Using single- and multi-view modes

The single- and multi-view modes of Livegrade’s viewer allow viewing multiple live signals, references, or both simultaneously in a variety of helpful layout configurations. This makes the viewer a powerful tool in the camera department, where you need to monitor live signals but also ensure that the look of individual scenes matches the creative intent of the cinematographer.

In this article, you will get

• some first tips to get started with the viewer’s capabilities,
• an overview of available single- and multi-views, and
• exemplary scenarios for each mode.

Getting started with the viewer#

Before we go into the details, here are some key aspects that will help to get started quickly:

• Show what’s selected: The basis of the viewer is always the currently selected slot, which can be either an input, a library, or a temporary slot (more on this later). Based on the selected slot, you can choose between various single- and multi-view modes to view the selected slot as you want – in full screen, with a reference wipe, or within a grid.
• Lock what should not change: If you don’t want the viewer to listen to your slot changes, lock the current output, and its source configuration will stay.
• Display the viewer’s image via an output: You probably intend to output the image you see in the viewer to an external monitor. This can be done by assigning a video output device to an output via the slot manager.
• Accessing multiple outputs: In contrast to earlier versions, multiple outputs can be assigned in Livegrade v7. These can be accessed via the output selector in the viewer’s header and configured via the slot manager. To get yourself familiar with the interaction of the single- and multi-view modes, we recommend limiting the setup to one output as a first step.
• References always stick to a slot: If you set a reference, the shot will stick to the slot, so that it is possible to configure an individual reference for each slot.
• Study the viewer’s controls: Find a detailed overview about all controls surrounding the viewer here.

Using single-view modes for viewing full screen#

In order to view a camera signal, a still or a recording full screen, enter the single-view in Livegrade’s viewer.

Single view

The single-view offers several possibilities to add a reference and show it as

• vertical swipe,
• horizontal swipe, or
• overlay.

Depending on the individual situation, different types of references may be of interest. In the following, we will go through common scenarios and how to use the possibility of setting a reference.

Use another input slot as a reference#

Right-click on an input slot and set it as a reference for the current slot.

Example#

In order to match the live camera signals of A and B camera, set camera A as a reference for camera B and vice versa.

To do so

1. Select slot B, right-click on slot A, and choose “Set as Reference”. Then, select slot A, right-click on slot B, and choose “Set as Reference”.
2. Use the reference mode buttons in the viewer’s header to change the view mode, and use your mouse to swipe the reference and the output settings in the right sidebar to make detailed adjustments to the view mode.
3. To grade slot A, select slot A. To grade slot B, select slot B

Use a library slot as a reference#

Right-click on a library slot and set it as a reference for the current input slot.

Example#

In order to match the live camera signal of camera A to a reference that is currently shown in the library slot, set the library slot as the reference for camera A.

To do so

1. Create a library slot via the ellipsis menu on the left side of the slots bar and select [Add Library Slot].
2. Drag and drop a reference shot to the library slot.
3. Select input slot A, right-click on the library slot, and choose “Set as Reference”.
4. Use the reference mode buttons in the viewer’s header to change the view mode, and use your mouse to swipe the reference or the output settings in the right sidebar to make detailed adjustments to the view mode.
5. To adjust the playhead position of a clip loaded in the library slot
   • click on the slot label in the bottom left of the viewer,
   • use the Stream Deck action “Cycle Output Sources”, or
   • the menu item Slots > Cycle Output Sources
6. To grade camera A, select input slot A
7. To grade the shot loaded in the library slot, select the library slot.

Use a shot as a reference#

Right-click on a shot and set it as reference for the selected slot.

In order to match the live camera signal of camera A to a reference shot, set a shot from the library as a reference for camera A.

Example#

To do so

1. Select input slot A
2. Search for a reference shot in the library.
3. Right-click on the shot and choose “Set as Reference”.
4. Use the reference mode buttons in the viewer’s header to change the view mode, use your mouse to swipe the reference and the output settings in the right sidebar to make detailed adjustments to the view mode
5. To adjust the playhead position, the reference shot
   • click on the slot label in the bottom left of the viewer,
   • use the Stream Deck action “Cycle Output Sources”, or
   • the menu item Slots > Cycle Output Sources
6. To grade camera A, select input slot A

Using multi-view modes for viewing grids#

To view multiple camera signals, references or a mix of both in a grid, enter the multi-view in Livegrade’s viewer.

Multi view

The currently selected slot is indicated in the viewer with a surrounding border. In the “General tab” of Livegrade’s settings (open via main menu Livegrade > [Settings…]), you will find the option to change that indication to a circle and the possibility to hide the indication on attached output devices.

