Apple 7.2 manual Creating Movies and Other Media, Loading Movies into RAM for Better Playback

Loading Movies into RAM for Better Playback

QuickTime has two memory (RAM) options you can use to improve playback performance. Preload puts the entire movie into memory before it is played; Cache keeps movie data in memory after it has played. This option is useful for small files you want to loop.

With QuickTime Pro, you can adjust memory options for a QuickTime movie track.

To adjust memory options for a track:

1Choose Window > Show Movie Properties.

2Select the track you want to adjust and click Other Settings.

3To put the track into memory, select “Preload this track.”

4To keep track data in memory, select Cache.

Use these options only with tracks that contain very small amounts of data; too much data in memory may cause poor performance, system errors, or unpredictable results.

Creating Movies and Other Media

With QuickTime Pro, you can create movies in various ways.

Recording Video and Audio

With a video camera and a Macintosh computer you can use QuickTime Pro to record a movie. QuickTime Pro can capture video from most FireWire-equipped sources, including the Apple iSight, DV cameras, and some webcams. With a Macintosh or Windows computer, you can also record audio using a built-in or external microphone.

To record audio or video with QuickTime Pro:

1Connect the camera or microphone to the computer (unless you are using a built-in microphone).

2In QuickTime Pro, choose File > New Movie Recording (or File > New Audio Recording).

A preview window appears, which you can use to adjust settings such as camera position, lighting, and audio level before you start recording.

3To start recording, click the Record button at the bottom of the window.

4To stop recording, click the button again.

The movie you just recorded appears in a QuickTime movie window. By default, the movie is saved on the desktop, but you can choose a different default location in the Recording pane of QuickTime Player Preferences. To see where the movie has been saved, Command-click the icon at the top of the window.

Chapter 2 Getting Started with QuickTime Pro

25