MBP iSight Recording

i was wondering if its possible to record video directly with my iSight and MBP.
I purchased a 15.4" 2.2ghz 2gb 120gb MBP last week and will receive it this week.
I need to record video for class presentations, any suggestions or ideas?
thank you!

Thank you both very much.
With both applications can I save them as whatever filetypes i want?
Avi, Quicktime .mov, mpeg?
thanks again!

Similar Messages

ISight recording

I'm getting the new 20 in iMac in June, and have a question about the iSight. Can you record directly to your computer? As an example, record a video message or greeting and email it as a file to someone? Or hypethticaly, as a security device? Have the iSight record all time when the user is away?
These questions are more just out of interest than need, I just think it could be useful if able to record directly to your mac.
Thanks

Hello Mr.Mac, ( Great name! )
Here is one way to use the iSight as a security camera...
Security
Look at EZ Jim's excellent post in this thread...
Recording with my iSight
Post back if you need any more.
Hope that helps some.
Regards
Ian

ISight recording will not be added to iMovie

I'm having great trouble with iSight recording. When I'm done with the recording, and press "stop", it will not upload the sequence to iMovie. In addition, the picture often freeze or is just black so I have to try many times.
Any clue why this is so?

Welcome to Discussions, idalexa
idalexa wrote:
I'm having great trouble with iSight recording. When I'm done with the recording, and press "stop", it will not upload the sequence to iMovie. In addition, the picture often freeze or is just black so I have to try many times.
Any clue why this is so?
Not enough information to diagnose "why." However, until you get better suggestions, here are some things you can try in any order that seems reasonable for your system.
(1) Sometimes merely restarting the Mac gets things going. Also, if too many apps are running, you may have problems with the significant processing demands of capturing and writing video to disk. It might even be helpful to turn off your airport card to be sure your MBA is not trying to use other apps like checking for Mail or making a Time Machine backup while you are trying to capture video.
Also, be sure you are not trying to simultaneously use more than iSight application.
Restart your MBA and quit any login items that may be running before launching iMovie. Then make a short test video to see if it works properly. If so, make several other short test clips to see if the improved results are repeatable.
(2) Be sure you have lots (I like 40GB or more) of available disk space. If your disk has too little space, disk writing will place additional demands on your Mac. If necessary, backup important info you can do without and move or delete some of your user data to create more free space. Then restart and test iMovie/iSight again.
(3) If you are concerned that the problem may be related to your iSight, use Apple's troubleshooting suggestions http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090 to see if the problem is the same in other apps or user accounts.
EZ Jim
G5 DP 1.8GHz w/Mac OS X (10.5.7) PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

MBP iSight

Hi, I've made the plunge to Mac and am awaiting my delivery. I have a question that seems to get divided answers, but I didn't find it specifically related to the MBP iSight.
Has anyone used the MBP iSight on Yahoo Messenger with video? Does it work well or not at all? I have so many that use this messenger that I can't switch them all. Any input specific to MBP iSight and YM w/video will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike

Hi, thank you but that seems to refer specifically to an Apple service.
What I'm hoping is that someone here uses Yahoo Messenger w/video and can verify that their iSight in the Macbook Pro works for it.
I think I'm prepared to swith all the family computers over to Mac (bought an old G4-800 iMac from a friend and love it), so I'll be able to get them on iChat when I'm away. But so many friends are on Yahoo Messenger and I know I can't convert everyone!
Has anyone with a Macbook Pro used their iSight successfully on Yahoo Messenger with video?
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate you taking the time.
Mike
Waiting for MBP 2.0 2G 120G

Built in iSight for MBP to record video?

is it possible to record video with the built in iSight for the Macbook Pro? and also, are there any add-ons i can download for more features on photobooth? thanks

Hi
Have you tried iMovie, Quicktime Pro.
photobooth altrnative http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/22736
Tony

ISIGHT RECORDING: HOW TO GET RID OF AN ANNOYING TREBLE BUZZING SOUND ???

