A cue list is saved as a .playout file. This page explains how to save and open a list, and what the file contains.
Saving
Choose File → Save, or press Ctrl+S. The first time, the program asks for a name and suggests DocumentsUltimate PlayoutLists, the folder where Open also starts. After that, Save writes to the same file without asking. To save the list under another name, choose File → Save as….
The name of the list is on the right of the toolbar. It shows the file that the list of the active playout belongs to, or Untitled list when the list has no file yet. An asterisk after the name means that the list has changes that are not in the file yet. Each playout has its own list and its own file.
The program also keeps the list between sessions by itself: when you close the program, nothing is lost, and the list is there again at the next start. Saving puts the list in a file that you can open later, copy or give to someone else.
Some changes do not count as changes to the list. Opening or closing a group, choosing a design in the quick panel and the loudness that the program measures by itself do not add an asterisk.
What a .playout file contains
A .playout file contains the list and references to your media, but not the media itself:
| In the file | Not in the file |
|---|---|
| Every cue, with its title and number | The video and audio files |
| In and out points, volume, transition, follow action | Your settings and outputs |
| Groups, parts, the archive folder | Your scenes |
| Music beds and the cues they cover | |
| Links between playouts |
A list is therefore small, only a few kilobytes, but it only works when the media is where the list expects it. That is fine within one building, but not between two. For that, use a bundle.
Opening
Choose File → Open… and select a file. It replaces the list of the active playout. When you use more than one playout, the Import window opens, so that you can choose the playout first. The lists that you opened or saved recently are under File → Open recent, separately for each playout.
The program asks before it replaces a list with unsaved changes. Choose Save to save the list first, Don’t save to continue without saving, or Cancel to keep the list as it is. The same question appears when you start a new list or drop a .playout file onto the list. When all changes are saved, the program does not ask.
If a cue refers to a file that has been moved, the program tells you when the list opens. The message shows how many cues are affected, and each affected line gets a warning mark and the full path. Open the list well in advance, so that you have time to solve the problem. See missing files.
Continuing with the last list
Settings → General → Reload last list on startup opens the list that you used last. That is useful on a computer that runs one recurring show: you switch the computer on, and the list is there.
On a computer that is used for something different each day, switch this setting off and open the list yourself.
Working with several lists
You can make a list for each service, event or week. Lists are normal files, so you can copy and rename them, keep them in folders by date, and put them on a network share. Two habits help.
Give the files names that sort well. A name such as 2026-08-23 morning.playout is sorted by date on every computer, but a name such as Morning service final v2.playout is not.
Start with last week’s list. Open it, replace what has changed, and save it with a new name. When you build a new list every week, an item is easily forgotten.
What a list does not contain
Scenes belong to the computer. A cue finds its scene by name, so if the scene does not exist on the computer, the cue has nothing to show.
If you move a complete show, check that its scenes exist on the other computer, or use a bundle. A bundle includes the scenes that the cues use, and a scene that already exists on the other computer is not changed.