Recording New Frames

After you create a movie, you might find the need to add more frames to it. One method that you can use to add frames is to record additional frames, inserting them at any place inside the movie.

How to Record New Frames

1. Prepare your screen or workspace for recording the new frames. This includes opening the application window(s) that you want to record and/or arranging your desktop exactly as needed.
2. Open the movie and select View > Frames.
3. In the Frames window pane, select an existing frame. The new recorded frames will be inserted immediately after that frame.
4. Select Frame > Recording. Mimic minimizes and a rectangle with a red border appears on your screen, along with a task bar.

5. (Optional) Rearrange the recording area. You can use several methods and features to do this.

   Drag Edge

   You can resize the recording area manually by clicking any of the handles (small squares) around the edge of the rectangle and dragging them to resize the width and/or height.

   

   Move Entire Recording Area

   You can move the entire recording area by clicking the size-all icon in the center of the area and dragging the area to a new location on your screen.

   

   Type Width or Height

   You can click in the number fields in the task bar to manually change the width and/or height of the recording window in pixels.

   

   Maintain Aspect Ratio

   You can click the chain button in the task bar to maintain the aspect ratio when you change the width or height of the recording area.

   When this feature is disabled, the button displays as an broken chain image. If you then change one dimension of the capture window, the other dimension will not be resized automatically. For example, if you drag the window border to the left (to increase the width), the height will remain the same size.

   

   When this feature is enabled, the button displays as a chain image. If you then change one dimension of the recording window, the other side will be resized automatically. For example, if you drag the window border to the left (to increase the width), the height will be resized accordingly.

   

   Choose Pre-Set Size

   You can click the drop-down in the task bar and choose one of the pre-set window sizes.

   

   Snap/Move Into Rectangle

   If you have a particular application or window open, and you want to capture it, you can choose an option to snap the recording window around that element, or you can choose to move the element into your recording window. When you use one of these options, the Select Window dialog opens. You can then choose any of the applications or windows that you have open.

   

   Note If you are using a newer operating system, you may need to enable window-based recording optimization. See Enabling and Disabling Window-Based Recording Optimization.

   Note Be aware that new frames will still be created in the same size as the existing frames in the movie. Therefore, if you make the recording rectangle larger or smaller, the resulting images in the frames will be stretched or shrunk to compensate for the size change.

6. (Optional) Click on the task bar to specify the settings in the Recording Options dialog.

   

   Select the appropriate options, as described below. When you are finished, click OK.

   • Recording Mode Read more… You can select a specific recording mode to determine what happens when you record the movie.

     

     • Automatic Select this if you want Mimic to automatically capture images as you perform actions in the recording area. If you perform a dragging action in this recording mode, a single full-motion video (FMV) frame is created at that spot in the movie to capture that action.

       FMV may also used whenever you perform a typing action, depending on whether you select the Add typing box shapes (see below).

       

       Note The automatic recording mode may not capture all of the changes happening on your screen. You can press the PRINT SCREEN key on your keyboard to manually create additional frames while recording.

     • Manual Select this if you do not want Mimic to automatically capture the images. Instead, you must press the PRINT SCREEN key on your keyboard whenever you want a new image to be captured during a recording session.
     • Video Select this if you want to record FMV in a single frame. For example, you might use this option if you have an actual video running on your desktop and you want to capture its action.

   • Audio Input Source Read more… You can select an audio input source and record narration while creating a movie. This lets you create audio that is perfectly in sync with a movie, rather than adding sound to the movie afterward. Mimic automatically includes in the drop-down the audio input sources that are available on your computer. Depending on the type of input source, you may need to attach a microphone to your computer. Then, as you record a movie, you can speak into the computer or microphone and this audio is automatically added to the movie frames.

     

     Note If you are recording a new movie, one audio file will be created for the entire movie. If you are recording new frames for an existing movie, one audio file will be created for just those frames.

   • Show magnifier when selecting record region Read more… When you record a region, a large square displays on your screen, showing a close-up of the area where your cursor is located. This helps you to more accurately select a specific area of the screen to record. You can deselect this option if you do not want to see the magnifier.
   • Play sound effects Read more… When you record a movie, sounds are made when you perform actions (e.g., clicking). If necessary, you can disable or re-enable the sounds for movie recordings by clicking this check box.
   • Add callouts Read more… When you record a movie, bubble callouts are automatically added to areas where you click. You can use these callouts in your movie to provide information or instructions at each location where you clicked. However, by clicking this check box, you can exclude the automatic addition of these callouts from movie recordings.
   • Record cursor movements Read more… When you record a movie, Mimic automatically captures your mouse movements. In your movie frames, this is reflected by the addition of a cursor with a keyframe to show its path. The cursor object is indicated by a Cursor row in the Timeline's Frame View. The movement of the cursor is indicated by a Position row directly beneath the Cursor row. When the movie is generated and played, the cursor moves just as you moved it when creating the movie. However, by clicking this check box, you can exclude the automatic addition of these cursor movements from movie recordings.
   • Add typing box shapes Read more… If you select this option, Mimic inserts a typing box object when you type during a recording session. If you disable this option and type during a recording session, the frame in question becomes an FMV frame.
   • Optimize record region Read more…If you are using a newer operating system (e.g., Microsoft Windows 10 or higher), you may find that windows are cut off when using the "Snap to Window" or "Move Window into Rectangle" recording options. This can be remedied the Optimize record region feature. This feature is only recommended if you are using a newer operating system. Enabling this feature while using an earlier operating system may cause issues when recording..
   • Callout Style: Pick Style Read more… This opens the Select Shape Style dialog, where you can choose the style for bubble callouts if they are automatically added when you record a movie. You can select a factory style or select a style from any of your palettes.
   • Cursor Style: Pick Style Read more… This opens the Select Shape Style dialog, where you can choose the style for cursor shapes if they are automatically added when you record a movie. You can select a factory style or select a style from any of your palettes.

7. Click the red record button on the task bar.

   

   You will see a countdown—3, 2, 1—before the recording session begins.

   

8. After the countdown finishes, perform the actions that you want to record.

9. You can use the task bar or the keyboard shortcuts to end, pause, or cancel the recording.

   Task Bar

   The task bar is located below the recording area.

   

   Keyboard Shortcuts

   Here are the keyboard shortcuts available.

   • END Start/stop
   • SHIFT+END Abort
   • PAUSE Stop
   • SHIFT+PAUSE Pause
   • PRINT SCREEN New frame
   • SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN Start/stop video recording

   After you stop the recording session, the new frames are added to the movie.

10. Click to save your work.