I AM USING 'Griffen iMic' DEVICE TO CONNECT THE MICROPHONE TO THE MAC BUT I HAVE A PROBLEM USING iSIGHT; EVERY TIME I WANNA RECORD SOMETHING, I GET THIS RATHER ANNOYING BUZZING TREBLING SOUND. I'M NOT SURE WHETHER IT'S THE iSIGHT OR THE iMIC OR EVEN THE CABLE ¿
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT IS?
I HAVE TRIED TURING DOWN THE 'INPUT VOLUME' (IN SOUND SECTION) BUT THAT JUST DISTORTS THE QUALITY.
HELP ME OUT HERE. THANKS.
< Edited by Host >

Thanks for the info, Potash
yo whats up dude
The sky, bro!
that better?
Much.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT IS? ...
im using a macbook pro
and my mic is a sennheiser e845 s
Try any of these suggestions that you have not already done in any order you think appropriate:
(0) Verify that you have followed the directions in your iMic Quick Start Guide:
http://www.griffintechnology.com/manuals/0000/0062/iMicQSGuide1_00.pdf
Be sure to set iMic's Mic/Line Level Switch correctly.
(1) See iMic's Product Support: http://www.griffintechnology.com/support/products/imic and any of the articles there that might help you. Here are a few examples, but check the others to see which apply to your system's issue:
Verify your Mac's settings as explained in this article:
How Do I Use the iMic in GarageBand? (Mac)
Other software may work better with your iMic/mic combination:
What kind of software can I use with it? (Mac)
Adding a preamp, mixer, or impedance matching transformer may give better results:
I've plugged in my $150 mic and it doesn't work. (Mac and PC)
(2) Test with no peripherals other than iMic connected to your MBP to eliminate interference from some other device as the possible source of the noise.
(3) Test with your iMic connected to your MBP's other USB to eliminate a problem with one particular USB connector as the possible source of the noise.
(4) Test a different audio input device on both USB ports of your MBP to eliminate your Mac's USB circuitry as the possible source of the noise.
(5) Try your iMic/mic combination on another Mac to eliminate your particular Mac as the possible source of the noise.
(6) Test your Mic, including its On/Off switch on some other audio system to eliminate the mic, its switch, or its cable as the possible sources of the noise.
(7) Try a different iMic with your MBP and mic to eliminate your particular iMic as the possible source of the noise.
EZ Jim
G5 DP 1.8GHz w/Mac OS X (10.5.6) PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

Mid 2009 13" MBP iSight camera bad picture quality in photo booth

My daughter's stock mid 2009 13" MBP 2.26 ghz intel core two duo has a problem with the isight camera. The isight camera is built in to the screen. The isight camera works some of the time flawlessly and other times it comes out real grainy and with small colored pixels all over the screen like colored static (about 20% to 30% of the photo booth screen is affected but the rest of the screen outside of the photo booth app is unaffected). She only uses it in photo booth but we've tried the iChat app and the same thing happens there too, once she couldn't get the MBP to connect to the isight camera (it just showed a black photo booth screen), so she closed the lid of her MBP and reopened it and it worked. All of the software and firmware is up to date and we've tried resetting the PRAM and the SMC, it didn't do anything to fix the problem. It seems like there's a wire loose in the computer from the screen to the computer base, only because I can move the screen back and forth and the picture quality changes, the amount of static on the picture will move, go away or get worse. I had the screen changed in early 2010 (January or February) (the MBP was about 5 or 6 months old then) at the apple store under warranty due to dirt under the screen's glass (manufacturing defect). The photo booth picture static problem comes and goes, but here lately it comes more than it goes. The screen in general is in good shape and doesn't have any detectable problems with it, it has a good picture and no dead pixels, the problem seems to be only isolated to the isight camera. Can some one help with this problem? How long of a warranty is given on the warranty repairs (like the screen change they did in early 2010)? If apple does a repair on it and finds a wire that has rubbed the insulation off of it on a hinge causing a short and the isight problem, as a result of a sloppy repair from the first warranty repair, will they cover it under warranty again even if it's been over a year since they changed the screen? Also how honest will apple be if they do find out it is a problem caused from the first screen replacement, will they own up to their mistake? If I don't agree with apple's repair decision, can I get a second opinion from an outside source, third party, and if it's diagnosis different than apple's and can be proven, can I still get apple to do and pay for the repairs and labor if it turns out to be their fault from the first warranty screen replacement?
The reason why I'm asking is, I took my wife's white macbook in about a year ago for the famous cracked top cover replacement (under warranty) and when I got the computer back, the isight camera didn't work, so I gave it back, they took it apart a look at it and said there was nothing wrong with it and gave it back, then the screen wouldn't come on so after 4 hours at the Apple store they decided to send it to Austin, TX. for repairs (I'm in Ft. Worth TX.). Apple in Austin said it needed a new main board. They said the old one had water damage to it. We never had water anywhere near the computer, not even in the same room. It was working fine when we took it in, we took it in just to get the plastic top case, that cracks all of the time, replaced under warranty. And then they wanted us to pay for an $800 main board because some how while they were doing the top cover replacement it got water damaged. I argued with them and they finally gave me a one-time offer of them paying for half of the repair and labor or if I disagreed or left the store I would have to pay the whole amount if I chose to have the repairs done. So I ended up having to pay $467 for a year old macbook main board that was water damaged in their possession during their repairs. I like Apple and their products but I am worried about giving my daughter's MBP over to them for repairs because of this incident, it's an honesty issue with how honest they will be with what they find because they won't give back the old parts for analysis by a third party to verify their diagnosis.
Thanks for any info and advice anyone can give.

