Capture Method

The first three buttons in the main toolbar are where you select the capture method: Device (including webcams and other devices such as a VHS player using a USB capture device), Network camera, or Screen. The selected capture method controls what is seen in the recording preview window.

Schedule

Click the schedule button to set up a scheduled recording from a designated recording source. You can even set up a recurring recording schedule. There is no need to keep Debut in the running state, it will be started automatically at the requested time.

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

Click this to view the Help documentation with a web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.).

Record (F5)

This button has a red circle inside. Click this button to start a new recording, or to continue a paused recording.

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 (in minimized mode use Ctrl + F10 instead). Once recording is finished, you can click a bubble tip above the Debut tray icon to start watching the recording.

Output Sound Toggle

During recording, the audio output can be muted or unmuted using the Output Sound Toggle button to the left of the dB meter.

Snapshot

Click the camera icon to take a snapshot from the currently selected capture image.

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.

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.

Edit Output

To resize a video or change the frame rate, click the Edit Output button. More information about resizing and the frame rate can be found at http://www.nch.com.au/kb/10070.html.

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, 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 this button to apply a watermark to the output video, or to configure the positioning of a watermark.

Selection Button

The last button in the Color Effects section is only available during screen capture. The rectangle shaped icon allows you to select a specific area of the screen for recording, as described in the Selection Tool section of this manual.

Exit (Close to Tray)

Selecting this option will close the Debut window, but will allow it to continue running in the background. This is useful if you have scheduled recordings, or use system-wide hotkeys to begin recording from other applications. Meanwhile, the Debut icon will appear in the system tray at the lower right of your screen, and can be reopened by clicking the icon.

Exit (Turn Off)

Select this option to exit Debut entirely and to remove its icon from your system tray.