Configuring video capture
Next it’s time to configure CaptureDent™ to work with your video capture device and camera.
The directions that follow assume that your video capture hardware has already been installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and that any required Windows drivers or other auxiliary software has been set up.
If this hasn’t been done yet, turn off your computer and install your hardware and drivers. Otherwise, you can proceed now.
Check that the camera you’ll be using with CaptureDent is connected, powered up, and working correctly.
The camera shown here is connected — its green power lamp is lit and its subject illuminator is on. (After determining that your camera is working, you can turn its light source off.)
Click the “Options” tab to go to the page that lets you set up your video system and configure other options. We’ll begin in the “Audio/Video Configuration” section. (Note that some of the advanced options on this page are used only in premium versions of CaptureDent, and can safely be ignored.)
Video input device and line
The “Video Input Device” is the video hardware to which your camera is attached. Click the button at the right of the box to pick from a list (most systems will show just one choice).
CaptureDent will scan the device you selected for available input lines. Choose the one you use from the “Line” pick list. If just one input line is available, this option will be disabled.
(Tip: Composite cables resemble home stereo cables, while an S-Video connector looks similar to a computer mouse connector.)
Video input size
Next, choose the size of your photos. Though this can be changed later, it’s a good idea to pick a suitable size and stay with it.
The available sizes will depend on your video input device. In general, larger photos will capture more detail than small ones. A good compromise between image quality and required computer storage is 640 × 480 pixels. A photo this size can be viewed and edited even on comparatively low-resolution displays (800 × 600 pixels is the minimum overall display resolution at which CaptureDent can be used).
The remainder of the controls in the “Audio/Video Configuration” section are not used in this version of CaptureDent. Likewise, you need not bother with the “Audio/Video Recording,” “Speech Recognition,” or “Speech Synthesis” sections.
