Playback screen user interface

The playback screen is divided in the following areas:

../_images/ui-playback.png

Some functions are not directly visible in the screenshot

Video viewport

The image viewport is the main area where the video is played back.

Double clicking the image maximizes it in the viewport area. The handles at the four corners of the image can be used to change its size.

Infobar

The infobar contains the name of the file, the image size and the frame rate.

The file name can be clicked to access a context menu to switch between normal video mode and replay folder observer mode.

../_images/menuobserver.png

Annotation toolbar

The annotation toolbar contains buttons to create new key images, select the active tool and open the color profile.

../_images/toolbar1.png

The toolbar contains more tools than those immediately visible. Buttons that host extra tools have a little black triangle in the top-left corner. The extra tools can be accessed by right-clicking or long-clicking the primary button.

../_images/subtools.png

Working zone area

The working zone defines the segment of the video that the player is working with. The play head loops within the working zone.

../_images/workingzone.png

TimeOrigin Marks the current time as the time origin. This makes time values relative to this moment.

WZLock Locks the working zone start and end point to avoid changing them by mistake.

WZStart Sets the starting point of the working zone within the video.

WZEnd Sets the ending point of the working zone within the video.

WZReset Resets the working zone to the whole video.

You can also update the working zone boundaries by directly manipulating the blue end points.

Tip

If the amount of data fits in the cache memory, the working zone will be loaded in memory.

This improves playback performances and enables the Video ‣ Overview and Video ‣ Reverse menus. The cache memory can be configured under Options ‣ Preferences ‣ Playback ‣ Memory.

Timeline area

The timeline area displays the current position within the video, time markers and the speed control.

../_images/timeline.png

Time markers

Time markers are the colored rectangles inside the timeline gutter, they provide information about annotations.

The red marker is the time origin.

The other markers are key images, chronometers or trajectories. Their color corresponds to the color of the drawing.

Playback controls

../_images/playbackcontrols.png

From left to right the buttons provides the following functions:

  • Returns to the start of the video or working zone.

  • Goes back one frame.

  • Starts playback.

  • Goes forward one frame.

  • Goes to the end of the video or working zone.

The playback loops to the start when it reaches the end of the video or working zone.

Speed slider

The speed slider goes from 0 to twice the nominal speed of the video.

The displayed speed value takes into account the slow motion factor configured such that the speed is shown as a percentage of the real world action speed. For example if a video is filmed at 240 fps and saved into a file as 24 fps, the video will normally play back at 10% of the real world speed. In this case the speed control will go from 0 to 20% with a mid-point at 10%.

Warning

If the video cannot be played back at its nominal speed for performance reasons the playback speed value will automatically be lowered down.

Performance for playing back depends on the displayed image size, the frame rate and the file format.

Export controls

The export controls provide ways to export videos and images of the current file.

../_images/exportcontrols.png

See also: Exporting videos.

Keyboard navigation

The following keyboard shortcuts are defined by default:

Left arrow

Step backward one frame

Right arrow

Step forward one frame

Page up

Big jump backward

Page down

Big jump forward

SHIFT + Page up

Small jump backward

SHIFT + Page down

Small jump forward

Home

Jump to the start

End

Jump to the end

SHIFT + Left arrow

At the start, will force jump back to the end

  • The big jump is 10% of the video length

  • The small jump is 1% of the video length

Mouse navigation

There are two modalities to use the mouse to navigate in time:

  • Use the mouse wheel to move forward and backward.

  • Hold the ALT key and drag the image left or right to move backward or forward.

Context menu

The context menu provides quick access to more functions.

../_images/contextmenu.png