Screen recording duration is shorter than actual recording time (e.g., 30s recorded, output is 26s)

ActivePresenter
1

Hi everyone,

I’m running into an issue where the duration of my screen recordings doesn’t match the actual time spent recording.

For example: I record my screen for 30 seconds, but when I stop the recording, the resulting video in the timeline/output is only 26 seconds long (or even shorter). Parts of the recording seem to be missing or truncated.

  • Has anyone else encountered this issue?

  • Is there a known fix or setting I should adjust to resolve this (e.g., frame rate settings, hardware acceleration, or audio synchronization)?

Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

2

Hi Dick,

Thanks for reporting the issue. I tried to reproduce it on my end using several different settings but I wasn’t able to get the same duration mismatch, so it may be specific to your setup.

A few questions to help narrow it down:

  1. Does this happen every time you record, or only occasionally?

  2. What are your machine specs (CPU, RAM, OS)?

  3. Could you also attach the ActivePresenter log file from a session where this occurred? You can find it by going to Preferences → Miscellaneous → View Log button, or by opening Explorer, typing %AppData%\ActivePresenter, and pressing Enter — the log file is named ActivePresenter.log in that folder. You can send the log file to: support@atomisystems.com

Thanks,

Thanh

3

No, I have encountered this multiple times as well. It is a very serious bug. It happens randomly, cutting off the end portion of a screen recording. To get around this issue, I usually record extra time at the end, but in my latest attempt, even that was not enough.

Thanks,

Ben

4

Hi Ben,

Thanks for confirming this happens randomly. To help us dig into this further, could you please share:

  1. Your system specifications (CPU, RAM, operating system/version).

  2. The ActivePresenter log file from a session where this occurred (ideally right after a reproduction). You can get it via Preferences → Miscellaneous → View Log, or from the AppData folder. Please send it to support@atomisystems.com.

Since this appears random/intermittent, having the log from an actual occurrence — along with your system specs — will really help us track down the root cause.

Thank you for your patience!

Thanh

5

Hi Dick and Ben,

Thank you for sending over the log file. A fix for this is on the way and will be included in the next release.

What causes it: when Direct3D capture is used, the last frames of a recording can be dropped if the screen content does not change at the end of the session. That is why it looks random — it only shows up when the final moments of the recording are static.

Until the fix ships, either of these workarounds should avoid it:

  • Turn off Direct3D in the recording settings before you record, or

  • Keep Direct3D on, but make sure something on the screen changes right before you stop — for example, switch to another window, record a couple of extra seconds, then stop.

Ben, this also explains why recording extra time at the end did not help in your latest attempt: the extra time only helps if the screen is still changing during it.

Thanks again for the report and for helping us track this down.

Thanh