Hi,
As a personal note I find long posts like this hard to read if they are not broken up in to paragraphs.
As I say it is a personal thing.
I can give you some information about the camera and laptops over the past few years.
Basically in early Laptops of the MacBook Pro and MacBook range the cable did tend to fray at the point where it passed through the hinge. It did take a well used laptop that had the lid open and closed frequently to cause this. (your 2009 model might just be in that group - I have no firm dates or models I am afraid)
Later models have this rerouted so that this does not happen.
However the cable has then tended to get pulled from the camera end and become loose.
This On Line Self fix site has pages about some models (The one I have linked to may not be yours)
I have linked in to later pictures in the sequence but there are navigation points to work back to the start.
Note:- they use pretty specifc specialest tools as well in these pics.
Doing this would certail Void any Warranty you have left.
From Posts mainly in the iChat and the iSight areas I have gathered that it seems common for Apple to replace the Screen as a whole rather than fiddle with getting solely at the camera.
Apple has this article on Trouble Shooting an iSight
Basically it says try several apps then try logging in on another Mac User account to see if it is App based or User based or in fact System wide.
If System wide then resetting the SMC/PMU is the only suggested fix. (Which I did read you had done)
In addition to that I would add that testing should be done in different lighting conditions.
Lighting in the evening or dark that is good enough to read buy is not always good enough for the camera or is not illuminating the right areas.
Some people have reported that Starting the computer in Safe Mode (then Rebooting afterwards) seems to help. (it clears out some caches and starts up with reduced extensions)
As to actual Repairs and any Warranty that may still be in place I cannot say.
I can say that when people post about problems with repairs a certain stores someone else will tend to post that their experience was different.
You seem to report two different experiences with the two computers yourself.
10:24 PM Thursday; July 14, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.7),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Built in Isight recording but clip shows up blank and with 00:00 reading

Hello,
I have had a look around the forum and found one specific topic with a similar problem to mine, but it was unanswered!
I have been trying to record some clips with imovie HD (on my macbook) with my built in isight camera and everytime I go to play a clip back it has a fuzzy noise at the end of the clip which distorts the sound.
Also alot of the clips record and then when they show up in the clips panel they show a blank black square with the 00:00 as the time recorded.
This problem only started today and I also bear in mind that I upgraded my memory today to 1GB.
I used imovie yesterday and it worked perfectly and I have never had problems before.
Any suggestions on what to do? Thanks
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I guess the next thing would be to trash the preferences and run a permissions repair.
Quit iMovie.
Locate a file named com.apple.iMovie.plist and get rid of it. imovie will create a new one the next time it runs. Empty the trash and run a permission repair using the Disk Utility.
The files can be found here:
-->/Users/YourName**/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iMovie.plist
Sue

My Isight records nothing on my G5

Hello!
A couple days ago the power supply burned out on my parent's G5. They took it to Mac Shack and it was fixed. A day later I noticed that the computer was having issues with sleeping, and the next day I realized that Isight wasn't working either.
I checked the System Profiler and reset the SMC/PMU as one post recommended, but to no avail.
But I also noticed that there is a difference between my Isight problem and that of the original post I found said solution under.
At first when I went to use photobooth/quicktime to record, the computer said that the camera was in use. I restarted the computer. Then after being able to open both applications I was met with a blank screen. So in other words the light was on (as opposed to Bellamcq's problem) and either Isight just isn't recording or something is wrong with it.
I will try to rest the SMC again (I've tried twice now already)...but if that doesn't work what do I do? Please help!
Thank you so much!

