392JvaDbA
Which one?

[eternalwhitemoon]

http://www.warcraftmovies.com/downlo...06475&mirror=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1392JvaDbA
Which one?

Didn't let me see either of them. Did you embed them? Do they require Flash? My Flash is b0rked on this machine (work machine) through no fault of my own, so even if it displays properly it may be my machine.

But hey, I have direct links now. Woo!

[coldbear]

Umm weird. Do other embedded youtube videos work for you?

The WCM -> Megavideo link is to a 1h 33min video. Might want to not watch all of that. Probably flash, it's a stream that's also downloadable if you have Megapremium.

---------- Post added 2011-01-18 at 06:34 PM ----------

Still looking for a 2.87GB free file host for that, btw... meh.

[masterprtzl]

Following was recorded while playing normally with the UI showing, and should be far enough down on this page not to count as self-aggrandizing advertising. Creative camera angles and fun you can do with the same old content that everyone has seen on TankSpot and NihilumEnsidiaDeath&Taxes.com by the time regular raiders on backwater servers get to it:
.

Sorry if you mentioned this and I overlooked it, but HOW would I go about recording without the UI showing on the recording? My UI is pretty clean but no UI would be better for sure.