This page describes the one setting that applies to all playouts. The canvas is the size in which everything is built, and each playout scales the picture from the canvas to its own output. It comes before the pages about the separate outputs, because some outputs only work when they match the canvas.
Where to find it
Go to Settings → Outputs → Canvas. The canvas has a size and a frame rate.
The list contains the standard sizes. If the size you need is not in the list, type it in this form: 1920 x 1080.
What it determines
The program builds everything at the size of the canvas. It fits a still to the canvas, lays out a scene in it, and scales a clip to it. An output then scales the picture from the canvas to its own resolution.
This means that you should make your graphics for the resolution of the canvas. On the standard canvas of 1920×1080, a full-screen slide is a png of 1920×1080, and it is then not scaled at all.
The canvas is shared
All playouts use the same canvas, so you cannot set a separate size for one playout.
The frame rate and your outputs
A DeckLink output starts only when its mode has the same frame rate as the canvas.
When you change the frame rate, the program warns you and lists the outputs to check. If you ignore the warning, those outputs do not start, and you get no further message.
If you send out SDI, work in this order: first decide which frame rate the building uses, then set the canvas to that frame rate, and then set the mode of each card to match.
Changing the canvas
A change applies immediately, and you do not need to restart.
You cannot change the canvas while the program is streaming or recording. Stop the stream and the recording first. The program reminds you if you forget, and if the change fails for another reason, it shows the reason.
Choosing a canvas
| Situation | Canvas |
|---|---|
| Streaming, a screen in the hall, standard SDI | 1920 × 1080 |
| Everything after the playout is 720p | 1280 × 720. A larger canvas only costs extra processing |
| A screen with an unusual shape, such as a strip or a portrait display | The size of that screen. Type it in |
For the frame rate, use what the building uses: 50 in a country with 50 Hz, and 59.94 where the rest of the chain uses 59.94. If the canvas has a different frame rate from the rest of the chain, the signal must be converted at each step, and movement is no longer smooth.