Welcome to Apple Discussions, Zerosixtwoeighteight
It sounds to me like you have tried the right things.
I suggest that you take your parent's G5 back to the folks that worked on it and ask them to fix the iSight (and anything else that might not be working right.) Knowing what was done during the recent service call, the Service Provider will know the fastest fix for your problem.
Your parents should have a current backup all important files on the G5 before taking it back.
EZ Jim
PowerBook 1.67 GHz w/Mac OS X (10.4.11) G5 DP 1.8 w/Mac OS X (10.5.2) External iSight

Imovie/Garageband - Effects dont come through on isight recording

So im recording via iSight into iMovie while playing my guitar via GarageBand. Everything is great except when i play it back - iMovie has stripped out all the effects in the audio (flange, delay, etc) are completely gone and all i am heard to be playing is naked guitar into GB.
Help?
Thanks

I had the same problem. It sounds great while you're recording but it's an illusion of sorts. All that I-Movie is actually recording is the input (pre- Garageband) of your guitar.You need to get GB and I- Movie recording just as you have. Then before your actual GB mix starts to play make a loud sudden hand clap. The hand clap will show up as a large waveform 'spike' both in GB and I-Movie. Okay? After you're done, go to the mix you created in Garageband. Click on 'track' in the upper edit area (file, edit, track, control etc) and enable 'show movie track'. This will open the movie track at the top of your arrange window in GB. Click on the 'media browser' tab bottom right of same screen. You will have the option to open the movie you just created. Click on the thumbnail of that movie and drag it to the 'movie track' you just enabled in Garageband. You will now see the movie with it's cleanaudio AND the Garageband mix with your guitar sounding the way you want. Look for that hand clap spike you made just before your mix started. Line that up with your movie 'spike' and you will be in perfect sync! Then, just mute the clean track in your movie audio and let Garageband be the soundtrack. It works like a charm. ~King

Color tint shifts constantly during isight recording

I recently updated from a 13" aluminum MacBook to a 13" MacBook Pro. When I record the video of the isight camera, the lighting color constantly shifts from red to green to red etc. Very annoying. It didn't do this with my 1 year old MacBook. The MacBook Pro isight is terrible. I reviewed a previous post and have not been able to resolve the issue. Any suggestions? Apple Care is closed already tonight on the east coast.
Thanks,
Richard

I may be answering my own inquiry. When the light source is compact fluorescent lighting of medium intensity, it appears the video camera searches for the "correct" color balance. Unfortunately, the wavelength output of low wattage compact fluorescent bulbs is vastly different from incandescent bulbs. By increasing the lighting levels in the room (turn on some other lights), the software is able to lock on a color and produces a stable color image. Using mixed fluorescent bulbs (cool & warm bulbs) can sometimes confuse the system's ability to set the best color.
If the color constantly shifts, turn on some additional lighting. It will stabilize the results. If the final color is not optimal, there is software that can be used to shift the color to your preference.
I hope this helps others who are experiencing the same issue. The camera has certain limitations due to size and resolution. If you want high quality video, you could always use a small HD video camera - like the new Sanyo Xacti SC1 coming out in March - to record your video.
Richard

Error 2014 during iSight recording

I have been trying to record video through iSight on my Macbook Pro, but after a while (maybe roughly 20-30 minutes into the recording) the video starts getting choppy and it gives the error # 2014.
Any ideas?

Make shorter recordings?
View the window to note how large your file is getting. Device Native files can be huge and you'll have problems when free hard drive space is running low.
You can always join these short captures together or send them to other apps for further editing.
You can also "Pause" your captures by holding down the Option key before clicking on the red button in the recording window.

