Visual Communicator 3 Help

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Using Adobe® Visual Communicator 3 for Windows®

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Contents
Chapter 1: Installing Visual Communicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Install Visual Communicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 2: Feature and control overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Visual Communicator windows, Action window, and Media libraries . .11
The Output Monitor window and buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
The Teleprompter and Action window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Media libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Coach area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The tabbed control panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Project tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Director tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Actions tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
The V-Screen tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The Setup tab for audio and video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Audio setup button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Video setup button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
The Menu bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The File menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Edit menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Director menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Teleprompter menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Hosting menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Settings menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Tools menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Dialog boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Application Settings dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Performance Settings dialog box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Chapter 3: Making your first show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Creating and publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Create a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Add a script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3
Save the show file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Rehearse and record a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Publish a show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 4: Setting up a studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Choosing a camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
About cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
About webcams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
About camcorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Connecting, positioning, and testing a camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Connect a webcam or camcorder to the computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Position the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Test the camera without Visual Communicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Configuring cameras. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Configure a single camera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Configure multiple cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Remove cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Installing and configuring microphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
About lapel microphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Configure a single microphone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Configure multiple microphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Chapter 5: Creating a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Creating a show using the wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Use the wizard to create a show based on a style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Use the wizard to create a blank show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Creating a One-Click Video template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Chapter 6: Managing projects and media files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Best practices for organizing projects and media files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Locate and store projects and files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Edit project files on a single computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Change the default path for project files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Save a project to a different path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Save, package, open, and delete projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Save a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Package a project with Pack and Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Open a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Delete a project and cleaning up your hard disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Chapter 7: Planning shows and writing scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Planning your show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Planning checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4 Contents
Making a show outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Writing a script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Chapter 8: Using the Teleprompter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Using scripts and the Teleprompter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Enter a script in the Teleprompter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Rehearse a script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Use the Teleprompter in full-screen mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Pause the Teleprompter and Action window manually . . . . . . . . . . 59
Control the Teleprompter and Action window manually . . . . . . . . . 59
Chapter 9: Adding closed captions to a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Using closed captions for accessibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
About closed captions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Select closed captions for a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
About closed captions in a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Designate and display persistent text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Display dynamic text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Hide Teleprompter text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Editing captions after you publish a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Guidelines for good captions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Display captions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Chapter 10: Media inputs, video effects, and external events . . .67
Using action trays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
About action trays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Move trays to adjust timing and reorganize a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Auto-position the next tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
About rapid-fire action sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Remove a tray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Adding effects and media inputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Preview an effect or media input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Add or change a media file or effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Set the default effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Media inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
About live video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Include video from your camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Adjust camera and live video settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
About live audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
About still images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Adjust the size and orientation of a still image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Adjust the color of a still image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Creating still-image graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Contents 5
About video clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Trim video and audio clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Review a trimmed clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Save a trimmed clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Adjust the color of a video clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Adjust the volume of an audio or video clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Save a digital video clip from tape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Add an audio clip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
About title graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Edit the text in a title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Customize effects in a title graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Save a custom title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
PowerPoint files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Video effects: transitions and more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
About types of effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
About effect icons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Selecting effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Customize an effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Updating an effect with a newer version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Triggering events outside the video. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
About events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Add a web link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Trigger a web page or image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Display a caption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Set up a Chapter Marker or hyperlink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Set advanced web scripting options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Chapter 11: Digitally replacing the background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

Adjusting a camera for V-Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Using the V-Screen keying wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Manually set a webcam or camcorder for V-Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Selecting the V-Screen background or virtual set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
About backgrounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Adjust the background color or change images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Change backgrounds in a show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Setting the key to calibrate the background image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Setting up a keying background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Create a key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Chapter 12: Rehearsing and recording a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Reviewing a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Rehearse a show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Work on delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Adjust recording settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
6 Contents
Check sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Recording a show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Using flex recording to record a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Use freestyle flex recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Use existing action trays to flex record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Tips for timing in a recorded show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Manually controlling the script and effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Edit dynamically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Calculating disk space for a recorded show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Clear recorded content for a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Review a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Use the Review feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Using real-time scrubbing to review a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chapter 13: Presenting live shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Set up for a live presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Set up a projector or second monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Set your microphone to be live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Set up an audio or video loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Set up live video from a digital video camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Giving a live presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Manually triggering events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Use the Mini-Switcher to switch from one camera to another. . . . 118
Dynamic editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Chapter 14: Publishing a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Select the publishing method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Publish a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Publishing to web pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Publishing to digital video tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Publish to a vlog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Publishing to a server on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Setting file and account information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Selecting the file type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Setting the output path and filename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Send an e-mail regarding a new web-hosted video. . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Manage account information for web-hosted videos and vlogs . . 127
Getting through the firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Set the destination path for output files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Setting video size and quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Set the video size and quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Flash video encoding settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Real video encoding settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
AVI video encoding settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Contents 7
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Save an image of the current frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Chapter 15: Live streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Understanding streaming basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
About streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Requirements for streaming live media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Minimum system requirements for live streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Choose a media format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Setting up an account with a streaming service provider. . . . . . . . 139
Configuring streaming settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Select a server profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Configure the server profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Select live streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Set up audio for streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Test a stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
View a streaming show on the web. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Troubleshoot live streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Chapter 16: Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Chapter 17: Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
8 Contents
CHAPTER 1
Installing Visual
Communicator
1
Check that your computer meets the system requirements, then install and start Adobe®
Visual Communicator® 3.
Installation
If you haven’t installed your new software, begin by reading some information on installation
and other preliminaries. Before you begin working with your software, take a few moments to
read an overview of Adobe Help and of the many resources available to users.
“System requirements” on page 9
“Install Visual Communicator” on page 9
System requirements
To review complete system requirements and recommendations for your Adobe software, see
the ReadMe file on the installation disc.
Install Visual Communicator

1. Insert the Visual Communicator installation disc into your computer’s DVD drive.
If the installation program does not start automatically, use Microsoft® Windows®
Explorer to view the contents of the disc and double-click the setup.exe file.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions.
9
3. When the installation is finished, click Finish.
NOT E
The devices attached to your computer, such as a mouse or web cam, are controlled by
software called drivers. Most device manufacturers release new drivers periodically that
can increase performance or fix compatibility issues. If your devices work with Visual
Communicator, you do not need to update their drivers. New drivers can sometimes
cause performance or behavior issues. However, if you are having problems, try
updating your drivers.
10 Installing Visual Communicator

CHAPTER 2
Feature and control overview

2
The Visual Communicator 3 main window is designed to be easy to use and simple to
understand. You can resize the window to suit your preference.
Visual Communicator windows, Action

window, and Media libraries
“The Output Monitor window and buttons” on page 11
“The Teleprompter and Action window” on page 12
“The Media libraries” on page 13
The Output Monitor window and buttons

Feature What it does
Output Monitor The Output Monitor, in the top-left corner of the interface, displays the
video from the show. If you’re in a live video segment that is not yet
recorded or have the Setup tab open with Video selected, the Output
Monitor displays the live feed from the camera. When you double-click
an effect or media in a library or action tray, the monitor shows a
preview of that item. When you rehearse, record, or review, it displays
the show.
Depending on your computer’s processing power and settings, the
video displayed in the Output Monitor may preview at a lower quality
than that of the finished show.
Rehearse Plays the show without recording so you can check and adjust action
timing.
Record Runs the show and records both the video from the cameras and audio
from the microphone.
Review Plays back the show.
11
Feature What it does
Publish Opens the Video Publisher wizard.
Stop Stops the show in Rehearse, Record, or Review modes. Also stops any
previewing source or effect and returns to the show.
See also
Chapter 12, “Rehearsing and recording a show,” on page 105.
Chapter 14, “Publishing a video,” on page 121.
The Teleprompter and Action window

The Teleprompter and Action window are scrollable areas where you build the show. Enter
the script in the Teleprompter and drag effects and media into the Action window to create
the sequence of events.
Feature Description
Teleprompter The are in the top-center portion of the interface for the script or outline.
When you are rehearsing or recording, read the text as it scrolls through
the pink action bar along the top. The controls for the Teleprompter are
on the Director tab.
Action window The area in the top-right portion of the interface where you arrange
action trays that contain media, such as prerecorded videos, audio,
camera input, and effects. While rehearsing or recording, the trays scroll
up the Action window along with the text in the Teleprompter.
Tickmark ruler This is a multipurpose element at the left edge of the Action window:
• It’s a time reference: The tick marks indicate time in the show. The
distance between the tick marks changes as you adjust the scroll
speed.
• It’s the recording status indicator: The stripe running down the center
of this bar turns blue for segments that have been recorded.
• It’s a scrub bar: Scrubbing means to drag the playhead, or Action
window to see the content play in the preview area at the pace you are
dragging the playhead or Action window. When the mouse pointer is
over the bar, it turns to a hand icon. Dragging vertically scrubs the
show with finer control than scrubbing with the scroll bar along the
right side of the Action window.
See also
Chapter 8, “Using the Teleprompter,” on page 57
12 Feature and control overview

The Media libraries
The Media libraries area at the bottom of the interface provides access to the effects and
content that you add to the show. To assemble the shows, you drag icons from these libraries
into the Action window. Most tabs let you access library folders that store content that is
installed with Visual Communicator. You can also store your content in the same folders for
easy access. The Browse tab lets you browse to any folder on your system, and you can add
content that you use on a regular basis to a Favorites library.
Library Description
Video Effects The Visual Communicator video effects.
Styles An assortment of title graphics.
Topics More title graphics, which are used for shows created with the Topics
option in the New Show wizard.
Videos Video clips, and the three icons for video cameras.
Graphics Still images for use as backgrounds for V-Screen effects or as

supporting images in the shows. This library is also home to the Pop
Ups and Text Effects folders, which contain special title graphics.
Audio Audio clips that Visual Communicator includes, including TV-quality

music tracks and sound effects.
Browse Folders to locate and load files from outside of Visual Communicator.
Projects Projects created with Visual Communicator and saved to the folder that
is currently set as the home directory for the Projects library.
Output Videos published from Visual Communicator to the folder that’s set as
the home for the Output library, the reference files for trimmed video
clips and customized title graphics, and video clips captured using
Visual Communicator to this folder.
Control Description
Address bar pop-up Displays the path of the currently selected folder. Click the arrow to
menu view and navigate to other folders. This pop-up menu also contains a
link to the user-specified My Favorites folder.
Back button Takes you to the last folder to which you navigated in the current library.
Forward button Returns you to the folder that you navigated from.
Up button Moves up one level from the current folder.
Visual Communicator windows, Action window, and Media libraries 13

Control Description
Home button Takes you to the folder that is set as the home for the current library. To
change the home directory location or revert to the default, right-click a
blank spot in the library and select the appropriate option from the pop-
up menu.
View button Allows you to choose how the files in a library are displayed—as
thumbnails (the default), a simple list, or a detailed list.
The Coach area

The Coach area provides descriptions of the user interface elements you are currently using
and hints about how to achieve the best results with Visual Communicator. Click Next to
view the next tip or description about the part of the application you are currently using. To
display detailed about the current part of the application, click Help .
Th e Coa ch are a au to m a ti c a lly ch ang e s on a s et t i m e durat i on . Click Ne xt t o

d i s a b l e th e ti m e r f o r t ha t p a r t i c u l a r s e t o f m e s s a g e s , p l a c in g t he s e q u en c e o f
TP
I
m e ssag e s u nde r y ou r co nt rol . T his can be he l pf ul if yo u ne e d m or e t i m e to r e d
l on g er hi nt s.
You can show and hide the Coach area from the Help menu.
The Visual Communicator Coach area
The tabbed control panels

“The Project tab”
“The Director tab”
“The Actions tab”
“The V-Screen tab”
“The Setup tab for audio and video”
“The Audio setup button”
“The Video setup button”

The Project tab
The Project tab provides options for creating and saving project files. From here, you can start
the New Show wizard, start capturing video from a video device, and print the Teleprompter
script. You can also set whether to use web or television-quality media in the shows and zoom
to view the Video Safe area only. The following table describes the controls on the Project tab.
Control Description
Set Thumbnail Creates a new thumbnail for the show file based on the current contents
button of the Output Monitor.
Project Name box Contains the name of the current show file, with the .msh extension.
New button Creates a new show. Visual Communicator gives the project a default
file name, which you can change by revising what appears in the Project
Name box.
Open button Opens a browser, which defaults to the folder that is set as the home for
the My Projects library.
Wizard button Opens the New Show wizard, which helps you create a new show
based on a style or topic.
Capture button Opens a control panel through which you can copy a video clip from a
tape in the connected camera to your hard drive. You can then include
the resulting clip in a project like any digital video clip.
Save button Saves the project.
Save As button Opens a dialog box where you can enter a new file name and
destination for the current project. This also sets the default directory
for new projects.
Print Script button Opens the Print Setup dialog box and sends the contents of the
Teleprompter to the printer.
Clear Recordings Deletes all audio and video recorded within the current show. This is
button useful to regain valuable hard drive space for shows you have already
published and never intend to republish in the future.
TV Content and Determines the format of the content you see in the media libraries.
Web Content Selecting TV Content makes the media in the show compatible with
buttons high-resolution television-quality format. Selecting Web Content
optimizes media for viewing on computers or the web.
Zoom To Video Causes the Output Monitor to display only the area that will be visible on
Safe Area check a television screen.
box
The tabbed control panels 15

See also
Chapter 6, “Managing projects and media files,” on page 49
Chapter 3, “Making your first show,” on page 31
“Save a digital video clip from tape” on page 83
The Director tab

Use the Director options to run the Teleprompter and navigate the Action window while
rehearsing and recording. The following table describes the controls on the Director tab.
Control Description
Enable Mini- Switches the Mini-Switcher on and off. The Mini-Switcher allows you to
Switcher check box dynamically insert camera input from any one of up to three cameras
while you are recording or rehearsing a show.
Camera Insert Switch the camera input to any of up to three active cameras. The
buttons action uses the default effect assigned in the Application Settings
dialog box. Alternatively, by clicking on the mini camera preview icon,
you can insert a cut instead of the default effect. If you hold down the
Control key when you click the icon, a dissolve is used.
Pause/Resume Pauses and resumes scrolling of the Teleprompter and Action window
button while rehearsing and recording. The keyboard shortcuts for these
actions is Ctrl+Spacebar.
This has no effect on recording—if you are recording when you pause
the Teleprompter, recording continues.
Advance button Causes the paused Teleprompter to scroll down one line of text.
Next Effect button Advances to the next tray in the Action window. If the Teleprompter is
paused when you manually go to the next effect, the effect plays out as
programmed but the Teleprompter remains paused.
Scroll Speed slider Adjusts how fast the Teleprompter scrolls. The box to the right of the
slider shows the numeric setting.
Timer Display Displays the current position in the show.
Live Streaming Indicates the live streaming status.

status indicator
See also
“Selecting Pass-Thru To Speakers” on page 144

The Actions tab
The Actions tab is where you adjust timing, volume, and other settings specific to the
currently selected video effect or content file. Click an effect, image, or audio or video file in
an action tray to display its properties and controls. The controls that you see change
depending on the type of media or effect selected.
The following table describes the controls on the Actions tab.
Control Description
Common controls
Icon window and Displays a thumbnail image, the name of the effect or media file,
description its file path, and (in the case of an effect) a description of what it
does.
Preview button Shows the media or effect in the Output Monitor or plays the
audio file.
Video effects
Duration box Displays the current duration of the effect in seconds. To

change this setting, click in the box and type the desired value.
With some effects, such as Cut, the duration cannot be
changed.
Pause Time box Sets how long (in seconds) the B source is displayed before the
transition either runs to completion or reverses back out,
returning to the previous A Source.
Pause Teleprompter check Pauses the Teleprompter upon completion of the effect. To
box start the Teleprompter scrolling again, click Resume or press
Ctrl+Spacebar.
Advanced button Switches the view of the tab to allow you to adjust additional
properties for some effects.
Title graphics
Edit button Opens a box for editing the text in a title.
Title Editor button Starts the Title Editing application, which allows you to change
text, fonts, styles, colors, outline, shadow, pattern, and so on.
Audio & video clips
Volume slider Adjusts the volume of the clip’s audio.

Control Description
Volume meter Displays the rise and fall of the audio volume. All meters have
clipping lights. The two boxes on the top of the meter light up
when audio is too loud and certain sounds might be clipped or
truncated.
Mute check box Mutes the audio for the currently selected audio or video clip.
Trim button Opens the Trim controls through which you can set the start and
end points for an audio or video clip.
Still Images
Orientation Lets you choose whether to rotate the image and by how much.
This is helpful for using images directly from a digital still camera
without manipulating them first outside of Visual Communicator.
Stretch To Fit Scales the image to fill the Output Monitor.
Enable Cropping Displays options for cropping the image. You can crop the top,
right, left, and bottom of the image independently.
Preserve Aspect Ratio Maintains the original image’s aspect ratio by constraining your
cropping so the height and width of the image maintain the
same ratio.
Adjust Colors button Opens a dialog box that you can use to adjust the brightness,
hue, RGB color, contrast, and offsets of clips or photos.
Video clips
Volume slider Allows you to adjust the volume of the video clip. Select Mute to
display the video without playing its internal soundtrack.
Audio Fade options Fade In causes the beginning of the video soundtrack to
increase from low volume to the volume you specify with the
Volume slider. Fade Out causes the end of the video soundtrack
to decrease from the volume you specified down to a very low
volume.
Adjust Colors button Opens a dialog box that you can use to adjust the brightness,
hue, RGB color, contrast, and offsets of clips or photos.
Trim/Basic button Displays controls to determine where the clip starts and stops
playing in the video. This lets you omit a portion of the beginning
or end of the video, or both.
See also
Chapter 10, “Media inputs, video effects, and external events,” on page 67
“Trim video and audio clips” on page 79

“The Video setup button” on page 21
The V-Screen tab

If you add virtual sets or greenscreen effects to a show, use the V-Screen tab to select the
background, set and adjust the key, and make color corrections.
The following table describes the controls on the V-Screen tab.
Control Description
V-Screen Shows the image or a frame of the video that is assigned as the virtual
background background. The file name appears to the right of the thumbnail. To
thumbnail replace the current background, drag the desired file onto this icon. You
can also change the V-Screen background in the middle of the show by
using the Change Background effect.
Active check box Switches the V-Screen effect on and off.
Input pop-up menu Sets which camera you are setting the V-Screen options for. Each
camera has its own V-Screen settings.
Wizard button Starts the V-Screen setup wizard.
Auto-Set Key Automatically calibrates the V-Screen settings.

button
Adjust Key button Opens the dialog box for manually refining V-Screen settings.
Don’t Show V- Disables the V-Screen effect during rehearsal and recording to improve
Screen During performance on slower computers. This does not affect the published
Rehearse/Record video.
check box
Freeze V-Screen Displays an animated background as a still image to conserve system

Background check resources.
box
Adjust Colors Opens the Color Correction dialog box where you can change the
button brightness and colors of the V-Screen background.
V-Screen Tips Opens Help for Using The V-Screen.

button
See also
“Selecting the V-Screen background or virtual set” on page 101
“Using the V-Screen keying wizard” on page 99

The Setup tab for audio and video
Use the Setup tab to configure audio and video input devices like microphones and cameras
and to test their connection. Click Audio or Video to view these controls.
The Audio setup button

Control Description
Input pop-up menu Sets which audio device is selected for setup purposes.
Audio Input Device Displays the name of the audio device that’s assigned to the currently
pop-up menu selected input (Audio 1, Audio 2, and so on). If the audio device is
connected but not listed here, either it or its driver is not installed
properly.
Input Source pop- Select from multiple input sources available for the current device, such
up menu as Microphone or Line-In. Some devices will not have any Input Source
options.
Audio Output Allows you to choose either wave out or kernel streaming for the audio
Method pop-up portion of your recorded shows.
menu
Input Volume
Hardware Level Controls the volume level of the currently selected audio input card and
slider and meter affects the volume at which audio is recorded. Adjust this level so that
the meter stays mostly in the yellow range.
Digital Boost slider, Sets the hardware level amplification by degrees. Adjust this level only if
meter, and clipping the volume is too low even with the Hardware Level option set to
lights maximum, or if the prerecorded audio volume needs to be increased or
reduced.
The meter shows sound levels. The clipping lights at the top indicate
that sound levels might be too loud, which can result in some sounds
being truncated.
Pass-Thru To Controls whether the microphone’s output plays through to the

Speakers computer speakers while rehearsing or recording. If you are
experiencing feedback, disabling this option can eliminate it.
Mute Silences the current audio input for rehearsal and recording and in the
published video.
Output Volume
Master Volume Adjusts the output volume of the computer’s main speakers.

