Why are my video stills coming out black?
When creating 'Video Stills' on some systems you may experience a black, magenta, or green box where you expect to see the video still. A simple temporary system change should resolve your problem.
Open a ‘Run’ Dialog
Exit Sanction II prior to performing the following steps!
The first step is to click on the ‘START’ button and select ‘Run’
Launch the DirectX Diagnostic Program
Once you have opened the ‘Run’ dialog box, type in "dxdiag" (without quotes) and hit ‘OK’
It may take a few seconds for the DirectX dialog box to open so don't worry if you see a slight system delay.
Disable ‘DirectDraw Acceleration’
When you launch ‘dxdiag’ you will start on the ‘System’ tab. Click on the ‘Display’ tab to get to the DirectX Features settings for DirectDraw (found halfway down the dialog box)
NOTE: That if you use dual monitors (like in this situation) you will have a Display 1 and Display 2 tablature. Selecting Display 1 will allow you to turn off the Direct Draw Acceleration for both monitors. You do not have to turn this functionality off twice.
Click on the ‘Disable’ button next to DirectDraw Acceleration in order to disable DirectDraw (this should resolve your issues with creating stills). You will then see the following dialog box:
Click ‘OK’ and you will return to the ‘Display’ tab. Click ‘Exit’ and go do your Video Stills.
To turn DirectDraw back on:
When you've made your stills you may want to turn the DirectDraw Acceleration back on in order to maximize the performance of your computer. Repeat the above steps and click on the 'Enable' button to re-enable the DirectDraw Acceleration.
When you click ‘Enable’ you will see the following dialog box.
Click 'OK' and exit the DirectX Diagnostics dialog box. Your system will now be set just as it was prior the change. DirectDraw Acceleration is primarily used in viewing DVD movies and personal computer gaming, so you may want to determine if this aspect is necessary for your workstation.