Qlab - Video

Basics of building a show file in QLab 3

Getting Started

Basics –

·      There are several “tools” that should be opened when starting a new file.  The will make navigating Qlab a bit easier for you.

o   The Inspector Menu is the bottom of the Qlab window.  It is where you have basics about the cue, the time information, patch information, volume and effects.

o   The Toolbox Menu is on the left hand side of the Qlab window and will give you access to the various cue options. 

o   The Active Cue & Cue Lists menu will be on the right hand side of the Qlab window and gives you access to cue lists and active cues.

§  You can build multiple cue lists to work from if you have a show that needs to have flexibility or if you’ve got different versions of the same show you’re working with.

§  The Active Cues menu lets you “scrub” thru cues to get to specific time in the cue.  The cue must have been fired before you can actually scrub thru the track.

o   The Set Up menu can be accessed thru the icon at the bottom right of the screen.  This gives you access to the audio patch, video setting as well as other features.

·      We do not have Pro licenses for Qlab, so if the features available in the Pro version of the software are needed, then you will need to rent a Pro license for your performance.

Video Set up –

·      When starting a new show file in Qlab that uses video or still images, you will need to add the projector to your show file as a new “Surface”. 

o   To add one of the projectors, in the settings menu with the video option selected, click the small plus button on the bottom left.

§  Select “New with Display” which will show the devices connected to the computer.  Make sure that the projector is actually on before trying to add it.  In each theater, the projector should already be connected physically to the computer.  When you select “New with Display”, one of the options will be the iMac, the other is the projector.

§  When the projector selected, a window will pop up that has the new device information.  It is usually a good idea to rename that “Projector” or something that will help you remember when working in your show file. Close the window and go back to the video settings.

§  At the top of the page, change the Default Surface to the Projector for all new cues.  This will keep you from having to change it each time when adding a new cue.

Adding Video Files

·      To add video files, as with audio files, be sure to put the originals on to the computer itself, ideally in the same folder as any audio files.

·      When you’re ready to add a video or still image, simply drag the file to the Qlab window. 

o   As with the audio files, you can rename the cue either by double clicking the file name or thru the Inspector window at the bottom of the screen. 

o   You can also change the color, cue number information as with audio cues thru the Inspector window.

·      If the video file or image is not showing on the projector, check under the Display & Geometry tab of the Inspector window to ensure that the correct video surface has been selected.

Auto Continue vs. Auto Follow – see above

Manipulating video/image files-

·      Under the Display & Geometry tab of the Inspector window, you can access controls that will let you manipulate the video/still images.

·      Under the Display & Geometry tab of the Inspector window, you can change the mode of the image or video. The default is Full Screen.   If you select custom, it allows you to change the scale, opacity and rotation of the file. 

o   When you have custom geometry selected, you can move the image around in the surface area (to the right of the window) and thus around the projection area.

o   If you click the lock icon in the scale, you can skew the image/video file.

o   You can change the opacity of the image by changing the percentage of opacity.  This will be how you create a fade in for a video/still image.  

o   You can organize multiple images/video files in to layers so that when playing multiple files, you can control which layer they are in.  All files default to the top layer

·      Fading Video Files

·      The same rules for audio files apply to the audio for video files (see above), but you also can fade the video itself.  When adding a fade to a video/still image file, add the fade after the target file. 

o   Be sure to set the opacity of the original file to 0 if setting a fade up cue. 

o   On the fade itself, make sure to check the Opacity box and put it at 100% (or the desired percentage).

o   Set the original file to Auto Continue so that it triggers the fade up. 

·      To fade out the video/still image, add a fade after the original file and set the opacity to 0.  When triggered it will fade out the original file. 

o   Be sure to select Stop Target When Done so that you don’t have the video files playing in the background.

·      Moving Files on the Screen

o   You can have a video/still image move across the “Surface” by using the Translation option under the Display & Geometry tab.

o   To have a video/image file move from one point to another, use a fade cue after the original file. 

o   In the original file, with custom geometry selected in the mode, move the image in the window to the right to the desired start position.   This will show up in the Translation portion of the tab and give you new coordinates.

o   In the fade cue that follows, check the Translation box and move the image in the right had window to the desired final position.

o   The video/image will move across the “surface” when the fade cue is triggered.

·      Rotation Files on the Screen

o   The same rules apply to rotation as with translating files. 

o   Click the rotation buttons to access the X, Y, Z factors to set the rotation points.

·      Qlab Remote

o   The MATCH iPads have the Qlab remote on them. (iPads must be checked out from MATCH Director of Production)

o   iPad and iMac must be connected to the same WiFi network in order to communicate.  MATCH Tech is the appropriate network to use.