Control Description
Mute Silences audio output from Visual Communicator so that it’s not audible
from the computer.
Test button Plays an audio test file on the computer’s main speakers.
See also
“Setting up a studio” on page 37
The Video setup button

Control Description
Input pop-up menu Sets which video device is selected for setup purposes.
Current Video Input Displays the name of the video device that’s assigned to the currently
Device pop-up selected input (Camera 1, Camera 2, and so on).
menu If a device is connected but not listed, it might be installed improperly or
have a nonstandard DirectShow software driver.
Input Source If the current device has more than one input source (such as
Composite Video, S-Video, or a TV tuner), the Input Source pop-up
menu is available for selecting among them.
Capture Resolution Sets the current video input’s resolution in pixels.

pop-up menu
Capture Frame Sets the number of frames per second (fps) at which video is captured
Rate pop-up menu from the current video input device. (Captured digital video is accurately
recorded at 29.97 fps. Digital video input of 29.97 fps is rounded to 30
in the display only.) Webcams use whatever rate you enter. If the device
does not support the value entered, the rate is automatically set to a
supported default value.
Full Screen Output Turns on full-screen video output. For this option to be available, a
Enable check box second monitor must be selected from the Windows Display properties.
Full Screen Output When full-screen output is selected, this control sets which monitor or
Monitor pop-up projector it is displayed on.
menu
Full Screen Output When full-screen output is selected, this setting controls the resolution
Resolution pop-up of that display.
menu

Control Description
Properties button Opens a properties dialog box for the current video device’s driver.
Visual Communicator opens this dialog box; the program does not
create it. Varying from one device to another, most properties dialog
boxes include controls for brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, and
sharpness. For more information, see the documentation for your
device.
In general, deselect all of the camera’s automatic settings and adjust
them manually.
Advanced button Opens a dialog box that contains two options. The Pause Camera
When Offscreen option controls how the data stream is handled when
Visual Communicator is not using it. In other words, it affects processes
within the computer, not anything directly to do with the camera itself.
This option resolves a problem involving how Windows 2000 works
with the drivers for certain digital video cameras. The Never Pause/Stop
Camera option prevents the camera video signal from being interrupted
(occurs with a small number of camera drivers) when the camera is not
being used in the show.
Adjust Colors Opens the Color Correction dialog box where you change colors and
button brightness of the selected video input device. When you use V-Screen,
adjust colors before you use Auto-Set Key.
See also
“Connect a webcam or camcorder to the computer” on page 39
“Set up for a live presentation” on page 115
The Menu bar

“The File menu”
“The Edit menu”
“The Director menu”
“The Teleprompter menu”
“The Hosting menu”
“The Settings menu”
“The Tools menu”

The File menu
The following table describes the File commands.
Command Description
New Opens a new project.
Wizard Starts the New Show wizard.
Open Opens a dialog box where you can select a project to load.
Save Saves the current project.
Save As Opens a dialog box where you can save the current project with a new
name.
Pack and Go Saves a copy of your show and all of its associated media files into a
single folder for easy transfer to a separate computer.
Set Thumbnail Sets the thumbnail image for the current show file based on the
current content of the Output Monitor.
Grab Preview Image Saves a JPEG image of the current frame in the Output Monitor to
C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\Adobe Visual
Communicator 3\My Output\My Screen Grabs\show name\.
Print Teleprompter Opens the Print Setup dialog box and sends the content of the
Script Teleprompter to the printer.
Recent Projects Displays a list of Visual Communicator projects that you worked with
most recently.
Exit Closes Visual Communicator.
The Edit menu

The following table describes the Edit commands.
Command Description
Undo Undoes the last action.
Redo Reapplies an action if you have reversed an action with Undo.
Cut Moves selected Teleprompter text to the Clipboard.
Copy Copies selected Teleprompter text to the Clipboard.
Paste Pastes text contents from the Clipboard into the Teleprompter.
Unavailable if the Clipboard content is not text.
Select All Selects all text in the Teleprompter.
The Menu bar 23

See also
“The Coach area” on page 14
The Director menu

The commands in this menu are identical to the set of buttons below the Output Monitor.
The following table describes the Director commands.
Command Description
Rehearse Plays the show without recording so that you can check and
adjust action timing.
Record Runs the show and records the video from the cameras and audio
from the microphone.
Review Plays the show in its current state.
Publish Opens the Video Publisher wizard.
Stop Stops rehearsing, recording, reviewing, or previewing.
See also
“Reviewing a show” on page 105
“Recording a show” on page 107
“Review a show” on page 113
Chapter 14, “Publishing a video,” on page 121
The Teleprompter menu

Most of the commands in this menu can also be found on the Director tab. The following
table describes the Teleprompter commands.
Command Description
Pause/Resume Switches between scrolling and pausing the Teleprompter and
Action window.
Next Effect Jumps to the next action tray.
Advance Advances the Teleprompter to the next line.
End Effect Stops the currently playing effect.

The Hosting menu
The following table describes the Hosting commands.
Command Description
Login Information Allows you to reenter your login information (username and
password) for your Playstream account. This option does not
change your username or password, but can be used if users want
to use the same computer and post to different accounts.
Manage Account Opens an Internet browser to the Playstream home page so you
can manage your hosting account, such as deleting files,
upgrading to a better hosting plan, etc.
Link Your Vlog Opens the dialog box through which you drag and drop the vlog's
thumbnail into your blog as a hyperlink that plays the video.
The Settings menu

The following table describes the Settings commands.
Command Description
Application Settings Opens the Application Settings dialog box.
Performance Settings Opens the Performance Settings dialog box.
Camera Properties Opens the settings dialog box for the camera’s device driver,
where you can adjust camera properties such as brightness, hue,
and saturation. Controls vary based on the camera.
V-Screen Submenu
Enable V-Screen Turns the V-Screen feature on and off.
Auto-Set Key Calibrates the V-Screen keyer to the current background and
lighting.
Advanced Settings Opens the Advanced V-Screen Key Adjustment dialog box,
which lets you adjust the V-Screen key.
V-Screen Wizard Launches the V-Screen Wizard, which steps you through the
keying process.
Reset Settings To Returns all settings to their defaults if you’ve adjusted the key.
Defaults
See also
“The Application Settings dialog box” on page 26
The Menu bar 25

“The Performance Settings dialog box” on page 28
The Tools menu

The following table describes the Tools commands.
Command Description
Audio Mixer Displays the standard Windows audio mixer or volume-control
panel. Use this panel to troubleshoot problems with the audio.
Launch Advanced Title Starts the advanced title-editing software.

Editor
Dialog boxes
“The Application Settings dialog box”
“The Performance Settings dialog box”
The Application Settings dialog box

This dialog box, which you can open from the Settings menu or by pressing Alt+M, contains
the following options.
Option Description
Basic options
Default Effect path Sets which video effect is assigned to new action trays.
My Favorites Folder Sets the path for the My Favorites folder, which you can access from
path the Address Bar in the Libraries area.
Default Video Format A drop-down menu that lets you specify whether to record using
NTSC or PAL video.
Startup options
Launch wizard Opens the New Show wizard each time you start the program.
Start With New Show Creates a blank new show each time you start the program.
Load Last Project Opens the last show that was loaded each time you start the
program.
Show Tip Of The Day Shows a program tip each time you start the program.
Remember Folder Loads the same folder in each library tab that was open during the
Directories last session.

Option Description
Show The Project Prompts you to set the show to either web or TV (TV quality) content
Type Dialog For Each each time you create a show.
New Show
User Interface
options
Disable Custom Skin Displays the main window in the default Windows appearance
instead of in the Virtual Communicator appearance.
Enable Tooltips Sets whether tool tips appear when the mouse pointer hovers over a
control.
Hide Clock Frames Sets whether the timer on the Director tab shows the frame number
with minutes and seconds.
Record/Rehearse
options
Show Countdown Sets whether the 5-second countdown timer appears each time you
start rehearsing or recording.
Jump To Top Of Sets whether the Visual Communicator window is repositioned to

Screen the top of the monitor each time you start rehearsing or recording. If
the camera is at the top of the monitor, as recommended, enabling
this option makes it appear that you’re looking directly into the
camera when you’re reading from the Teleprompter.
Display Teleprompter Displays the Teleprompter and Action window using the entire
Full screen computer screen during rehearsing or recording.
Hide Preview Monitor Sets the Preview Monitor to go blank while rehearsing and recording
Output to keep it from distracting your performance.
Return To Last Sets whether the Action window scrolls back to its last position
Position when you click Stop during rehearsing or recording.
Preview Monitor
options
Enable Recording Sets a recording indicator light to appear in the Preview Monitor.
Light
Enable Audio Level Sets an audio clipping indicator to appear if audio levels exceed the
Clipping Indicator allowable range.
Manually Stop Preview Starts a preview and continues to loop when you double-click an
Source audio or video clip. The loop continues until you click Stop, begin
rehearsing or recording, or start previewing another source. This
option is chiefly for when you’re giving a live presentation.
Dialog boxes 27
Option Description
Enable Title Safe Area Displays a white line in the Preview Monitor indicating the area of the
Display frame that will be visible when the video is viewed on a television.
Action Window
options
Default Action Determines the time separation inserted between action trays when
Separation more than one item is dragged from the Media Libraries to the
Action window at the same time. You can adjust the separation
manually after placing the items in the Action window.
The Performance Settings dialog box

The Performance Settings dialog box, which you can open from the Settings menu or by
pressing Alt+M, contains the following options.
Option Description
Standard options
Your Computer Speed Setting Sets Visual Communicator performance to one of three
preset profiles or to Custom, which makes available the
rest of the controls in this dialog box.
User interface options
Freeze Animated Video Effects Replaces animated backgrounds with a still image,
Backgrounds which improves performance on slower computers.
Increase Image Resolution With Selects a Direct3D setting that increases the resolution
Mipmaps of images. Select only if the video adaptor supports this
advanced feature.
Smooth Teleprompter Scrolling Controls the performance of the Teleprompter. On

slower computers, disabling this option can improve
performance.
Preview (Output Monitor)

options
Display Frame Rate Sets the speed at which the Preview Monitor refreshes.
Lower settings improve performance on slower
computers.
Don’t Show V-Screen During If selected, the keyer does not replace the greenscreen
Rehearse/Record while you’re rehearsing or recording. This can improve
performance on slower computers. Reviewing and
publishing are not affected by this setting.

Option Description
Enable VSync With some video adaptors, enabling this option can
improve the appearance of video effects in the Preview
Monitor.
Enable Software Vertex Controls an advanced video adaptor function that

Processing improves performance. Deselect this option only if the
Preview Monitor shows the camera input as a single
smeared color.
Use Half Resolution In Preview Controls the resolution of digital video input in the
Window For DV Cameras preview window. Select on all but the fastest systems.
Enable Hi-Res Preview Deselects the use of low-resolution versions of large

image files in the Output Monitor. When this option is not
selected, Visual Communicator uses a cached
320 x 240 version of each image for rehearsing and
recording, and only uses the original version to render
your final video during the publishing process. Enabling
this option requires more processing power and can
cause some computers to run more slowly.
Input options
Use Half Resolution Images During Displays still images at half resolution when rehearsing
Rehearse/Record or recording.
Dialog boxes 29
CHAPTER 3
Making your first show

3
Before you start making your first video, make sure that a video camera and a microphone are
connected to your computer and turned on.
NOT E
I f yo u ha v e n ot se t u p y ou r e q u i p me n t ye t , b e s ur e to r e a d Chapter 4, “Setting up a
studio,” on page 37
N OTE
Be fo re yo u c r e a te a sho w , se l e ct t he d e fau l t vi d e o form at y ou wish t o c r ea te

w i t h V i sua l Com m u ni ca to r . Th e d ef a ul t fo r m ats ar e N TS C or PA L vi d e o, and you
sp e ci fy t he m a s d e fa ul t u si ng t he A p p l i ca ti o n S et t in g s d i a l o g bo x . Fo r m o r e
i nf or m a t io n, s e e “The Application Settings dialog box” on page 26.
Creating and publishing

“Create a show” on page 31
“Add a script” on page 33
“Save the show file” on page 34
“Rehearse and record a show” on page 34
“Publish a show” on page 34
Create a show
Use the New Show wizard to create a show.
1. Start Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3.
By default, Visual Communicator opens the wizard. If you deselected this option, click
Wizard on the Project tab.
2. On the first screen of the wizard, for this tutorial, select Create Show Based On A Style,
and then click Next.
31
3. Select the Contemporary Style template. When you select a style template, a description of
the style and an example showing the background and lower-third caption appear in the
right side of the screen. Click Next.
4. Select the style for your opening title slates and the lower-third images, and then enter text
for these title images.
a. Select one of the three background images for your opening title slate.
b. Enter the name of your video in the Line 1 box and, if necessary, continue it in the
Line 2 field. You can change this content later.
c. Select from the three styles for the lower-third images. The panel on the lower right
shows how the image looks.
d. Enter your name (or the name of the person who will be on-camera), and then enter
your title, company, or location. Click Next.
5. On the fourth screen, do the following:

■ If you will be using the V-Screen feature to key out the background of the live video,
try the V-Screen Background options, and then select the desired one.
■ Choose the theme music for your video. To preview the currently selected track, click
Play.
■ Select a background for your closing title slate.
■ Enter the text for the closing slate of your show. You can have one or two lines.
32 Making your first show

■ Choose your theme music. You can preview the music with the on-screen audio
controls.
Choosing your background, music, and closing slate
6. Click Finish to create your customized titles and images, and build your new show. When
the show is built, the main window appears with the show in the My Projects folder.
Add a script
You can type a test script in the Teleprompter that will be displayed when the camera becomes
active.
1. Delete the instructional text in the Teleprompter.
2. Start typing your script on the line that is level with the action tray that contains the camera
icon on the right. This ensures that your script begins when the camera is turned on.
3. When you’re finished typing your script, move the closing slate (the next-to-last action
tray, which reads “Thanks for Watching” by default) to the point that is level with the last
line in the Teleprompter.
To also move the fade to black that's in the last tray, maintaining its position relative to the
closing slate, hold the Shift key while dragging.
See also
Creating and publishing 33

“Move trays to adjust timing and reorganize a show” on page 68
Save the show file

When you create and save your show, the file is given a default name. You can keep the name
or change it. You can save your project to the default folder or specify a folder of your choice.
When you save a project to a new folder, Visual Communicator remembers the location and
makes it your new default directory.
1. Click the Project tab.
2. Edit the name in the Project Name box.
3. Click Save.
See also
“Change the default path for project files” on page 50
Rehearse and record a show

You can rehearse your show before recording it, and you can review it when you’re finished
recording.
1. Click Rehearse under the Output Monitor.
2. When you appear on camera, start reading your script as it scrolls in the Teleprompter.
3. (Optional) Click Stop to jump back to the point where you started rehearsing and begin
again. If you want to change where scrolling begins, scrub with the scroll bar on the right
side of the window until the Teleprompter line is in the action bar.
TIP
To help keep your eyes as close to the camera as possible, focus on the words in the
pink action bar, reading your script as it moves through it.
4. When you’re happy with your delivery, click Record and perform your show again. The
camera output and audio are recorded, and added to the show.
5. Click Review to see the entire sequence played back, including your performance.
6. (Optional) If you don’t like your show, press Record to try again.
The flex-recording feature lets you rerecord only a segment of a show instead of reshooting
the whole show. You can record as many times as you like.
Publish a show
After you record a show, you’re ready to publish it.

1. Click Publish.
2. Select the publishing method. For this tutorial, click Save Video To Hard Drive Or
Network, and then click Next.
3. Select Publish a Windows Media Video (.wmv) as the video file format, and then save the
show to the default folder with the default file name: My_First_Show_.WMV. Click Next.
4. Select Medium File Size/Good Quality as the quality of the video file. Choosing this option
affects such factors as the data rate and the number of video frames per second. Click Next.
5. On the Summary screen, click Back to change any of the publish settings or click Finish to
compress the show and save it according to the publish settings you selected.
Congratulations! You have created and saved your first show.
Creating and publishing 35

CHAPTER 4
Setting up a studio
4
Choose your equipment and set up the best lighting to turn the room around your computer
into a studio.
Choosing a camera
“About cameras” on page 37
“About webcams” on page 37
“About camcorders” on page 38
About cameras
You can use two types of cameras with Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3: webcams and
camcorders.
N OTE
A camera is not required. You can create shows that consist entirely of pictures, titles,
images, and prerecorded video clips.
If your webcam or camcorder uses an analog connection, you need a software driver that is
compatible with Microsoft DirectShow, a Windows Driver Model (WDM) driver. Almost all
new webcams are supported by this driver, but some older webcams are not. Check the
manufacturer’s website for updated software drivers available for free download. Visual
Communicator can use almost any WDM driver-compatible analog or FireWire inputs with a
WDM driver.
About webcams
Webcams usually sit on top of the monitor. Some laptops and computer monitors have a
webcam built in.
Consider the following items when you select a webcam:
37
■ Picture quality. A key indication of quality is resolution. The resolution of most webcams
is either 320 x 240 or 640 x 480. In general, higher-resolution webcams produce better
images.
■ Speed. Most webcams connect to a computer through a standard USB 1.0 port, but some
models connect through higher-speed ports. FireWire and USB 2.0 generally provide
better quality than USB 1.0 webcams, because they do not have to compress the image to
transfer it to a computer. A computer must have a FireWire or USB 2.0 port to
accommodate these devices. If your computer doesn’t have one of these ports, you can add
a FireWire or USB 2.0 card.
NOT E
Depending on the particular camera, FireWire is also known as IEEE 1394, i.Link, DV In/
Out, or DV Terminal.
About camcorders
Camcorders generally have higher-resolution imaging chips and better lenses than webcams.
Most also have a zoom lens, which allows greater flexibility in positioning the camera and
greater control over framing the shot.
Also, Firewire camcorders are designed to be plug-and-play devices. If your computer has a
FireWire card or port, you can plug in the device and begin to use it. If your computer does
not have a FireWire or analog input card, you’ll need to purchase and install one before you
can import live video to Visual Communicator.
TI P
If you have a camcorder with a FireWire and an analog input connector, you can use the
analog input to connect devices such as a VCR or 8-mm camcorder so that you can
capture footage from VHS videotape. Record the VHS footage onto a digital video tape
in the camcorder, and then use Visual Communicator to capture the footage from the
digital video tape.
Connecting, positioning, and testing a

camera
“Connect a webcam or camcorder to the computer” on page 39
“Position the camera” on page 40
“Test the camera without Visual Communicator” on page 40
38 Setting up a studio
Connect a webcam or camcorder to the computer
The way you connect a camera depends on whether it is a webcam or camcorder.
■ For a webcam, install the latest webcam driver and connect the camera to the computer
using the USB, analog, or FireWire cable that came with it.
■ For a camcorder, you might have a choice between using an S-Video cable (analog) or
FireWire (digital). Many digital video and Digital8 camcorders have both analog and
FireWire connections. As a rule, VHS and 8-mm camcorders have only analog
connections. If you aren’t sure which connection you have, see the manual for your
camcorder. If you have both, you can use either connection. One advantage of using
FireWire is that it’s designed to be plug-and-play, so you can use it without installing a
driver. If you use an S-Video cable and your computer does not have that input, you can
get either an analog capture card or a video adapter with an S-Video port. To connect a
camcorder through FireWire, you might need to install a FireWire (IEEE 1394) capture
card in your computer.
A B
A. Composite or RCA (analog) B. S-Video (digital) C. FireWire or IEEE 1394
Connecting, positioning, and testing a camera 39

Position the camera
Position the webcam or camcorder on top of the monitor in the center. The lens of the camera
should be as close to the top of the Teleprompter as possible so that your eyes appear to look
at the camera while you are reading the Teleprompter. If the webcam has a base, remove it so
that the camera is not too far above the monitor. Instead, secure the camera to the top of the
monitor with some tape.
Webcam secured to top of monitor with tape
Camcorders have zoom lenses that allow you to place them further back on the monitor for
additional positioning options.
If your screen resolution is higher than 1024 x 768, position the Visual Communicator screen
at the top center of the computer screen, right below the camera, or select Jump To Top Of
Screen in the Application Settings dialog box. This way you’ll be looking in the same direction
as the camera.
Test the camera without Visual Communicator

