jittery cursor

[CMK7]

Hello,

I just started using the most recent version of Camtasia on my desk top computer (had been using version 2.0.2 on a notebook computer)and I notice that my cursor is flashing rapidly when recording any application. This is not seen on the final video but it's distracting during the recording process. Why do you think this is happening? What can I do about it?

Thanks,
Colleen

[TSC2]

Try turning off hardware acceleration. Right click on your desktop and select Properties>Settings>Advanced>Troubleshooting. Set the acceleration slider to None.

[CMK7]

Thanks for the response.

That reduced the "blinking" considerably but did not remove it completely. Can you suggest why I might be having this problem?
I'm sure I did not have this problem the few times I used my desktop with Camtasia version 2.0.2.

I'm using a Pentium 4, 2.53 Ghz processor, 512 MB of RAM, XP, and DirectX 9.0.

Colleen

[TSC2]

Hello,

Nothing has changed in 2.0.4 that would cause this problem, so the issue is most likely NOT introduced by 2.0.4. We can send you an older version, though, if you'd like to confirm this.

Can you reproduce this problem if you are only recording your desktop?

Thank you for using Camtasia Studio!
-TechSmith Support

[CMK7]

Hi,

The cursor still blinks when recording the desktop.

My original Camtasia CD is version 2.0.
Can I uninstall the upgrade and install the original version from
the CD?

Thanks,
Colleen

[TSC2]

Yes. You could install the old version, but it is NOT recommended. The older version had problems that have been corrected.

Do you have cursor trails or are you using a custom cursor?

[CMK7]

No, there aren't any cursor trails visble.

I get the blinking effect no matter what cursor I use - normal mouse cursor (arrow) when recording the desktop or a tool cursor in an application.

As I said before, it doesn't affect the final video. It's just very annoying when I'm trying to record a tutorial.

Do you think there's something up with my computer?

Thanks

[TSC2]

Try Tools>Options>Capture, and check Hide Capture Rectangle.

Did that fix it?

[CMK7]

Hiding the rectangle had no effect.

Thanks.

[TSC2]

Is the cursor jerky when you move it or just blinky?

[CMK7]

It's just blinky.

The cursor "glides" around the screen when moved.

[TSC2]

Open Task Manager>Performance tab. Is your CPU pegged while you record?

What kind of video card do you have?

[CMK7]

I'm not sure what you mean by "pegged".

The CPU usage fluctuates between 55% and 65% while recording.

I don't know what kind of video card is on the computer.
Is there a way to find out?

[dro085]

This is most likely caused by the way your video driver handles drawing the cursor while an application is capturing the screen images several times per second. This is supported by the fact that changing the hardware acceleration value affected the results. Also, you may not have noticed this on your laptop with the earlier CS version because it had different video drivers which were functioning properly. As TechSupport says above, it's unlikely that this would be different between v2.0.2 and v2.0.4.

Besides being a distraction during recording, this should not cause any problems with the recording process or with the resulting AVI file. If you'd like to pursue the problem further, I would recommend updating your video drivers.

From Microsoft's DirectX FAQ (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx?url=/windows/directx/productinfo/faq/default.htm)
Q: Should I need to update my audio or video drivers after installing DirectX 9.0?
A: While your existing drivers should be as compatible with DirectX 9.0 as they were with DirectX 8.1, you may need to update them to take full advantage of some of latest DirectX 9.0 enhancements. You may find current drivers either at Windows Update or on the Web site of the company that manufactured your hardware. Drivers available from Windows Update have been extensively tested and certified by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL.)

TechSmith Dev Team

[rwdillon]

I had the same issue on my new machine (Shuttle XPC, 1 gig RAM, dual monitor) when I updated to the latest version of Studio.

I tried the same steps you did without success but I went one step further: I updated the drivers for my video card (Matrox G550) and LCD monitors.

Still no luck. About this time, I decided to change video cards. Since then I haven't had any issues.

So ... I guess the issue <i>might</i> be related to the installed hardware/drivers on your machine. (I use this software a lot so the issue of upgrading video cards wasn't an issue for me.)

[CMK7]

Hi,

Thanks for writing.

I don't know anything at all about video cards.
I'll have to call hp support to find out what I have on my system and what I should replace it with.

Colleen