To change the selection of the current slot you can

• Select a different input, library or temporary slot or
• Click on the slot label in the bottom left to switch to the next slot shown in the viewer or
• Use Slots > [Cycle Source of Output] (also available as Stream Deck and Tangent action) to switch to the next slot shown in the viewer

Livegrade’s viewer offers the possibility to use different multi-view modes:

• All Input Slots shows all input slots of the current stage at once in a grid.
• All Armed Input Slots shows all input slots or the current stage that are currently armed at once in a grid.
• All Input + Library Slots shows all input and library slots at once in a grid.
• Current Library Shots loads all shots that are currently listed in the library into temporary slots and adds them to the viewer.
• Custom shows all shots that were added manually to the viewer in a grid.

Depending on the situation, they can be useful for different purposes.

In the following, we will go through every mode and give an example of a common scenario.

Using “All Input Slots” and “All Armed Input Slots”#

These modes will always show all input slots of the current stage within a grid.

“All Armed Input Slots” will only show those cameras that are currently armed. This allows us to spare our cameras, which are currently inactive.

Example#

In order to match all live camera signals, switching to “All Input Slots” will show all cameras next to each other withinone grid.

To do so

1. Select input slot A
2. Switch to multi-view mode “All Input Slots”
3. To match camera B with A, select input slot B and adjust its look.
4. To show input slot A in full screen again, choose input slot A and switch to single view again.

Using “All Input + Library Slots”#

This mode will always show all input slots and all library slots within a grid.

Example#

In order to match all live camera signals with a reference shown in the library slot, switching to “All Input + Library Slots” will show all cameras, including the reference, next to each other within one grid.

To do so

1. Create a library slot via the ellipsis menu on the left side of the slots bar and select [Add Library Slot]
2. Drag and drop a reference shot to the library slot
3. Select input slot A
4. Switch to multi-view mode “All Input + Library Slots”
5. To match camera A with the reference loaded in the library slot, adjust the look in input slot A.
6. To match camera B with the reference loaded in the library slot, select input slot B and adjust the look.
7. To show input slot A in full screen again, select input slot A and switch to single view again.

Using “Current Library Shots”#

This mode will show all currently listed shots in the shot library table within one grid. If the number of shots exceeds 25, the paging buttons allow switching between pages of shots.

To access a tile in the viewer in order to change its playhead position or to adjust its look, Livegrade will create a temporary slot for each tile in the viewer.

So, a temporary slot is basically a library slot, but it will be automatically created and removed so that every tile in the viewer can be accessed as a slot.

With a temporary slot, you can do everything you could do in a common library slot:

• Scrub to a certain frame
• Adjust the look
• Playback a clip
• Create a still shot from a certain frame
• Press save to update the shot in the library

The only difference to library slots is that temporary slots are only available if the shot is currently shown in the viewer.They are only temporarily available and will vanish as soon as the viewer’s mode changes.

Example#

In order to match all recorded clips of a shot size, all shots should be displayed in a single grid next to each other and should be adjusted if necessary.

To do so

1. Select the smart group that shows all shots of a certain shot size.
2. Switch to multi-view mode “Current Library Shots”
3. Select a certain tile by
   • clicking on the corresponding temporary slot,
   • using dedicated menu items and controller actions to access a certain slot, or
   • using the “Cycle Output Sources” action via the menu, controller action, or clicking on the slot label in the bottom-left of the viewer
4. Adjust the playhead of the selected temporary slot by using the viewer controls.
5. Adjust the look of the selected temporary slot by using the grade controls.
6. Save your changes via
   • “Save” button or CMD+S to update an individual shot.
   • “Save All” button or OPT+CMD+S to update all loaded shots.
7. Discard your changes via
   • “Discard Changes of Selected Slot” to recover the look from the library for the current shot.
   • “Discard Changes of All Loarded Slot” to recover the look from the library from all loaded shots.

Using “Custom”#

This mode allows building a custom grid showing multiple shots from the library, multiple live-signals, or even a mix of both.

The configuration can be done very easily:

1. Press and hold the OPT key and click on a shot or a slot you want to add to the multi-view.
2. To remove a slot, press and hold OPT and click on the tile you want to remove

Example#

In order to match all live camera signals with a grid of references, a grid consisting of references and live signals should be shown.

To do so

1. Select the smart group that shows a collection of references
2. Switch to multi-view mode “Current Library Shots”
3. Add camera A to the grid by OPT+Click on input slot A
4. Add camera B to the grid by OPT+Click on input slot B
5. Remove a reference from the grid by OPT+Click on the corresponding temporary slot
6. To match camera A with the references, select input slot A and adjust the look
7. To match camera B with the references, select input slot B and adjust the look