When the camera is connected and positioned, test it by using the viewing software that came
with the webcam or capture card.
Configuring cameras
“Configure a single camera” on page 41
“Configure multiple cameras” on page 41
“Remove cameras” on page 42
Configure a single camera

1. Click Setup, and then select Video.
The options on the Setup tab depend on which version of the software you have.
2. Select the camera to use from the Input pop-up menu.
If the device is a webcam and it is installed properly with a DirectShow (WDM) software
driver, its name appears here.
If you are using a video capture card, an additional box might be available to select the
input source for the card.
Setup tab
3. (Optional) Click Properties to adjust the properties that the device’s manufacturer sets.
NOTE
It’s a good idea to turn off any of the camera’s automatic settings such as Auto Gain,
Auto Iris, Auto White Balance.
Configure multiple cameras

Visual Communicator supports up to three cameras, enabling you to do the following:
■ Record interviews using a different camera for each person.
Configuring cameras 41
■ Switch between camera angles and zoom settings, which can help keep the audience’s
attention.
■ Switch between the speaker and the product in training or sales videos.
1. Click Setup, and then select Video. If you already have a camera connected, it appears as
Camera 1.
2. Connect the additional cameras to the computer.
3. Select Camera 2 in the Input pop-up menu.
4. Select the make and model of the second camera from the Current Video Input Device
pop-up menu.
5. (Optional) Repeat the process for Camera 3.
NO TE
If you are using more than one USB camera or more than one FireWire camera, connect
each camera to its own input card. Plugging two video devices into the same input card
can cause performance problems.
Remove cameras
You can remove a camera at any time.
1. Select the camera to remove from the Input pop-up menu.
2. Select None in the Current Video Input Device pop-up menu.
Installing and configuring microphones

“About lapel microphones” on page 42
“Configure a single microphone” on page 43
“Configure multiple microphones” on page 44
About lapel microphones

Lapel microphones typically provide superior audio, compared to microphones that are built
into webcams and camcorders. The ideal position for a lapel microphone is about 3 inches
below the collar, not on the lapel itself.
To connect the microphone to the computer’s audio card, plug it into the connector labeled
Mic. If a sound card is installed, use it rather than the sound card on the motherboard.
When the microphone is connected, test it by using the software that came with the audio
card or by using Windows Sound Recorder (Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment).
Configure a single microphone
1. Click Setup, and then select Audio.
Setup tab
2. Select the audio device from the Audio Input Device pop-up menu.
3. Select the microphone from the Input Source pop-up menu.
4. Select the output method from the Audio Output Method pop-up menu.
■ Wave Out - This method is the default and is compatible with any audio card.
Occasionally when using a computer with a slower processor this method may cause
synchronization problems between the audio and video portions of your show.
■ Kernel Streaming - This method retrieves the audio data directly from the audio card
for faster processing. This can prevent audio synchronization problems. However,
Kernel Streaming is not compatible with every audio card, so you should use it only if
you experience synchronization problems with Wave Out.
5. Use the Output Volume Master Level slider to turn down the volume to 25% or less.
Reducing the volume prevents feedback when you test.
6. Select Pass Thru To Speakers.
7. Speak normally and watch the Input Volume meter.
8. Adjust the Hardware Level slider until the loudest parts of the audio reach the high end of
the yellow LEDs but not into the red area.
9. When you are finished, click Pass Thru To Speakers again to stop the microphone audio
from passing to the speakers.
10. To play a short audio sample, click Test in the Output Volume section.
Installing and configuring microphones 43

11. Adjust the Output Volume slider as necessary.
Configure multiple microphones

Visual Communicator supports audio from as many as three different microphones. To keep
audio synchronized, it is best to connect all microphones through the same device (a
camcorder or sound card).
If the camera or sound card has only one input for an external microphone, use a Y adapter
that connects two microphones to one microphone jack.
Alternatively, you can use an audio mixer to combine the microphones for input to one
device. If you have a sound card that supports more than one audio input, use the additional
inputs for extra microphones. If the camcorder supports two inputs (such as Channel 1 and
Channel 2), plug one microphone into each channel.
1. If you haven’t already done so, connect any additional audio sources to the computer.
2. Click Setup, then select Audio.
3. Select Audio 2 from the Input pop-up menu.
4. Select the make and model for the second audio device from Audio Input Device pop-up
menu.
5. (Optional) Repeat the process for the third microphone.
6. To test the audio input, speak into each microphone and use the Input Volume meter to
check the sound levels.
CHAPTER 5
Creating a show
5
Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3 gives you a variety of ways to create a project—from a blank
slate, to a show (project) that is based on a style or topic, to an Instant Hollywood show that’s
prepopulated with a script and video clips.
Creating a show using the wizard

“Use the wizard to create a show based on a style” on page 45
“Use the wizard to create a blank show” on page 46
Use the wizard to create a show based on a style

You can use the wizard to create a show based on a style or to create a blank show. Creating a
show using a predetermined style in the wizard automatically provides a framework of high-
quality graphical elements. If you don’t want to use the wizard, you can either open a blank
new show or open the show you used in the last session in the Application Settings dialog box,
which you access from the Settings menu.
1. Start the wizard by doing one of the following:
■ Click Wizard on the Project tab.
■ Select Wizard in the File menu.
■ Press Ctrl+W.
2. Select one of the following options for adding show content that is based on predetermined
graphics and themes:
Style Applies a consistent look to title graphics such as opening slates and lower thirds.
Some of the styles include:
■ Celebration: For birthdays, anniversaries, or any special occasions.
■ Elegant: A tasteful look.
■ Financial: A fresh, corporate look.
45
■ Generation X: An edgy, urban look.
■ Industrial: A metallic and mechanical look.
■ Kid Power: A soft, playful look.
Topic Creates a project preloaded with title graphics, images, and a format appropriate
for the selected topic, such as Business Financial News or School Club News.
Instant Hollywood Preloads the show with a script and video clips of a professional
television host who interviews you. Choose from clips such as Superstar Insider, Comedy
Club Showcase, Campus Update, or New Product Showcase.
One Click Video Lets you customize a template that you can load in one step for future
new shows.
Blank Video Starts with a blank canvas.
Use the wizard to create a blank show

■ If you’re using the wizard, but prefer to start with a blank slate instead of a template, select
Open With Blank Video in the first screen of the wizard.
■ If you always want to go to a blank show when you start the software, either deselect Show
Wizard At Startup on the wizard’s first page or select Start With New Show in the
Application Settings dialog box.
Creating a One-Click Video template

The One-Click Video feature lets you create a template that loads quickly so you can record a
new version. This is useful for recording quick video e-mail messages or daily broadcasts such
as company briefings or daily school bulletins. The format of the show is already set up and
you only replace the live sections.
1. Click Set Up One Click Video on the first page of the wizard, and then click Next.
2. If all shows based on this template will have some common content, enter the script or
outline in the Teleprompter.
3. Customize the video effects as necessary.
4. Save the project.
N OTE
If a template already exists when you create a new One-Click Video template, the new
one replaces the existing one. If you use V-Screen in One-Click Videos, remember to set
the key before recording.
46 Creating a show
Your One-Click Video template is complete. To load the template, click the One Click Video
icon on your desktop to find the template.
Creating a One-Click Video template 47

48 Creating a show
CHAPTER 6
Managing projects and media

files
6
File management in Adobe® Visual Communicator ®3 projects can be complicated because of
the media files used in a project and because audio and video content are recorded to your
hard drive. To make this task easier, use industry best practices to organize media files and use
the Pack and Go feature.
Best practices for organizing projects

and media files
“Locate and store projects and files” on page 49
“Edit project files on a single computer” on page 50
“Change the default path for project files” on page 50
Locate and store projects and files

Each time you publish a show, Visual Communicator assembles all the media files to build the
program. To do this, the media files must be where Visual Communicator expects them to
be—that is, in the same place they were when you added them to your show. Therefore, do
not move, delete, rename, or otherwise hide your media files after you add them to a show.
You can replace a media file with another file of exactly the same name.
N OTE
It’s a good idea to keep two copies of custom media files, particularly those that you
think you might edit at some point after they are added to a project. Store one set in a
working folder and the other in the project folder. Do all your editing to the files in the
working folder. Then, to include the revised graphic, video, or audio clip in a show, copy it
to the project folder.
File storage options vary depending on whether you work on projects on a single computer or
share projects on multiple computers.
49
Edit project files on a single computer
If you’re working on a single computer, and won’t need to copy all the project files and their
media inputs to another computer, you can store files anywhere on your computer or
network.
To keep files orderly, use the Visual Communicator library bins: store files in the existing
Video, Pictures, and Audio folders. Alternatively, you can set up your own Video, Graphics,
and Audio folders anywhere and set them as the home folders for the respective libraries.
■ To use the library bins, select Program Files\Adobe\Visual Communicator\Content.
Change the default path for project files

By default, project files are saved to C:\Documents and Settings\username\My
Documents\Visual Communicator\My Projects.
1. Click the Projects tab in the Media library (located in the lower-right section of the Visual
Communicator main window).
2. In the Address bar, browse to the correct folder or enter its path in the box.
3. Right-click a blank spot in the Library window, and then select Set Current Directory As
Home For Projects.
NOT E
It’s a good idea to save the project by its old name before you use the Save As option.
Save a project to a different path

Saving a project to a different specifies that path become the home for all future projects
1. Click the Project tab, and then select Save As.
2. Browse to the correct folder, and then enter a new name for the project.
If you previously saved the project by another name, the entire project is copied to the
new path and name, leaving the original version intact. When you save a project to a
different folder, that becomes the default path for new projects.
50 Managing projects and media files

Save, package, open, and delete projects
“Save a project” on page 51
“Package a project with Pack and Go” on page 51
“Open a project” on page 52
“Delete a project and cleaning up your hard disk” on page 52
Save a project
Do any of the following:
■ If the current file name and the path are correct on the Project tab, select Save or select File
> Save.
■ To change the project or project path, select Save As on the Project tab, or select File >
Save As, and then browse to the correct folder.
Package a project with Pack and Go

Work on multiple computers after you create a project. The Pack and Go feature gathers all
the media files you are using in your project and saves copies of them in a new folder. At the
same time, Pack and Go saves a new copy of the project file in the same folder, with updated
references to the newly copied media files. After you save a project with Pack and Go, you can
copy the new folder to any computer and open the project file it contains. The project opens
exactly as it did on the original computer. If you add files to the project from the new
computer, use Pack and Save again to move the project safely to any other computer.
To save a project and all of its associated media files into a single folder for easy transfer to
another computer, do the following:
1. Select File > Pack and Go.
2. If prompted to save your project first, do so. The packaged project file has the same name
as the original.
3. In the Export dialog box, you can choose which types of media to include in the packaged
project. Select from among the following options:
■ Include Pre-installed Content adds copies of the content you used that was included
with Visual Communicator.
■ Include Your Pictures adds copies of images that you provided.
■ Include Your Video Files adds copies of video clips that you provided.
■ Include Your Audio Files adds copies of any audio files that you provided.
Save, package, open, and delete projects 51

■ Include Project Recordings adds copies of recordings you made of your project.
Although you can export project recordings through pack and go, you cannot usually insert new
N
OT
E recordings into the old recordings on the second computer because the input devices will not
match. You will be asked to delete the old recordings before re-recording. The project
recordings should usually only be exported to publish on another computer, not to record.
4. To change the location where the project is saved, click Change Location and browse to
another location.
5. To begin the export process, click Start.
6. Click Close when the export is complete.
Open a project
The way you open a project depends on where it is saved. Do one of the following:
■ If the project you want to open is in the home folder for the Projects library, double-click
its icon.
■ If you saved the project elsewhere, select Open on the Project tab, or select File > Open,
and then browse to the project folder.
■ If the project is one of the last 10 projects you opened, select File > Recent Projects, and
then select the project name.
Delete a project and cleaning up your hard disk

You can delete a saved project and its associated recordings at any time.
■ Right-click the project’s icon on the Project tab of the Media library (located in the lower-
right section of the Visual Communicator main window), and then select Delete.
This erases the project file (with the .msh extension) and the content you recorded in the
project; the images, video clips, and audio clips that you added as content are not affected.
It is important to use Visual Communicator to delete projects, rather than deleting the projects
N
OT
E using Windows Explorer. Deleting an MSH file by using the Windows Explorer file manager
does not remove the associated folder that contains the files for content recorded in the
project. Always delete projects in the Visual Communicator Project folder.
52 Managing projects and media files

CHAPTER 7
Planning shows and writing

scripts
7
Before you create a video project, it’s helpful to organize your content and prepare for the
process. Although none of these suggestions are specific to Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3,
they’ll help you polish your process and produce better videos with less work.
Planning your show

“Planning checklist” on page 53
“Making a show outline” on page 54
“Writing a script” on page 54
Planning checklist
Before you start creating your show, it’s a good idea to do some planning.
■ Determine the goal of the show. Take some time to think about what you want your show
to say. Develop the message or objective until it’s entirely clear. Keep the objective in mind
as you develop your show.
■ List the scenes. Make a list of all the scenes, in order of appearance, and the media or
inputs you’ll use for each. For example, if you are doing a sales show, you might want to
include the following:
a. Opening music
b. Opening title slate and image
c. Live video of the person announcing the product
d. Product photo
e. Video clip of someone using the product
f. Microsoft PowerPoint slide listing benefits of the product
g. Closing comments from salesperson
h. Closing image and music
53
■ Collect your assets. Create or collect any assets you need, such as PowerPoint slides, actors,
images, and so on.
Making a show outline

An outline is a great way to communicate your vision of the video, keep track of the pieces,
and make sure every detail is assigned to someone.
Here’s an outline for the Gravity Demo project, a sample show in the Demos folder of the
Projects library.
Scene description Media Video effect Responsible party

Opening title: “Gravity Intro music Dissolve John
and You,” with Title graphic Jill
background music
Live video of Mark Camera 1: Mark Dissolve Emily and John on script
reading scrip Microphone Jill on camera setup
Transition to picture Image file of Isaac OTS Kid Power Suzy

of Sir Isaac as Mark GoldFramed_TV
continues reading
PowerPoint slide of PowerPoint slide Tumble In Upper Mark

gravity formula Left
Consider the following issues when you create your outline:

■ Describe what happens in each scene. Scene descriptions help each team member know
how exactly his or her contribution fits into the larger project.
■ Create a quick sketch of your scenes. The images in your show are arguably more
important than the words in your script. Whether you use the images that Visual
Communicator includes or decide to create your own, sketching out a quick storyboard
gives you a preview of how the scenes in your video will flow.
■ Make a list of what you’ll need. After the basic scenes have been framed out, create a list of
assets you need for each scene.
■ Assign tasks and responsibilities. If two or more people will share a task, designate one of
them to make final decisions.
Writing a script
When you write your script, keep the following issues in mind:
54 Planning shows and writing scripts

■ Know your audience. Understanding your audience helps you manage the tone and level
of detail for the presentation. Be sure that the general vocabulary and topic-specific
terminology is appropriate for your intended audience.
■ Keep it simple. Always be clear and concise in your presentation. Write your script so that
information flows smoothly from one topic to the next. Don’t spend too much time on a
topic—the average TV news story is only about a minute long. Think about where you
can insert images, video effects, and other visual elements to illustrate what’s being said
and keep things interesting.
■ Leverage the power of the medium. Video delivers information, but it’s really effective at
conveying emotion and a sense of mood. Video can have more intellectual and emotional
impact than text, but to gain this impact you must distill your message to its most
essential points. The biggest mistake in many videos, especially corporate and educational
videos, is that they contain too much detail.
Although your audience may have varying levels of knowledge, education, and
sophistication regarding your subject, almost everyone is an expert at watching TV and
has expectations about how it should look. Watch some television shows and analyze them
to get ideas about the pacing and content for creating your video.
■ Create small chunks. If you have a very long video, break the content up into chapters or
segments. Delivering too much information in an unbroken stretch can cause your
audience to lose interest. You can use Chapter Markers to provide easy access to the
sections.
Planning your show 55

56 Planning shows and writing scripts
CHAPTER 8
Using the Teleprompter

8
With Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3, you can change the pacing of the script and you can
display the Teleprompter in full-screen mode.
Using scripts and the Teleprompter

“Enter a script in the Teleprompter” on page 57
“Rehearse a script” on page 58
“Use the Teleprompter in full-screen mode” on page 58
“Pause the Teleprompter and Action window manually” on page 59
“Control the Teleprompter and Action window manually” on page 59
Enter a script in the Teleprompter

The Teleprompter is the large area in the top center of the Visual Communicator window that
displays a script. As you rehearse and record a show, the script scrolls up so you can read from
the screen.
You can type the script directly in the Teleprompter or copy content from another program.
1. Load a show.
If you don’t already have a show, use one of the demos.
2. Delete unwanted text, such as the basic instructions and wizard-generated outline.
3. Click in the Teleprompter, and then type directly in the Teleprompter or paste your
content from another program. The script is saved automatically as part of the project when
you save the show.
4. To change the Teleprompter font, right-click in the Teleprompter.
57
Rehearse a script
While you rehearse your script, you can adjust the scroll speed and timing of the actions.
1. With the camera on, click Rehearse.
The text in the Teleprompter and the trays in the Action window begin to scroll.
2. Read the lines in the Teleprompter.
If the monitor resolution is set higher than 1024 x 768, position the Visual
Communicator window at the top of the computer screen so that the Teleprompter is as
close as possible to the camera lens. Position the window manually, or move it
automatically. Choose Settings > Application Settings, and then select Jump To Top Of
Screen in the Record/Rehearse area.
If you find that video in the Output Monitor is drawing your attention away from the
Teleprompter, choose Settings > Application Settings, and then select Hide Preview
Monitor Output in the Record/Rehearse area. This setting applies only while recording,
not while rehearsing.
3. If the text is scrolling too fast or too slow, adjust the Scroll Speed slider on the Director tab.
NO TE
Set the scroll speed before you position the action trays for the show, because changing
the scroll speed directly affects the calibration of the tickmark ruler. If you adjust the
scroll speed after you position the trays, you might have to reposition most, if not all, of
the trays. The scroll speed also affects the overall length of the show.
4. Add line breaks to fine-tune your timing.

