Recording

There are two ways to record a movie, 1) Use mouse and keyboard navigation 2) A saved tour. Recording from an existing tour is more reliable and produces a much better result. 

1. Hide the sidebar - Go to 'View' then 'Sidebar', or click the Sidebar button  to maximize screen space.

2. Be sure the Tour controls are off - or the Movie Maker option will be grayed out: 

Close this box

3. Open Movie Maker -   Go to 'Tools' , 'Movie Maker' (same on PC and MAC)

4. Select 'A Saved Tour' - From the dropdown, choose the tour you want to record a movie from.

Selecting a tour to record from

5. Select the resolution - 800x600 is good for YouTube, 1920x1080 is television or projection.

Selecting resolution

6. Set the frames per second - 30 FPS is a common choice.

Selecting frames per second

7. Select where to save the movie once recorded - Choose a location on your computer to save the movie file. 

Browse for where to save the movie

8. Select Create movie - The second dialogue box of options will open.

9. Select Compression type - These codecs often come with editing software. Select one that will work with any other footage.  

Selecting the compression type

10. Frames per second - Match this to the FPS you selected from the previous dialogue box.

Selecting frames per second

11. Record movie - Select record to start he recording. 

Last step

Additional tips:

• • If you've been building your tour in Google Earth, the computer cache will fill up. Save your files and restart Google Earth for better movie recording performance

  • While Movie Maker is recording, try not to use other programs on your computer. It's a great chance to leave your desk and grab a coffee while the movie records. 

• The imagery or 3D buildings may flicker and look like it's freaking out but unless it stops moving entirely, just let it run.

• If you select the wrong tour, and Movie Maker begins to record, be sure to reset the start to your desired location before restarting movie Maker.

• If a movie fails, recording over the failed movie file has produced errors. Delete the old file, or rename the second attempt.

• If you have a place where a movie fails consistently, try to modify the tour slightly. Moving a Placemark slightly or re-saving a view can help resolve anomalies.