Settings

The Settings allow you to make many adjustments to Silverstack and by doing so, your daily work can become even easier. You can access the settings via the menu by clicking Silverstack > Settings… or using the shortcut Command-Comma. It is also possible to transfer project settings. You can learn more about it in the article Transfer of Project Settings.

1. General#

Hide verification state indicator for bins
Hides the verification indicators for bins in the library’s outline (green/grey hash icons).

Decimal Places for File Size Values
Defines the amount of decimal places to show.

Backup Statistics in Reports
Determines if all or only verified backups are shown in reports. The default is Verified Backups.

Warn me about unread failed jobs on every new offload
The default is enabled.

Remind me about unread failed jobs every
Defines the time slot to remind you about unread failed jobs.

Preferred Language
Sets the language for Silverstack’s user interface. The default is Auto.Silverstack 9 is currently only available in English.

2. Projects#

This tab contains settings that are applied to new projects or specifically set for the active project. Switch the active project to see another project’s settings.

Label names
Sets custom names for the color labels.

Titles for custom fields
Sets titles for the custom fields of the current project. This setting can also be used to extract special metadata from clips (see: Using Silverstack Custom Field Titles to Read Additional Metadata).

New Projects
Applies a custom configuration to all newly created projects (see: Transfer of Project Settings). Click Choose… to load the configuration file.

3. Media#

In this section you can set options for the creation of thumbnails and still frames as well as the use of Dynamic Metadata.

Default thumbnail position
Sets the position for the automatic thumbnail creation. You can change the position in the clip that is used to create the thumbnails (see: Choosing Custom Thumbnail Images).

Thumbnails for clips
Disables the thumbnail creation for clips during Offload jobs to speed up the process. You can still create the thumbnails later via the clip menu.

Thumbnails for sidecars & documents
Disables the thumbnail creation for sidecars & documents like the previous option.

Focus distance unit
Switches between imperial and metric units for the according values in the library. The default is Metric.

Use extracted dynamic metadata of thumbnail frame for reports
Links the extracted dynamic metadata (in the General Info and Library’s Table View) to the thumbnail frame. By enabling this option, you can ensure that the referenced (static) metadata in the reports matches the shown thumbnails.

Still Image Export
Still images are exported via the Transcoding Preset Panel.

4. Copy & Jobs#

Default Task Concurrency
Defines the maximum amount of tasks (files) that are processed/read from the source volume.

Read Buffer Size
Sets the read buffer’s size. The default is “8 MB (Recommended).”

Documents
Defines the handling of non-clip files in your folder structures. See section Document Wildcard Handling in Path Wildcards.

Hash Manifest
Sets the preferred hash manifest to be created after a relevant process. ASC MHL is the default and allows further adjustments using the … button (see section 4.1 below).The option “None” does not create hash manifests at all.

GPU selection
Defines which GPU to use. Auto uses the system default while Manual allows you to define it yourself.

Automatically pause transcoding jobs during playback
Automatically interrupts transcoding jobs during playback and offload to improve performance. Enabled by default.

Prefer CPU-based over hardware accelerated decoding for H.264/H.265-based formats
This option can improve performance on certain systems, such as Intel systems with many CPU cores.

4.1 ASC MHL Settings#

The creator info allows you to enter additional information that will be stored in the ASC MHL manifests:

Name
Email
Phone
Role
Location

Comment
Shows you a preview of the comment in the ASC MHL manifest (since the offload/backup path is different each time).

Hostname
Shows you how your hostname appears in the ASC MHL manifest.

Tool
Shows you how the application name appears in the ASC MHL manifest.

Ignore (Patterns)
Allows you to enter ASC MHL ignore patterns. Files/folders matching the patterns will be ignored by ASC MHL entirely.

Use this markdown file as cheat sheet to define ignore patterns for ASC MHL:

ASC MHL Ignore Patterns Cheat Sheet

5. Playback#

Disable ColorSync and use video gamma in the Playback View
If ColorSync is disabled, the monitor color profile set in the macOS display settings is bypassed and the video is shown using video gamma (Rec. 709).

Interaction mode
Allows you to choose from different interaction modes for playback.

Positioning for Drag-Scrubbing
Sets the positioning mode for Drag-Scrubbing. Absolute refers to the absolute position on the timeline.

Force to Apply False Color On
Allows you to define the look mode to force the application of False Color.

False Color LUT for Original
Sets the False Color LUT to apply to the Original look mode.

False Color LUT for Graded
Sets the False Color LUT to apply to the Graded look mode.

Clipping and Range Unit
Sets the unit to calculate the clipping and range. By default, a percentage value is used.

Whites Clipping Color
Allows you to choose a custom color for whites clipping.

Blacks Clipping Color
Allows you to choose a custom color for blacks clipping.

Range Color
Allows you to choose a custom color for the range.

6. File Scanner#

Silverstack scans the contents of all volumes you want to offload. This tab allows you to configure details of the scanning process.

