Recording In Panopto Best Practices

Overview

These steps are here for recommendation. Each person is going to record differently and each person has a different style of video that works for them. These are generic tips that can be used to improve your recording practices and ensure there are no hiccups in the recording practice. 

If you need assistance with recording, please see How To: Basic Recording with Panopto.

If you need assistance with upload, please see How To: Upload Video files to Panopto.

Recording Basics

Lighting: It's best practice to have an indirect light source. Indirect light is light coming in from all sides. Light coming from only overhead or from the side will create shadows on your face. It's helpful to use some sort of reflector to abstain from having a beam of light facing directly at you. If you have a lamp, possibly put a shade over it, or place a white piece of paper over it to turn it into a source of indirect light. You don't need to have a professional indirect lighting, you can get great results from making your own indirect light.

• Try to avoid using your computer monitor as a light source, especially if you wear glasses. Not only will the color of the page you are displaying on your screen cause a hue to appear on your face, but it will also reflect onto the lenses of your glasses.

Sound: In order to get the best quality sound out of your microphone, the first thing you will want to try to do is get rid of as much ambient noise in the room as you can. This will be very apparent once you listen to your recording:

• Unplug office machines in the room you are in, such as fans, printers, scanners, etc. 
• Place your microphone away from your computer (PC fans may increase in speed due to the hardware usage during a recording).
• Place a sign on the door of the room you are recording in to let others know you are recording.
• Confirm your audio is good by making a quick test recording. 

Background: Check what is located in the backdrop of your camera. Make sure there is nothing distracting, or anything that you wouldn't want to be displayed for the world to see. It is recommend to have a solid wall or anything that will force the viewers to concentrate on you, and not your surroundings.


Position: Make sure you are centered inside the frame. Make sure your entire head can be seen as well as part of your shoulders. Try to avoid having any part of your head cropped out of your videos. Leaving a couple of inches between the top of your head and the top of your recording can also make it look better.

Equipment

It may not always be possible to get extremely high-quality equipment. However, it is possible to get the most out of the equipment you have, by adjusting the settings you have control over. If you would like more information on types of equipment that other Panopto users have had success with, please see Learn About Officially Endorsed Equipment. 


Audio: To get the best audio, especially in a large classroom or auditorium setting, you may want to consider using a uni-directional microphone. This will ensure the sound that is picked up is only gathered from one direction, instead of an omni-directional microphone which pulls sound from every angle. Also, please ensure that all drivers for your device of choice are running the latest version. Not having the correct driver's can and usually will cause undesired results. These can always be found on the device manufacturer's website.


Video:  When using a high-quality device, please refer to the manufacturer's documentation to get the most out of your device. There will be many settings that can enhance the output quality, especially with professional quality cameras. Also, please ensure that all drivers for your device of choice are running the latest version. Not having the correct driver's can and usually will cause undesired results. These can always be found on the device manufacturer's website. 

• If your webcam has a small utility to adjust Focus/Zoom/Tilt/Pan, try adjusting those settings to get the best picture.

Screen Capture: The best suggestion is to match the exact display resolution where your computer is set. Meaning, if you have a monitor that is displaying 1920x1080, you should set the recorder to match. That will make it pixel for pixel exact and it will look perfect on playback. Unless otherwise changed, the default resolution is 1920x1080. This setting generally does not need to be changed. 

• Make the application you are showing full screen. 
• If you are using a browser, make the browser look clean by hiding the bookmarks bar. This is the bar across the top that shows bookmarks to various websites. In Google Chrome, right-click somewhere in the blank area and uncheck Show Bookmarks Bar. 
• Delete unnecessary icons from your computer's desktop. 
• Turn off instant messaging and other notifications. 

Computer

Before you begin, make sure your computer meet's Panopto's recommended specifications. If you are using an NCU issued device, your device will meet the requirements.

If you need to install Panopto on your Personal device, please see  How to Setup and Use Panopto Desktop/Laptop App.


If you're using a laptop, make sure it is plugged into a power source and set to high-performance mode. Certain laptops enter a mode which allows for extended battery life. This may cause reduced graphics card capabilities or reduced CPU usage. Windows includes three power plans: power saver, high performance, and balanced to conserve battery power, make your computer perform better, or strike a balance between the two. Unless you change the power plan, your laptop uses the balanced power plan to automatically balance system performance and battery life. This can be done by right-clicking on the Battery icon, then hitting Power Plan. 

Close all of your other applications that you're not using. Certain applications can take a significant portion of system resources just sitting idle.

Requesting Assistance

If you require assistance with Panopto, please submit a ticket.