I am completely unfamiliar with any of this.
If I google the topic I get many options:
and the Microsoft option takes me to something called “Clipchamp”. (Or is it Chipclamp) 
What about ClimpChap or Chimpclap?
Among other things…I wonder about the resulting file size. I think the .gifs are pretty basic but the file size is probably smaller as a result.
Is there a specific tool to be recommended?
OK I found it. The snipping tool has a (video camera icon) option.
It is difficult to compare rigorously but my two .gifs are 40 and 63 KB, while a sorta-similar .mp4 from a snipping tool video is 948 KB. It is below.
For me the behavior is similar in that it runs once and stops. Any new thoughts? Is it 20X better?
The video does not start automatically, the viewer must click it. The GIF starts automatically.
The video also doesn’t load automatically, so even if it is a much larger file, a viewer only needs to load that file if they want to play the video.
+1 for using a video.
<ctrl><alt><shift>R to start a recording)I don’t believe a video is generally larger than a gif. Usually it’s the other way round. If the video happens to be larger I think it’s due to different size/compression/codec settings used. You should get a video to the same size than a gif at the same quality.
I’m also in favor of using videos. Their quality is better and for more complex scenarios, the file size is much smaller than gifs. There is a reason even GIF-platforms like giphy use mp4 for their GIFs.
regarding the browser behaviour: firefox+edge browser. Both start automatically playing the animated gif, looping indefinitely. LMB-click on the gif pauses the animation.
My opinion: I prefer videos, but I admit that the the gif’s itself can be helpful for solving a question/issue. So if the user knows only tools to create animated gifs (or is more skilled in using these tools) then that’s fine for me. Everything which helps to solve a issue is good, the end justifies the means (not sure if this german saying is translated well).
regarding file size: even in todays world not every location offers high bandwidth internet connection. One of my working locations only gives me only a 1MBit connection. Some of the threads on this forum or on gitlab provided ~100Mbyte videos. The slow internet connection prevented me from participating at that issues. So I welcome users who at least think about this file size aspect.
Thanks so much for the responses.
I know that this sounds strange:
After I recorded the first video, I changed the default file behavior and I was then struggling yesterday to figure out how to switch to KiCad so as to record a video.
But I just now I recorded one of me typing here; I now have a 3.3 MB .mp4 video. So I will now record another brief .gif of me typing this.
The resulting .gif is 83 KB. I will be the first to admit a very imprecise comparison for file size. But we have a file size ratio mp4:Gif > 30:1!! And I think that it is much easier to operate the .gif recorder.
I suspect that the .mp4 recorder is recording frames at a fixed rate while the Licecap .gif recorder is looking for changes/motion. So Licecap may skip any idle moments and provide many fewer frames.
Further I reiterate that by zipping the .gif that nobody has to see it unless they want to.
I need to work on this a bit more. I am also open to further inputs.
if you have the right settings for mp4s, they are incredibly small in size
I am getting the “hang” of recording a video using the camera icon in Win snipping tool. So I have gone back and forth between recording similar nonsense with Licecap and the Windows snipping tool. The .MP4s are generally an order of magnitude bigger or more.
Here are my settings. I suspect that you are using a tool which has settings which I do not see here: ?
EDIT:
Just now I unchecked the audio and tried again. No substantial difference.
I’m no video expert. But I capture with OBS. The really small file sizes come when I reencode them with handbrake or a video editing program.
I’m pretty sure you can do this with OBS without reencoding, but I’m no expert there
Thanks, but…
Up until yesterday, video is something that I watch only, or I may have accidentally recorded a couple on my smartphone.
I have never heard of OBS or (a handbrake which was not in a car.)
I have never edited a video.
This is getting too complicated…But having said that, I am open to trying a simple “one and done” .mp4 screen shot video recorder which provides efficiently small file size for recording actions in using KiCad.
We can then (suggest or recommend) that method?
Honestly, for me personally I’d just let the user decide if they want to use a GIF or mp4.
