Makerspace Manual

The Makerspace's Padcaster studio uses a 10.5" iPad Pro on top of a tripod for filming and photography purposes. A variety of accessories are available including...

• A teleprompter (smart phone and app required)
• A variety of microphones
• A variety of lenses
• A small, portable, green screen

By default, iPads save recordings in the .MOV format. If a library user wishes to convert their film into another format, this is possible using the VLC Media Player installed on the Makerspace computers.

A user can change the quality of the iPad's recording to

• 720p HD at 30 fps
• 1080p HD at 30 fps
• 1080p HD at 60 fps
• 4K at 30 fps

Changing the quality's settings is relatively simple

1. Click on the Settings icon on the home screen
2. Under "Settings" on the left, scroll down to Camera
3. The user will be able to change the recording quality by selecting "Record Video".

The iPad encodes recorded videos in MOV format. To convert videos to a different file format (e.g. MP4), we use VLC media player which is installed on all Makerspace computers. The instructions for this are as follows:

1. Open VLC media player
2. Select "Media" and choose "convert / save"
3. In the "Open Media" window click "Add" and select the video you'd like to convert
4. Click "Convert / Save"
5. Select the file format you'd like to encode the video in using the "Profile" drop-down
6. Click the Browse button and choose a destination for the newly encoded file

For privacy reasons make sure to reset the iPad after it is returned.

1. On the iPad's home screen, press the settings icon
2. Select "General"
3. Select "Reset"
4. Select "Erase All Content and Settings" and then "Erase Now"
5. Have a Makerspace employee enter the Apple ID password
6. Follow the instructions on the iPad and connect to WiFi to download updates
7. Do not set up a "Touch ID" or Passcode
8. Have a Makerspace employee sign in the the Makerspace's Apple ID
9. Hit "Continue" a lot. Do not set up a Touch ID or Passcode
10. Sign in using the Makerspace Apple credentials
11. Don't set up two factor authentication (select "Other Options" then "Don't Upgrade" on the Apple ID Security page
12. On the iPad's home page press the settings icon
13. Press "Software Update"
14. Press "Download and Install"
15. Wait until the update finishes before putting the iPad back in the Padcaster backpack

The iPad Air does not have an adapter that allows it to be plugged into a PC's USB port. Instead, you can connect a USB drive to the iPad Air using the USB-C to USB adapter and save files to the drive by pressing the [x] icon, selecting "Save to Files", and selecting your USB drive.