Main Toolbar
Menu (Alt)
Click this to view a popup menu showing Debut's features. The menu is an alternative way of accessing all the features of Debut and includes the features listed in this page as well.
Capture Method
The first four buttons in the main toolbar are where you select the capture method: Webcam, Device (e.g. USB capture device, DV camera), Network or Screen. The selected capture method controls what is seen in the recording preview window.
Recordings (Ctrl + L)
Click the Recordings button in the main toolbar to view, play and manage all the recordings in the output folder. For more details, please refer to the Find and Play Recordings section of this help manual.
Options (Ctrl + O)
Click this to open the Options window, where you can configure some of the application settings.
Help (F1)
Click this to view the Help documentation with a web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.).
Recording Controls
The recording controls are located at the bottom of the main Debut window. If Debut is minimized or in the background, you can use a system-wide hotkey if one is assigned for a function. They can be configured in the Hot-Keys tab of the Options dialog.
Record (F5)
This button has a red circle inside. Click this button to start a new recording, or to continue a paused recording. The default system-wide hotkey is Ctrl + F9.
Pause (F6)
Click this when you want to pause a recording and continue it later. To continue recording after pausing the file, click the record button again.
Stop (F7)
Click this to finish and save your current recording in the recordings list. Once recording is finished, you can click a bubble tip above the Debut tray icon to start watching the recording. The default system-wide hotkey is Ctrl + F10.
Output Sound Toggle (F4)
During recording, the audio output can be muted or unmuted using the Output Sound Toggle button to the left of the dB meter.
Full Screen (Alt + Enter)
Toggle the full screen preview on and off.
Note: Full screen option is not available for screen capture when monitor is only one. It is only available in video capture: Webcam, Device (e.g. USB capture device, DV camera) or Network.
Snapshot (F8)
Click the camera icon to take a snapshot from the currently selected capture image. The default system-wide hotkey is Ctrl + F12.
Selection Window
In screen record mode, there is a rectangle to the right of the snapshot button. The box gives a preview of the screen selection. If the selection is set to record the entire screen, the words "Full screen" will appear in this box. If the selection is set to a specific area, the area will appear as a dotted rectangle within this box, and can be dragged around to change the selection's orientation within the full screen.
Right clicking on the Selection Window will open a context menu with the following menus:
Record As
Select the format you would like the recording to be saved as. This format can be converted later using Prism conversion software (see the Convert section of the Find & Play section of this manual for more about Prism). For more information about the video options, see http://www.nch.com.au/kb/10230.html.
Encoder Options
The compression and format settings for the selected recording format can be viewed by clicking the Encoder Options button. For more information about each format's encoder options, click the Help button on the format's encoder settings dialog.
Video Options
To resize a video or change the frame rate, click the Video Options button. More information about resizing and the frame rate can be found at http://www.nch.com.au/kb/10070.html.
Audio Options
To change the microphone and/or speaker source, enable mouse clicks sound or enable dB levels only when recording, click the Audio Options button.
Color and Video Effects
The video effects buttons are located just under the recording preview screen, along the right side.
Caption
Click the Caption button to bring up the Caption panel where you can add text to your video, or apply a time stamp. The caption can be set prior to recording, or during recording, but cannot be added after recording.
Image Effects
Click the Image Effects button to bring up the Image Effects panel. From here, you can adjust the color settings or apply a filter to the video. These settings can be set prior to, or during recording, but cannot be added to a pre-recorded video.
Watermark
Click the Watermark button to apply a watermark to the output video, or to configure the positioning of a watermark.
Green Screen Effect
The green screen effect button is located just under the recording preview screen, placed at the rightmost side.
Mouse Cursor Settings
Click the Mouse Cursor Settings button to change the mouse cursor visibility or add a highlight effect on the cursor in the output video.
Screen Recording Options
When Screen is selected a panel will appear beneath the preview. In this panel you can find the Screen Selection Tools.