Shoot a Digital Video

Shooting a digital video is surprisingly similar to taking a digital picture. In fact, you use the same application, even though it has a different name on the main application screen. I'm referring to the Camcorder application, which can be launched separately from the Camera application. In reality, Camera To shoot a digital video, launch the Camcorder application from the main application screen or tap the Camcorder button in the lower-left area of the Camera application. Two buttons next to each other enable you to toggle quickly between Camera and Camcorder. When you switch to Camcorder, the zoom control in the lower middle of the screen changes to a Record/Pause/Stop control for the camcorder. Press the Center button on the five-way navigator to begin recording a video clip. Figure 12.5 shows a video being recorded. To stop recording, press the Center button again. To pause recording so that you can continue without creating a new clip, press the Up button. Then press the Center button again to continue filming.

Figure 12.5. The Camcorder application makes it easy to shoot digital videos with your Treo.

Note

Treo devices on the Sprint network use the Picture Mail service instead of multimedia messages. So if you want to send a picture directly without using Picture Mail, save the picture and then attach it to an email message in the VersaMail application.

As you shoot a video, the length of the video counts up in seconds just above the Camera/Camcorder buttons near the bottom of the screen. At the same time, the amount of available time counts down. This time reflects how much memory you have available for shooting video. It's probably not a good idea to blow all your available memory on video, but it's still helpful to know how much room you have left if you wanted to do so.

Tip

To change the automatic naming of pictures, press the Menu button and create your own custom naming convention by using the Auto Naming field.

Similar to the Camera application, you can choose from two video resolutions when shooting video in the Camcorder application: 176x144 and 320x240. You make this selection in the lower-right corner of the screen in the resolution pick list. Selecting the lower resolution (176x144) gives you about double the available time for video because it's roughly half the resolution of the higher setting, 320x240. The decision of which resolution to use comes down to how much quality (resolution) you need versus how much memory you have available.

Note

You can also access the Pics&Videos screen by launching the Pics&Videos application directly from the main application screen.

After you finish shooting a video clip, you're presented with options for what to do with the new clip. Figure 12.6 shows how you can play, save, delete, send, upload, and even adjust the volume of the newly recorded video clip.

Figure 12.6. The Camcorder application gives you a chance to view a newly recorded video clip before saving, deleting, or sharing it with others.

Note

If you synchronize your device with your desktop PC and would like to access the pictures on your PC, just browse to the My Pictures\ palmOne Photos\ folder.

To play a new video clip, just tap the Play button (small arrow) on the left just below the clip. To save the clip, tap the Save button (disk icon) just below the Play button. To the right of the Save button is the Delete button (trashcan icon). The familiar Send and Upload buttons appear to the right of the Save and Play buttons. And finally, the last button on the right is the Volume button (speaker icon) for adjusting the volume of the video clip.