Screen Capture / Powerpoint conversion -> video

[D-Rider]

What remaining hair I have is being ripped from my skull in huge tufts ....

Next weekend I'm off to the world congress for the technology that I work with.
This year my colleague and I are presenting a paper and we also have space on our company's stand to showcase the work we've been doing.

For both of these things we are putting together a video - as well as posters, demos ... etc etc.

Now, it's the video I'm struggling with.

Some of the explanation has been created in Powerpoint and we want to produce an AVI, MPEG or similar video file of this so that we can pull it in with the rest of our footage to make the video.

We also need to capture in video format some screen activity, including mouse actions, to show our software tools in action.

So far I have found some freeware/shareware powerpoint to video converters (one was Moyea another was by EM) BUT they really aren't doing the job - the main problem is that they are degrading the animated text which is making it unsuitable to use in our video (that has to look reasonably professional).

I have also tried using a couple of screen activity capture tools.
VLC has this capability ... and although I've configured VLC for other video stuff (mainly playback), I really can't figure how to set it up to get it to do what I want it too ... the set-up and help seems to be written in "techy video nerd speak".
I've also been trying to use Cam Studio - I've had some success with this for some of the powerpoint slides but others it really can't cope with graphics fades and on some slides just throws a complete fit and consistently flashes text up in random places .... and I can't figure out what's triggering this.

Soooooo ......

Anyone know of any software that will do the job for me properly?
This week is going to be pretty fraught anyway but with this issue it could be a complete disaster .........

[Aladinsaneuk]

in all seriousness, have any mac owning friends?

so long as they i work and a recent mac with ilife - and all come with it, would then be easy using idvd

[D-Rider]

in all seriousness, have any mac owning friends?

so long as they i work and a recent mac with ilife - and all come with it, would then be easy using idvd

My son's GF has a mac - she's with us this weekend - but I don't think she brought her mac (probably didn't expect rain).

Trouble is:
1) Don't think all of the stuff we need to capture will run on a mac
2) Will need to do more during the week and she'll be back in London

Thanks for the suggestion though - I will investigate

.... though if anyone has a PC based solution .................

[Aladinsaneuk]

tell her what you want to do - she will be able to tell you how to do it

(For instance keynote will import a powerpoint presentation and will then export it as a quick time movie..... that can be put into iDVD as just another video file..... )

and re the screen capturing stuff once you have it as a video file, no matter what format, that is then that - just another video file.....

[D-Rider]

'Tis OK - think I've solved the problem.
I've found another capture software that seems to do the job well.

BB Flashback Express is the baby!

.... and it's free - although for a lot of features you have to upgrade to one of the "paid for" versions. Fine by me ... I don't think I need any of those features.

[Dalemac]

Failing that, there is a program called fraps. you can download the full version for free usung bittorrent.

Its what gamers use to capture the screen when they play games. I think it records at an uncompressed 3gb per minute or something like that - and the quality really is brilliant. Obviously why would need to compress it with something like xvid or divx so that it isnt a monsterous file size.

But for quality, there is nothing better.

Dale

[D-Rider]

Cheers Gale ... might just have a look at that