6.1 Ignore Patterns#

Files and folders that match the defined patterns will be ignored by the file scanner. Ignored files are not registered in the library and will not be processed in any way by Silverstack. That means files or clips matching these patterns are not offloaded or transcoded, and won’t appear in reports.

6.2 Document Sequence Patterns#

If the file scanner detects multiple documents in a folder that have the same base file name and a sequentially numbered suffix, they can be registered as one combined document sequence rather than single documents. This behavior is only activated for files that match the specified patterns.

Pattern Tables#

The Ignore Patterns and Document Sequence Tables have the same structure.

Active
Allows to deactivate/activate patterns.

Pattern
Allows to specify the pattern which is used to match a scanned file. Use * as placeholder for any sequence of characters and / to indicate a folder.

Comment
Allows you to enter a comment or note for the pattern.

Case Sensitivity
Match the pattern case sensitive or insensitive.

+ / –
Adds or removes a pattern.

Restore Default Patterns
Restores the default patterns.

6.3 Generic Image Sequences#

JPEG, TIFF, and DPX files with sequential numbering can be registered as an image sequence clip rather than single documents. Deactivate the respective checkbox if you don’t want these files to be registered as clips.

Note: Until version 9.1.x, the section “Formats” allowed you to configure default behavior when importing different clip types. These settings have moved to workflow configurations.

7. Backups#

Here you can create and load database backups of your current and past Silverstack states.

Enable automatic backups
Configures Silverstack to create backups regularly.

Last regular backups
Defines how many regular backups are stored.

+ / –
Adds or removes a backup.

Restore this version
Loads the selected backup version.

Create new library
Creates a new library in the current project (the library is empty afterwards).

8. External Video#

Enable external video output
Activates the output to an external video device.

Output Device
Allows you to select an available output device.

Level
Allows you to set the levels to Legal or Full Range.

RGB-YCbCr Conversion
Allows you to set a conversion matrix.

Video Format
Defines if Silverstack tries to match the clip’s format or uses a fix format.

Release Blackmagic devices when Silverstack is in background
When enabled, Blackmagic devices are only accessed if Silverstack is actively used. This option is useful when multiple applications try to use the same device.

Don’t use AJA devices
Explicitly tells Silverstack not to use AJA devices.

Do not update scopes during playback
Freezes scope updates during playback.

Connect to ScopeBox
Enables a connection to ScopeBox.

9. Grading#

(LUT) Interpolation Method
Allows to set the interpolation method for LUTs to Tetrahedral or Trilinear.

Printer Lights
Adjusts the sensitivity for the printer lights’ adjustments.

Contrast / Stretch
Adjusts the sensitivity for the contrast and stretch adjustments.

Warmer / Greener
Adjusts the sensitivity for the adjustments for warmer/greener.

Saturation
Adjusts the sensitivity for the saturation adjustments.

(Hardware Panels) Sensitivity
djusts the sensitivity for grading panels.

Disable Hardware Grading Panels
Silverstack does not consider hardware grading panels when enabled.

Add primary curve points for Hue
Enables predefined points to edit the adjustment curves of the hue nodes.

10. ACES#

These are the settings for the ACES grading mode.

ACES Version for New Looks
Allows you to choose a default ACES Version for newly created looks.

Available ACES Transforms
You can download different ACES versions from the table.

Check for New Versions…
Checks if new ACES versions are available.

11. Slating#

Slating system
Sets the slating system to use. This defines the options within the following menu: Clip > Edit Scene/Shot/Take. You can select one of the following slating systems:

Standard lets you work with continuous slating: Scene / Shot / Take, e.g., Scene 56 / Shot 4 / Take 2
American lets you work with American slating: Scene-Shot / Take, e.g., Scene 56C / Take 2
All lets you see all available menu items for maximum flexibility.

Custom Reset Values
Allows you to define custom reset values for scene, shot and take, which are applied when resetting the slating values.

Scene Letter
Allows you to enable/disable the behavior to append a letter on Increase Scene actions automatically (e.g., increment 5 to 5A). Scene Letter is enabled automatically when switching to the American slating system and vice versa disabled when switching to the Standard slating system.

Note: Incrementing letters in the scene/shot/take fields use the overflow system (e.g., “Z” to “AA”, etc.)

Skipped Characters
Defines specific characters to be skipped when incrementing letters in the scene/shot/take fields.

12. Accounts#

You can manage the accounts to upload or share your library via ShotHub, for direct dailies upload via Webgate.io or Frame.io and for sending job notifications to Slack here.

+ / –
Adds or removes an account.

13. Updates#

These are the settings for automatic updates, usage statistics and crash reports.

Automatically check for updates
Enables a regular check for updates.

Update Interval
Determines the time interval to check for updates.

Send anonymous usage statistics
Sends anonymous usage statistics when enabled (used for improving our products).

Send crash reports automatically
Sends crash reports automatically after a crash occurred (when enabled).