Here are some tips for recording your own audio and video using either your computer and your phone. This would be for PRE-recording a segment, and then uploading that file, not for going live in the moment.
If you are looking for instructions on how to record your audio and video
with screen capture as well, click here.
Be sure to check out our Presenter Resources to learn about optimizing your audio, lighting and video. You can always upgrade with a Studio In A Box.
You can choose to record yourself via your computer or your phone. In most cases, the camera on the back of your phone will likely be the highest quality camera (between that, your front-facing camera, and your laptop camera). Getting your phone in the right position may be tricky if you don't have a phone tripod, so it may be easier to use your computer instead. Here are a few options for you, depending on your preferences and available equipment.
If recording on a computer:
If recording on a phone or tablet:
Recording on a Windows computer (PC)
Find a space to record with a clean, uncluttered background and good lighting. You can reference our Presenter Resources for more location optimization tips.
1) Open the ‘Camera’ App. This can be done by accessing the Start Menu and typing in ‘Camera’
2) With the Camera App open, open the settings tab by clicking the cog/gear icon in the upper left-hand corner of the window. Under ‘Video Quality’ ensure that you are recording at the highest setting possible. For most cases this should be ‘1080p 16:9 30fps’
3) If needed, choose which camera to use by clicking the Camera Switch icon in the upper right hand corner.
4) If needed, access the ‘Sound Settings’ options by accessing the Start Menu and typing in ‘Sound Settings’, then click the icon that pops up. In this window, under ‘Input’ you can change the default microphone and test to confirm that there is signal being received.
5) Select the video record function by clicking the icon shaped like a video camera . Press this camera icon again to start recording. When you have finished press this camera icon again to stop recording.
6) Your recording can be found by default in your ‘Camera Roll’ which can be accessed at the following file path: C:\Users\‘username’\Pictures\Camera Roll.
Recording on a Mac computer
Find a space to record with a clean, uncluttered background and good lighting. You can reference our Presenter Resources for more location optimization tips.
1) Open the ‘Quicktime’ App. This can be done by finding it in your application bar or by pressing Shift+Space and typing in ‘Quicktime’. Once open, begin a new recording by selecting ‘New Movie Recording’ from the ‘File’ drop-down menu.
2) Select your camera and microphone source by right clicking on the record icon (red circle). Ensure that the recording quality is set to high.
3) To begin recording, press the record icon once. When you have finished your content, press this icon again to stop recording.
4) To save your recording, navigate to the ‘File’ drop-down menu and select ‘Save’ or press ⌘S. Select the destination to save to from the popup menu.
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Recording on an Apple iPhone or iPad
It is very important that you record in landscape (holding your phone at a horizontal orientation). Vertical videos will not fit into the video player frame well and may need to be re-recorded.
Find a space to record with a clean, uncluttered background and good lighting. You can reference our Presenter Resources for more location optimization tips.
1) Open the ‘Camera’ App. Once open, begin a new recording by selecting ‘VIDEO’ from the scrolling options on the bottom, typically to the left of 'PHOTO.' Click the camera swap icon (circular arrows) to select the front facing camera. The camera should auto focus on your face with a yellow rectangle.
2) To begin recording, press the record icon (red circle) once. It will ding, and the red recording button will turn into a stop button (red square). Click stop when you have finished your content to stop recording.
3) To send your recording, click the Share icon at the bottom left hand corner, where you can select how to share - we recommend via email or via Google Drive. Please avoid sending videos via text message if possible.
TO SEND VIA E-MAIL: Select your preferred email app, and your iPhone will prepare your video for sending. You may receive a notice that the file you are trying to share exceeds the attachment limit. If this happens, you can try sending with Mail Drop, or you can use Google Drive. To use Mail Drop, simply click 'Use Mail Drop' when sending. If Mail Drop is turned on, the attachments are uploaded to iCloud. It may take some time for the upload to complete, depending on the size of the files. Discard the email draft. In the 'Share' menu, click ‘Copy iCloud Link’ and send a new email with that link in the body.
TO SEND VIA GOOGLE DRIVE: If you do not already have the Google Drive App, download it from the App Store, linked here, and sign in with your Google account. In the Google Drive app, click the plus icon (+) in the lower right hand corner to add a file to your drive. select 'Upload`, then `Photos and Videos`.
You should see your file upload on the home screen in a few moments. Click the three dots in the upper right corner above it to share with others. You can either click ‘Share’ to add people’s emails directly, or click ‘Copy Link’ to send in an email, text, or other message.
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Recording on an Android phone or tablet
It is very important that you record in landscape (holding your phone at a horizontal orientation). Vertical videos will not fit into the video player frame well and may need to be re-recorded.
Find a space to record with a clean, uncluttered background and good lighting. You can reference our Presenter Resources for more location optimization tips.
1) Open the ‘Camera’ App.
Once open, begin a new recording by selecting ‘VIDEO’ from the scrolling options on the bottom, typically to the left of 'PHOTO.'
Click the camera swap icon (circular arrows) to select the front facing camera. The camera should auto focus on your face with a yellow rectangle.
2) To begin recording, press the record icon (red circle) once and the red recording button will turn into a stop/pause button. Click stop when you have finished your content to stop recording.
3) To send your recording, click the Gallery at the bottom left-hand corner, which will take you to your recent photos/videos. Your video should be the most recent file. Press the share icon in the bottom center of your screen and choose the application you would like to share your video with. Please note that email has a 25MB file size limit and you will need to use another application for most use cases.
TO SEND VIA E-MAIL:
Select your preferred email app, and your phone will prepare your video for sending.
You may receive a notice that the file you are trying to share exceeds the attachment limit. If this happens, you can use Google Drive.
TO SEND VIA GOOGLE DRIVE:
If you do not already have the Google Drive App, download it from the App Store, linked here, and sign in with your Google account.
In the Google Drive app, click the plus icon (+) in the lower right hand corner to add a file to your drive. select 'Upload`, then use your phones file navigation system to select your recording
You should see your file upload on the home screen in a few moments. Click the three dots in the lower right corner below it to share with others. You can either click ‘Share’ to add people’s emails directly, or click ‘Copy Link’ to send in an email, text, or other message.
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