It looks like you've kinda misunderstood how the video library works by the looks of it.

In the Old Processing (which is what it looks like you've adapted the code from - Ah, the old days...) you needed to wait for a new frame and reserved a boolean for this (newFrame on your code).

Nowadays this is done by the captureEvent() method and the capture.read() methods as opposed to the videoEvent() method in Old Processing. Get rid of the captureEvent method at the end of your code and also replace the videoEvent() (which ain't ever gonna happen because that event has been renamed captureEvent() - hence the white screen) with:
Code:

void captureEvent(Capture video){
  video.read();
  newFrame = true;
}
 

Try
Code:

import processing.opengl.*
 

at the start of your code and adding: ,OPENGL to the size() method parameters for some graphics card speed as those particles look like a lot of work for my computer so OPENGL mode might take some pressure off.

If my suggestion's unclear just post back and I'll upload my altered version of your code for you.

http://www.klekdesign.com/script3.txt

anyway i've included a copy of the script again. haha. so opengl reduces the workload on the CPU? cool.

after a sleep I've finally got the code working but why does the whole video seem compressed at the bottom? I've included a print screen. And Also it will only fill up the screen when moved.

http://www.klekdesign.com/script4.txt
the script

http://www.klekdesign.com/images/printscreen3.jpg
the mirror example with processing 0114 as you can see the video output is fine.

http://www.klekdesign.com/images/printscreen1.jpg
the result when initiated.

and

http://www.klekdesign.com/images/printscreen2.jpg
repetitions which I have no ideae where they came from.

thanks in advanced to anyone who could help me. cheers.

hello what? it's been ten hours since your post. does somebody owe you their free time to help with your project?

is there something in the water that the board has gotten this rude?

If I had a penny for every unanswered post or stupid question I've posted on this forum I'd have enough for McDonalds Happy Meal (maybe two).

But the amount of intelligently answered posts I've received has amounted to two firsts in terms of grades that count so far and I'm hoping I can finish with a degree of the same. Patience is well rewarded.

On the other hand, I've been 11 meters in the bloody air with a fear of heights trying to do a big art installation. If I don't check the board - chances are I'm drinking myself through the floor from stress.

Patronization follows

videoEvent() is not a Processing method it was removed on the change from Alpha to Beta. Get that bloody thing out of your code like I told you to.

And...

The code works fine on my machine. I'm uploading a version I've made from yours - with an image of the camera capture in the background to illustrate what is going on.

If you look at what analyzeChangeVideo() is doing you'll see that it runs through all the pixels, looks for a change and then creates a lot of little motes where there is a change.

The downside is that you only have 10,000 particles. Those have to look after 307200 pixels! (640 * 480) Once they get used up, the code starts grabbing preused particles. Hence the motes end up at the bottom of the screen.

I tried making it skip lots of pixels at a time but it makes it look a bit crap.

My version.

My advice if you like this thing and want to continue with it that you try to break it down into something simple. Or perhaps just put the code in another window and copy it by hand into processing whilst changing the name of each variable into something you understand. That way you know for sure what you're writing. It may be slow but if you're learning as opposed to trying to get a project together for a deadline, it's a good thing to do.