HELP WANTED: Screenshot Grabbers

[David]

I think so, but I would have to check the settings display to make sure. I save as individual files currently.

Okay checked. If capture to clipboard is save as batch save, then yes.

Batch saving is saving multiple files simultaneously. Capture to clipboard is, alas, capture to clipboard -- only one file can be stored at any given time.

I use WinDVD at my mom's house and I have never been able to save all my caps in one setting. I have to save periodically, but that may be a setting issue that I haven't played with yet, and I don't know what WinDVD she has.

I'm currently assessing our options as to whether we'll want to use a version of WinDVD or PowerDVD. I should have an answer in a couple days.

[David]

I'd be happy to do Season 9 of SG-1 now i don't have WinDVD but i do have a program called Nero StartSmart which has a Snapshot button.

Oh and a question what size should the caps be?

I usually do caps in 852X480 but the max size i can do is 1024X576.

I've put you down for Season Nine!

Please wait for me to contact you with the programs we would like you to use and complete instructions for how to get the same results as your fellow screen-cappers. Darren and I are toying with the program we'll use and the resolution we want.

Thanks!

[drjacksonfan]

since no one else seems to want it i'll take season one of sg-1.. i'll give it a try...

[David]

If you're up to the challenge, you're down! s1 is a key season, particularly because I'm unable to find any extensive screencap galleries of it on the Web

Thanks drjacksonfan

[Lahela]

I'd be happy to do either of the remaining SG1 seasons (I have seasons 1-8 on DVD), but I'm on a Mac so I use DVDCapture (same principle - it just takes a screenshot).

[Dankriss]

I can do season 5 if you like...I don't have WinDVD though I use Nero 7 instead...if you want to see the quality here is my screen cap site...

http://www.nikkershaw.me.uk/michaelshanks/

[David]

I'd be happy to do either of the remaining SG1 seasons (I have seasons 1-8 on DVD), but I'm on a Mac so I use DVDCapture (same principle - it just takes a screenshot).

Lahela, you're going to need to be able to run the program we choose. The dimensions of the screen captures will be specific. Can you run a program like WinDVD or PowerDVD on a Mac through Boot Camp?

Dankriss, I'll put you down for Season Five!

[pilgrim soul]

I would be able to do SGA season 2 - I don't have WinDVD (though am more than willing to use it if someone can provide me with it) but I do have PowerDVD. Only quibble would be my internet connection, its broadband but its slow broadband - having said that I've uploaded massive batches of photographs to Photobucket before now so it is doable.

If you can't get anyone else to do it I'm more than willing.

[tsaxlady]

Hey David I have Win DVD 7 and I can do S2 of SG1 for after school finishes on June 6th if you want.

[Tonttu]

Not actually interested in making the screenshots but giving a free cross-platform alternative for WinDVD

-A reasonably fast computer

all you need from your computer is to be able to play the video

-Physical DVDs of the season you request / are assigned -- no ripped copies, please

by ripped copies you mean downloaded?
ripping is decrypting DVD to hard drive

We will need you to take anywhere from 250 to 1,000 screencaps of each episode -- a minimum of 1 screenshot every 10 seconds.

this can be done very easily with mplayer if you know how to use commandline
mplayer being cross-platform media player means this works on all operating systems which mplayer supports

takes screenshot every 10 seconds from title 1 of dvd (should be episode 1)
mplayer -vo jpeg:quality=90 -vf screenshot -sstep 10 dvd://1

takes screenshot every 10 seconds from titles 1-5
mplayer -vo jpeg:quality=90 -vf screenshot -sstep 10 dvd://1-5
because -sstep doesn't work with *.avi files this also prevents anyone from using downloaded files (unless they're in some other container)

for windows the default dvd-device is D so if your dvd drive has some other letter you need to use -dvd-device switch
mplayer -vo jpeg:quality=90 -vf screenshot -sstep 10 -dvd-device E: dvd://1
mplayer can of course read ripped DVDs from hard drive as well -dvd-device "C:\Path\To\Folder\" dvd://1

quality=<0-100> quality factor (default: 75)
more info here: http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/man/en/mplayer.1.html

I haven't checked but I'm fairly sure this can be done with VLC also

Many screenshot archives available online were taken from broadcast episodes with the SCI FI and SkyOne tags, are not of DVD quality, or worse, had a bias toward one or two particular characters.

To that end, Darren and I have decided it's high time for GateWorld to have its own screencaps library of DVD-quality (or better) episode screenshots.

With "or better" I'm assuming HDTV rips/transport streams
Usually those have network logo but it can be removed
Opaque logo on background with simple detail can be inpainted and you don't even know there's ever been a logo
Opaque logo on background with lots of detail is harder and usually leaves blurring or other artifacts but can still look good depending on type of the logo
Semi-transparent logos are easier to remove
Skyone logo is quite annoying to get rid off because it has colors in it
Logo removal is good option only if you have HD source otherwise you're much better off with the DVDs

There are of course lots of different logo removal methods
AviSynth has many different filters/plugins for it: DeKafka, DeLogo, X-Logo, rm_logo, InpaintFunc, LogoTools and some others
VirtualDub has DeLogo, LogoAway
mplayer has -vf delogo and -vf remove-logo

Simple logo removal with inpainting

a = DirectShowSource("video.mkv", audio=false)
b = ImageSource("logo.png").ConvertToYV12(matrix="pc.601")
ExInpaint(a, b, $ff8080, 7, 7, 64)
SelectEvery(250)

open in VirtualDub and go to File --> Export --> Image sequence
logo.png is a frame taken from video, logo area is painted with pure white (ffffff) and everything else with pure black (000000)
Requires ExInpaint plugin for AviSynth: http://avisynth.org.ru/exinpaint/exinpaint.html
this can produce extremely good results:

Spoiler:

but it also has some problems because of how it works:

Spoiler:

[Lahela]

Lahela, you're going to need to be able to run the program we choose. The dimensions of the screen captures will be specific. Can you run a program like WinDVD or PowerDVD on a Mac through Boot Camp?

Nope, can't run them I'm afraid. This is what DVDCapture gives me...



Or I could do SGA from HDTV avi files...



If not, no problem

[DJgirl]

I never specified in my first post, but I do have WinDVD on all of my computers.

[Dankriss]

Just worked out how to change the size of my screen caps so just need to tell me what size you want and I am ready to go!...

[David]

OK, Pilgrim soul has Season 2 of Atlantis and tsaxlady has Season 2 of SG-1! Thanks guys!

Darren and I have settled on PowerDVD 8. If you do not plan to buy it, please do not download it. There is a 30 day free trial, and I'm not sure you'll be able to use it afterwards. I'm working on a package for the entire team to download which will include the DVD utility, the FTP program we use, and complete instructions for you. Hopefully it will be ready by tonight, and after you receive it you can start when you're ready to begin!

[Admiral Q O]

OK, Pilgrim soul has Season 2 of Atlantis and tsaxlady has Season 2 of SG-1! Thanks guys!

Darren and I have settled on PowerDVD 8. If you do not plan to buy it, please do not download it. There is a 30 day free trial, and I'm not sure you'll be able to use it afterwards. I'm working on a package for the entire team to download which will include the DVD utility, the FTP program we use, and complete instructions for you. Hopefully it will be ready by tonight, and after you receive it you can start when you're ready to begin!

Thank you.

I deleted my prior comment since I have a different software. Can you tell me if it can be loaded onto a computer that has WinDVD 8 on it? I don't want to screw up my existing program.