Raffriff's links page

These are links to help answer FAQs etc: Updated 18 May 2013
The answers are both from myself and others.
If you have any links to add to this list, that would be great.

Fraps Forum Tag Cloud (most useful threads arranged by keyword)
Most Popular Threads By Category (this list was made before tags arrived, so it's old)

• Help requests: gathering information (get video & system report before posting)

• Performance issues:
  • Check your hard drive (the benchmark thread)
    • CrystalDiskMark sequential write disk benchmark tutorial with pictures
  • Recommended Hard drives for FRAPS recording
  • Tom's Hardware HDD Charts - Streaming Write scores
  • SSD or Harddrive?
  • Dropped frames test (caused by an overworked system)
  • Check your disk throughput (more precise version of the dropped frames test)
  • Help Me Choose! (hard drive tech discussion)
  • Hard Drives: VelociRaptor vs RAID
  • Best Fraps performance tips AFAIK (updated Apr 3, 2012)
  • Why does using a secondary drive make recording faster?
  • How to Get Rid of Lag (geforce.com)
  • USB mouse/controller lag fix
  • BattleField 3 Tweak Guide (& other geforce.com tweak guides - excellent resources!)
  • Oblivion Tweak Guide (from tweakguides.com)
• Desktop recording:
  • Fraps to Record Desktop?
  • Monitor Aero Desktop buttons not available
• Free encoding tools that can join Fraps 4GB segments:
  • Microsoft Expression (tutorial)
  • StaxRip (tutorial)
  • VirtualDub (tutorial)
  • Window Live Movie Maker (tutorial)
• Free codecs:
  • ffdshow tryouts (versatile DirectShow and Video for Windows codec)
  • x264vfw (Video for Windows "x264" H.264 encoder)
  • ffmpeg (command line encoder/decoder)
• Free media players:
  • Media Player Classic Home Cinema - the gold standard
• Free helper applications:
  • Video file analyzers thread
  • GSpot (check video files for codec & other info)
  • Codec Tweak Tool (repair bad codec configuration)
  • Speccy (hardware info)
  • CrystalDiskInfo (drive health info aka SMART)
  • FRAFS Bench Viewer (forum thread)
  • FRAFS Avi Info (forum thread)
  • FRAFS Hardware Check (forum thread)
  • FRAFS Test Pattern (updated 4/2013)
• Problems:
  • Audio Sync Solutions (short version)
  • Audio sync problem: list of possible fixes (long version)
  • Fraps freezing @ 4GB: list of possible fixes (work in progress)
  • AVI file error test
  • Dark Fraps videos - Solved! (?)
  • Video breakup after uploading
    • USB Hard drive - bad connection
    • WiFi bad connection (UPDATE - try YouTube SSL mode)
    • Check Video Files for Errors
  • Fraps isnt recording picture (solution: install codec pack)
  • Disappearing File (file deleted after a few seconds)
  • Recover FRAPS video? (game crash corrupted video - successfully repaired!)

I won't be answering questions here.
Please post questions to the proper thread, or start a new one.

My list has grown to be over the 10000 bytes limit. Now it's in 2 parts
EDIT - moved video encoding & tutorials to a new post due to length limit, again.

• Voice Commentary (we need more on this topic)
  • Jynks' Video Tutorial Series
  • Basic setup for voice commentary with Fraps on Windows XP
  • Fraps Skype and Game Sound Problem (solution: Virtual Audio Cable )
  • Vent + In-Game Recording (recording game without recording Ventrilo)
  • How to record gameplay while in a VOIP application (clever use of splitter cables)
  • Better Audio Mixing for Commentary Videos (Audacity)
• Joining Fraps video segments: (video segments are optional)
  • StaxRip (re-encode)
  • VirtualDub (re-encode)
  • FrapsJoin (creates an Avisynth script)
  • Renaming with serial numbers (use with VirtualDub)
    • Rename all clips in a sequence - with a script [FrapsJoin.vbs]
    • Rename all clips in a sequence - with IrfanView
  • Join multiple Fraps videos with FFmpeg 'concat:'
  • Vegas, Premiere, Expression, WMM etc: no tutorial, it's too easy.
• Minecraft!
  • Minecraft troubleshooting (tips from minecraftwiki.net)
  • Minecraft Speed/Optimization Guide (minecraftforum.net)
  • Optifine mod (minecraftforum.net)
  • Precision Window sizer (for recording Minecraft & others in window mode)
  • Fraps Minecraft in fullscreen
  • Fraps with Minecraft freezes my computer! (solution: video drivers)
• Other:
  • RGB Lossless capture mode (explained)
  • Rendering Fraps AVI (more RGB; YouTube aspect ratio; frame rates, etc)
  • Washed out colors with Staxrip (more RGB; color correction with Avisynth)
  • Decoding Frap YUV 4:2:0 AVI with sharper color using FFmpegSource
  • Fraps color issues: (maintaining correct colors through editing & upload)
    • FRAFS Test Pattern (updated 4/2013)
    • Encoding Fraps videos: solving colorspace issues (wrong color, faded, etc)
    • Fraps colorspace issues (wrong color, faded, dark etc) - part 2
  • How does Fraps work? (all Fraps internal secrets revealed, NOT)
  • Variance in bitrate between game titles while recording with Fraps -
    Why it matters (study of compressed bitrate for various games)
  • High CPU temps when encoding (get BES, the best throttling app out there)
  • Copyrighted Music in Sound Tracks (don't be an infringer)
  • What's with my avatar