Thanks. Sounds good.
First: I prefer to Post Video, not GIF.
To make a ‘Postable’ size Video, I use HandBrake with my custom/tweaked settings. I just made these two Video’s and GIF’s (for this Post).
The First one makes a 9.3Mb Video into a 196Kb GIF.
I then made a Video from the 9.3Mb into 430Kb MP4 video with good quality - much better than the GIF quality.
The Second one makes a Larger, 67Mb Video into a 531Kb GIF
A significant reduction in File size.
I then made a Video from the 67Mb into 531Kb MP4 video with good quality - much better than the GIF quality.
I then made GIF’s from the reduced MP4 video’s. Naturally, the file size was further reduced but, so was the Quality.
Thus, comparing the Reduced MP4 Video’s to GIF’s suggests to me that the increased Quality of MP4 Video and less hassle (regarding GIF Play/Stop control’s and reduced Quality) makes using GIF akin to riding a Wagon with Square Wheels…
I use a Mac and when GIF’s are needed, I use either DROP-to-GIF or, LICEcap to make GIF’s from different Movie types…
Here’s the 67Mb video reduced to 531Kb (it shows making the first 9Mb video into GIF)
Thanks for the input. That seems to be the prevailing preference. My only reason for doing .gif is that I know how to do it easily and it seems to give me a relatively small file size. It seems to get the job done. So let’s assume that I want to post a relatively small .mp4 showing my actions in KiCad.
I am completely unfamiliar but I can proceed to try things out. Do you use Handbrake for the initial recording? Or do you only use it for editing? What software do you use for the initial recording?
But…if you think of parking on a hill, if you have those square wheels you probably do not need a handbrake!
BTW I have just installed handbrake…
Perfect!
Since we’re on Kicad Forum, here’s an Example of using Kicad to make a postable-size Video:
Step 1) I use the System’s default Movie-Recording software to record the Video of what I’m doing.
To help keep the Recording smaller, I record without Sound (I turn it off).
This short Recorded Video is 8Mb. The resulting .MP4 is 258Kb
Step 2) Having recorded the Video (on a Mac, the defalut is by Quicktime, a .MOV file but, could be any type I want and could use other recording software).
I boot Handbrake and load the file. Set the output file parameters (there’s a list of many options. I created one with my pref’s for small posting size with good quality - see video below. Video shows some Default’s to select from (there are some that produce quite small files… that’s part of your homework…)
Note: Various parameters are Tweakable so, experiment and dial-in something with results you like…
ADDED: This Video below before Handbrake was 60Mb and after Handbrake is 258Kb
That is an impressive compression ratio. 258 KB for a 2 minute video is quite small.
I had compressed a 2.4 MB .mp4 to a 454 KB. But now your video shows me unknown areas of the presets menu. That will require some work on my part.
I sorta wish I could choose:
Slightly related bit of background: My new oscilloscope gives me ~500 KB scope face images. By using IRFANVIEW to reduce to 32 colors, I reduce the file size by 10:1 or a bit better. I lose cosmetics in making this change, but do not lose much useful information. That is not a very intelligent compression process and I think there is the possibility of doing better. IRFANVIEW does not know which colors are important. I think the world has long since prioritized “pretty” over efficient small file size.
Thanks a lot.
Best compression can usually be achieved with these settings (assuming x264 “software” encoder, but it’s similar for “hardware” encoders):
Set preset: VerySlow
Profile: High
Constant quality (CRF): 24 (depends on content)
Resolutions/colors/framerates usually matter less these days.
There are several Options/Settings to explore, including Frame-Rate and Pixel Resolution…
And, if not having Audio, click the Audio Tab and set Audio to None… (even a video without sound will take up file space if it has no audio…)
Thanks, @BlackCoffee and @dsa-t
There is a lot that I do not understand in that parking brake interface but I have been playing with it. We are at risk of the car being gone in the morning 
but I think I can give it a good try the next time I need to post a video.