5. To adjust the action timing, do one of the following:
■ Drag actions upward in the Action window to trigger the event sooner, or down to delay
it.
■ Synchronize the actions with the script by vertically aligning the action tray with the line
of text.
See also
Use the Teleprompter in full-screen mode

You can expand the Teleprompter to use the entire computer screen during rehearsal and
recording. This makes it easier to read from a greater distance, and also reduces the angle from
the subject’s eye line to the lens, thereby enhancing the impression that the subject is looking
at the camera rather than the Teleprompter.
58 Using the Teleprompter

■ In the Application Settings dialog box, select Display Teleprompter Full Screen or press
Ctrl+Shift+F.
The interface returns to normal when you stop rehearsing or recording.
TI P
To pause and resume scrolling while rehearsing or recording in the full screen mode,
press the spacebar.
Pause the Teleprompter and Action window manually
Control the Teleprompter and Action window

manually
■ To jump to the next effect, click Next Effect or press Ctrl+Enter.
This command works regardless of whether the Teleprompter is scrolling or paused. It’s
particularly useful for recording an impromptu show rather than reading a script.
■ To scroll down by one line, click Advance or press Alt+A.
■ To skip to the next effect, click Next Effect or press Ctrl+Enter.
■ If the current effect is transitional, the media input from its tray becomes the A source; if
it’s non-transitional, the previous A source returns to full screen. This action has no effect
on the finished, published video because Visual Communicator plays all transitions as
they’re programmed at the time you publish. You can control whether the Teleprompter
and Action window scroll back to their last position or remain in the current position in
the Application Settings.
To pause the Teleprompter and Action window, do one of the following:
■ Click Pause on the Director tab or press Ctrl+Spacebar. In the Advanced folder of the
Video Effects tab, select the Pause Teleprompter effect to add it anywhere in a show’s
action sequence.
This effect stands alone in a tray; don’t add it as a property of another action. When the
tray containing the pause effect enters the action bar, the show stops scrolling until you
press the spacebar or click Resume.
■ Select any video effect in the Action window, and then select Pause Teleprompter on the
Actions tab.
Using scripts and the Teleprompter 59

The show stops scrolling when it completes the transition.
N OTE
Pausing the Teleprompter has no effect on recording. Even though the Teleprompter is
paused, the show is still being recorded. To stop the Teleprompter and your rehearsing
session, click Stop below the Output Monitor.
See also
“The Application Settings dialog box” on page 26
60 Using the Teleprompter

CHAPTER 9
Adding closed captions to a

video
9
Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3 lets you incorporate closed captions into your videos. The
Closed Captioning feature takes text from the Teleprompter and converts it into captions that
appear below the video.
Using closed captions for accessibility

“About closed captions” on page 61
“Select closed captions for a video” on page 62
“About closed captions in a video” on page 62
“Designate and display persistent text” on page 62
“Display dynamic text” on page 63
“Hide Teleprompter text” on page 63
“Editing captions after you publish a video” on page 63
“Guidelines for good captions” on page 64
“Display captions” on page 64
About closed captions

Closed captions allow people to read a transcript or dialog of the audio portion of a video,
film, or other presentation. As the video plays, text captions appear that transcribe speech and
other relevant sounds, although not always verbatim.
The term closed in closed captioning means that not all viewers see the captions—only viewers
who decode or activate them. This is different from open captions, where all viewers see the
captions. Permanently visible captions in a video, film, or other medium are sometimes called
open, burned-in, or hardcoded captions.
61
Select closed captions for a video
1. Click Publish and select the publishing method.
2. In the Video Publisher wizard, select Publish A Windows Media Video (.wmv), and then
select Enable Closed Captioning. This option is available only when Windows Media
(.wmv) is set as the file type.
About closed captions in a video

Two boxes display closed-caption text. The SourceID box displays persistent text, while the
Main Caption box displays dynamic text. Use angled brackets to hide text, keeping the
following considerations in mind:
■ If the opening bracket is not the first character on the line, it is treated as normal text,
appearing as part of the dynamic caption content. This lets you use square brackets
around regular content, for example in a scientific formula.
■ If the closing bracket is more than two lines after the opening bracket, the text appears
as regular captions, including the brackets. This is also true if you forget to use a
closing bracket.
■ Always start the regular content following a SourceID on its own line. Text that follows
the closing bracket on the same line does not appear in either box.
Persistent Content set

off by square brackets
Persistent content set off by square brackets
■ A line of persistent text appears until the next block of bracketed text enters the
Teleprompter. To hide an entry, leaving the SourceID box blank, enter [] on a line by
itself.
If you find persistent text distracting when you record a video, you can add it after recording.
If you do, it’s a good idea to leave blank lines where you will insert the persistent text.
Designate and display persistent text

The SourceID box can contain up to three lines of text from the Teleprompter.
62 Adding closed captions to a video

1. Start a new line of text in the Teleprompter.
2. Enclose the text in square brackets.
Display dynamic text

Dynamic text appears for a limited time (the display time), regardless of whether it is followed
by more text or by blank lines. The display time, which is the same for all dynamic text in a
video, is a function of the Teleprompter’s scroll speed and the font size of the Teleprompter
text. The faster the scroll speed, the shorter the display time. Likewise, the smaller the font
size, the shorter the display time.
■ All Teleprompter text that is not enclosed in square brackets or angled brackets appears in
the main caption box.
The main caption box shows one caption block at a time, each of which consists of two
lines of Teleprompter text. As the script passes through the action bar, each adjoining pair
of lines is parsed into one text block for the caption file.
■ To have a text block appear longer than the display time, copy and paste it the appropriate
number of times in the Teleprompter. For instance, if the display time is 3 seconds and
you want a text block to appear for 9 seconds, paste the pair of lines twice below the
original instance.
Hide Teleprompter text

■ To hide text such as stage directions in scripts, enclose the text in angle brackets, which
prevents the text from being displayed in the captions. This works on a line-by-line basis,
so if content that you want to hide wraps to two or more lines, enclose each line in angle
brackets.
Editing captions after you publish a video

When you publish a video with closed captions, Visual Communicator writes a Synchronized
Accessible Media Interchange (SAMI) file, in which each block of caption text is associated
with a time code. The file also defines formatting styles and can include inline HTML text-
formatting tags.
Visual Communicator saves the SAMI file with the same name as the video file and in the
same folder. You can open and edit a SAMI file in any text editor, such as Wordpad or
Notepad.
Using closed captions for accessibility 63

To control the appearance of text in the main caption box, add HTML tags to the SAMI file
through a third-party application. SAMI parsers work with a subset of inline font formatting
tags. For a list of the formatting tags that work with text in this box, see the Synchronization
section of “Understanding SAMI 1.0” on the Microsoft MSDN Library site.
Guidelines for good captions

Follow these general guidelines for writing captions:
■ Be sure all spoken content is represented in the captions. This means transcribing what is
said in video clips. If a clip was recorded in another Visual Communicator project, you
can copy and paste the script.
■ Preserve synchronization between your video and its captions. When you do anything
while recording that alters the timing of events, Visual Communicator automatically
repositions action trays but not text in the Teleprompter. Likewise, when you manually
move one or more action trays, the script is not affected. Although videos without closed
captions may not require realigning the script with action trays, doing so for those
published with captions is essential to preserve synchronization between the video and its
captions.
■ Consider the layout of captions before you rehearse and work on the timing of events.
Adding line breaks lengthens the script, which in turn can require you to adjust the scroll
speed. Break lines where pauses normally occur in speech, remembering that you must
think in terms of the two-line pairs by which Visual Communicator breaks the script into
caption lines.
For example, notice how the following line breaks keep logical text blocks of the script
together as coherent caption lines:
More than a century and a half later,
these grooves in the living rock bear testament
to the great effort required of the pioneers
who migrated westward over the Oregon Trail.
Without these breaks, the captions would have turned out like this:
More than a century and a half later, these grooves in the living
rock bear testament to the great effort required of the pioneers
who migrated westward over the Oregon Trail.
Display captions
You can display captions either on the web or in Windows Media Player.

Windows Media Player displays persistent and dynamic captions below the video. You have
some control over the appearance of the text, but no control over where the caption appears.
If the captions are too far from the video, try resizing the Media Player window.
1. In Windows Media Player, choose Tools > Options and click the Security tab.
2. Click Enable The Show Local Captions When Present.
3. Click OK.
4. Select Play > Captions And Subtitles, and then select Click On If Available.
NOT E
If a video is already loaded when you select these two settings, either reload it or restart
Windows Media Player. When Media Player recognizes that the video has captions, the
Captions And Subtitles submenu expands to provide options for the text appearance.
Using closed captions for accessibility 65

CHAPTER 10Pa$$
Media inputs, video effects,

and external events
10
This chapter covers the video effects that Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3 includes and all
the types of media files that you can include in your show. You’ll also learn how to move
action trays to get your timing just right.
Using action trays

“About action trays” on page 67
“Auto-position the next tray” on page 69
“About rapid-fire action sequences” on page 69
“Remove a tray” on page 70
About action trays

Action trays are the containers you use to pair up a media source with the effect that introduces
it into the show. The effect goes on the left side of the tray, and the media source is on the
right.
If you assign an audio clip to an existing tray, a speaker icon appears on the bridge between
the two thumbnails. To select a thumbnail or the speaker icon, click it; you can then
customize the selected item from the Actions tab. Double-click a thumbnail to preview the
effect or source. To select the tray as a whole, click the tray’s tab.
B C D
Tray orientation
A. Tray tab B. Effect C. Audio Clip D. Media sources
67
The trays sit in the Action window to the right of the Teleprompter. A tray is triggered when
it passes through the pink action bar, so the position of each tray defines the time at which the
effect runs. Place the mouse pointer over a tray to show its exact trigger time.
The parts of the tray are as follows:
■ Tray tab. Drag this tab to move the tray. Right-click it to open a menu of tray options.
■ Effect. This controls how the media source is brought into view and whether it’s a
transition or non-transition effect. Click it to select it for customizing from the Actions
tray.
■ Audio clip. This icon indicates that an audio clip is assigned to this tray.
■ Media sources. This represents the source that is assigned to the tray. Click to select it for
customizing from the Actions tray.
Move trays to adjust timing and reorganize a show

You can reposition trays to achieve the desired sequence and timing of events.
Move trays by dragging

■ To move a single tray, drag it by its tab or frame. (Drag beyond the top or bottom of the
Action window to make the area scroll.)
■ To move a set of trays, Ctrl-click the trays; then drag the selected trays. To move a tray and
all trays below it, Shift-click the tray (or trays) and drag the selected trays.
Cut, copy, and paste a single tray

1. Right-click the tray’s tab or frame and select Cut or Copy.
2. Scroll to where you want to paste the tray.
3. Right-click a blank spot in the Action window and select Paste Action.
Cut, copy, and paste multiple trays

1. Ctrl-click each tray you want to move.
2. Right-click the tab or frame of any of the selected trays, and select Cut or Copy.
3. Scroll to where you want to paste the trays.
Be sure there’s plenty of space for all the trays; if there isn’t, Visual Communicator will
intersperse the pasted trays in or around the other trays in that area.
4. Right-click a blank spot in the Action window and select Paste Actions.
68 Media inputs, video effects, and external events

Auto-position the next tray
The Smart Position feature helps you set timing in your video. Smart Position moves the next
tray to the exact position where its action will begin just as the previous one ends. All trays
below the next one are repositioned to maintain the same timing between all subsequent
actions.
■ Right-click the tray’s tab or frame and select Smart Position Next Action from the menu.
When using Smart Position, keep these things in mind:
■ If you move a camera tray after you’ve recorded that segment, the recorded audio and
video does not move with it. Prerecorded video clips do move, but not content that you
recorded directly into the project with a tray containing a camera.
■ Scroll speed affects timing. Adjusting the Teleprompter’s scroll speed changes how fast the
Teleprompter and Action window scroll upwards, but it doesn’t automatically adjust the
position of your trays. Try setting scroll speed to a comfortable level before adding content
and setting the timing of events by moving action trays. If you adjust the scroll speed after
positioning your trays, you will most likely have to reposition them.
■ Add lower third after smart positioning. If a video clip will be accompanied by a Lower
Third, run the Smart Position feature before adding the Lower Third tray. Otherwise, that
tray will be pushed down to the end of the video clip. If the Lower Third is already in
position, either cut the tray or move it above the associated video clip while you run Smart
Position.
To adjust the amount of time between trays when dropping multiple trays in the Action
window, change the Default Action Separation in the Application Settings dialog box. The
original default is 4 seconds.
About rapid-fire action sequences

The minimum spacing between any two trays is nine frames, or about a third of a second.
Such tight timing lets you fire a series of actions in rapid succession or to have a text overlay or
audio track trigger almost simultaneously with the associated media source. To achieve short
intervals between trays, overlap them.
Using action trays 69

If the overlapped trays interfere with keeping track of what’s in the trays, you can shrink them
vertically by right-clicking on the tab or frame and selecting Collapse Tray from the pop-up
menu. To return a collapsed tray to full size, select Expand Tray.
Overlapping trays
Remove a tray
■ For a single tray, right-click the tray’s tab or frame and select Delete This Action.
■ For two or more trays, Ctrl-click their frames. Then right-click the frame of a selected tray
and select Cut Selected Actions.
Adding effects and media inputs

“Preview an effect or media input” on page 70
“Add or change a media file or effect” on page 70
“Set the default effect” on page 71
Preview an effect or media input

■ Double-click any icon in the Library window. Effects previewed in this manner use the
default settings and the placeholder Source A and Source B graphics.
■ Double-click an effect or media input in its action tray. An effect plays using the current
settings and the media inputs assigned to the show; a media source appears as a graphic in
the Output Monitor.
■ Click Review to see effects and media inputs run in the context of the show.
■ Scrub the show using the main scroll bar or the tickmark ruler to run one or more effects
forward or backward.
Add or change a media file or effect

When you add a media file or effect to a show, you add an action tray. You can also change the
media file or effect in a tray.

Add an action tray
■ Drag a media file or effect to a blank spot in the Action window.
If you drag a graphical media file, the default effect is assigned. If you drag an effect, the
media input is either the camera or undefined, depending on the effect.
Add multiple media files or effects at once

1. Scroll to the bottom of the show.
2. Select the media files or effects from a single library folder.
3. Click any of the selected icons and drag them to the Action window.
A tray is created for each selected media file or effect and organized in the same sequence as
they appear in the library.
Change the media file or effect for an existing action tray

■ Drag the icon from its library to the tray.
The media source or effect replaces whatever was previously assigned to the tray. If you’ve
already published the show, republish it to include the new effect or content.
Set the default effect

The initial default effect is the Dissolve. You can change the default to any other effect.
1. In the Settings menu, select Application Settings.
2. Click Browse next to the Default Effect box.
3. Navigate to the folder for the desired effect.
4. Select the desired effect and click Open.
Media inputs
“About live video” on page 72
“Include video from your camera” on page 72
“Adjust camera and live video settings” on page 73
“About live audio” on page 74
“About still images” on page 75
“Adjust the size and orientation of a still image” on page 75
“Adjust the color of a still image” on page 77
“Creating still-image graphics” on page 77
Media inputs 71
“About video clips” on page 78
“Review a trimmed clip” on page 81
“Save a trimmed clip” on page 81
“Adjust the color of a video clip” on page 82
“Adjust the volume of an audio or video clip” on page 82
“Save a digital video clip from tape” on page 83
“Add an audio clip” on page 84
“About title graphics” on page 85
“Edit the text in a title” on page 86
“Customize effects in a title graphic” on page 86
“Save a custom title” on page 87
“PowerPoint files” on page 87
About live video

Unlike live audio from your microphone, which is recorded regardless of any action trays,
Visual Communicator records live video only when a camera is active in the show—the
camera must be either the A source or the B source in a dual-display effect.
Even though your video is recorded in Visual Communicator, it’s referred to as live video to
distinguish it from recorded video clips that you add to a show. Live video differs from video
clips in the following ways:
■ After it’s recorded, live video remains locked in position within the show. Moving a
camera's tray does not shift its position, but instead changes the point when you transition
to the live video. Likewise, moving the next transition effect up cuts off the end of the live
video.
■ The Trim feature works only for video clips, not with live video.
Include video from your camera

To include video from your camera in a show, you must have a camera tray in the Action
window. Each new show is preloaded with one tray. If you transition away from the camera
and want to return to it, you’ll need to add another camera tray.
■ Drag the camera icon from the Videos library to the Action window.

Never add two adjacent trays for the same camera, because it affects the transition from the
camera to the same camera.
If you want to transition to the camera with an effect other than the default, drop the desired
effect on a blank spot in the Action window, which will add a camera action along with the
effect you selected.
You can use more than one camera in your show. In the Videos library, there are separate icons
for each of the three cameras, which you can add to the Action window. All video effects
function the same with two cameras as with any two media inputs.
A. Insert live camera B. Insert playback from tape
You can also use the Mini-Switcher on the Director tab to switch to a camera instantly during
rehearsing or recording.
See also
“Use the Mini-Switcher to switch from one camera to another” on page 118
Adjust camera and live video settings

Unlike other media inputs and video effects, the camera has no options on the Actions tab. To
control the camera, look for settings on the Setup tab with Video selected. These settings
affect all shows, unlike settings on the Actions tab that are specific to the selected instance of a
media input or effect.
Adjust the color of live video

■ On the Setup tab, click Adjust Colors; in the dialog box that appears, specify color
adjustment settings.
The color settings affect all live video in your show, so if you change settings between
recording two segments, both segments reflect the new settings. Visual Communicator
applies these settings at record time, so adjustments made after recording a show are not
used.
Media inputs 73
Avoid rerecording with the new settings
If you’ve adjusted color settings for one segment, you might want to avoid recording another
segment with the new settings.
1. After the end of the show, add a camera tray followed by a Fade To Black. Make sure the
camera tray is fully below the end of the recording status indicator so that no frames of your
real video are overwritten.
2. Right-click the new camera tray and select Start Recording After This Action.
3. Click Record.
4. Delete the two new action trays.
Adjust camera properties

■ Click Properties to open the options panel for your camera, if it has one. The options in
this panel vary from camera to camera.
Pause the camera when offscreen (Windows 2000 only)

If you’re running Windows 2000 and using a digital video camera, you might encounter
problems when a show transitions to or from the camera. To resolve these problems, pause the
camera when offscreen.
1. Click Advanced.
2. Select Pause Camera When Offscreen.
About live audio

When you record a show, Visual Communicator records sound from the audio source that
you set up. If a microphone is connected and properly set up, its signal is recorded. Live audio
is not included in the Action window.
Even though this audio is recorded, it is referred to as live audio to distinguish it from
recorded audio clips that you add from the Action window. Like an audio clip (but unlike live
video), live audio is unaffected by any action trays.
If the microphone is unmuted while you record a segment, any sound that it picks up is
included in the finished video, even if you add an audio clip (or a video clip that includes
audio). To avoid unwanted live audio in a segment, either use one of the flex-recording
options to skip that section while recording, or mute the microphone while recording the
segment.
Unlike audio clips, you cannot trim live audio, fade it in or out, or move it within the show.

See also
“Add an audio clip” on page 84
About still images

Still images include digital photographs, scanned images, and computer-generated 2D and 3D
graphics. Visual Communicator includes some still images in the Graphics library.
Visual Communicator supports the following graphic file formats:
BMP (bitmap) An uncompressed format that yields the highest image quality but also the
largest file sizes.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) A lossless compression format. Images in this format
are compressed to a smaller file size than bitmaps without any perceived loss in quality. One
advantage of using PNG files is that they can support images with millions of colors.
TGA (Targa) A particularly good format for preserving color, specifically designed for use
on Truevision video boards.
JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) A compressed file format that results in smaller
files without any perceived loss in quality. This is the format most commonly used for
photographs on the Internet. When highly compressed, JPG images become blocky.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) A highly compressed format that supports only 256
colors. It is typically used for relatively small images.
PG The file type used for Visual Communicator title graphics.
You add still images to your show in the same way as other media types. Drag and drop the
image from the Media library to the Action window or Timeline. You can adjust the default
length of time a still image is displayed in your show by changing the Default Picture
Duration in the Application Settings. The original default is 5 seconds.
Adjust the size and orientation of a still image

Visual Communicator allows you to make common adjustments to images that you import
into your show. These include adjusting the image orientation, cropping, and scaling. These
adjustments make it easy to use images from a variety of sources, including your digital
camera, without needing to edit them first in a separate image-editing application.
Adjust the orientation of an image

1. Select the image’s action tray in the Action window.
2. On the Actions tab, click the Preview button. The image appears in the Output Monitor.
Media inputs 75
3. In the Orientation section of the Actions tab, select the orientation you prefer. The image
rotates in the Output Monitor to match your selection.
Scale an image to fill the screen

2. On the Actions tab, click Preview.
3. Select Stretch To Fit. The image scales to fill the Output Monitor.
Crop an image
2. On the Actions tab, click Preview.
3. Select Enable Cropping.
4. Crop the image by dragging the top, right, left, or bottom border in the cropping control.
The results of your cropping appear in the Output Monitor immediately.

For precise cropping, you can also enter specific pixel amounts in the boxes to the right of
the cropping control.
Cropping in the Actions tab
5. To preserve the height-to-width ratio of the original image, select Preserve Aspect Ratio.
Adjust the color of a still image

1. Select an image, and then click Adjust Color at the bottom of the Actions tab.
2. In the dialog box that appears, use the RGB offset sliders to add or subtract the associated
colors consistently across all three colors, or use the basic RGB sliders to affect only pixels
that contain some of the given color.
Creating still-image graphics

When you’re creating your own graphics for use in a video, consider the following:
Media inputs 77
Have Visual Communicator scale down, not up Make the resolution at least the size of the
published output (typically 640 x 480 pixels for local playback, and 320 x 240 for web
playback).
Avoid stretching; use a 4:3 aspect ratio If the aspect ratio of an image is not 4:3, Visual
Communicator stretches it to that aspect ratio, thereby distorting the image. To avoid this, do
one of the following:
■ Crop the image in a graphics program. If the image is wider than 4:3, crop from one or
both ends; multiply the height by 1.333 to determine the correct width. If the image is
taller than 4:3, crop the top and bottom; multiply the width by 0.75 to determine the
correct height.
■ Insert the image into a background that's the right size. If the image is wider than 4:3, the
background frame should add space along the top and bottom. If the image is narrower
than 4:3, the frame should add space on the sides.
32-bit images are treated as titles If you use a 32-bit PNG or TGA image, Visual
Communicator preserves the transparency and treats the image like a transparent title slate.
About video clips

You can use video clips in your shows. These prerecorded clips are handled differently than
live video recorded within the program:
■ Video clips can be moved within the show, whereas live video is locked in the position
where it was recorded.
■ You can trim a video clip but not live video.
■ A video clip’s audio track stops playing when the show transitions to another tray, whereas
the live audio persists even when the live video is not being shown.
The following video formats are supported:
AVI (Audio Video Interleaved) A Microsoft file format for digital audio and video. This
format has several forms, depending on the codec (compressor/decompressor) used to record
or encode it. If you encounter any problems with an AVI clip in Visual Communicator, check
to see that you have the necessary codec installed to play it back. Because the resolution of an
image deteriorates with each decompression/compression cycle, for the best results use
uncompressed AVI clips as inputs in your videos.
MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group) A standard compressed format for audio and
video files.
MOV A format created by Apple® but viewable through a QuickTime player on the
Windows platform as well.

