Overview
This article will detail the basics of setting up a recording within Panopto. Here, you will learn all that you need to learn on how to set-up your recording, being your recording, and uploading your recording.
Login
The first step in recording with Panopto for Windows is to open the application on your computer and log into your Panopto site. When you first launch Panopto, it should immediately prompt you to login with your NCU username and password. If you do not see this, click the Login button. If you are prompted for a server address, enter northcentral.hosted.panopto.com
You can check the Remember Me box to be automatically signed into your account upon launching the application.
Please note that clicking the “More sign-in options” link directs you to the full list of identity providers for your Panopto site and also allows you to change the Panopto server address that this client is connected to.
Choosing a folder
Once logged-in, the first thing you can do is set the folder that your recording will be placed in. In the upper portion of the application window, locate the Folder box. Upon clicking the down arrow within the folder box you will be presented with a hierarchical list of folders which you're able to place recordings in.
Things to know:
- The three most recently used folder for recording will populate the "Recent Folders" list
- Your "My Folders" list will always show under the three most recently used folders
- Clicking the Offline Recording button will allow you to record without choosing a folder. You may upload the session at a later time at your discretion, or when network connectivity is restored.
- Clicking the Create New Folder button will allow you to create a new folder to record your content within.
Choosing Primary Input
Once you have determined the destination for your recording, you must choose the inputs that you would include in your recording. You can select a primary video device, audio device, and also choose to capture computer audio. You can also modify what quality the primary input source is captured at.
Note: A standalone Panopto recording must at least have an audio source chosen. This does not apply if you're joining another recording which is already in progress.
Computer Audio
Panopto can capture any audio that plays on your computer. Simply check "Capture Computer Audio" and we will record anything that plays back on your computer! This includes notification dings, videos and more.
Screen Capture and PowerPoint
After you have selected your video and audio inputs, you can choose to also capture what is displayed on your screen and/or the contents of your PowerPoint presentation.
You may also choose to add an additional video source if you have more than one camera plugged into your computer.
Note: In order to properly record PowerPoint presentations, please ensure PowerPoint is open and that you're presenting in full-screen presentation mode.
To adjust screen your capture resolution, click the drop-down menu to the right of "Resolution" under the secondary source preview window and choose the resolution that best matches the source output. You can also adjust the bit rate and frame rate by dragging the sliders shown below. Click Apply to save changes.
- Resolution: The number of pixels along the length and height of the video. This generally determines the size and quality of video. 1920x1080 is standard High Definition video that matches the size of a standard monitor screen.
- Bit Rate (kbps): The number of bits transferred per second. Bits can also be referred to as pixels. The lower the bitrate, the more pixelated the video as it is not transfering as much data. The higher the bit rate, the more bandwidth is required to transfer that data. 1500 is generally a good number to be at.
- Frame Rate (fps): The number of frames, or pictures, per second. The standard frame rate is 24 frames per second (fps).
Starting, Stopping, and Pausing
After you've chosen the sources that you wish to include in your recording, click large red Record icon to begin capturing.
Once your recording has started, that icon will change into Pause and Stop.
If during your recording session you wish to take a short break, you may click the Pause button. The portion of the recording which you placed on pause will be reflected as an edit and will not be shown in the published version of your recording. You may choose to extend the pause period, shorten it, or remove it completely. The Panopto editor is non-destructive which means that edits may be added or removed at your discretion, without the fear of ruining an original recording. A common use-case for this is when a presenter places a recording on pause and neglects to resume recording after the break. Within the Panopto editor, you can edit the remainder of the recording back into the final presentation.
Once you've completed your recording session click the Stop button. If you had previously picked a destination folder, your session will begin uploading to that folder.
Recording Status
Once your recording has ended, you will be taken to the Manage Recordings page. This page provides a list of sessions that have been recorded offline, are uploading, or have completed uploading.
- Offline Recordings are recordings that you have not yet picked a folder for, so they are just on your computer.
- Currently Uploading Recordings are recordings that are in the midst of the upload process.
- Uploaded Recordings are recordings that have completed upload and are either processing or ready for viewing. * You may also perform additional actions on the recordings listed in this area
- Delete Local - Clicking this button will delete the copy of the recording that still resides on your computer. This is an irreversible action. The final version that exists on the Panopto site will not be affected by this action
- Set Offline - Clicking this button will put the recording in a state where it may be uploaded to another folder, uploaded using a different name, or uploaded to a different Panopto site altogether after logging into that new site within the recorder.
Sign In
Before you begin your recording, you are going to want to make sure that you are signed into the Panopto Server. If you are not signed in, your videos may not be properly uploaded to the server.
1. Locate Panopto under Applications and run it.
2. Click Sign in, located in the upper-right of the application.
3. Enter your NCU credentials. If prompted for a server, enter northcentral.hosted.panopto.com. You can select the Remember Me option to be automatically logged in when you open the application.
4. Click Create Recording to begin the set-up for a new recording.
Adding Folders and New Sessions
By default, Panopto will open up the last known good configuration of recording devices. If you have recorded content before, the same devices will be chosen. If you have not yet recorded, Panopto will upload contect to the default My Folder This folder is located online at northcentral.hosted.panopto.com under your account. To change this, select the drop down arrow and choose the appropriate folder.
Choosing Recording Devices
Whether you are recording offline or to the desired Folder, you can always choose the devices you wish to record with. These devices include webcams, video cameras, audio inputs, screen captures, Powerpoints, and remote devices. To select the device you wish to use, simply check the box next to the device listed with the Mac Recorder Applications.
Note: Audio is required for all recordings to complete and be posted to the web. If recording from two separate computers, Panopto for Mac will allow you to record with no audio or video selected, however, the session will not process until the other computer uploads the audio and/or video to the system. You will receive a pop-up error message if no audio/video is selected when recording
Select and Record from a Primary Source
Under Primary Source, you can choose which Audio/Video device you would like to record with.
Select and Record from Slides
Under the Slides option, you can choose to capture PowerPoint or Keynote slides. Checking either one of these options will include your slides inside of your video, but not capture the entire screen.
Select and Record from Secondary Sources
Within the Secondary Sources box in Panopto for Mac, you can choose to capture your screen, or an additional video source such as another webcam, document camera, etc. Click Secondary 2 if you wish to include another secondary source. You will noticed that already selected sources are greyed out.
Recording
After selecting from the available inputes, being the recording by clicking on Record.
The recording will begin. Proceed to record your video as you please, speaking clearly into the mic and confidently.
To stop recording, simply switch back to Panopto, (You can push Command + Tab until Panopto is selected to easily accomplish this) and click Stop.
Once you choose to stop the recording, you will be presented with the post-recording dialogue box. This provides users with another opportunity to rename their recording, provide a brief description, or delete and record again.
The next screen will show the status of the recordings. By default, Panopto for Mac will automatically upload the recorded content to the server. As the recording is being transferred to the server, you can preview the recording in the Preview area if Audio, Video, or Screen Capture was recorded. If the preview was not sufficient, you can choose to Pause Upload to pause the upload of the files to the server. The Actions button has two options; Show Files or Delete (will show or delete the local files in the Panopto Recordings directory).
