Kaltura - Using the Kaltura Capture Desktop Recorder

This guide documents the steps that UW-Green Bay instructors, students, and staff can use to create recordings with the Kaltura Capture app and upload them to My Media. Recordings can include any combination of screen recording, webcam video, and audio—including all three at once.

Launching Kaltura Capture

To use the Kaltura Capture Desktop Recorder app and ensure it connects with your Kaltura account and My Media library, launch it through Canvas:

1. Log into Canvas from the UWGB Canvas Login Page
    
2. Select Account in the global navigation menu along the left edge of the page
    
3. Select My Media
   
   
    
4. Select Add New
    
5. Select Kaltura Capture
   
   
    
6. If prompted by your browser, allow the site to open the Kaltura Capture application. The first time you use Kaltura Capture on a computer, you will need to first download and install the app on the computer (see below).

Installing Kaltura Capture (for first time users)

After navigating to a Kaltura Capture launch point (steps 1-4 above), click on either Download for Windows or Download for Mac (depending on your computer's operating system), and follow the installation procedure outlined on this Kaltura Knowledge Center page: Downloading and installing the application. After you have installed the software, launch it from Canvas by repeating the steps documented above.
 

Making Recordings with Kaltura Capture

1. On the recording setup widget seen after launching Kaltura Capture, ensure you are recording the desired inputs. To select or deselect an input for recording, click the icon above the input's name (Screen, Camera, or Audio). Inputs with a blue icon will be recorded; inputs that have a gray icon with a line through it will not be recorded. If all inputs are selected, Kaltura Capture will record your screen and camera simultaneously along with audio from your computer's microphone. In the finished video, viewers can customize their view during playback so that either the screen capture or camera video is more prominently displayed.
   
   In the example screenshot below, the screen and microphone audio would be recorded and the camera would not be recorded.
   
   
    
2. If your computer has multiple screens, cameras, or audio devices, you can select which device to use for each recording input by clicking the down arrow next to the input name and selecting the device in the drop-down menu.
   
   
    
3. Check your microphone by saying a few words. You should see a line moving inside of the microphone icon, which represents a basic visual audio meter. If necessary, click the down arrow next to "Audio" to select a different microphone.
    
   • TIP: Make a test recording of a few seconds and play it back to ensure that the correct inputs are recorded and your audio sounds good.
   • NOTE: When recording both screen and camera at the same time, no camera preview is visible while recording. In other words, you will not see yourself while recording. Sometimes people don't realize they've recorded their webcam until they review the recording afterward, so be sure to pay attention to which inputs are selected before starting your recording.
      
4. To start your recording, click the circular red record button. A on-screen timer will count down from 3 seconds and then your recording will start.
    
5. While recording, a small toolbar with a recording timer and controls will appear in the bottom corner of your screen. When you are done recording, click the square stop button.
    

   

    

   The icons on the Kaltura Capture recording toolbar from left to right are:

   • Stop recording (square icon) - click this when you're all done recording
   • Pause recording (double vertical lines icon) - useful when taking a break or to change recorded content (e.g. switch from PowerPoint to a YouTube clip). This icon turns into the resume recording icon while a recording is paused.
   • Cancel recording (X icon) - stops and discards you current recording
   • Current recording duration
   • Microphone indicator - a visual auto meter that represents the current volume of recorded sound. If your selected microphone device is working, the meter inside the microphone will visibly "bounce" when you speak.
   • Annotation tools (pencil icon) - clicking this icon opens the annotation tools menu above the recording panel (seen in the upper half of the above image). You can draw (pencil icon), create onscreen arrows by clicking and dragging (arrow icon), create text boxes (T icon), record the mouse pointer with "clicks" indicated visually (cursor/pointer icon), reposition existing annotations by clicking and dragging (4-way arrow icon), select the color of annotations (color icons), discard/clear all annotations (trash can icon), and adjust the width of annotations (vertical slider).
6. After selecting the stop button, a confirmation window will appear and ask if you are sure you want to stop the recording. Click Yes, Stop it to confirm.
    
7. The next screen will allow you to preview the video, change the title, and add an optional description and/or searchable tags. Edit the Title, Description, and Tags fields as desired, then select one of the following options:
   • Select the Save & Upload button to save your recording and upload it to your My Media library (recommended).
   • Select the Save button to keep the recording in the Kaltura Capture library on your computer's local storage but not upload it to My Media at this time. Selecting this option is only recommended if you are not currently connected to stable high-speed internet and wish to upload your recording later.
   • Select Delete if you do not want to keep your recording and wish to permanently delete it.
     
     
      
8. After selecting Save & Upload, click Yes to accept the terms of use in the pop-up window to start the upload. You can monitor the progress of the upload by viewing the progress bar shown to the right of the video's entry in the Kaltura Capture library list. When the progress bar reaches 100%, you will see a momentary notification informing you of the upload's success, and the progress bar will be replaced by a "Re-Upload" button. Depending on the length of the video, internet traffic, and your own internet connection, the upload may take a while. Wait until the upload completes before closing the Kaltura Capture app. 
    
   • NOTE: After your video finishes uploading, the notification of success and the library entry will display a link to the video. These links displayed within the Kaltura Classroom app do not work with UW System's Kaltura implementation. To view your uploaded videos, access My Media within Canvas.
   • NOTE: After a video is uploaded to the server, it undergoes a processing step during which it cannot yet be played back. Under normal conditions, the video will be ready to play within 1-3 times the video's duration. Recently uploaded videos may initially play back with low quality as the high quality video takes additional time to process; the video quality of recently uploaded videos should automatically improve within 24-hours.
   • TIP: If you need to access the Kaltura Capture app's library to view, upload, and/or delete recordings that are saved to local storage, the library can be opened by clicking the Manage link on the recording setup widget. Deleting recordings on the Manage page deletes them from local storage only; uploaded recordings remain available on the My Media server even if deleted within the Kaltura Capture app's library.
      
9. To share an uploaded recording, embed it in Canvas or copy the share link from My Media.

Additional Resources

Learn more about using the Kaltura Capture app by reviewing the official Kaltura Capture User Guide.