Trim video and audio clips
Trim video clips from the Actions tab or in the Action window. You can trim video and audio
clips but not live video and audio.
As you trim a video clip, remember to leave enough time at the beginning for the Transition
In effect to finish, and enough time at the end so that good content finishes before the
Transition Out effect begins.
If you need to revert to the last saved In point or Out point for a clip, click the appropriate
Revert button.
Use the Actions tab to trim

1. On the Actions tab, click Trim to display the trim controls.
Cropping in the Actions tab
2. To find the point in the clip where you want the video to begin or end, drag the slider and
watch the Output Monitor. To fine-tune the position one frame at a time, press the Right
or Left Arrow key or Frame Advance or Frame Back buttons.
The Current Time reading below the slider shows where you are in the clip; the Length
reading does not update until you complete the next step.
3. To set the current position as the start point, click Mark In; to set it as the end point, click
Mark Out. (You can also type time codes in the In Point or Out Point boxes, and then press
Enter.)
The In Point or Out Point boxes show the time that is now set, and the Length reading
indicates the length of the clip with the new trim point.
Media inputs 79
4. To jump to the In point, click In Point Seek. To jump to the Out point, click Out Point
Seek. You can make further adjustments to the In point and Out point until you are
satisfied with them.
N OTE
Remember that video time works in frames. Countries in North America and many other
countries use a video standard known as NTSC in which 1 second of video consists of
29.97 frames—commonly referred to as 30 frames per second (fps). Most of the rest of
the world uses the PAL standard, which runs at 25 fps. The last two digits of time codes
displayed on the Actions tab indicate the frame number, not hundredths of a second, so
they advance to the next second after 29 or 24, not 99. For audio clips, by contrast, the
last two digits represent hundredths of a second.
Use the Action window to trim (video clips only)

1. Click the icon for a video clip in an action tray.
A vertical gray duration bar appears, providing a graphical indication of the clip’s trimmed
and overall duration.
The light gray portion of the band represents the clip’s trimmed length, or the full length
if the clip is untrimmed; dark gray indicates, for trimmed clips, content at the beginning,
the end, or both, that will not be shown. The duration bar remains until you select the
media input in another tray or click a blank spot in the Action window.
2. To trim the beginning of the clip (the In point), pass the mouse over the duration bar;
when the pointer changes to a hand icon, drag up or down to increase or decrease the
amount of the video that will not be shown.
The Output Monitor displays the current frame, which becomes the In point when you
release the mouse button. The indicator next to the clip’s icon in the action tray reflects
the time of the current frame.
3. To trim the end of a clip (the Out point), pass the mouse over the bottom of the duration
bar; when the mouse pointer becomes a double arrow, drag the duration bar.

The Output Monitor displays the current frame, which becomes the Out point when you
release the mouse button. The indicator next to the Trim Out bar reflects the trimmed
length of the clip. The arrows above and below the Trim Out bar indicate which direction
you can trim. If the arrow below the bar is gone, you’re at the end of the clip; if there’s no
arrow above the bar, you’re at the current Mark In point.
NOT E
The light gray band does not reflect what will actually be played in the show if a transition
effect is positioned above the Out point; it overrides the trim settings. Suppose you trim
20 seconds down to 15 seconds but then drop a photo 10 seconds below the clip’s tray.
The transition to the still image effectively trims the last 5 seconds of the video. The
duration bar helps you see such inconsistencies. To preserve the current Out point,
either use the Smart Position feature or manually move the second tray. Another option
is to use an effect such as a Non-Transition Double Box or Flyby, which shows the video
and the still image simultaneously.
Review a trimmed clip

■ To view a trimmed clip from the In point, click Preview on the Actions tab.
■ To view a trimmed clip from the current position, click Play below the Trim slider.
■ To stop playback, click Pause or Preview. You can also stop playback and scrub to a new
position by dragging the Trim slider.
Play lets you view content before the In point; both playback commands stop at the Out
point. To view content after that spot, move the Out point to the right.
Save a trimmed clip

When you have trimmed a clip, you can save the trimmed version of the clip for future use in
your shows. These saved clips are called reference clips.
1. Select the trimmed clip in the Action window.
2. On the Actions tab, click Trim, and then click Save As Clip.
3. Choose a name and location for your saved reference clip. The default location is \My
Documents\Adobe Visual Communicator 3\My Output\My Trimmed Clips\.
When you have saved a reference clip, you can add it to the Action window of any show by
dragging it from the Media library.
Media inputs 81
You can also trim and save a reference clip directly from the Media library without first adding
the source video to the current show. Right-click the source video in the Media library and
select Create Subclips. You can then use the Trim controls on the Actions tab to define your
reference clip.
NOT E
The reference clips require the original clip to exist on your computer to function
correctly. The reference clips are not stand-alone subclips; they are pointers into the
original file. This reduces the usage of hard drive space by not copying the clip data.
See also
Adjust the color of a video clip

1. Click Adjust Color at the bottom of the Actions tab.
2. In the dialog box that appears, use the RGB offset sliders to add the associated colors
consistently across all three colors, or use the basic RGB sliders to affect only pixels that
contain some of the given color.
Adjust the volume of an audio or video clip

You can set the volume for each video clip and set a variable-length audio fade at both ends.
See also
Set the volume of the audio

1. Click the clip’s icon in its action tray to open the Actions tab.
2. Click Preview.
3. While the clip is playing, drag the Volume slider on the Actions tab.
4. Rehearse or review the clip in the context of the show to ensure that the volume is
appropriate.
Set the audio to fade in or out

1. Click the clip’s icon in its action tray to open the Actions tab.
2. Select Fade In or Fade Out.
3. In the Duration box, type a value in seconds and hundredths of a second; then press Enter.
4. Click Preview to check the fade settings.

Save a digital video clip from tape
The Capture feature lets you record segments of video from a tape in a video camera or VCR
that is connected to your computer.
When you finish capturing, the files are saved to your hard drive and you can browse to them
from the Media area and add them to your show.
1. On the Project tab, click Capture.
2. Enter a unique, descriptive name in the Capture File box.
3. Cue the tape to a point a few seconds before the content you will use in your show, allowing
extra time at the beginning and end of the segment for scene transitions and effects.
If you’re using a VCR (or a digital video camcorder in the VCR mode) that is connected
to your computer by a FireWire (IEEE 1394) cable, you can use Tape Control. Otherwise,
use the controls on the device itself.
Capturing in the Project tab
4. Click Record on the Project tab.

5. When the tape has played a few seconds beyond the content you plan to use, click Stop.
6. Click Done on the Project tab.
If you captured the clip to the default path, it’s in the My Captured Clips folder in the Output
library.
Media inputs 83
Add an audio clip
In addition to audio that you record from the program or that’s part of a video clip, you can
add audio clips. Supported audio types are WAV (recommended), WMA, and mp3 formats.
Visual Communicator also includes a variety of music, which you’ll find in the Audio library.
An audio clip can be a dependent clip or a stand-alone clip. A dependent clip shares a tray
with a graphical media input, and a stand-alone clip occupies its own tray.
A dependent clip stops playing when the next transition effect runs, whereas a stand-alone
clip continues playing regardless of other trays in the show. A dependent clip starts at the same
time that the effect in the associated tray runs.
■ To add a stand-alone clip, drop the file on a blank spot in the Action window.
A tray is created for the audio file. (The speaker icon in the effects bin is not actually an
effect and has no options associated with it.)
■ To add a dependent audio clip, drop the file on top of an existing tray.
A speaker icon appears between the effects bin and the media input bin. 0
A. Stand-alone audio clip B. Dependent audio clip
The difference between stand-alone audio and dependant audio clips is as follows:
■ A stand-alone audio-clip plays independently of other trays.
■ A dependent audio clip stops playing at the next transition effect. Add by dropping on a
tray that has a graphic source assigned.
You can also trim audio clips and save audio reference clips in the same way as for video clips.
See also
“About live audio” on page 74
“Adjust the volume of an audio or video clip” on page 82

About title graphics
Visual Communicator includes several types of static and animated title templates for
displaying text:
Opening and closing slates Have two independent lines for text and are all full-frame and
opaque, so you can pair them with any type of video effect. Their filenames typically start
with OS (for opening slate), CS (closing slate), or Seg (segment). You can use them anywhere
that you want text in a show.
Text slates Enable text to wrap across multiple lines, so they’re your best option for
displaying a larger volume of text. Text slates either have or do not have a separate header
field. Some center the content both horizontally and vertically; others align the content in the
upper-left corner. The icons indicate this positioning. Like title slates, they are full-frame and
opaque, so you can pair them with any type of video effect.
Text slates
Lower thirds Appear along the bottom of the frame and are typically used for identifying
the person on screen. They have two independent lines of text. The person’s name usually
appears in the first line, with the title, organization, and so forth on the second line. Because
lower thirds are transparent across most of the frame, you can pair them only with effects that
work with transparency.
Typically you should position a lower third just below the tray for the graphic source that it’s
associated with. Rehearse the show to check the timing. Most Over The Shoulder effects
include a built-in caption below the inset that’s closely related to a lower third.
Lower third
Media inputs 85
Pop-up templates Include balloons, speech balloons, and scream balloons. In addition to
the different styles, they also include the balloon in a variety of positions to accommodate the
image behind. You’ll find these templates in the Pop Ups folder in the Graphics library.
Popup text
Credits For showing credits, but can also be used to introduce text for other purposes
throughout a show. They include a wide variety of templates, ranging from three pairs of text
lines to a single text line to just one letter. Most are transparent around the text, but a few are
full-frame and opaque. The credit templates are in the Text Effects folder in the Graphics
library. Those are the recommended effects for all transparent credit templates; they also work
for the opaque one, but you can use any of the video effects for them, too.
Titles, lower thirds, and text slates are organized in thematic groups in folders in the Styles
library. These are the same styles that you choose from when you create a show with the New
Show wizard.
All lower third, pop-up, and credit templates have transparency, represented by the
checkerboard pattern in the icon and a T in the upper-right corner of the action tray’s media
source bin. Some video effects are not compatible with text templates (or any media inputs)
that have transparency.
Edit the text in a title

1. Click the title’s icon in its action tray to display the title in the Output Monitor, and open
the Actions tab for that template.
2. Click Edit at the bottom of the Actions tab to open a text box.
If the template has multiple text boxes, start in the top box.
3. Type the content in the box.
4. If the template has another box that you want to edit, click the Right Arrow to advance to
that box.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 until you’ve edited the text in all of the template’s boxes. Then click Done.
Customize effects in a title graphic

1. To change anything about the text on a title graphic other than the actual content, click
Title Editor at the bottom of the Actions tab (Basic view).

2. In the Alpha CG window, change the font, its size and color, or other properties.
Save a custom title

You can save custom titles directly from the Media library or after you add them to your show
and edited them. Saved titles can then be reused in future shows.
1. Do one of the following:
■ Select the title in the Action window or Timeline.
■ Right-click the title in the Media library and select Create Custom Title from the
context menu.
2. On the Actions tab, click Edit.
3. Edit the title if you have not already done so.
4. Click Save As on the Actions tab.
5. Specify a name and location for the new title file and click Save. The default location is My
Documents\Adobe Visual Communicator 3\My Output\My Custom Titles.
PowerPoint files
You can use slides from Microsoft® PowerPoint presentations as graphics in Visual
Communicator videos. PowerPoint slides are embedded as dynamic objects in your video;
they are automatically updated when you save the presentation in PowerPoint and either
reload it in Visual Communicator or select Update Link in the context menu for the slide in
its action tray.
1. In PowerPoint, right-click a slide, and then select Copy.
2. In Visual Communicator, right-click a blank spot in the Action window, and then select
Paste Special to open the OLE Clipboard dialog box.
3. In the dialog box, click Paste Link.
When you click OK, an action tray is created and populated with the PowerPoint slide as its
media source.
Video effects: transitions and more

“About types of effects” on page 88
“About effect icons” on page 90
“Selecting effects” on page 91
Video effects: transitions and more 87

“Customize an effect” on page 91
“Updating an effect with a newer version” on page 95
About types of effects

Visual Communicator includes a wide variety of effects including Wipe, Dissolve, Over The
Shoulder, Head To Head, Page Peel, Shatter, Flyby, Move, Slide, Sparks, Spin, Squeeze,
Asteroid, Bubble, Swirl, and Pixie Dust effects. These effects are in folders in the Video Effects
library.
Transition effects and non-transition effects

Video effects work in one of two ways: they either replace one graphical source with another
or display the second source for a limited period and then return to the first source. The first
type is known as a transition effect, the second as a non-transition effect.
Suppose you have an A source and a B source as graphical inputs in a pair of trays. With
transition effects, the B source replaces the A source. This is simple if you confine yourself to
one pairing. When you proceed to the next pairing, however, the input that was the B source
becomes the A source. Most effects in Visual Communicator are transitional by default.
With non-transition effects, the B source appears for a specified period of time and then goes
away, leaving the A source unchanged. This category includes all Over The Shoulder, Non-
Transition Double Box, and Non-Transition Flyby effects. These are dual-display effects,
meaning they display the A and B sources simultaneously. To have the B source appear full-
screen before reverting to the A source, convert nearly any transition effect into a non-
transition by entering a value in the Pause box on the Actions tab. This action causes the B
source to remain on the screen for the specified pause time before the effect reverses itself.
Dual-display effects
Several classes of effects display the A source and B source at the same time for a designated
period of time in the middle of the effect (in contrast to effects such as Dissolve that show
both sources during the transition):
Over the Shoulder effects The B source appears as a small inset, typically in the upper-left
corner. In most variants, you can enter two lines of caption text for the B source. In a few
variants, the A source remains full frame; in the rest, it scales down by a third. All Over The
Shoulder effects are non-transitional.

Double Box effects These are essentially the reverse of Over The Shoulder effects in that
the A source shrinks down to a small inset, with the B source filling about two-thirds of the
frame. Unlike Over The Shoulder effects, Double Boxes do not have built-in captions, but
standard lower thirds work well with them. Double Boxes have both transition and non-
transition effects, with the non-transition effects kept in an appropriately named separate
folder.
Head to Head effects The A source shrinks back to one side of the frame, revealing the B
source on the other side. Both sources accept two lines of caption text. The transition and
non-transition variants are in the same folder.
Non-Transitional Flyby effects The A source remains full-frame while the smaller B source
passes in front of it. All of these effects are non-transitional. In most variants, the B source
transitions in a straight path across the frame. With these, the Duration value defines the total
time that the B source will be displayed, so you’ll typically want to set a longer duration than
for most other effects; you’ll rarely want to set a pause time, as that causes the B source to
return back across the frame in the opposite direction after the specified period. In a few Flyby
variants, the B source holds position at the center and then dissolves out. With these, the
Pause Time defines how long the B source holds position.
To change the media input for the A or B source in the middle of a dual-display effect, use one
of two special transition effects. The Dissolve A To A effect and the Dissolve B To B effect are
in the Advanced folder of the Video Effects library. You can also use the Transition box on the
Actions tab to set all of the Wipe effects to serve these purposes.
Text effects
Visual Communicator has several templates for adding text to a show, but they all fall into
two classes.
■ Classes that have a 4:3 aspect ratio and are fully opaque are essentially no different from
any graphical source, meaning that they will work with any effect from the Video Effects
library.
■ Classes that have any transparency are added to the show on a special layer, which limits
the effects they’re compatible with. Transparency is indicated in a template’s thumbnail
icon by a checkerboard background. Once such a template is added to the Action window,
you’ll also see a T in the upper-right corner of its thumbnail. Visual Communicator has a
special transition effect—Dissolve Title To Title—for going directly from one title graphic
to another. It’s in the Advanced folder of the Video Effects library. Lower thirds, which are
mostly transparent, tend to look best with a simple Dissolve or Cut effect, but you can
also get interesting and effective results with many Wipe effects as well as Moves and
Slides that have “in” or “on” in the title.

Two other groups of text templates—Pop Ups and Text Effects—have transparency and
include an assortment of effects designed specially for them. These effects are with the text
templates in folders in the Graphics library. The effects in the Text Effects folder cause the text
to move across the frame. Some of them also dissolve the text as it moves out of frame. With
those that dissolve, the yellow content on the thumbnail icon is semi-transparent, and in most
cases the effect’s title specifies “with Dissolve.”
Other than being designed to accommodate text templates with transparency, the effects in
the Pop Ups and Text Effects folders are no different from standard effects, so the
customization options available on the Actions tab should be familiar. They work well with
opaque text templates as well as all other graphical sources.
About effect icons

The icons for most effects represent either the A or B source as filling the frame. The A source
is on screen before the transition. The B source is on screen after the transition.
A and B sources indicated in effect icons
■ If the A source is full-frame, the B source will move into frame, covering the A source.
■ If the B source is full-frame, the A source will move out of frame, revealing the B source.
The position of the smaller A source indicates which direction it moves, and its
orientation represents the nature of the movement (that is, spin, tumble, or peel).
There are some exceptions to this:
Mega Peel effects The A source shrinks back at an angle and then either peels off or is
covered by the B source.
Push, Squeeze, and Swap effects Since both sources move in these effects, neither
symbol is full-screen. The relationship of the A and B source placeholders is as representative
as possible, but you should preview these effects to see how the sources move.

Over The Shoulder, Head To Head, and Double Box effects Show the relative size of the
two sources as well as the position of the source that’s shown as an inset.
Wipe effects and some PowerPoint effects This group breaks all the rules for effect icons
because wipes do not lend themselves to incorporating the A and B source images in a way
that indicates the nature of the effect. Instead, these icons show a gradient. The wipe starts
where the gradient is darkest and proceeds toward where it’s lightest.
Selecting effects
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you select the effects for your shows:
■ The effects you use can play a dramatic role in setting the tone for your show, so consider
the mood you want to set as you’re choosing effects.
■ Effects can lend balance and symmetry to a show, particularly with regard to the
transitions used at the start and finish of the video. So think of the effects at the two ends
of your shows as bookends, selecting two that mirror each other. For example, if you use a
page-peel left with your opening graphic, a page-peel right would be appropriate for the
closing slate.
■ Too much variety can seem chaotic and disconcerting to viewers. Try to limit a show to a
set of compatible effects that serve your purposes. If you use many different effects, make
sure you do so to achieve an intended overall effect.
Customize an effect
With almost all video effects, you can customize at least two basic settings: Pause Time and
Duration. There’s also a range of advanced customization options.
With dual-display effects, which are unique among Visual Communicator effects in that they
have a built-in pause time, the Pause Time value controls how long both displays remain on
the screen. All other effects have no Pause Time set by default. If you leave the Pause Time of
such an effect at 0.0, it will function as a transition effect, meaning that the paired B source
will supplant the A source, becoming the A source for the next pairing of trays.
Setting a pause time effectively converts a transition effect into a non-transition effect: after
the specified pause, the effect reverses itself, which reverts to the previous A source.