Recording in QT with iSight - recording time & higher quality video

Hi
I would like to make long recordings with iSight & QT. I want to just click the record button and forget about it for several hours. I know I have ample disk space. I'm wondering if there is any automatic shut-off feature that I have to be aware of. Is the iSight/QT set to stop recording after a certain amount of time?
Also, while I like the quality of the "Better" setting (H.264, 240x180), I'm wondering how to get even better quality within QT. "Good" and "Better" seem to be the only two settings.
Many thanks
steve

iSight automatically shuts off (actually goes to low-power mode; see How to turn iSight (really) off) only if it is not in use.
Video files require large amounts of disk space. If you are using external Firewire drives for "several hours" of disk space, be aware of Possible hardware or software conflicts. iSight can be picky about how and with what it shares the Firewire connections on your Mac.
You are correct that there is no "More Than Better" setting in QuickTime Pro. For more info on QT settings and whether QT Pro can automatically shut off, try QT Discussions if you do not get authoritative answers here.

ISight recording gets choppy 5 min into capture

Hi! after having audio issues recording using Photo Booth, I thought I'd give using iMovie a shot.
I'm happy to see that iMovie reverses the image correctly so you can read anything you hold up!
I recorded 10 minutes of video. It gets really choppy halfway (~5 min) - the audio sounds fine throughout the 10 minutes.
I located the file in the Finder and opening it up in QuickTime produces the same choppiness.
I want to know if it is the specs of my iMac (see below) that is causing a buffer to fill up or something?
Does anyone have any tips on recording smooth video using iMovie 09 using my built-in iSight on my iMac?

Don't have an answer to this.
But, I did want to post that I have a similar problem.
I have several Windows machines...and a MacBook, 10.5.6, maxed-out with 4 gigs of RAM.
So, I thought today I'd play around with Photo Booth for the 1st time and see how a vid with a "green-screen" background effect would come out.
And it came out the lousiest I've ever had for any video I've ever made!
I used the built-in iSight camera and the playback was so choppy and so out of sync video-to-voice that it was worthless. Junk.
Looks like something a $12 machine would produce.
This is crazy. If I'm maxed-out on RAM, what's the issue and why does it look like its 1996 and I'm using dial-up?
This is very disappointing.
Oh, and as a postscript, this mid-2008 machine has version iMovie 7.1.4 - as I look for an upgrade, silly me, I forgot this is a Mac - no free lunch here - and no free upgrade!

ISight Recording Speed

Hi there.
I recently published a video on Youtube, but when I played the video back, the audio was regular speed but the video itself was in super speed. Someone on the Youtube help forum said to check and see if my iSight webcam is recording videos as "interlaced" (he said if it is, I need to change it so it's not interlaced) and if it's recording at 29.97 FPS (frames per second.)
This is all way above my head, so where would I go on my Macbook Pro to check these settings?
Thanks!

Saralaise wrote:
Hi EZ Jim,
How do I change the format of my videos?
How you do that depends on which app you use to modify your videos.
Your Mac's Help for the app you use gives you the answers.
I usually use QuickTime7 Pro: http://store.apple.com/us/product/D3380Z/A
QT7Pro Help for "Customizing Video Export Settings" gives details or you can see this web version:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=QuickTime%20Player/7/en/c4qt3.html
For large projects or those I have imported into iMovie 8 (the iMovie from iLife '09) for editing,
follow the iMovie instructions for "Publishing directly to YouTube" or see this web version:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iMovie/8.0/en/10338.html
Unless you are accustomed to QT Pro, you may find iMovie's YouTube menu item easier to use.
If you use some other Mac app to edit or modify you video, check its Help.
Help in Mac apps usually answers all your questions, but it is always a good place to start.
FWIW, I imported a short video clip into iMovie and tested an upload via the iMovie > Share > YouTube.... Following the instructions resulted in a YT video that worked correctly.
You might want to delete your YT problem video and upload it again from iMovie using those instructions.
We will watch for your status update.
Jim
Message was edited by: EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz Mac OS X (10.6.5); MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.5)
LED Cinema Display; G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11); iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9); External iSight; iPod touch 4.1

MBP iSight Recording

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for