http://recordmydesktop.sourceforge.net/about.php

2009-01-18 – 0.3.7.3-1 on PCLinuxOS 2007
2007-02-23 – (version not recorded) on (distribution not recorded)

Table of Contents [hide]

1 2009-01-18 – 0.3.7.3-1
- 1.1 earlier
2 2007-02-23 – (version not recorded)
3 From recordmydesktop to YouTube

2009-01-18 – 0.3.7.3-1 ∞

FYI, you can also run this and click on the window you want to capture:

recordmydesktop -windowid $(xwininfo |grep "Window id:"|sed -e "s/xwininfo\:\ Window id:\ // ;s/\ .*//" )

Create a 640×360 window.
- Since Openbox doesn’t show me the dimensions as I resize, I’ll use wmctrl. I can use it on an xterm window and it’ll define the proper area even though I have openbox set to resize to the nearest character in fixed-font windows:

wmctrl -F -r "user@localhost: /home/user" -e 1,0,0,640,360

NOTE: When pausing, make sure that after you resume you do something dramatic to “refresh” the view if you’ve unpaused on a different scene. Maybe move the window a little or scroll through it.

earlier ∞

Now that it’s officially supported, and there’s a gtk gui, let’s try again.

su
apt-get install gtk-recordmydesktop

Run it with:

gtk-recordMyDesktop

Only lets you select an application, and not an area.
Really slows down the computer when running, even when not recording.
Records audio properly
Syncs the video properly
Only saves as a .ogv (Ogg Vorbis Video) and YouTube seems to never encode the video.

(Zenity, MEncoder)

apt-get install zenity gnome-utils mencoder

Get and run this script: https://web.archive.org/web/20150910193047/http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Ogv+to+Flv+Converter?content=90837

not needed! YouTube can use Recordmydesktop .ogv videos as-is!

2007-02-23 – (version not recorded) ∞

Note to self: mixer settings influence audio recording.. and there is some collision between audio sampling rates and video frame rates. Research this problem.

apt-get install libtheora0-devel

The quality is USELESS. The video quality setting doesn’t seem to do anything. I ended up with commands like this. Why aren’t there decent defaults?

recordmydesktop --with-shared --on-the-fly-encoding -v_quality 0 --quick-subsampling -dummy-cursor white -width 800 -height 600

It works! Horribly slow, and the audio is not anywhere near synced with the video.

I hear from Kevin Beason that a large screen area forces frame drops and will speed up the video. My resolution is too big, and the on the fly encoding is probably ruining things. :)

These aren’t bad:

recordmydesktop --with-shared -v_quality 0 --quick-subsampling -dummy-cursor white -width 320 -height 200

recordmydesktop --with-shared -dummy-cursor white -width 640 -height 480

From recordmydesktop to YouTube ∞

(YouTube)

Notes from 2009-01-24

record your video ∞

gtk-recordMyDesktop

Click “Select Window” and click the window you want.
Click “Record” to begin and left-click the tray icon to stop. Then exit.

mv ~/out.ogv ~/recordmydesktop1.ogv

crop and convert your video (1) ∞

Determine the dimensions of your video:

(FFmpeg)

ffmpeg -i ~/recordmydesktop1.ogv

Spoiler

FFmpeg version SVN-r12143, Copyright (c) 2000-2008 Fabrice Bellard, et al.
  configuration: --prefix=/usr --enable-shared --libdir=/usr/lib --enable-pp --enable-liba52 --enable-gpl --enable-pthreads --enable-x11grab --enable-libfaad --enable-libfaac --enable-libxvid --enable-libamr-nb --enable-libamr-wb --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-nonfree
  libavutil version: 49.6.0
  libavcodec version: 51.50.1
  libavformat version: 52.7.0
  libavdevice version: 52.0.0
  built on Feb 19 2008 15:20:20, gcc: 4.1.1 20060724 (prerelease) (4.1.1-4pclos2007)
[theora @ 0xb7debcf0]560 bits left in packet 81
[theora @ 0xb7debcf0]7 bits left in packet 82
Input #0, ogg, from '/home/user/recordmydesktop1.ogv':
  Duration: 00:07:07.3, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1262 kb/s
    Stream #0.0: Invalid Codec type -1
    Stream #0.1: Video: theora, yuv420p, 1264x752 [PAR 1:1 DAR 79:47], 15.00 tb(r)
    Stream #0.2: Audio: vorbis, 48000 Hz, stereo, 499 kb/s
Must supply at least one output file

NOTE: If you have issues with ffmpeg, try MPlayer

mplayer ~/recordmydesktop1.ogv

Spoiler

MPlayer 1.0rc2-4.1.1 (C) 2000-2007 MPlayer Team
CPU: AMD Sempron(tm) Processor 3300+ (Family: 15, Model: 44, Stepping: 2)
CPUflags:  MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 1 3DNow2: 1 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled with runtime CPU detection.
mplayer: could not connect to socket
mplayer: No such file or directory
Failed to open LIRC support. You will not be able to use your remote control.

Playing recordmydesktop1.ogv.
Ogg stream 0 is of an unknown type
[Ogg] stream 1: video (Theora v3.2.1), -vid 0
[Ogg] stream 2: audio (Vorbis), -aid 0
Ogg file format detected.
VIDEO:  [theo]  1264x752  24bpp  15.000 fps    0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
==========================================================================
Opening video decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg's libavcodec codec family
[theora @ 0x88cb450]Missing extradata!
Could not open codec.
VDecoder init failed :(
Opening video decoder: [theora] Theora/VP3
VDec: vo config request - 1264 x 752 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is 1.68:1 - prescaling to correct movie aspect.
VO: [xv] 1264x752 => 1264x752 Planar YV12  [zoom]
Selected video codec: [theora] vfm: theora (Theora (free, reworked VP3))
==========================================================================
==========================================================================
Trying to force audio codec driver family libmad...
Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders
AUDIO: 48000 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 499.8 kbit/32.54% (ratio: 62477->192000)
Selected audio codec: [ffvorbis] afm: ffmpeg (FFmpeg Vorbis decoder)
==========================================================================
[AO OSS] audio_setup: Can't open audio device /dev/dsp: Device or resource busy
AO: [alsa] 48000Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
Starting playback...
A:   0.7 V:   0.7 A-V: -0.021 ct: -0.025  11/ 11 23% 43%  1.1% 2 0 
Exiting... (Quit)

Convert the video
Calculate the resize and the padding needed.
- Example: 1264×752 to 640×360 becomes 570×340 with a left/right pad of 34/36

SETTINGS="-y -sameq"
SIZE=570x340
TOP=0
BOTTOM=0
LEFT=34
RIGHT=36
ffmpeg -i ~/recordmydesktop1.ogv $SETTINGS -s $SIZE -padtop $TOP -padbottom $BOTTOM -padleft $LEFT -padright $RIGHT ~/recordmydesktop2.avi

convert your video (2) ∞

Convert the video and audio
Chop it up as needed
- I use Avidemux

avidemux ~/recordmydesktop2.avi

To export, use these settings:

Video: MPEG-4 ASP (Xvid4)

Configure:
- Main > Encoding type: Two Pass – Average Bitrate (Single Pass – Bitrate to do it faster, with a bigger file)
- Average bitrate: 1500
  — YouTube requires over 600 kb/s (unconfirmed)

Audio: AAC (FAAC)

Filters
- Resampling: 44100

Format: MP4

Save it as ~/recordmydesktop3.mp4

spiralofhope

recordmydesktop