The Duration setting controls how long an effect takes to unfold. How the duration is applied
depends on whether the effect has a built-in pause time and, if it doesn’t, whether you’ve
entered a pause time.
■ With dual-display effects, the duration value is divided to cover the transition to dual-
display and the transition back to single display. If both Duration and Pause Time are set
to 5 seconds, the complete effect would be as follows:
Transition to dual display 2.5 seconds

Pause time in dual display 5 seconds
Return to single display 2.5 seconds
Total time 10 seconds
■ With standard transition effects that have no pause time set, the Duration value defines
how long the transition takes. (With this type of effect, there's no such thing as a total
time because time is open-ended—the new A source remains onscreen until the next
transition effect supplants it.)
■ With transition effects that have a pause time set, the effect essentially plays twice, each
time running for the specified duration. If both Duration and Pause Time are set to 5
seconds, the complete effect would be as follows:
Transition in 5 seconds
Pause 5 seconds
Transition out 5 seconds
Total time 15 seconds
Set the Pause Time or Duration value

■ Select the effect’s icon in the Action window to open the Actions tab; then set either the
the Pause Time value or the Duration value.
Set advanced customization options

Effects with advanced options include all wipes and any effects with the word “Mega” or “Pro”
in their names.
1. Select the effect’s icon in the Action window to open the Actions tab.
2. Click Advanced in the Actions tab’s lower-right corner.
3. Select any of the following properties:
A’s Position, B’s Position With the Zoom Out Pro effect, these options control the point
in the frame (X,Y) toward which the A source or B source zooms in or out. You can also
define the source’s scale (Z) when it finally dissolves out. To set the scale with the mouse,
Shift-drag. With some video cards, this setting has no effect.

Bar Count Changes the number of bars in a Billboard or Blinds effect.
Bar Delay Changes the time between bars in a Blinds effect, which can effectively control
the direction of the effect.
Begin Opacity With MegaMove and MegaFlyby effects, this option defines how
transparent the B source will appear at the beginning of the effect. Its opacity will change in a
linear fashion from this setting to the End Opacity setting, which you define for the
MegaFlyby effect but is 100% for the MegaMove effect.
Begin Orientation, End Orientation With the MegaFlyby effect, these options define the B
source’s yaw (rotation around the center point), pitch (angle to the vertical axis), and roll
(angle to the horizontal axis) at the beginning and end of the effect. Drag the grid control
horizontally to affect the pitch; drag it vertically to affect the roll; Shift-drag vertically to affect
the yaw.
Begin Position With the MegaFlyby effect, this option defines the position and scale of the
B source at the beginning of the effect. To set the scale with the mouse, Shift-drag.
Begin Reflection, End Reflection With the MegaFlyby effect, these options define how
pronounced the virtual reflection on the B source is at the beginning and end of the effect.
Blind Count With the Blinds effects, this option sets the number of bars in the blinds.
Content Path Sets the image or video clip used for effects (such as Over The Shoulder and
Double Box effects) that display a background. With some effects that display captions, a
second content path defines the graphic displayed behind the text.
Defocus With the Zoom Out Defocus effect, this option controls the degree of fuzziness
for both sources at the time that the A source dissolves into the B source. With some video
cards, this property has no effect.
End Opacity With the MegaFlyby effect, this option defines the transparency of the B
source at the end of the effect.
End Position With the Pro and MegaFlyby effects, this option controls the position and
scale of the B source where it exits the frame or when it dissolves at the end of the effect.
Final Position With the Spin Out Pro effect, this option controls the point in the frame
(X,Y) toward which the A source spins out. You can also define its scale (Z) when it finally
dissolves out. To set the scale by mouse, Shift-drag.
Initial Position With the Spin In Pro effect, this option sets the point in the frame where the
B source appears. To set the scale by mouse, Shift-drag.
Orientation With the Mega Peel and Mega Roll effects, this option controls the angle of the
plane for the two sources when the peel or roll occurs. Drag the grid control horizontally to
affect the pitch (angle to the vertical axis); drag it vertically to affect the roll (angle to the
horizontal axis); Shift-drag vertically to affect the yaw (rotation around the center point).

Particle Image With the Sparks effects, the image assigned here controls the pattern of the
effect.
Peel Angle With Mega Peel and Mega Roll effects, this option sets the angle of the peel or
roll effect. To see the effect of this setting, scrub to the middle of the effect before adjusting
the slider.
Position With Mega Peel and Mega Roll effects, this option sets the position in the frame of
the plane containing both sources.
Radius With the Pro versions of the Swap effect, this option changes the radius of the circle
path. (The larger the number, the larger the path the Swap effect will take.) With Mega Peel
and Mega Roll effects, the Radius value defines the curl in the source that is peeling or rolling.
Reflection With Mega Peel and Mega Roll effects, this option controls how pronounced
the virtual reflections on the curling or peeling source are. The reflection helps to emphasize
the three-dimensional appearance of the effect.
Rotation Count Changes the number of rotations for rotating Blinds effects, which are in
the root of the Video Effects library. A negative number causes the bars to spin
counterclockwise.
Rotation Direction With the two rotating Billboard effects, this option lets you specify the
direction in which the bars rotate.
Shadow With the MegaMove and MegaFlyby effects, this option determines whether the
moving source casts a shadow on the source behind it.
Shrink With Mega Peel and Mega Roll effects, this option adjusts how much the source
that’s peeling or rolling is scaled down when it is farthest from the image plane.
Spin Count With Move effects and the Pro versions of spins, this option controls the
number of spins for the A source. A negative value causes the source to spin counterclockwise.
With the MegaFlyby effect, a nonzero spin value causes the source to tumble. For the Spin
Count to have an effect, either the Begin Orientation or End Orientation value must also be
nonzero.
Start Position With the Pro versions of the Flyby effects, this option defines the position
and scale of the B source at the beginning of the effect. To set the scale with the mouse, Shift-
drag.
Wipe Transform Lets you change the scale, orientation, and position of Wipe effects. To
change the position with the grid control, drag. To change the scale, Shift-drag up or down.
To rotate the pattern, Ctrl-drag up (counterclockwise) or down (clockwise).
Wipe Tiling Enables a mirrored or tiled effect. For this setting to have an effect, one or more
values for the Wipe Transform effect must be nonzero.

Wipe Pattern Defines the pattern of Wipe effects. The pattern is controlled by a gradient
image.
Zoom Changes whether a Zoom effect zooms in or out and by how much. The greater the
value, the closer the A source gets zoomed. Zoom functionality is not available with all video
cards.
In addition to customization options on the advanced panel, Wipe effects have three
additional options on the main Actions tab:
Softness Defines the edge of the wipe. With the slider at the far left, the border of wipe will
be a hard line; with the slider at the far right, the wipe blends across a wide swath, a gradient
of transparency. Try dropping a Wipe effect in the Action window and previewing it with the
Softness value at both extremes. You’ll probably find that a setting somewhere in the middle is
just right.
Reverse Reverses the direction of the Wipe effect. For example, if the Wipe Clockwise
effect is assigned and you select Reverse, the wipe will proceed counter-clockwise.
Adjust Colors Sets the color of the semi-transparent edge of the Wipe effect. The higher the
softness setting, the more pronounced the color will be.
Updating an effect with a newer version

Unlike media inputs, which update each time you publish a show, effects are not
automatically updated once you’ve added them to a project, and you cannot edit an effect
outside of Visual Communicator.
When you install a newer version of the program or upgrade, you may find updated effects or
additional advanced settings. To prevent such changes from causing unexpected modifications
to shows created with earlier versions, Visual Communicator does not automatically update
effects.
To replace an effect from an older show with a new version, you must swap it in just as you
would if you were switching to a different effect altogether—that is, by dragging it from the
Effects library to each action tray where the old effect is used.
If the effect is a standard transition that you converted to a non-transition effect by setting a
pause time, enter that value again, because swapping such effects resets the pause time to zero.
Triggering events outside the video

“About events” on page 96
“Add a web link” on page 96
Triggering events outside the video 95

“Trigger a web page or image” on page 97
“Display a caption” on page 97
“Set up a Chapter Marker or hyperlink” on page 98
“Set advanced web scripting options” on page 98
About events
Web links give you an easy way to trigger events beyond the video itself. They are most
powerful when coupled with publishing to a web page, but they also work with the other
publishing methods.
Web links can trigger the following events:
■ Open a web browser to display a live web page or an image stored on a web server. If you
are publishing to a web page, the web page or image can appear within a frame on the
same page rather than opening a separate browser window.
■ Display a caption to appear below the video.
■ Act as a Chapter Marker or hyperlink that jumps to a precise spot in the video (publishing
to a web page only).
Add a web link

Adding web links to the Action window is similar to adding media inputs and video effects.
The web link icon is in the Advanced folder of the Video Effects library.
Like audio clips, web links can stand alone in their own action trays or be added to an existing
tray. The difference is that adding a web link to another tray synchronizes the media transition
and the linked event, whereas putting it in its own tray lets you time the linked event
independently of any media in the show.
■ To remove a stand-alone web link, right-click the tray’s tab and select Delete This Action.
■ To remove a web link from the tray for a media effect, right-click the link’s icon and select
Delete This Web Link.
■ To program a web link, click its icon in the Action window and go to the Actions tab. If
the link is attached to the tray for a media input, its icon is on the bar between the video
effect and the media input.
■ To include your web links in the final output of a project, select the Trigger Links option
on the third page of the Video Publisher wizard.

Trigger a web page or image
You can trigger an event to open a web browser to display a live web page or an image stored
on a web server.
1. Select the web-link icon in an action tray.
2. In the Actions tab, select URL from the Type pop-up menu.
3. In the Address box, enter the URL to the web page or image.
4. Select an option from the Target pop-up menu:
External Browser Opens a web page in a separate browser window.
Embedded in Web Page Displays an image in a frame within the same web page as the
video.
RealPlayer Browser Pane Displays the media in the bottom frame of a Real Player
window.
RealPlayer Info Pane Displays the media in the upper-right frame of a Real Player
window.
Enter Custom Lets you display the triggered content in a custom frame, div, and so on.
You must type the appropriate code in the Target box. Use this option only if you’re
proficient with HTML.
Display a caption
You can use a web link to display a caption.
2. In the Actions tab, select Caption from the Type pop-up menu.
3. Enter the caption text in the Text box.
A caption remains until another caption replaces it.
To clear a caption without replacing it with other text, add a second web link, set it as a
caption, and type a space in the Text box.
To display captions, you must set Windows Media Player to Full Mode in the View menu (as
opposed to being dressed in a skin).
Alternatively, you can automatically generate captions from the content of the Teleprompter.
See also
“About closed captions in a video” on page 62
Triggering events outside the video 97

Set up a Chapter Marker or hyperlink
When you publish a project as a web page, you can create a dynamic table of contents so
viewers can jump to any titled segment—or Chapter Marker—in your video. A list of
Chapter Markers in the video appears below or to the side of the player.
■ Select the Activate Marker option and enter text in the Title box.
Visual Communicator automatically adds a web link for each full-frame title graphic and sets
it as a Chapter Marker.
If the list of Chapter Markers is missing, check the security setting for the video player or the
web browser. For Windows Media Player, ensure that the Run Script Commands When
Present option is selected. This option is on the Security tab of the Options dialog box.
Set advanced web scripting options

If you are proficient with HTML, you can add custom scripting directly through Visual
Communicator.
2. In the Actions tab, select Enter Custom from the Type pop-up menu.
3. Enter the command element of the script in the Type box.
4. Enter the value element of the script in the Parameter box.
5. From the Target pop-up menu, select the window or frame where you want the scripted
action to appear.

CHAPTER 11
Digitally replacing the

background
11
Use V-Screen to electronically replace the backdrop—typically a blue or greenscreen—with a
digital picture or video clip. Greenscreen effects typically require some adjustments during
setup to achieve the best results.
Adjusting a camera for V-Screen

“Using the V-Screen keying wizard” on page 99
“Manually set a webcam or camcorder for V-Screen” on page 100
Using the V-Screen keying wizard

The V-Screen keying wizard lets you easily replace the blue or greenscreen backdrop by
guiding you through the necessary settings to set the key for your presentation.
1. Click the V-Screen tab and select the Active checkbox.
2. Select the Easy V-Screen wizard.
3. The first panel of the wizard lets you display camera and lighting setup tips. If you are not
familiar with setting up your camera and lighting, we recommend that you select the Show
Camera & Lighting Setup Tips check box. Click Next to set the key for your video
presentation.
4. Position the camera so that it is capturing only the background, and click Auto-Set Key to
calibrate background color.
5. Position the subject of the video in front of the camera, and click Next.
6. Remove the blue or green background color by adjusting the Start Level. Move the slider
until most of the blue or green color is keyed out, and only a slight halo of blue or green
surrounds the subject.
7. Adjust the Desaturation until the remaining green turns magenta, or, if using blue, the halo
turns yellow. Do not desaturate the color so much that it bleeds into the subject.
99
8. Adjust the Spill Suppression until the magenta or yellow halo is removed from the image,
but not so much that the green or blue halo returns.
9. Adjust the transparency so that the subject is solid against the background. Move the
Transparency Level slider so that the subject starts to become transparent against the
background, then back up just past the point when the subject becomes solid.
Manually set a webcam or camcorder for V-Screen

Whether you are using a webcam or a camcorder, turn off its automatic settings and manually
adjust it for V-Screen.
1. Access the camera properties:
■ On a camcorder, use the buttons or menus on the camera to make adjustments. To
find the location of the automatic gain, white balance, exposure, and iris controls, see
the camera manual. Some camcorders allow you to lock or hold all automatic settings
with one switch.
■ On a webcam:
a. In Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3, click the Setup tab, and then select Video.
b. Select Properties to open the camera control panel.
2. Turn off all auto settings, including white balance, gain, iris, exposure, and focus.
3. Manually adjust the camera’s gain, saturation, frames per second (fps) or shutter speed
settings for V-Screen, keeping the following tips in mind:
■ If the webcam or camera has gain controls, set them as low as possible while still
having a bright enough picture. If the picture is too dark with gain at a low setting, the
camera might need more light.
■ For optimal results, the saturation should be similar to the digital background you are
using. If you have a brightly colored background, set saturation higher; for a muted
background, lower the saturation.
■ If possible, adjust the camera’s frame rate to 30 or 15 fps.
■ If the camera has a shutter speed or exposure adjustment, set it to 1/50th of a second
to start.
4. Click OK.
100 Digitally replacing the background

Selecting the V-Screen background or
virtual set
“About backgrounds” on page 101
“Adjust the background color or change images” on page 101
“Change backgrounds in a show” on page 102
About backgrounds
You can use any image as a background. Visual Communicator includes a set of background
images in the V-Screen Extras and Animated Backgrounds folders in the Graphics library.
Also, check out the Virtual Sets folder in the Video Effects library. You can also adjust the
color of the background or use different backgrounds in the same show.
The icon in the upper-left corner of the V-Screen tab shows the image assigned as the V-
Screen background.
Adjust the background color or change images

1. Click the V-Screen tab and select Adjust Color.
2. Use the RGB offset sliders to add the associated colors throughout and the basic RGB
sliders to affect only pixels that contain some of the given color.
RGB sliders
Selecting the V-Screen background or virtual set 101

These adjustments affect only the initial background image. If you change backgrounds
during the show, you might want to adjust the color of the new background as well.
3. Select the new background in its action tray and click Adjust Colors on the V-Screen tab.
V-Screen tab
Change backgrounds in a show

1. Find the V-Screen Bkgd effect in the top level of the Video Effects library and drag it to the
Action window.
2. Drag the new image onto the tray.
Because animated backgrounds use more processing power than still backgrounds and
increase the size of the video file, consider using still backgrounds.
You can change the background image in a show as many times as you like.
NO TE
If you’re setting the camera key for the video from two or three cameras, assign a
different background to each camera by using the Input field on the V-Screen tab to
switch among the cameras and then drag the desired file to the Background thumbnail.
Setting the key to calibrate the

background image
“Setting up a keying background” on page 103
“Create a key” on page 103

Setting up a keying background
Hang a backdrop such as a matte blue or green, reinforced polyethylene sheet. Hang the sheet
on a wall or from the ceiling with the smooth, matte surface facing the camera.
You can use various colors for the background, but some colors are better than others. For the
best results, use a saturated green background, such as Kelly green, or Pantone color number
354. You can also use blue, such as a royal blue, or Pantone Proc C. The surface of the green
or blue backdrop should be evenly colored and not shiny.
Consider the following options for creating a backdrop:
■ A green or blue bed sheet or piece of fabric attached to a wall.
■ Several sheets of large poster board attached to the wall.
■ Wrapping paper in a solid green shade. Wrapping paper can be shiny, so be careful about
hot spots that reflect light back to the camera.
The size of the backdrop depends on whether the subject will be shown standing or seated,
the camera’s distance from the backdrop, and the camera’s field of view. The backdrop should
be large enough to fill the camera’s frame; for a head-and-shoulders shot with the camera six
feet from the backdrop, the backdrop should be at least 5 feet wide by 4 feet high; for each
additional foot of distance, increase the size of the backdrop by approximately one foot in
both dimensions.
For good results with V-Screen, ensure that the backdrop is lit brightly and evenly. With the
V-Screen feature deselected, look at the image in the Output Monitor. If any spots are near
black (not enough light) or any parts are near white (too much light), adjust the lighting for
more even results. V-Screen doesn’t work well if the backdrop color is too close to colors in the
foreground subject. To eliminate these problems, try bouncing light off the ceiling or a nearby
wall.
Create a key
1. Click the V-Screen tab and then select Active. A message box instructs you to move away
from the camera. Be sure that not even your shadow is in the camera’s frame.
2. Click OK.
Visual Communicator instantly creates a key. When you set the camera key, consider the
following suggestions.
■ Set up more than one camera for V-Screen. If you are keying the video from two or three
cameras, set the key for each of them separately by first switching among the cameras from
the Input field and then repeating steps 1 and 2.
Setting the key to calibrate the background image 103

■ When the key is set, keep the camera position, lighting, and any shadows falling on the
backdrop the same. If any of these things change too much, you’ll start to see holes in the
virtual background. If this happens, click Auto-Set Key to recalibrate. You might also need
to readjust the camera settings.
■ The keying process is resource intensive, so it can slow down the computer’s
responsiveness. If the system seems to be slowing down while rehearsing or recording, free
up resources by enabling the Don’t Show V-Screen During Rehearse/Record option on the
V-Screen tab. This affects only what’s displayed in the Output Monitor; the video is keyed
in the published videos.
While the automatic calibration can produce good results, you might want to manually adjust
the key.
1. Position yourself in front of the camera.
2. Click Adjust Key.
3. Adjust the Transparency until the foreground subject is not transparent.
4. If you see noise—static or sparkles in the background—drag the Level slider to the left or
right until all noise disappears.
5. Use the Color slider to adjust the saturation to return the foreground color to the correct
levels.
You don’t usually need to adjust the Red, Green, and Blue sliders, but in some situations it
can be helpful. Adjusting Blue can decrease noise in the background; Green helps clean up
the edges of the foreground subject; Red can correct some noise in the background and
fine tune the edges of the subject.

