Arma 2 Video Editing

[Jager]

Not sure if we have a thread about this already so just made one.

Record ingame with fraps using full size @ 30 fps, then encode using vdub and mvk files end up being 3/100th of the raw file and it stays full HD.
Anyhow at University right now but I can upload my encoded stuff if you want to have a look at it, should take me roughly 5-6 hours to upload what I have atm.

[=VG= Eclipse002]

What does one need to make a great arma flick?

i got fraps and sony vegas...anything else?

[Jager]

Well powerful computer helps, 2-3 minutes of raw footage takes roughly 4gb of hdd space so big storage does not hurt.
But being able to play while recording is key, if your fps struggles you can record at half size and upscale to HD, I can link a guide if you want.

[=VG= SavageCDN (Inactive Duty)]

2 hard drives installed on different SATA channels helps a lot as well.. save the FRAPS files to the hard drive you are NOT using for Arma

[=VG= Eclipse002]

ok

[=VG= SemlerPDX]

I've got a few FRAPS/Vegas and Arma video settings tips for you, Clippie, seeing as how we have such very similar systems.

Like Savage said, a real key to success is to have the "capture" folder on a different hard drive than your OS/Programs drive. If size is a problem, just keep 20-30 GB free on your "capture" drive and transfer the files after each session to your OS/Programs drive to free up more space for recording.

You have an awesome sound card, so feel free to set sound capture settings to the highest (multi-channel, etc.). I set my record external input (microphone) to only capture when I press TS3 PTT button as most of us use that in game for coms, and you can turn on "mic clicks" on you and others giving it an awesome sound.

For video, unless you have high hopes of true HD, you can still get good ArmA videos recording at 30-45FPS. I did some testing myself and found I can't get a final video in vegas to look any different when I recorded at 60FPS or 30FPS. My final products are always 30FPS after rendering, though I don't have true HD capabilities. I force lossless RGB and it doesn't seem to hurt system speed.

I found excellent improvement when I set my Graphics driver settings to have AA and Anisotropic Filtering to "application-controlled" (ATI, not sure about NVidia settings). I also got better FPS when I set Arma in game video settings to "Video RAM = Default" , though I have 1GB DDR5. Odd, but helps. When I adjust video settings in game, the 4 that matter for my FPS the most are Texture Detail; Terrain Detail; Objects Detail; & Shadow Quality.
If your video is gonna take place mostly in one AO, on foot, try setting view distance for the shoot to under 2000m. If you're flying for the video, try turning off/down shadows and increasing view distance to (your) max.

Also, set your FPS monitor to only update once a second instead of realtime. Most the default FRAPS command buttons are F commands, and Arma uses those. I recommend changing it for cleaner shots. I use PrintScreen, Scroll Lock, Pause/Break, and NumLock.

I can't get into my vegas "render settings" and thought I made a post about it, but it's important, too. If you have good source video, but render it wrong, it'll still be crap. If you start with a crap source video, vegas won't improve it any.
Can't polish a turd...

Good luck!

[=VG= Eclipse002]

thx semler...will try