Video & Tracking8 min read

How to Make a Good Video for Tracking

Everything you need to know about camera placement, lighting, and recording setup to get the best results from your behavioral tracking experiments.

8 min read

Beginner

7 steps

What You'll Need

Before you start recording, make sure you have these essentials. Good equipment makes the difference between hours of troubleshooting and clean data on the first try.

Your ConductScience Maze

Use a contrasting color to your subjects: white mazes for dark subjects, dark mazes for light subjects, or grey/blue for other colors.

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High-Resolution Camera

Minimum 1080p at 30 FPS or above. Higher frame rates help with fast-moving subjects. Our cameras include built-in IR lights.

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Studio Lights with Diffusers

Softbox lights provide even, consistent illumination without harsh reflections on your maze.

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Camera Gantry or Ceiling Mount

For overhead mounting. Small/medium mazes need a tabletop gantry; large mazes need 8ft+ gantry or ceiling mount.

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Pro Tip

Set up a dedicated area for your experiments with plain colored floor and background walls. This eliminates distractions and keeps conditions consistent across sessions.

Camera Placement

Position your camera directly above the maze, centered, with the entire maze filling as much of the frame as possible.

By Maze Size

S/M

Open Field, Y Maze, EPM

Use a tabletop camera gantry. Position camera as close as possible while keeping the full maze in frame.

Morris Water Maze, Large Barnes Maze

Use an 8ft+ gantry or ceiling mount. The camera needs significant height to capture the full area.

Note

For the Morris Water Maze, we used an 8ft gantry to get the right shot. We also added milk powder to the water to reduce visual cues and reflections — the whole pool stays in frame, centered.

Lighting Setup

Proper lighting is one of the most important factors for clean tracking data. The goal is even, consistent illumination across the entire maze.

Even illumination

All sections of the maze should be lit with similar intensity. Exception: light-dark boxes, EPM, or Zero Mazes that require variable conditions.

Use diffused lighting

Studio lights with softboxes keep the intensity consistent and prevent harsh shadows. You can easily move them around and adjust the height.

Avoid reflections

Particularly important for clear mazes. Our opaque mazes are matte-finished to reduce reflections by design.

Important

Dark conditions? Use an infrared (IR) light. Rodent subjects cannot see IR light, but your camera needs it to record in the dark. Our cameras have IR lights built in for ease of use.

Infrared Light for Dark Experiments

Essential for dark-condition experiments. Invisible to rodents but provides clear illumination for your camera.

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Final Adjustments

Once your camera, lights, and maze are in position, take a moment to fine-tune before recording.

Check that the entire maze is in frame and centered
Verify the image is sharp and not blurry — adjust focus if needed
Clean the camera lens (fingerprints cause haze)
Confirm even lighting with no dark spots or bright reflections
Lock exposure and white balance to prevent auto-adjustments during recording

Recording Tips

With everything set up, follow these guidelines to ensure your recordings produce clean, trackable data.

Clear the frame — Remove any objects besides the maze and your subject. Anything extra can confuse the tracking software.

Step out of frame — If you need to place the subject into the maze, do so before starting the recording. Being in frame causes “unknown” frames.

Start recording — Begin after you are completely out of frame and the subject is in position.

Stay consistent — Use the same setup (lighting, camera position, maze orientation) across all sessions for reliable comparisons.

Pro Tip

Record a short test clip first and review it before running your full experiment. This catches problems early and saves time.

Good Examples

Here are examples of well-recorded videos that produce excellent tracking results.

Open Field

Camera directly above, centered. The maze fills the frame with no reflections or extraneous objects visible. White maze with a dark subject creates excellent contrast.

Fish Tank

Camera as close to the tank as possible. Each fish is clearly visible and individually distinguishable. Example from our colleagues at the University of Busan, South Korea.

Zero Maze

Camera placed directly above. Since closed sections obscure the view, we track when the subject enters open sections. The software calculates closed-section data automatically — no extra lenses needed.

Common Mistakes

These are the most common problems we see. Avoid these and your tracking will be significantly more accurate.

Poor Contrast

A black subject on a black maze makes it nearly impossible for the tracking software to distinguish the animal from the background. Always use contrasting colors.

Uneven or Insufficient Lighting

Dark areas and shadows cause the software to lose track of the subject. IR lights not covering the entire maze in dark conditions creates patchy illumination.

Objects in Frame

Equipment, notes, cables, or hands in the camera's view can be mistaken for subjects by the software. Keep the field of view completely clear.

Researcher in Frame

Moving in and out of the camera's view during recording creates “unknown” frames and confuses subject identification. Step fully out of frame before recording begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

We recommend at least 1080p resolution at 30 FPS or above. Higher frame rates (60 FPS) are beneficial for fast-moving subjects like fish or insects. 4K is not necessary for most behavioral tracking but can help if you need to crop the frame significantly.

While phone cameras can work in a pinch, we recommend a dedicated camera for consistent results. Phone cameras often have auto-focus and auto-exposure that can shift during recording, which confuses tracking software. If you must use a phone, lock the focus, exposure, and white balance before recording.

Try repositioning your lights at 45-degree angles to the maze surface rather than directly above. Use diffused lighting (softboxes) instead of direct bulbs. Our opaque mazes are matte-finished to minimize reflections. For water mazes, adding milk powder to the water reduces reflections and visual cues.

Use an infrared (IR) light source. Rodents and most laboratory animals cannot see IR light, so it won't affect their behavior. Our cameras have built-in IR lights for exactly this purpose. Make sure the IR illumination covers the entire maze evenly.

The entire maze must be visible in the frame for accurate tracking. Move the camera higher or use a wider-angle lens. For very large mazes like the Morris Water Maze, you may need a ceiling mount or an 8+ foot gantry. Always verify full maze visibility before starting your experiment.

Contrast between subject and maze is critical. Use white mazes for dark-colored subjects (e.g., C57BL/6 mice) and dark mazes for white or albino subjects. If you cannot change the maze color, consider using a colored backdrop or adjusting your lighting to maximize contrast.

The Zero Maze is challenging because closed sections block the overhead camera view. We recommend placing the camera directly above and tracking when the subject enters the open sections. The software calculates closed-section entries and duration based on the open-section data. No additional lenses are needed.

Absolutely! We encourage customers to send sample videos before starting their full experiment. We will review your setup conditions and even test the video in our tracking software, sharing the results with you. Just submit a support ticket with your video attached.

Most ConductScience mazes come fully assembled or require minimal setup with included hardware. Check the assembly guide specific to your product. For camera mounting, you will need the gantry or ceiling mount and standard tools (screwdriver, level). Studio lights typically come with their own stands and diffusers.

Unknown frames typically occur when the software cannot identify your subject — usually at the start of a recording when you are placing the animal. Always step completely out of frame before starting the recording. Wait 1-2 seconds after the subject is placed before beginning the actual trial timing.

Need Help With Your Setup?

Send us a sample video and we'll review your conditions, test it in our tracking software, and share the results with you.

Submit a Support Ticket Email Us Directly

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