CHAPTER 12
Rehearsing and recording a

show
12
When the script is ready, use the features in Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3 to rehearse,
record, time, edit, and then review a show.
Reviewing a show
“Rehearse a show” on page 105
“Work on delivery” on page 106
“Adjust recording settings” on page 107
“Check sound” on page 107
Rehearse a show
■ When you are ready to review a show, click Rehearse.
After the countdown timer runs, the Teleprompter and action trays start to scroll up. As
each action tray moves through the pink action bar, you see the actions take place in the
Output Monitor.
■ Read the lines of the script as they pass through the action bar, keeping your eye line as
close as possible to the camera. If you are not using a script, look directly into the camera
when speaking.
■ If the text is moving too fast or too slow, use the slider on the Director tab to adjust the
scroll speed. The higher the setting, the faster the scroll speed. Ideally, you rehearse the
script and adjust the scroll speed before you position the action trays.
■ To stop while rehearsing the show, click Stop below the Output Monitor.
105
■ To control whether the Action window stays at the point where you stopped or scrolls
back to its previous position, select the Return To Last Position option in the Application
Settings menu.
Rehearsing a show
See also
Work on delivery
It’s a good idea to rehearse each show a few times before you start to record. Focus on the
following aspects of your delivery:
■ Speak at a comfortable, natural pace: When you’re nervous, the natural tendency is to read
and speak faster. Slowing down generally improves delivery.
■ Inflect for emphasis: Nerves also tend to strip the natural inflection from a delivery. To
combat this, decide which words and phrases you want to emphasize in your viewer’s
mind. Use different inflections to emphasize those points.
■ Use pauses to your advantage: Pausing in the right places can also help emphasize points.
When planning your pauses, think not only of punctuating your delivery, but also of
taking breaths where they don’t disrupt your flow.
106 Rehearsing and recording a show

■ Gesture for effect: Use gestures carefully—the right gestures can make a show more
effective, the wrong gestures can be ineffective or distracting. This is not to suggest that
you should be statue-still except when you make a choreographed move; just be conscious
of your actions and find a balance of stillness and gestures.
Adjust recording settings

Before you record, turn the audio Output Volume down on the Setup tab so you don’t get
feedback from the speakers through the microphone.
1. Click Setup, and then select Audio.
2. Drag the Output Volume slider down to a medium or low level.
TI P
If you are not relying on audio cues for your dialog, click Mute to completely mute the
output for best results.
Check sound
If the audio you are recording is too loud, a microphone icon appears in the Output Monitor
window. Lower the recording level and try again.
1. Select Settings > Application Settings.
2. In the Preview Monitor Options section, select Enable Audio Level Clipping Indicator.
Recording a show
“Using flex recording to record a show” on page 107
“Use freestyle flex recording” on page 108
“Use existing action trays to flex record” on page 109
“Tips for timing in a recorded show” on page 110
Using flex recording to record a show

When you are recording, Visual Communicator records the video from the camera and the
sound from the microphone. You can start and stop recording whenever you like. You can
shoot segments out of sequence or at different times, and you can rerecord any segment. This
is referred to as flex recording.
You can start and stop recording manually or by using action trays as start and end points for
defined segments.
Recording a show 107

Either way, Visual Communicator tracks your takes on a frame-by-frame basis. When you
review and publish the show, Visual Communicator pieces together the latest version of each
frame.
N OTE
If any segments are not recorded when you start the Publisher, a warning appears. You
can publish without recording all of a show, but you should record all segments that use a
camera as the media input. The stripe on the splitter bar between the Teleprompter and
Action window shows which segments are recorded.
If you record some or all of a show, save the project, record an additional segment and
then close the project without saving, all recorded content for the project is deleted. To
avoid losing previously recorded content, save all newly recorded segments.
Use freestyle flex recording

Freestyle flex recording lets you start and stop recording wherever you like. When recording a
segment, you can freestyle both ends, or freestyle one end and set a start or stop point for the
other end.
Build pauses into a script where you think you might break the show into segments for flex
recording. This makes it easier to achieve smooth transitions between two adjacent segments.
The logical spots to insert such pauses are at the beginning or end of key transitions. If the live
audio crosses a transition where you start or end a segment, it is challenging to get the audio
to flow smoothly. Even a brief pause at the right spot helps.
1. Scroll the show so that the point to start recording is in the action bar.
2. Click Record.
3. When you’ve finished the segment, click Stop or press Escape.
Visual Communicator automatically returns to the frame where you started recording or
rehearsing.
If you need to retake a segment, keep the following in mind:
■ Consider recording the retake before you scrub it. If you scrub first and then retake, be
careful to cue the show to the same spot.
■ To begin recording again from the beginning, scroll to the beginning with the focus in the
Teleprompter. Otherwise, recording starts either where the action bar is, or at the tray
that’s set as the start point.
■ If you’ve recorded all or part of a show and you’re about to rerecord it from beginning to
end, click Clear Recordings on the Project tab to clear the disk space from your earlier
takes.

The freestyle method might leave snippets of intermediate takes that extend a few frames
beyond the final insert. The following example shows such unwanted leftovers. Using trays as
end points avoids this problem.
Keepers from Takes 1 & 4

Unused content from 1, 2, & 3
Leftover bits from 2 & 3
Assembling a clip from several takes
Use existing action trays to flex record

Using action trays to bracket the start and stop points for positional recording allows you to
begin and end at precisely the same frames every time. You can also control rehearsing, so that
you can practice a segment knowing exactly what the timing is.
In some situations, you might want to start or stop recording at the beginning of the selected
transition, and other times you might want to start or stop recording a segment at the end of
the effect. For example, if the last media source in the segment is a camera, set recording to
continue through the end-point transition. Otherwise, that live video segment ends abruptly
the instant the final transition begins.
■ To set an action tray as the point to begin recording a segment, right-click the action tray,
and then select either Start Recording Before This Action or Start Recording After This
Action.
■ To set the end point, select Stop Recording Before This Action or Stop Recording After
This Action.

These options are not available if the selected tray is already set as a start or stop point;
instead, the menu shows a single entry for clearing the current setting.
The flex-recording option of an action tray
If a start or stop point is assigned to another tray, in most cases, you can move it to the
selected tray without first having to clear the other tray. The exceptions are that you cannot set
a start point after an existing stop point, nor can you set a stop point before an existing start
point.
To record the entire show or record a freestyle take, remove both end points. The easiest way
to do so is to right-click a blank spot in the Action window and select Clear Start Recording
Action, Clear Stop Recording Action, or Clear Start And Stop Recording Actions.
Tips for timing in a recorded show

Flex recording and other features depend on the absolute timing of events and recorded
content. If, while recording, you do anything that alters the show’s timing, Visual
Communicator automatically repositions all affected trays to maintain synchronization
between the action sequence and the recorded content.
Keep the following items in mind to avoid undesirable consequences when you adjust timing:
■ Don't change the timing of events at one point in a show after recording a segment farther
along the timeline. The recorded content remains in place while the trays that bracket it
move in one direction or the other. If you're recording out of sequence, don't use time-
altering events before segments that are already recorded.
■ Don't change the scroll speed after recording. You cannot change scroll speed while
recording—it's the one time-altering action that cannot be resolved by moving action
trays. You can change the scroll speed after recording, but doing so can cause timing
problems. Try to set the scroll speed to a comfortable setting during rehearsal, before you
begin recording.

■ Visual Communicator repositions action trays for time-altering actions, but does not
modify Teleprompter text. You may want to realign your text with the action sequence
after you stop recording a segment during which you altered event timing—especially if
you will be publishing to a web page with closed captioning selected.
■ Moving trays does not move previously recorded content. Unlike a video clip, which can
be moved by changing the position of its tray, moving the tray for a camera after recording
does not move the recorded segment. All recorded content remains exactly in the position
it was recorded, so moving trays affects only future takes and the timing of events when
reviewing and publishing.
■ Don’t change the camera or microphone after recording. If you change a camera or
microphone assignment after recording part of a show, you must clear all recordings for
the show before you can record another segment. When you start recording after
reassigning an input, Visual Communicator prompts you to either switch back to the
original source or clear all recordings.
Manually controlling the script and effects

If you prefer to rehearse or record a show spontaneously rather than reading from the
Teleprompter, you probably want to trigger effects manually rather than having them
triggered as they pass through the action bar.
1. Click Pause.
2. When you’re ready to start presenting, click Rehearse or Record.
The first video effect runs, but the Teleprompter and Action window do not scroll because
they are paused.
3. When you’re ready to advance to the next media source, click Next Effect.
4. If you have any segments that you want to play automatically, rather than manually, click
Resume to set the Teleprompter and Action window scrolling; when the segment is done,
click Pause to return to manual control.
For example, you might consider this procedure for a rapid-fire sequence of trays similar
to the one in the middle of the Communication Demo project.
When you’re running a show manually, you cannot use the Teleprompter effectively for a
complete script, but you can use the Teleprompter like a set of note cards, reminding you of
the points you want to discuss.

Edit dynamically
You can add a new image or video or change what’s in an existing tray at any time while
■ To add a new image, drag the file in the Action window below the pink action bar. If
you’re working with the show paused, a video clip plays in its entirety regardless of
whether the whole clip fits before the next tray.
■ To swap an image for one that’s already in the show, drop the new file on the existing tray
just as you would when editing the show normally.
NO TE
If you’re designing a show for a manually controlled presentation, and you anticipate
using the On-The-Fly editing feature, leave room for at least two or three trays between
every pair in the Action window. Because you’ll be controlling the timing with the Next
Effect button, spacing in the timeline is irrelevant. You cannot move trays while
rehearsing or recording, and you cannot make space to squeeze in another tray.
Calculating disk space for a recorded show

Recording video fills disk space quickly. Webcam content consumes about 20 MB per minute,
including accompanying audio. Digital video footage takes up about 220 MB per minute.
If you know about how many minutes of live content will be in a show, you can estimate how
much disk space you need for the project’s audio and video files. Visual Communicator
displays a warning message when the designated drive has enough space for only 30 more
seconds of webcam input or 5 seconds of full-resolution digital video input.
Clear recorded content for a show

The Clear Recordings feature deletes all audio and video files recorded for the current project.
NO TE
Visual Communicator deletes only audio and video content created by using the Record
process for the current project. Clips you create using the Capture feature are not
deleted, nor are any other independent clips that you use in the show. This function also
does not delete published output video from the show.
You might want to clear recordings if the following occur:

■ You inadvertently recorded audio in a show that is not supposed to have any live audio.

■ You’ve recorded all or part of a show and you plan to rerecord the entire show. The audio
and video from all of your takes is saved in the raw data files—Visual Communicator does
not delete segments that are superseded by a new take. If one full take of a show is 1 GB
and you do five full takes, the file containing the raw footage increases to 5 GB. (Only the
raw-footage files grow in this way; the published video file remains constant as long as the
show’s length is unchanged.)
1. Click Project, and then click Clear Recordings.
2. Click Yes.
Review a show
“Use the Review feature” on page 113
“Using real-time scrubbing to review a show” on page 113
Use the Review feature

You can review an unlimited number of times while programming and recording a show. If
you need to change something, you can make the changes, record again if necessary, and
review again.
After recording and reviewing your show, you can make many changes without having to
rerecord your show: replace media, adjust media colors, change title text, and adjust digital
boost for live audio or volume levels for audio or video clips. Only moving or adding action
trays that contain camera sources requires rerecording the show.
1. Scroll to the point where you want to start the review, or click in the Teleprompter to jump
to the beginning of the show.
The review starts from your current position in the show—that is, the point in the show
corresponding to the position of the action bar.
2. Click Review, which is centered below the Preview Monitor.
Using real-time scrubbing to review a show

As you scroll up and down in the Teleprompter and Action window, Visual Communicator
scrubs the visual media inputs and effects. Transitions run, video clips scrub, and, if the
Action window contains any cameras and the show is recorded, the recorded content also
scrubs. Otherwise, the live feed is shown.
Review a show 113

Real-time scrubbing works regardless of how you move around in the show (using arrow keys;
the Advance, Previous, or Next Effect commands; the scroll bar; or the mouse wheel). The
main scrollbar to the right of the Action window lets you scrub an entire show at one time,
but the degree of control diminishes with the length of the show. For the finest control, click
and drag the splitter bar between the Teleprompter and Action window.
With shows that are fully or partially recorded, the recorded content appears when you scrub
with the Project, Director, or Actions tab selected. The Output Monitor shows the live feed
for camera segments that are not recorded. The live feed is also displayed from the V-Screen or
Setup tab, but as soon as you scroll the show in any fashion, Visual Communicator switches
to the Director tab and starts scrubbing recorded content if any exists.
Main Scroll Bar:

for scrolling the
whole show
Tick Mark Ruler:

for fine control
while scrolling
Reviewing a show

CHAPTER 13
Presenting live shows

13
If you’re planning a live presentation, you need to make some adjustments for the display
device, microphone, audio, and video.
Set up for a live presentation

“Set up a projector or second monitor” on page 115
“Set your microphone to be live” on page 116
“Set up an audio or video loop” on page 117
“Set up live video from a digital video camera” on page 117
Set up a projector or second monitor

First, set up the second device in the operating system, and then set it up in Adobe® Visual
Communicator® 3.
1. Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display, and then click the Settings tab.
2. Click the icon for display device 2.
115
3. Select Extend My Windows Desktop Onto This Monitor.
After you set up the second display device in Windows, you can complete the setup in Visual
Communicator.
1. Click the Setup tab, click Video, and then select Enable in the Full Screen Output section.
NOT E
You cannot use Full Screen Output mode with the Live Streaming feature. If one of these
options is select, the other is unavailable.
2. If the correct display device does not show in the Output Monitor field, select it from the
pop-up menu.
3. Select the desired resolution from the Resolution pop-up menu.
Outputting at higher resolutions is resource intensive, so consider selecting a lower
resolution.
Set your microphone to be live

If you have a microphone connected to your computer, you can set its audio to go out to the
audience.
■ Click the Setup tab, then click Video and select Pass-Thru To Speakers.
116 Presenting live shows

Set up an audio or video loop
You can run an audio or video clip on a loop before or after your presentation.
1. Select Settings > Application Settings, and then select Manually Stop Preview Sources in
the Preview Monitor Options group.
2. Double-click the media file to play on a loop.
The clip runs in a loop until you start the presentation, preview another source, or click Stop.
Set up live video from a digital video camera

If your live presentation includes live video from a digital video camera, you can set Visual
Communicator to show the video at full resolution. By default, digital video is previewed at
half resolution to reduce the load on system resources.
1. Select Settings > Performance Settings.
2. Set the computer speed slider to Custom.
3. Deselect Use Half-Resolution In Preview Window For DV Cameras. After your live
presentation, reselect this option to improve performance.
Giving a live presentation

“Manually triggering events” on page 117
Manually triggering events

When you give a live presentation, you use the rehearse and record mode, where the show
scrolls automatically at the prescribed speed. However, you might find it easier to control the
timing of events manually from the Director tab. With manual control, your transitions
operate as if the show were scrolling normally, so you have the advantages of broadcast-quality
video effects and the flexibility of triggering events on your own schedule.
1. Click Pause.
2. When you’re ready to start presenting, click Rehearse or Record.
The first video effect plays, but the Teleprompter and Action window do not scroll
because they are paused.
3. To trigger the next event, do one of the following:
Giving a live presentation 117

■ To advance to the next media source, click Next Effect.
■ To play segments normally, rather than manually (such as a rapid-fire sequence of
trays), click Resume to set the Teleprompter and Action window scrolling. When the
segment is finished, click Pause again to return to manual control.
When you’re playing the show in this manner, the Teleprompter cannot be used effectively for
a complete script, but it works well as a set of virtual note cards for listing talking points.
If you record a live presentation where you’re controlling the timing of events, Visual
Communicator automatically repositions affected trays to maintain synchronization between
the action sequence, Teleprompter, and the recorded content.
While Visual Communicator repositions action trays in response to time-altering actions, it
leaves Teleprompter text untouched because, when the timing between events is shortened,
moving text requires deleting lines. Automatically inserting lines where timing is extended
likewise requires Visual Communicator to make adjustments to insert breaks. If you altered
event timing, you might want to realign your text with the action sequence after you stop
recording a segment.
■ Click in the Teleprompter and press Enter to add lines, or Delete to remove the current
line or block of selected lines.
Use the Mini-Switcher to switch from one camera to

another
The Mini-Switcher lets you cut instantly to any one of three live video cameras at any time
during your live presentation. You can also use the Mini-Switcher during normal rehearsing or
recording.
Before you can use the Mini-Switcher, you must set up your multiple video cameras.
1. On the Director tab, select Enable Mini-Switcher.
During your presentation,click on the camera's icon to insert a cut, or press the Ctrl key
while clicking it to insert a dissolve.
When you switch to a camera with one of the Insert buttons, a new Camera action is
placed in the Action window automatically.
The input immediately switches to the camera you selected, using the default transition
effect selected in the Application settings. To change this effect to a simple cut, hold down
the Shift key while you click Insert.
See also
“Connecting, positioning, and testing a camera” on page 38

Dynamic editing
You can use the On-The-Fly Editing feature to add a new image or video or change what’s in
an existing tray at any time while rehearsing or recording.
■ Drag the new file anywhere below the action bar.
Visual Communicator adds the new file to the show and transitions to it when it moves into
the action bar. If you’re working with the show paused, a video clip plays in its entirety
regardless of whether the whole clip fits before the next tray.
You can also swap a media file for one that’s already in the show.
■ Drag the new file onto the existing tray just as you would when editing the show normally.
These show edits can be performed while rehearsing or recording is in progress, such as for
situations where you are not sure exactly what content you will be using until you are actually
rehearsing or recording your show. Arrange your content in the media bins to prepare the
show.
If you anticipate editing dynamically, consider leaving room for at least two or three trays
between every pair in the Action window.
Giving a live presentation 119

CHAPTER 14
Publishing a video
14
After you’ve created a show, you turn all of your recorded content and media files into a video.
This process is known as publishing.
You can publish a show to your hard disk, to a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server, or directly
into an e-mail. You can publish as a stand-alone video, build the video into a web page, or
publish to a digital video tape.
Select the publishing method

Help ID:
“Publish a video” on page 121

“Publishing to web pages” on page 122
“Publishing to digital video tape” on page 124
“Publish to a vlog” on page 125
“Publishing to a server on the Internet” on page 125
Publish a video
■ To start the Video Publisher wizard, click Publish, and select one of the following
publishing methods for your video:
Save Video To A Hard Drive Or Network Saves your show to an output file on your
hard disk or network. You can then distribute the file however you choose, including
copying it to a DVD or CD.
Send Video In An Email Creates an new e-mail message with the video attached. This
publishing option requires that you have an e-mail program installed locally; it does not
work with web-based e-mail that you access through a browser.
Publish Video To A Server On The Internet Uploads your video directly to the FTP
address that you specify.
121
Publish Video to Hosting Provider Posts the finished video to your account on the
hosting server.
Create A Web Page Creates a complete web page with an embedded player and other
content that you can specify.
Print Video To DV Tape Publishes directly to a tape in a digital video device.
Publishing to web pages

Use the Create A Web Page publishing option to create a web page with your video file
embedded in it. The Web Link feature lets you add a hyperlinked index to the video and load
images or other web pages on cue.
If you know HTML, you can accomplish even more through Web Links.
Preparing a Visual Communicator video for a web page is a two-stage process: first, add Web
Links in the course of setting up the project; second, select the template for the web page.
Visual Communicator embeds your video in either a Windows Media Player or a RealPlayer
file, depending on the format you select. When the publishing process is complete, you can
upload your web page to your live web server.
When you use this method to publish, you set certain specifics for the design of the web page.
■ Style—Sets one of the included styles as the background for the web page. Click Choose
to select the desired style.
■ Page Layout—Sets the number and arrangement of frames in the web page. The
thumbnail diagram on the left shows the currently selected layout. The word Chapters in
this diagram refers to the set of Chapter Markers that serve as hyperlinks into the video;
the Link Target frame is where content triggered by a web link appears. For the
dimensions of the link target frame in each layout, search for link target in the online help.
122 Publishing a video

With the help of this visual aid, the layout options should be self-explanatory—with the
possible exception of No Web Links (Larger Video Including Markers). Select this option
if the project contains web links that function as Chapter Markers, but none that trigger
other content to appear.
Setting up a web page
■ Header and Footer—The text you enter here appears at the top and bottom of the web
page, respectively.
■ Show Advanced Options—Reveals additional controls.
Click Next to select the file type (AVI, WMV, RM) and set the name and path for the output
files.
Using the web-page method to publish produces a cluster of files, all of which are saved in a
folder with the name and location that you designate. You can upload this entire folder to
your web server.
See also
“Triggering events outside the video” on page 95
“Set up a Chapter Marker or hyperlink” on page 98
Select the publishing method 123

Publishing to digital video tape
When you save your finished shows to digital video tape, a copy is also saved to your hard
drive in Output > My Published Shows.
The digital video device must be connected to your computer through a FireWire (IEEE
1394) port. If the digital video device is a camcorder, switch it to VCR mode before
publishing.
1. Click the Publish tab, select Print Video To DV Tape, and then click Next.
Setting up to record to digital video tape
2. If the desired camera or deck does not appear in the Device box, select it from the pop-up
menu. If the device is not listed in the pop-up menu, confirm that the device is turned on,
set to the VCR mode, and properly connected to the computer.
3. In the Preroll box, type the number of seconds your camera requires to begin recording.
Cameras vary in the amount of time it takes them to respond to a request to record. The
number of seconds you enter indicates how long it takes your camera to start recording. If
the Preroll time is too short, the beginning of your video is cropped; if it’s too long, blank
video is recorded.
4. Use the tape transport controls (Play, Rewind, and so on) to cue the tape to the desired
spot. The tape’s content appears in this dialog box. To start at the beginning of the tape,
run it forward past the leader.
5. You can change the name of the file or click Browse to change the path to save it to.

