x264 ffdshow camstudio

[ossosso]

Hi everyone!
I'm realizing some Video Tutorial using the opensource version of CamStudio, a good Screen Record program.
I began using MSU Screen Capture Lossless Codec for VIDEO and Mpeg Layer-3 for AUDIO. Too late I realized that MSU Screen Capture Lossless Codec can work only on Windows system (d'oh!), and now I'm looking for a codec video multiplatform and I met x264.
I've installed an official version of ffdshow taken by Jarod site http://x264.nl/
Now when I enter CamStudio video option I can choose ffdshow and configuring it I can choose H264, all right.
Now all I need is help to configure h264 in accord with what my target:
-obtein a video (resolution 1024x768) really really really small.
On the net I found some guide about x264, but they all explain what the different settings are, and not what different settings do; into ffdshow option there are not presets for x264 codec (like in Megui or StaxRip) and so I'm alone with myself .
The only setting I know is the bitrate (kbps); I set it to 400, and record for 1min without the audio, and I obteined a file of 2,4mb.
Too much.

Pls, help me to set ffdshow-->h264 codec in the way I can have a really small file and a reasonable quality in the sense that it's sufficient read the text of the program that I record (for example the top menu "file -- Edit --- View -- Window" and so on...)

Thank you very much for any advice and sorry for the length of the post and for my language, 'cause I'm Italian .

ByeZ!

[Baldrick]

The bitrate and running time decides the output size so you must lower the bitrate(kbps) or cut the clip to get smaller file size. But 1024x768 requires kinda high bitrate if you want to keep good quality.

For advanced x264 settings I recommend http://forum.doom9.org .

[kschang]

You want to capture LIVE into 264? NOT recommended.

Most video codecs nowadays, including MPEG/MPEG2/etc. are known as asymetrical compressors. They take a lot of CPU power to compress/encode, but very little to decompress/decode.

I say dump to lossless codec first, convert to 264 later.

[ossosso]

Thank guys!
You're right kschang, but I tried a conversion of a loseless captured video of few minutes, and the compression in x264 took a looooot of time (and only the first pass...)
I have a lot of videos and as many I've yet to create and if for each ones I have to wait all this time for compression I'll probably wait forever
If I capture using ffdshow-->x264 codec the compression occur immediately, while I'm recording, and this sounds really good. The problem is that ffdshow--->x264 settings are a bit different from x264 settings explained for megui or StaxRip and I'm having some troubles to set them accordly with my target.
The best I obtained is a video\audio file of 1min, 1024x768, quite good quality, at 3,7mb.
Too much?