Using LiveSet Virtual Sets

Product(s)

TriCaster 40

Search Tags

Virtual, LiveSet, greenscreen, Set

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

Provided here is an overview of working with LiveSets. LiveSet allows you to achieve the look of a large, sophisticated studio setting

within a very small studio space

without the need for external equipment.

SOLUTION AND WORKAROUND

LiveSet Selection

An information line at the top of the Virtual Input tab lists the current LiveSet (if any) for this Virtual Input. The default LiveSet simply composites Input A over Input B (if any part of the image assigned to Input A is transparent, Input B will show through).

Hint: Many virtual sets require LiveMatte settings to be applied to Input A. Input B does not support keying.

To select a different LiveSet, click the Add button at the right-hand end of this field line, opening a custom Media Browser .

The Location List of the Media Browser lists any installed LiveSet groups under the heading “LiveSets”. Select an entry beneath to show thumbnail icons in the Browser’s File Pane.

Video Sources

Virtual Inputs provide LiveSet with a new standard of flexibility, allowing you to easily and flexibly assign inputs from the Virtual Input tab(s), without Switcher involvement.

Virtual sets in the LiveSet system display video from either one or two different TriCaster sources. It will not surprise you that these correspond to Input A and B, the primary video sources we discussed earlier. (Again as you might expect, Input B is often assigned to secondary purposes, such as to supply the display for a ‘monitor’ in a virtual set.)

Zoom Presets

Unlike earlier LiveSet implementations, LiveSet does not need multiple LiveSets to mimic different ‘virtual camera distances’ (for a single camera angle). Making a single selection populates four Zoom Presets like this:

Initially, these four presets represent default stops between the maximum and minimum distance for the specific set - the ‘closest’ view is 100%. Click a preset thumbnail to jump to the camera view it represents. An active Zoom Preset is shown with a gold border (a white border tracks your cursor when selecting presets).

Notice that a numeric slider is provided above right for each preset. These work the same as other numeric sliders in TriCaster’s Live Desktop – drag to adjust the value, click to type directly into the field using the keyboard, or press (keyboard) Shift and then double-click to restore the default value for that preset.

Zoom T-Bar

The Zoom T-Bar is located beside the Zoom Presets. Dragging it vertically adjusts the virtual ‘camera distance’ for the active LiveSet, between 0-100%.

When you click a Zoom Preset, the T-Bar updates to the new zoom level (displayed numerically above). Conversely though, adjusting the T-Bar does not change the value for a preset. (When the current T-Bar position does not correspond to any presets, none of them are shown with a white border.)

Input Position

The Position controls for video Inputs A and B, when active, do affect the scale, rotation and position for LiveSet video inputs (this is another unique advantage of this LiveSet implementation).

You will find that you can often use Position controls to ensure a ‘good fit’ and natural appearance of talent or other source appearing in your virtual sets (greatly reducing the need to fuss with physical camera positions to do so).

Animate Zoom

As noted earlier, you can use the Zoom T-Bar to manually zoom in on most LiveSets, even when displayed on Program Output. The Animate Zoom switch makes it possible to easily perform this realtime zoom automatically with a single click. With Animate Zoom enabled, simply clicking a preset automatically zooms from the current

position to the virtual camera ‘distance’ represented by the preset. A built-in ease in/out is applied to ensure a smooth zoom.

The duration for the animated zoom is controlled by a menu beside the Animate Zoom switch. This works just like the similar Duration menu buttons in the Switcher’s Transitions section, providing instant access to three preset durations. Alternatively, click and drag in the neighboring numeric field to set a custom duration – or click the field once more to enter a value directly using the keyboard. The maximum duration for an animated zoom is 120 seconds