Still Capture
AMCap makes it very easy to capture still pictures from a supported video capture source (usually a webcam), once the program is configured, just hit the Enter key and a still picture is saved to your hard drive. Follow the 3 steps below to get started.
1. Select the device and enable preview
- select the video capture source (e.g. your webcam) from which you want to make still captures in the Devices menu. This is not needed if you only have one source.
- make sure the Preview mode is enabled in the Options > Preview menu (this now is the default).
2. Configure the resolution
if your capture source features a Still pin, for high-resolution still captures, click Options > Still Capture Pin... to configure the resolution of the still pictures (see notes). This feature also allows you to use the trigger on the device to capture stills.
- if your capture source does not have such a feature, the resolution of the still pictures is the same as for video capture. In that case, you can configure it from the Options > Video Capture Pin... menu.
3. Capture and save still pictures
- press Enter or Ctrl+L to make a still capture
- if this is your very first capture, a Still Capture property page will show. Configure the folder and filename, select a file format (JPG recommended) and click OK. If you don't do that configuration, no picture will be saved and you will be prompted with this page again when you attempt to capture another still.
- you can now make as many still captures as you wish you just by pressing the Enter key.
- you can click the File > Open Folder > Still Capture... menu to open the folder where the still captures are stored.
Notes:
- the GdiPlus.dll library is required for still capture to work. On Windows Millennium, 98 and 2000, you need to download the redistributable file available here (scroll down and click the GDI+ link) or here and copy it to the AMCap installation folder. On Windows XP and later, this file is preinstalled and you don't have anything to do.
- in this version of AMCap, the still capture feature is always available and active (but in overlay mode), so you don't have anything to do to enable it anymore.
- with some older webcam models and drivers, the use of the Still pin may be unreliable and possibly lead to blue screens (BSOD). In that case, clear the option Use Still pin instead of Capture pin when available in Capture > Setup... > Still Capture tab and use the Options > Video Capture Pin... menu to configure the resolution of the stills.
- if you need the stills to be captured to the clipboard instead of a file, you can toggle the Capture > Still Capture > Copy to clipboard menu option at any time.
- if you want to make still captures at regular intervals or hands-free, you can use the Capture > Still Capture > Delayed Snap menu, configure an interval and click Start.