# Recording a new custom-sized movie

You can record all selected action within a custom-defined area. This option is especially useful if you have a strict size requirement for your projects. For example, you may need to record a specific size so you can generate a Captivate SWF file that will be incorporated into a window on a website. If you choose this option, set a custom size in the Width and Height boxes or select a commonly used size from the Preset Size pop-up menu.

Captivate contains a special recording feature called full motion recording that automatically captures frames at a higher frame rate when you record any drag-and-drop actions. For more details, see Full motion recording.

#### To record a new custom-sized movie:

1. Open Captivate.

2. On the Start Page, click Record or create a new movie.

The New movie options dialog box appears.

3. Select Custom size and click OK.

The Recording window appears.

4. Captivate uses a default capture area of 640 x 480 pixels. To change the size, type new numbers into Width and Height or use the arrows to enter new numbers. You can also click Preset sizes and select a commonly used size from the pop-up menu.

Note: In general, movies larger than 800 x 600 pixels may not stream well over dial-up connections.

5. (Optional) From the Optionally, select a window you would like to record pop-up menu, select an open window to record.

6. (Optional) Select Record narration to record audio as you record the movie. For details, see Recording audio
   .

7. (Optional) Click Options to set a wide variety of recording options, including the capability to automatically capture screen shots and automatically generate text captions.

8. (Optional) If necessary, change the position of the window. To do this, move the mouse over the red frame until a four-point arrow appears, and then drag the entire window to a new position. You can also click Snap window to fit inside the red recording area to quickly change the size of the window you are recording to match the size of the red capture area.

9. When you finish setting options, click Record.

10. Captivate begins recording the onscreen action.

If you are automatically recording (that is, you selected the Enable auto recording option in step 7), Captivate automatically captures a screen shot every time you perform an action, such as selecting a menu, clicking a button, or typing text.

If you are manually recording (that is, you did not select the Enable auto recording option in step 7), click the Print Screen button (or other designated capture key) to capture screen shots.

Use whatever is within the red recording area (for example, an application, a website, and so on) as if you were demonstrating your actions to someone. If you have sound enabled on your computer and the option is activated, you will hear a camera shutter sound when screen shots are captured.

Note: When recording an onscreen action, it is best to perform the action more slowly than you would normally. For example, if you are recording keyboard action, type text slowly.

11. When you finish recording, click the End button (or other designated key) to end recording.

The slides are generated and your new movie appears in Captivate Storyboard view. If any drag-and-drop actions were recorded and full motion slides created, you will see the full motion slides displayed in Storyboard view with a special icon.

Tip: If you need to pause recording, press the Pause/Break key. To restart recording, press the Pause/Break key again.