Recording quality videos in Panopto

Getting Started

• Enable Panopto in your Canvas site
• To record and save a video in the Panopto folder of your course, launch Panopto directly from your Canvas course. When the Panopto Recorder opens, it will identify the course you launched it from as the folder where you want the recording saved.

Panopto for Windows/Mac versus Panopto Capture

When you select Create, you will see an option for Panopto for Windows (or Mac) and an option for Panopto Capture. Panopto Capture allows a user to easily record audio, video and screens or applications, and it can be used directly within the browser instead of downloading the desktop application.

Panopto for Windows/Mac

• Requires that the Panopto Recorder app is installed on your device. If you are using a university-owned computer, you may need assistance with your IT department to install it.
• Saves a local copy of your video. For cases where it didn’t get uploaded to the Panopto website, you can open the Panopto recorder to upload your recording to the server.

Panopto Capture

• This is an option for cases where you cannot install the Panopto Recorder on your device, or if your device is incapable of installing and/or running the Panopto Recorder app.
• When using this option, keep in mind that Panopto Capture will not save a local copy of your recording. If something happens while recording (device shuts down, internet gets disconnected, etc.), you may not be able to continue recording, and will have to start all over again.

Tips for Quality Recordings

• Practice makes perfect.
• Keep the sources simple.
• Test your audio and video.
• Enter full-screen presentation mode (PowerPoint and Keynote).
• Give your presentation a unique title. 
• Double-check the folder location.

We encourage instructors to do short test recordings so you can get familiar with the features and how Panopto records.

Panopto Recording Workflow

1. Launch Panopto from your Canvas course.
2. Rename Video, and select Folder.
3. Adjust Primary Video and Audio.
4. Adjust Secondary Video(s).
5. Turn PowerPoint slides off/on.
6. Select Record.
7. Minimize recorder and begin your lecture/narration.
8. Reopen recorder and select Stop.
9. Select Upload/Continue.
10. Verify video is saved in the folder you specified.

Panopto Share Settings

As a creator, you can change who has access to view your videos (see Fig. 1).

Figure 1: Options for who has access

• Specific People: This option allows you to share the video with specific people as viewers. (Users listed underneath this setting are the only users who can view the recording session.)
• Anyone at your organization with the link: Choosing this option will enable viewing access for anyone who can log into your campus Panopto site as long as they have the direct link to your recording session. (Select this option if you want to share a video with other users within your organization, such as users outside of your course, and provide them with the direct link to the video.) This is the preferred option if you have videos in one class and want to use the same videos for another section. For more information, you can refer to this page: Sharing a Panopto recording link/embed code with other Canvas courses.
• Anyone with the link: Choosing this option will enable viewing access for anyone on the internet who has the direct link; no sign-in is required. (This option works if you want to share your video’s direct link to users within your organization, as well as external users outside of your campus organization. This option will not prompt any user to sign in to view the video.) Because it does not require sign-in, the statistics page may not be able to report who viewed the video.

Panopto course folders by default are already shared to the users within the Canvas course and will have the Specific People listed under Who Has Access. 

Users with an instructor role have the Creator role which lets them record videos directly into the folder; users with student roles have the Viewer role, which lets them view the videos saved in that Panopto folder of the course. There is no need to make changes to this setting if you just want the users within your Canvas course to view the video, as this setting already permits your students (Viewers) to watch the videos saved in the Panopto folder of your course. Removing the listed groups for Creator and Viewer will remove the access of those users from viewing the videos (see Fig. 2 for the typical listed groups).

When in doubt about your video’s share permission, check the Share settings of your Panopto recording by hovering your mouse over a video item and clicking Share. Review the share setting under Who Has Access and change it to your preferred setting.

You can also share Panopto videos or folders with a wider audience.

Panopto campus and vendor resources