Your encoding list is missing http://frapsforum.com/threads/making-videos-smaller-for-upload-with-handbrake.986/ XD

Thanks, Shukaku. Now what we need are some audio related tutorials - how to add your microphone to Fraps, how to record with Audacity, how to set up with Skype, TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, etc etc -- either new ones, or links to existing ones.

You put a lot of time and effort in to this forum, it's much appreciated.

Thanks, Ciarlo! I'm mostly just trying to figure all this stuff out, and writing about it as I go BTW I totally agree with your sig.

Thanks and your welcome.

Another split due to length
New: notes on Sony Vegas + HandBrake; Vegas + MainConcept deprecated

• Tutorials:
  • Jynks' Video Tutorial Series (Fraps, Avidemux, Audacity, etc)
  • Sony Vegas to Youtube Tutorial - A Better Method
    (for DVDs etc, but check the encoder settings and the test footage)
  • RaffRiff's 'awesome' VirtualDub tutorial
  • Microsoft Expression
  • Window Live Movie Maker
  • Making videos smaller for upload with Handbrake (Shukaku's Handbrake Tutorial)
  • [Guide] PC Upkeep for Better Performance
  • [Guide] Specific and General Program and Game Settings for FRAPS
  • [Guide] A Deep Look In to FRAPS
  • Put subtitles (& captions) to a video (YouTube, VirtualDub & Subtitle Edit)
    (UPDATE also try Aegisub, which may be even better)
  • Some Helpful FRAPS Tips and Solutions
  • How to install video drivers and update your BIOS
• Encoding
  • Transcoding Fraps videos: the easiest way I can think of (with WinFF)
  • Comparing Video Editors and Encoders for Fraps users
  • Converting Fraps footage to Premiere/Vegas compatible AVI
  • Fraps to YouTube using H.264 / x264vfw(with Virtualdub, StaxRip, ffmpeg)
    • Rate control = Single-pass - ratefactor based (CRF)
    • Ratefactor = 19.0 (good) to 16.0 (best)
  • Fraps to YouTube using Sony Vegas and WMV
    • Windows Media Video V11
    • Quality VBR
    • Quality = 90% to 100%
  • Fraps to YouTube using Sony Vegas and MainConcept AVC
    • Average bit rate = 8-15,000 kbps
    • (quality issues - not recommended)
  • Fraps to YouTube with Sony Vegas + AVID DNxHD + Handbrake
    (can be made to work with Premiere and other video editors)
    http://frapsforum.com/threads/vegas-6-rendering-quality.2368/#post-10891
  • Rendering Fraps Avi (for Premiere)
    • H.264
    • VBR 10 Mbps
    • (not recommended - see next item)
  • Fraps to YouTube with Adobe Premiere / Premiere Elements
    • render to intermediate file - see Vegas and Handbrake, above
    • better, render with Debugmode Frameserver, compress with StaxRip or VirtualDub
      • (can be made to work with certain versions of Sony Vegas)
  • StaxRip with x264
    • Encoding your FRAPS videos with Staxrip (v1.1.7.2)
    • Combine multiple fraps videos using Staxrip (v1.1.6.9)
  • VirtualDub with x264vfw
  • VirtualDub: save direct to MP4 (Fraps to YouTube)
  • Quality factor (Qf) explained, sort of (my take here)
  • Remuxing with FFCoder (convert AVI to MP4 without recompressing)

Again, I won't be answering questions here.
Please post questions to the proper thread, or start a new one.

The link to my Handbrake tutorial is actually linking to the admin's Staxrip tut.

OK, fixed. Links have changed themselves on this thread half a dozen times now - that I know about. Probably due to the repeated editing.