recording with a c920?

[Khia Petal]

I'm a mac user who recently just got a logitech c920 off of ebay, works fine and everything as far as I can tell, which is fantastic. The only issue I have is when I want to record a clip with the c920, my options are limited and frustrating.

-I've tried using quicktime, but the video itself lags to the point of being completely unwatchable, nevermind sellable
-I've also tried quicktime 7 pro, and that worked okay, not optimally, but still okay for me to decide to go ahead and move forward with what I have
-then when I went on to edit, I discovered something that I haven't before, and that is that the quality of whatever I important into iMovie is reduced LOADS, leaving me with yet again something that can't work with

I've been trying to find different applications or software that I can record videos with using the c920, but all of my searches have turned up only screen-capturing software. Or perhaps are there any manageable and affordable video editing softwares that people would recommend? I'm also not above torrenting when I'm desperate.

 

[AprilKitt]

maybe open broadcaster software? you can set it to record without actually streaming. i haven't tried it on osx but it works wonderfully on windows.
c920s aren't supposed to be compatible with macs though so you might run into problems no matter what, unfortunately! i know my macbook always has issues with it, but it's old af and i haven't messed with it for a while so hopefully you have more luck than me!

 

[Mila_]

I used to record with Photo Booth, but it doesn't give you HD quality.

 

[Tristyn]

OBS will give you HD quality with the c920 on a Mac.

 

[Khia Petal]

I used to record with Photo Booth, but it doesn't give you HD quality.

I've read about this when I was doing research! Such a shame because it's RIGHT THERE and so convenient, good for simple pictures at least, thanks for your response though

OBS will give you HD quality with the c920 on a Mac.

OBS? I've never heard of it but I will look into it definitely!! Thank you so much!!
(your pixel logo is fantastic btw wahhh)

 

[Khia Petal]

maybe open broadcaster software? you can set it to record without actually streaming. i haven't tried it on osx but it works wonderfully on windows.
c920s aren't supposed to be compatible with macs though so you might run into problems no matter what, unfortunately! i know my macbook always has issues with it, but it's old af and i haven't messed with it for a while so hopefully you have more luck than me!

Oh I just saw this after I posted my first reply! Thank you so much for your response!! UrGH, it's frustrating and I should have considered it more before making the purchase, but I've got it now and just have to work with it now I suppose

 

[MayaEden]

Oh I just saw this after I posted my first reply! Thank you so much for your response!! UrGH, it's frustrating and I should have considered it more before making the purchase, but I've got it now and just have to work with it now I suppose

I know a clipmaker who uses a mac and quicktime to film. She seems to do fine with it, she actually recommended quicktime to me when my c920's recording software mysteriously stopped working again.
Have you checked your settings and system requirements? I have a windows so I can't personally help you but I'm guessing if she can make it work it should be possible? Although I don't know if her camera is specifically the c920.
I can't suggest another program though, I just downloaded youcam so I'm going to try that (heard good things about it) and OBS too (I didn't know OBS could film, thats awesome)

 

[Khia Petal]

I know a clipmaker who uses a mac and quicktime to film. She seems to do fine with it, she actually recommended quicktime to me when my c920's recording software mysteriously stopped working again.
Have you checked your settings and system requirements? I have a windows so I can't personally help you but I'm guessing if she can make it work it should be possible? Although I don't know if her camera is specifically the c920.
I can't suggest another program though, I just downloaded youcam so I'm going to try that (heard good things about it) and OBS too (I didn't know OBS could film, thats awesome)

I have used both of these things actually now sad thing is the video lags loads for some reason, I guess I'll have to keep looking into it, thanks!!

 

[MayaEden]

I have used both of these things actually now sad thing is the video lags loads for some reason, I guess I'll have to keep looking into it, thanks!!

lag might be related to your computer specs. Filming in hd with the c920 requires more from your cpu (or was it gpu? don't remember) and RAM. It could also be related to codecs. the logitech c920 uses the h.264 codec which is different than other cameras. Maybe you need to adjust the settings? The c920 lags a lot when the brightness and gamma are very high.

 

[AutumnDayKink]

MayaEden makes good points. I record on a Macbook with a c920 and Quicktime, then edit in iMovie and do fine with quality. I've asked a few regulars if they think the vid quality is okay and they say it's very nice and clear and they're happy with it. Check system requirements and shut down EVERYTHING that you may have running in the background!! Close just about everything in your Dock to be sure.

 

[MayaEden]

Check system requirements and shut down EVERYTHING that you may have running in the background!! Close just about everything in your Dock to be sure.

Also open the task manager (do mac computers have this?) and delete processes that don't need to be open like dropbox or something. sometimes just exiting the programs isn't enough because they stay open in the background.

 

[MayaEden]

I now realize the Dock you're speaking of is what I was talking about. I just repeated what you said lol. Too late to edit though.

 

[MiaFoxUK]

i got a gorpo for clips because although i can cam in HD, my laptop isnt powerful enough to record in hd or without lags when using the c920

 

[EroticAthena]

What I would do is download a lot of free trials of editing software and play around with them. I took many film classes in college and my biggest take away was to use different software for filming and editing. It's kinda like asking a waitress to be the chef for the night. Programs that are specialized do what they do the best. I believe you can pay by month for adobe software if you like it. Then you can see if the cost is worth what you are making on the videos with as much upfront financial risk.