Template editor: checkpoints and video movement
The "Template creation" window sets the position of two layers. It opens with the "Create template" button and expands to full screen. The position and size of the layers are saved with checkpoints. One checkpoint gives a still scene. Several checkpoints give movement.
How to open the "Template creation" window
Meet three conditions:
- Turn on the "Use template" switch.
- Select the additional videos with the folder button.
- Import videos into the project and open one in the preview window.
When no additional videos are selected, the file selection button shows the hint "Select additional videos for the template". When the project has no videos, the app opens the list of imported videos and shows "No video file selected". When the file is no longer on the disk, "File not found" and the path to it are shown.
With the "Periodic" export type, the window opens even without videos in the project. The caption "Downloading a video from the source" is shown over the empty window. The wait lasts from a few seconds to three minutes.
The video download does not always succeed. The window then shows a refusal with the first line "Could not download a video from the source." and the reason. For example: "No sources are enabled. Add a source in the "Sources" section." The buttons at the bottom: "Retry", "Open group settings", "Open the "Sources" section".
What you see on the canvas
- Two frames in white borders. The upper frame lies over the lower one.
- The white border is visible while the frame is not selected. As soon as you click a frame, its border becomes dashed. This marks the selection. The border becomes white again when you select the other frame.
- Four white round handles at the corners of each border.
- Dimming around the main video frame.
- A blurred copy of the main frame under the scene. The background of the finished video looks the same.
- The instruction under the canvas: "Please place both videos the way they should be joined, click "Add checkpoint" and then "Done"".
One frame is the main video from the preview window. The other is the first additional video from the list. For finished copies, the file is picked at random. Read about this on the what to check before the start page.
With the chroma key on, the frames are shown with the background already removed. The color and tolerance values are taken from the screen, not from the saved project. Details are on the Random layer deviations and chroma key page.
How to move frames and change their size
| Action | How it is done |
|---|---|
| Move a frame | drag it with the mouse by any point inside the border |
| Change the size | pull a corner handle |
The frame proportions are kept when resizing. A side of the border does not get smaller than 50 canvas points. Both borders work the same way.
The layer order is set only before the first checkpoint
The button with up and down arrows is to the right of the "Add checkpoint" button. It has no label. The button tooltip: "Swap the layer order. Moves the top layer down, and the other way round".
The button is available until the first checkpoint is added. After the first checkpoint it is inactive, and the tooltip changes to this:
The first checkpoint is already added, and the layer order is set only before it. Close the window and click "Create template" again to pick a different order.
You cannot return to the previous order in this window. You cannot remove a checkpoint in it either. There is one way left: close the window, press "Create template" and build the template again. So choose the layer order before you first press "Add checkpoint".
What a checkpoint is
The "Add checkpoint" button saves the current position and size of both frames. The button tooltip:
This button lets the app "remember" the position and size of the videos.
With a single checkpoint the videos stay in place.
With several checkpoints the videos move between them and change in size.
You can add any number of checkpoints.
Once the first checkpoint is set, the layers can no longer be swapped.
After the first press, the counter "Checkpoints total: 1" is shown at the bottom. The "Done" button becomes available.
| How many checkpoints | What you get |
|---|---|
| one | the layers stay still for the whole video |
| two or more | the layers move smoothly and change in size from point to point |
There is one fewer movement segment than checkpoints. The segments are spread over the whole duration of the main video. There is no limit on the number of points.
You cannot undo a single checkpoint; the counter only goes up. A mistake at the fifth point means building the template again.
Within one created video the layers do not swap places. The order is taken from the first checkpoint and stays until the end.
The real duration of a video is sometimes longer than the one written in its header. Then, after the last point, the layers stay in the position of the last checkpoint.
How to save the template
The "Done" button saves the template and closes the window. On the "Template" page, the label changes to "Template created: Yes".
Closing the window with the cross saves nothing. The previous template stays in place. Only pressing "Done" replaces it.
The "Template created: Yes" label does not change back to "No".
Movement between checkpoints: two settings on the page
Both settings are on the "Template" page, in the bottom card. Both work only with several checkpoints. With one checkpoint they can be turned on, but they give no result.
| Switch | What it does | Slider | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Use random checkpoint order" | shuffles the points anew in each copy | none | off |
| "Change motion speed" | sets the spread of movement segment durations | from -50% to +50% | off, handles at 0 and 0 |
A random point order gives each copy its own movement path. A speed spread makes the movement segments different in length.
The "Change motion speed" slider is collapsed into one point by default, from 0 to 0. With such a slider, turning the switch on changes nothing. Move the slider handles apart, otherwise there will be no spread. With the switch off, the movement segments are almost equal.
Movement over several points makes video creation noticeably longer. The position and size of both layers are recalculated on every frame.
Tooltips on inactive buttons
| Tooltip | On which button | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Video frames are not ready yet." | "Add checkpoint" and the layer order button | wait until the frames are ready |
| "No checkpoint has been added yet, so the video layout in the template is not set. Arrange the videos and click "Add checkpoint"." | "Done" | place the frames and add a checkpoint |
| "The first checkpoint is already added, and the layer order is set only before it..." | the layer order button | close the window and press "Create template" again |
When a frame could not be taken from the file
The app takes the first frame from both files. For one file this takes up to five seconds. A large file, a network drive or a rare codec make the wait longer.
Sometimes the frame cannot be taken. Then the "The file is not suitable for the template" window opens. The text in it is one of four:
The file has no video, only audio. Choose a video file.
Could not open the file.
Choose another video file.
Could not get a frame from the file.
Choose another video file.
The template video path is not set.
In the first three cases, replace the file with another one. In the fourth, select the additional videos again.
FAQ
How do I remove an extra checkpoint?
You cannot. The "Checkpoints total" counter only goes up. Close the window and build the template again.
Why is the "Done" button inactive?
No checkpoint has been added. Place the frames and press "Add checkpoint". After that the button becomes available.
Why did the layer order button go gray?
The first checkpoint has already been added. The layer order is set only before it. Close the window and press "Create template" again.
How many checkpoints should I set?
One if the layers stay still. Two or more if you need movement. Each new point adds a movement segment and makes video creation longer.
Why did the window open empty?
That is how the "Periodic" export type works. The project has no videos yet, and the app downloads one from the source. The caption "Downloading a video from the source" is shown over the empty window.
The movement settings are on, but the copies are the same. Why?
There are two reasons. The first is that there is only one checkpoint, and both settings work only with several points. The second is that the handles of the "Change motion speed" slider are collapsed into one point.