Recording requirements

What a session needs to pass review and get paid.

The short version
Do this Do not do this Frame rate troubleshooting What's captured If a clip is not approved

Do this

A session missing any of these can not be paid.

Record at 1080p or better
Run at 60+ fps
Within 5% of 60, for at least one unbroken 10 minute stretch.
Play in Windowed Fullscreen (borderless)
Exclusive fullscreen can break the recording even when the game feels smooth.
Set the game language to English
Menus, subtitles and cutscenes all in English. Change it in the game settings before you start recording.
Turn on Do Not Disturb
Windows and N on Windows 11, Focus assist on Windows 10.
Show your key bindings
Send screenshots of your Key Bindings screen through the recorder's link, or start the recording, open Options > Controls and scroll through all of them. Custom binds are fine.
Use mouse and keyboard
Play 15 minutes or more in one go, longer is better
Play normally
Cutscenes, menus, map and inventory all count as paid. A higher level character and mixed content are more useful than an hour of the same thing.
Let uploads finish with the recorder open
Closing it early leaves a half uploaded session we can not review. If it is stuck for hours, hit Report a problem and message us.

Do not do this

The first three fail the session. The rest come off your hours.

Do not use macros, bots or auto clickers
This ends the working relationship, not just the session.
Do not edit or convert the file
Do not send a session twice
Do not run overlays
The in game fps counter, Discord and Steam overlays, and other recording software. We need a clean view of the game.
Do not leave it recording while you are away
Stop it and start a new session when you are back. Idle time comes off your hours.
Do not alt tab
Any second with another window in front of the game is removed.
Do not type in the in game chat
The time you spend typing, and a little around it, may not count toward your hours.

Frame rate troubleshooting

The most common reason a session does not pay.

What 60 fps means here

The recorder always writes a 60 fps file. That is not the same as your game drawing 60 new pictures a second. If your game runs at 42, your screen shows some pictures twice, and the file holds 42 real frames plus 18 copies.

We count the real ones. Copies provide no new information, so they do not get paid. That is why a session can look normal to you and come back short on hours.

To be payable, a session has to run 15 minutes or more and hold within 5% of 60 fps for at least one unbroken 10 minute stretch inside it.

How to check your fps

Do this in a short test clip, then turn the counter off and record.

  • In the game. Turn on its FPS counter. Diablo IV: Options > Gameplay, Show FPS (Ctrl and R on most builds). League of Legends: Ctrl and F. World of Warcraft: Ctrl and R.
  • Windows Game Bar. Press Windows and G, open the Performance widget.
  • Your driver software. The NVIDIA app overlay, or AMD Adrenalin with Ctrl, Shift and O.

Check it in a hard fight, not in town. A big pack of monsters, a Helltide, a boss with the screen full of effects. If it holds 60 in a fight it'll hold 60 anywhere.

How to raise your fps

Work down the list and check again after each one. Most people find 60 in the first few.

  • Set the game to Windowed Fullscreen (borderless). Options > Graphics > Display Mode.
  • Drop your resolution before you drop 60. 1080p at a steady 60 beats 1440p at 45.
  • Lower the graphics preset to medium or low. Shadow quality, anti aliasing, SSAO and fog give back the most.
  • Turn ray tracing off if your card has it.
  • Set the frame rate limit to your monitor's refresh rate. For example 144 on a 144 Hz monitor, never below 60, and no VSync that holds it under 60. Diablo IV: Options > Graphics > Max Foreground FPS. If the recorder warns about low fps while your graphics card is at 95% or more, lower the limit to 90, or to 60 on weaker cards.
  • Close everything else. Browser tabs, Discord, streaming software, and other recorders like ShadowPlay or Game Bar capture.
  • Point Windows at your real graphics card. Settings > System > Display > Graphics, find your game, set it to high performance. Laptops often use the built in chip instead.
  • Set power mode to best performance in Settings > System > Power, and plug a laptop in. Battery mode cuts frame rates hard.
  • Update your graphics driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel directly.

Still under 60 after all of that? Message us with your user number and what you are seeing.

What's captured

  • Game audio only. Nothing else from your computer, and never your microphone.
  • Every key and mouse move, across the whole computer, not only inside the game.
  • The titles of windows you have open while the recorder is running.

Do not type passwords while it is running, and do not open anything you would not want recorded.

No voice chat

Keep voice chat off while you record, in game and in any other app. We do not want anyone's voice in the recordings.

If a clip is not approved

The note on your Records page says which check it missed. Find it below.

Did not hold 60fps
Lower graphics settings and close other apps so the game holds 60 fps. Frame rate troubleshooting has the full list.
Video was not 1080p
Set the game to 1920x1080 or higher before you record.
Recording too short
Record for longer at a time.
Game was not full screen
Keep the game in front and focused while recording.
Not enough time in the game itself
Most of it was client, lobby or desktop time. Start recording once you are in the game.
Too little input to count as play
Keep actively playing while recording.
Input did not look like normal play
Do not use macros, scripts or auto-clickers.
No gameplay found in the video
Make sure the recorder shows the game, not a black or frozen screen.
Video and input log did not match
The PC fell behind while recording. Lower graphics settings and close other apps.
Could not match the video to the input log
Play with the mouse cursor visible, and contact support if it happens again.
Recording did not capture cleanly
Close other apps and keep the PC cool while recording.
Recording files incomplete
Let the upload finish before you close the recorder.
Input log missing or unreadable, video could not be read, video was not recorded at 60fps, or video and input log lengths did not match
Update the recorder, and contact support if it happens again. This is usually not something you did.
Did not meet the recording spec
Check the recording requirements above.
Duplicate of an earlier recording
This footage was already submitted, and each recording is paid once.
Did not pass review
Contact support if you think this is wrong.
Under review
Not a rejection. Somebody is looking at it.

If some time was not paid

An approved clip can still have time taken off. The note says how many minutes were not paid and why.

frame rate under 47 fps
Lower graphics settings so the game holds 60 fps. Frame rate troubleshooting has the full list.
idle
Stop recording during breaks.
outside the game window
Keep the game focused while recording.
video and input out of sync
Close other apps so the PC keeps up while recording.
display size changed
Keep the same resolution for the whole recording.
menus/loading over the limit
Menus and loading screens count up to a limit while you keep playing. Time past that limit is not paid.

If the note does not match what you saw, message us with your user number and the date and time of the session.