Starstruck Video Playout Operator guide

05 / THE SHOW GUIDE

Choose how the picture changes

Each Loop and Insert chooses how it comes onto the screen.

Cut, Fade or Stinger

Open a tile's settings and choose Cut for a direct switch, Fade for a gradual picture change, or Stinger for a transition animation over the change.

The clip you are going to owns the transition. An Insert uses its own choice when you trigger it. Returning to a Loop uses that Loop's choice.

On an automatic return, a fade or stinger starts before the Insert ends so the change happens while the video is still moving. You do not need to time this yourself.

A Loop’s own transition: Cut, Fade or Stinger. Click the picture to enlarge.

Set the fade times

  1. Open Settings → Transitions.
  2. Set Fade duration (seconds). This one value is shared by every tile using Fade; a new project starts at 0.5 seconds.
  3. Set Output Black fade duration (seconds) separately. This controls how the Black output button fades picture and sound away.
  4. Press Return or leave the field to apply the number. Save the project to keep it.
Normal Fade and Output Black have separate project-saved durations. Click the picture to enlarge.

Add a stinger and mark its switch point

  1. In Settings → Transitions, click Add stinger and choose your transparent ProRes stinger video.
  2. In the preview that opens, play or scrub to the switch point. The preview is silent; use the frame buttons for small adjustments.
  3. Find the point where the animation should hide the picture change. Click Use playhead to set Cut point to that position, or type a value into Cut point.
  4. Leave Mute audio unchecked if you want the stinger's own sound on the selected audio destination. A stinger with no sound in its file will stay silent.
  5. Open the relevant Loop or Insert settings, choose Stinger and select its name.
The stinger timeline and cut point, cropped from Transitions settings. Click the picture to enlarge.

Choose a starting choice for new media

Settings → Playback → Default transition for new videos starts as Fade. Change it to Cut or Stinger if that suits the show; add a stinger first if you need one.

This applies to newly added videos and image Loops. It leaves existing tiles alone. These settings belong to the project, so use Project → Save.

Project playback settings, including the default transition for new videos. Click the picture to enlarge.

Restart or resume a Loop

Settings → Playback → Preserve loop playback position starts Off. Each return starts the Loop from its beginning. Turn it on if you want a Loop to resume where you left it. The Loop pauses while an Insert plays; it does not keep running underneath. Save the project to keep this choice.