DSK Controls

DSK Source Configuration

Many more configuration options are available for DSKs (and their siblings, M/E key layers, too). To access these settings and features, roll the mouse pointer over the DSK viewport, and click the configuration (gear) gadget that appears at lower right.

Doing so opens the Input Configuration panel for the source assigned to the DSK, but with the addition of a supplemental tab labeled DSK (1-4). The control groups in this new tab expand to reveal Position, Use Source Tracker and Borders, Edges and Shadows settings.

Position and Crop

• The Position control group includes Position, Zoom, Rotation, and Priority. Position settings can be toggled on and off together using the switch provided in the group header.

• Click and drag on the Position button (diamond) to relocate the DSK layer vertically or horizontally within the frame.

• Drag left or right on either of the two nearby numeric controls to adjust a single axis only. Dragging the cursor on the Zoom button (magnifying glass) affects the apparent size of the overlay.

• If you drag just one of the associated numeric gadgets you can adjust just one dimension of the corresponding DSK layer – width or height.

• In similar fashion, drag the pointer over the Rotation button with the left mouse button depressed to turn the overlay source on three axes as follows:

  • Drag left/right to rotate the source about the Y (vertical) axis.

  • Drag up/down to rotate about the X (horizontal) axis.

  • Drag while holding ALT down to rotate about the Z axis.

  • Drag on a single numeric slider, or hold down CTRL to constrain rotation to one axis.

The Crop DSK/KEY controls in this group are similar to those found in the Input tab, as discussed in Input Configuration. However, these settings are applied to the DSK/KEY layer, without any impact on the source itself as it may be displayed elsewhere in the Switcher.

Z-Priority

Normally, KEY and DSK layers appear in numeric order from back (furthest from the viewer) to front. This if DSK 1 and DSK 2 are both displayed and occupy the same position in the frame, the content in DSK 2 occludes DSK 1.

The Z-Priority setting in DSK and KEY layer positioning panels allows you to revise the default layer order on a selective basis. This feature was specially implemented to provide additional flexibility for use with the COMPS feature.

For example, imagine an M/E set up with 4 KEYs supplying a quad-box setup for four remote interviewees over a background supplied by the M/E. You might want to use Comps to zoom the top-left input up to fill the screen while the moderator chats with that person. Normally, KEYs 1-3 would always appear behind KEY 4 – not what you want at all. Z-Priority lets you move any KEY to the front (and the setting is stored in your Comps).

The range of Z-Priority settings runs from -10 to +10, with a default 0. A layer with a higher index is shown in front of those with lower indices. When two layers have the same layer priority, they are rendered in their natural (DSK/KEY layer) order.

Apply with Comp

Comps are a type of preset that stores complete Switcher or M/E setups.

By default, the settings stored in a Comp include the Position, Crop and visibility state for each DSK or KEY layer. Disable the Apply with Comp feature if you want to exclude a given DSK/KEY channel from Comp control, handling it manually instead.

See section Comp system.

Use Source Tracker

Use Source Tracker lets you assign motion data output from the Tracker for any video source to modify the position of the current DSK or KEY layer by selecting it in this menu.

Position settings enabled in the DSK/KEY tab continue in force but are applied relative to Tracker output. For example, X and Y Position settings entered in the upper part of the panel result in an offset from the co-ordinates supplied by the Tracker.

See section Input Configuration.

Borders, Edges and Shadows

The Borders, Edges and Shadows group also provides each DSK, KEY and M/E layer with three quick access border preset slots.

These powerful effects can include full color overlays, backgrounds, matte layers for keyhole effects, and shadows.

• You can freely scale, position and rotate various Switcher sources, add custom borders, overlays, shadows, and so-on, over custom backgrounds.

• In addition to hundreds of supplied borders, you can easily create elaborate custom effects using Adobe Photoshop™.

  • Define a Photoshop™ format file with three (rasterized) layers.

  • The uppermost layer contains foreground elements (such as a bezel).

  • The next layer is treated as a mask based on opacity and defines the part of the source image that appear in the result.

  • The bottom layer supplies a background to appear behind transparent parts of the source (as, for example, when LiveMatte is applied to a source).
    

    

A template PSD file is supplied to assist you to do this. The multi-layer Photoshop™ file is in the Borders folder at C:\ProgramData\vizrt\Effects\Borders.

Transparency

Sources assigned to DSKs are often partially transparent. This might be because they are drawn from a Media Player (DDR) file that includes an embedded alpha channel, or because LiveMatte or Crop options are enabled for the source, or perhaps because a Network source includes an alpha channel, or even all of these factors operating together.

In all of these cases, DSK layers automatically respect transparency when supplied by the source. The BKGD layer and all visible content in lower-numbered DSKs appear through or around sources with transparency as appropriate.

DSK layers offer a lot of creative possibilities. For example, you can use DSK channels to display a permanent station ID bug, superimpose a company logo onto a title page, add a spinning globe animation playing in the DDR to a lower-third, frame a keyed source composed over a title, or set up other similar effects.

Background Controls

The QuickSelect button (marked with an Eye icon to associate it with visibility) is located in between BKGD and FTB.

• Click to update the Switcher's T-Bar delegate and transition states so that the next TAKE or AUTO operation will remove all visible DSK or KEY layers from output.
  (On supporting control surfaces, press ALT and BKGD to trigger the QuickSelect feature).

Background Transition Group

Transition controls in this section apply to the Background video layer only. In most respects, these tools are identical to the DSK transition controls discussed earlier, but there is one difference worth mentioning.

The Duration menu for the Background transition offers two items not included in the similar DSK/KEY controls:

• Reverse: Configures the current transition to run in reverse direction the next time it is applied.

• Ping Pong: Causes the direction of the transition to be automatically swapped after each time it is applied.

FTB

The acronym stands for Fade to Black. FTB offers a convenient method of doing what its name implies – fading Program output completely to black. It might help to think of FTB as a final video layer added above all others before Program output, completely obscuring everything below it.

As a memory aid, the FTB button pulses during operation. FTB’s fade duration is drawn from the BKGD transition setting.

Take and Auto

Clicking the Background layer’s Take button (keyboard shortcut ENTER) performs a straight cut for all video layers that are currently delegated. Likewise, if you press Auto (or the keyboard SPACEBAR), the transitions assigned to all delegated video layers are performed.

T-bar

Enables manual transition between selected video layers. Pull it downward by dragging it with the mouse pointer. Drag it all the way to the bottom and release to complete a transition; the T-bar then pops back to the top.

Background Transition

Note the quad-selector located between the single Switcher row, and the DSK controls at right. Cut and Crossfade mode buttons top this control group.

1. Click or tap either the Cut or Crossfade button to activate the corresponding Background transition.
   Just below these you see two selectable transition controls.

2. Tap or click these to activate the effect represented by the icon as the current Background transition instead.

3. To open a transition selector to choose a different transition for either of these slots, click the gear that appears at lower right when your mouse pointer is over the icon.

Switching

1. Selected the Background transition.

2. Click or tap the button for the source you wish to send to Program output.
   There is no need to make a Preview row selection first, as you would need to do in the standard (two-row) Switcher.

3. The Background transition you chose is applied to display the new source.

DSKs

The two DSK control groups at right work just like the Standard Mode Switcher, but it is particularly handy that you need to click or tap their viewport to show or hide the associated DSK layer.

To open the Animation Store Creator

• From the Start-up screen, select Add-Ons > Animation Store Creator.
  

  Note: The Animation Store Creator utility is described in its own manual, available at the Launch menu (Help > Add-Ons > Animation Store Creator) or at the Vizrt Documentation Center.