6. Click Next.
Publish to a vlog
1. Click the Publish tab, and then select Publish Video to Hosting Provider. Publishing a vlog
requires you to have your video hosting account set up, which you can do from the Video
Publisher wizard or by selecting Hosting > Account Information.
2. Click Account Info to enter your existing streaming account information or to set up a new
account. The dialog box that appears includes boxes for your user name and password, and
a link to a web page in your default web browser that helps you set up the new account.
After you upload to the vlog host, the Video Publisher wizard automatically proceeds to
the dialog box through which you link your vlog to a blog. With all other publishing
methods, the progress bar remains visible when the process is complete.
To learn more about creating links to a vlog, see “Create a link to your Vlog” on page 128.
3. Click Finish.
Publishing to a server on the Internet

The first time you use this publishing method, you are prompted to provide the FTP address,
which goes in the Host Name field, as well as your user name and password. Depending on
the host, you might also have to specify the Remote Path, which tells Visual Communicator
exactly which folder to put your vlogs in. If you are not sure what to enter in these fields,
consult your service provider or network administrator.
Setting file and account information

“Selecting the file type” on page 125
“Setting the output path and filename” on page 126
“Send an e-mail regarding a new web-hosted video” on page 127
“Manage account information for web-hosted videos and vlogs” on page 127
“Getting through the firewall” on page 129
“Set the destination path for output files” on page 129
Selecting the file type

The file type you choose dictates the type of player used to view your video. There are four
options:
Setting file and account information 125

■ Adobe Flash® video (FLV)—The compressed file format that Adobe Flash Player can play
back. Flash Player allows the video to be streamed or used in a variety of other ways in
applications created in Flash or Adobe Flex Builder.™
■ AVI—This uncompressed file format is ideal if you are planning to do further editing in a
third-party program or if you plan to burn the video to a CD or DVD. An AVI file plays
smoothly on some computers because the volume of data is high.
■ Windows Media Video (WMV)—This Microsoft format plays in Windows Media Player.
It is designed for digital video playback over the Internet or on a standalone computer.
This compressed file format can result in some loss of image quality but yields a dramatic
reduction in file size and thus download time.
■ RealMedia Video (RM)—This file format, developed by RealNetworks, Inc. can be
played in RealPlayer.
Only for uploading to an FTP server.
Selecting a file type
Setting the output path and filename

The default path for your output files is C:\Documents and Settings\username\My
Documents\Visual Communicator\My Output\My Published Shows. To change the path,
click Browse and navigate to the desired folder.
NOT E
Unlike saving a project to a different path (and thereby changing the default path for new
projects), changing the path where you save an output file does not affect where future
files are saved.

The default filename for the output file is the same as the project’s name, with the appropriate
extension appended (.flv, .avi, .wmv, or .rm). To change the name, click in the box and type
the name. If you’ve previously published the show, changing this name avoids overwriting the
existing file.
Send an e-mail regarding a new web-hosted video

If you are using the FTP publishing method to upload a video to an Internet server, you can
initiate an e-mail message that contains a link to the video file.
Similar to the Send Video In An Email publishing method, Visual Communicator creates the
e-mail at the end of the publishing process so you can add recipients, the subject, and a
message.
■ Click Send An E-mail With A Web Link When Finished.
Manage account information for web-hosted videos

and vlogs
Visual Communicator allows you to publish your shows to FTP servers and to the dedicated
vlog hosting server. You can enter your account information into Visual Communicator to
enable easy access to your accounts from Visual Communicator.
Enter FTP server account information in the Video Publisher wizard

To upload your video to an FTP server on the Internet, enter information about your
account. This publishing method uses the FTP, so the path is known as an FTP address.
1. Click Account Info. This dialog box appears the first time you publish to a server.
2. Enter the FTP address in the Host Name box and your user name and password in the
appropriate boxes. Depending on the host, you might also have to specify the Remote Path,
which specifies exactly which folder to put your files in. If you are not sure what to enter
in these boxes, ask your service provider or network administrator.
Visual Communicator stores your account information, so you won’t need to enter it again
unless any of the account information changes.
Test your FTP account settings

After you’ve entered your information, you can test your FTP account settings and access the
host site to manage files.
1. Click Access Account Directly. This starts your web browser and goes to the FTP site you
specified in the Account Information dialog box.

2. If the browser fails to find or log in to the appropriate page, review all information in the
Account Information dialog box.
Enter vlog host account information

To set or change your account information, select Hosting > Account Information and fill in
the necessary fields. If you plan on uploading to the vlog host and have not yet created an
account, click Need A Hosting Account on the Account Information dialog box. That will
open a web page through which you can either set up a limited term evaluation account or
proceed to purchase a hosting service. Follow the instructions on that page, and when you're
done return to the login dialog box.
Manage your vlog hosting account

Once you have set up a vlog hosting account, you can access the web site for managing the
account directly from Visual Communicator.
■ Select Hosting > Manage Account. Your default browser opens to the correct page for
managing your account settings.
Create a link to your Vlog

1. Select Hosting > Link your vlog. This menu option is available only if you have already
published the current project as a vlog, and you have not subsequently revised the show. If
you've made changes to the project since you last published it, the Link Your Vlog dialog
box will not be accessible until you republish the video.
2. Click more options and select one of the following vlog link options:
Popup Player with Thumbnail (default) Adds a thumbnail that is a link to a pop-up
video player. Clicking the thumbnail opens a separate window with a player; the video
begins playing automatically when the video player starts.
Embedded Player Inserts a player directly into your blog's web page. The player's
screen remains black until the Play button is clicked.
Standard Direct Web Link Intended for creating a text link and is best used in
conjunction with the Insert Hyperlink feature of a blog’s editing application. While the
drag-and-drop link functions using this method, it's easier to copy and paste this type of
link.
When a link direct web link is clicked, the current browser window will switch to the
link’s URL; your readers will then have to navigate back to the blog page they were
previously viewing.

HTML Web Link with Thumbnail Adds a thumbnail that acts as the link to your vlog,
but the link functions as a standard web link (causing the current browser window to
switch to another URL) rather than opening a pop-up player window. As with the
Standard Link method, readers will have to navigate back to the blog page they were
previously viewing.
Testing FTP account settings or accessing the host site

To double-check that all the FTP account information is correct or to go to the site in order to
manage files there, click the Access Account Directly button. The web browser opens to the
FTP site specified in the Account Information dialog box. If the browser fails to find or log
into the appropriate page, review all information in the Account Information dialog box.
<<formatting is incorrect. Sorry. I don’t know how to correct it.>>Note: If no account
information is set when you click Next to continue to the wizard's third page, then the
Account Information dialog will pop up. When publishing using either of the web hosted
methods, you cannot proceed beyond this point without providing the necessary information.
Getting through the firewall

The layer of security most likely to prevent Visual Communicator from uploading a file is the
firewall that protects your computer or network from other computers outside the network.
Firewalls are designed to block certain kinds of communications, including the file transfer
protocol that Visual Communicator uses.
To upload a video file to a host on the Internet, you might have to give Visual Communicator
permission to FTP the file. No single set of steps works for all firewalls, so you need to
determine how to do this for your firewall. Give Visual Communicator permission to use Port
21. You should be able to limit this permission to individual programs rather than opening it
indiscriminately.
Talk to your network administrator or consult the documentation for your router or firewall
software.
Set the destination path for output files

The final video product is a compressed file called the output file. The default path for output
files is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\Visual Communicator\My
Output\My Published Videos. You can change this destination to a folder of your choice.
1. Click the Output tab in the media library.
2. In the Address bar, either browse to the desired folder or enter its path in the box.

3. Right-click a blank spot in the Library window and select Set Current Directory As Home
For ‘Output’ from the pop-up menu.
Setting video size and quality

If you did not set account information, the Account Information dialog box appears. If you’re
using the FTP publishing method, you cannot proceed beyond this point without providing
account information.
“Set the video size and quality” on page 130
“Summary” on page 136
“Save an image of the current frame” on page 136
Set the video size and quality

The options available depend on the file type you select:
FLV—you can choose from three preset resolutions and frame rates (240x180 at 15 fps,
240x180 at 30 fps, 320x240 at 30 fps) or lets you specify a custom setting for video size and
quality.
To learn more about the encoding settings for FLV, see “Flash video encoding settings”
on page 132.
AVI—you choose from three preset resolutions (320 x 240, 640 x 480, and 720 x 480) or
customize a range of settings including the codec, data rate, frame rate, and resolution.
WMV and RM—your choices involve balancing the video’s image quality against its file size.
Naturally, you want the best quality possible, but you don’t want a file size that’s too large.
Acceptable size depends on the medium through which you’ll be distributing the video file
and, in the case of the Internet, the targeted bandwidth.
Set one of the following options:
■ Small File Size/Lower Quality—Use for videos downloaded over dial-up connections.
■ Medium File Size/Good Quality—Use for videos downloaded over DSL or cable-modem
connections.
■ Large File Size/Better Quality—Use for videos accessed over a LAN or network
connection or burned onto CD or DVD.
■ Largest Size/Best Quality—Use for storing the output locally or distributing it by CD or
DVD.

■ Custom Size/Custom Quality—Allows you to adjust various settings individually—such
as constant or variable bit rate, frame rate, and codec. Options in Custom Compression
Settings depend on whether you publish uncompressed and, if not, on which codec
selected.
N OTE
When you set the size and quality for video you plan to e-mail, some e-mail accounts are
limited to 3 or 5 MB of incoming e-mail. Large files can also be a problem for people who
access their e-mail through dial-up modem. Check the file size in the e-mail subject field
before sending. Generally, try to keep e-mailed file sizes smaller than 2 MB.
Depending on which file type you select, one or more of the following options might be
available:
■ Trigger Link—If the project contains any web links and you want them to be active in the
output video.
■ 2 Pass Encoding—Enhances the video’s quality at the file size and quality setting.
Encoding in two passes naturally takes roughly twice as long as a single pass, but in the
process optimizes compression for better results. The first pass gathers information about
the content of the stream; the second pass uses that information to optimize the
compression process. Deselect this option only if you need to save time in the publishing
stage.
This option is available only if you are using one of the presets or have the Media Type
Mode set to constant bit rate (CBR). When the custom options are set to quality-based
variable bit rate (VBR), 2 Pass Encoding is deselected; when you’re using the other CBR
options, it is always selected.
■ Default Format (WMV only)—By default, the publisher encodes WMV files by using the
Windows Media Encoder 9. While most users can view videos created by using WME 9,
more people can view a video by using WME 8. On balance, you lose some image quality
as well as some customization options. The compression ratio also is not as large, so your
videos will be slightly larger. The WME version you select determines which options are
available in the customization dialog box.
NO TE
If you open the customization dialog box with the Default Format set to Windows Media
Encoder 9, but you do not have WME 9 or later installed, you are prompted to download
the free upgrade. If you do not download the upgrade, the customization dialog box for
WME 8 opens rather than the dialog box for WME 9.
Setting video size and quality 131

■ Clip Attributes—In some media players, information about the video scrolls under the
screen. You can enter the information about your video in the Clip Attributes dialog box.
Clip attributes
See also
“Triggering events outside the video” on page 95
“Publishing to web pages” on page 122
Flash video encoding settings

The Video Publisher wizard lets you choose from three preset resolutions and frame rates
(240x180 at 15 fps, 240x180 at 30 fps, 320x240 at 30 fps) when creating FLV files, However,
you can also specify custom encoding settings for FLV video size and quality.
To publish Flash video and specify encoding settings:

1. To start the Video Publisher wizard, click Publish, and select one of the publishing
methods for your video. For more information on the publishing methods, see “Select the
publishing method” on page 121.
2. Select Publish a Flash Video from the wizard.
3. Select the Custom Size/Custom Quality option, and click the Customize button to display
the Custom Encoding Settings dialog box.
The encoding settings are:
Video Bit Rate Specifies the bit rate of the video stream in kilobytes per second (kbps).
Frame Rate Specifies the frame rate in frames per second (fps).

Video Size Specifies the dimensions of the video in pixels. Click the Common Sizes
button to select from a list of typical video sizes.
Audio Format Menu with options for several audio bit rates and sampling rates.
When specifying custom encoding settings, keep in mind any bandwidth or file size
requirements that might affect your audience. Specifying high bit rate video with
correspondingly large video size and high frame rates creates better quality video, but also
results in a larger video stream that requires additional bandwidth and disk space.
4. When you are satisfied with the custom video encoding settings, click OK to return to the
Video Publisher wizard, and continue following the wizard instructions.
Real video encoding settings

when creating Real video files, However, you can also specify custom encoding settings for
Real video size and quality.
To publish Real video and specify custom encoding settings:

2. Select Publish a Real Video from the wizard.
3. Select the Custom Size/Custom Quality checkbox, and click the Customize button to
display the Custom Encoding Settings dialog box.
The custom encoding settings are:
Constant Bit Rate Lets you specify a constant bit rate video stream in kilobytes per
second (kbps). A constant bit rate video stream maintains the same data rate,
providing a consistent level of quality throughout playback. When you create a
RealVideo clip, you can choose constant bit rate (CBR) or variable bit rate (VBR)
encoding. CBR encoding is the more traditional method of encoding streaming video.
It maintains a consistent bit rate for the stream, such as a constant 34 Kbps when
streaming to 56 Kbps modems. You should generally use CBR video when streaming
at bandwidths below 350 Kbps. At high bandwidths, however, you can use CBR or
VBR video.

Variable Bit Rate (Default) lets you specify a variable bit rate video stream in
kilobytes per second (kbps). Variable bit rate (VBR) encoding generally provides
superior video quality to constant bit rate (CBR) encoding. It gives more bandwidth
to scenes that are hard to compress, making the most visible difference in videos that
have fast moving, high-action scenes.
You can specify a maximum bit rate, as well as an average bit rate that the Real video
encoder should strive to maintain. You can also determine the bandwidth of the
variable rate video stream by specifying the degree of video quality to maintain.
VBR encoding is suited for bandwidths of 350 Kbps or higher.
Audio Codex A drop-down menu that lets you choose from several audio codecs, bit
rates, and sampling rates.
Video Codec A drop-down menu that lets you choose which version of the Real
video codec to encode your video. The default is RealVideo 10, which provides the
highest possible video quality and is compatible with RealOne Player and later.
Video Mode Lets you specify different video modes which affect the look of the
video playback. The video mode options are:
■ Normal Motion (Default) produces the best results for most audiences.
At slow streaming rates for modem audiences, you can choose one of the following
options when encoding a video. These video mode options primarily affect fast action
videos:
■ Sharp Image encodes the crispest image. The frame rate will be lower, though, making
the video jerkier.
■ Smoother Motion keeps the frame rate as high as possible. However, the image may
become more blurry.
■ Slide Show encodes a frame every few seconds. This creates a slide show with no
motion, but the highest possible image quality. Use Slide Show if you have a large
video (320-by-240 or larger). Optionally, you can resize the video to a smaller size
when streaming at low bandwidths.
Video Size Specifies the dimensions of the video in pixels. Click the Common Sizes
button to select from a list of typical video sizes.
When specifying custom encoding settings, keep in mind any bandwidth or file size
requirements that might affect your audience. Specifying high bit rate video with
correspondingly large video size and high frame rates creates better quality video, but also
results in a larger video stream that requires additional bandwidth and disk space.

Publisher wizard, and continue following the wizard instructions.
AVI video encoding settings

when creating AVI video files, However, you can also specify custom encoding settings for
AVI video size and quality.
To publish AVI video and specify custom encoding settings:

2. Select Publish a AVI Video from the wizard.
3. Select the Custom Size/Custom Quality checkbox, and click the Customize button to
display the Custom Encoding Settings dialog box.
The custom encoding settings are:
Video Codec Lets you choose a video codec with which to encode your video. The
video codec menu displays codecs that are available on Windows via Direct Show. The list
is filtered to display only those codecs known to work properly with Visual
Communicator. Selecting Show All Codecs displays all the codecs available on the
computer. The codecs list is typically different from one computer to the next, depending
on which codecs have been installed.
Selecting the Uncompressed checkbox disables the use of a video and audio codec, and
encodes the video using uncompressed RGB video and uncompressed PCM audio.
DV Type 1 and DV Type 2 Options are available when a DV codec is specified in the
Video codec menu. A DV stream consists of audio and video interleaved (AVI). DV Type
1 files contain one DV stream. DV Type 2 files contain the DV stream and an audio
stream.
DV Type 2 files are compatible with a greater number of video editing applications; this is
particularly true when working with older video applications, such as Adobe Premiere 6.5
and earlier versions. Consult the documentation for your video editing application for
compatibility.
Data Rate Specifies the bit rate of the video stream in kilobytes per second (kbps).
Video Size Specifies the dimensions of the video in pixels. Click the menu to select
from a list of typical video sizes.

Audio Codec Lets you specify which audio codec to use. Depending on the video codec
you’ve selected, certain audio codecs may not be available for use.
Audio Format A menu that lets you choose from several audio bit rates and sampling
rates.
Video Publisher wizard, and continue following the wizard instructions.
Summary
■ If all details are correct in the summary, click Finish to start the publishing process; if not,
click Back to correct the setting.
When you click Finish, Visual Communicator starts assembling, rendering, and compressing
your video. A progress bar shows the status. When the process is complete, the progress bar
remains visible—unless you chose to upload the video to a server on the Internet. If you are
uploading to a server, the upload process starts, and the progress bar starts over.
The speed of rendering depends on your computer speed. In general, if publishing is taking
more than three times a show’s duration, something is wrong. With a computer that meets or
exceeds the minimum system requirements, publishing time should be much closer to the
actual length of the show.
NOT E
If you changed any publisher settings and want to save them for the next time you
publish a show, save the project before you close it. The publisher settings are saved as
project properties, so if you do not save before closing you will have to enter the setting
again the next time you publish the same project. Publisher settings are also saved as the
defaults for the application, which are applied to each new project.
See also
“Getting through the firewall” on page 129
Save an image of the current frame

Whenever your show is paused, you can save the current frame as a JPEG image file. Visual
Communicator saves the contents of the Output monitor as an image file. The default
location for these saved images is C:\Documents and Settings\username\My
Documents\Adobe Visual Communicator 3\My Output\My Screen Grabs\show name\. The
image files are named Grab.jpg, Grab1.jpg, and so on.
■ Select File > Grab Preview Image, or press Ctrl+Backspace.

CHAPTER 15
Live streaming
15
You can stream Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3 shows over the Internet or your intranet.
Understanding streaming basics

“About streaming” on page 137
About streaming
There are many ways to stream or broadcast media over the web. For Visual Communicator,
you should understand the basics of push and pull streaming.
■ Pull streaming: The server initiates the connection with your computer. If your computer
has a good security setup, it can block pull streaming.
■ Port-to-port streaming: A type of pull streaming, connects the computer that’s the source
of the video with other computers on an office or home network without having a server
in the middle. Because all of the computers are on the same side of the firewall, port-to-
port streaming is not subject to the same security concerns.
■ Push streaming: A computer initiates the connection with a server. This method is
generally easier to manage than pull streaming, and is preferred in most cases.
To help you configure your computer and server settings quickly, use the preconfigured
profile files (.smp), which contain streaming configuration parameters for a variety of
bandwidths in Windows Media and RealPlayer formats. Select the profile that most closely
matches your streaming environment and audience, then enter the server settings that you
obtained from your streaming service provider or network administrator.
After you load an SMP file and configure specifics about your streaming server, you can save it
as a customized profile.
See also
“Select a server profile” on page 140
137
Requirements for streaming live media
“Minimum system requirements for live streaming” on page 138
“Choose a media format” on page 138
“Setting up an account with a streaming service provider” on page 139
Minimum system requirements for live streaming

To stream live media, you’ll need a powerful computer and access to a Flash video, Windows
Media, or Real streaming server that can broadcast live streaming media for either web-based
streaming or an IP address for port-to-port streaming.
If you plan to have a small viewing audience, for example five people in the same office, you
can use port-to-port streaming without a streaming server. If you’ll be broadcasting to a large
audience over the web, use a streaming server.
N OTE
To use the RealMedia format, you must have RealProducer, software from
RealNetworks, Inc., installed. To stream using RealNetworks, you must have the
RealPlayer Helix Producer installed. Other programs that support streaming in Real do
not save settings in the format that Visual Communicator reads.
Live streaming is extremely processor intensive. Your computer’s performance depends on a

variety of factors, including the type of audio and video input used, the complexity of the
show, the configuration of output settings, the type of video card, and the range of other tasks
running on the computer.
The minimum system requirements are:
■ 2.4 GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 processor or equivalent
■ Microsoft® Windows 2000 or Windows XP
■ NVIDIA GeForce or ATI Radeon AGP video card, with the most recent driver.
Choose a media format

Before you begin, decide what type of media player you would like your show to play in. Flash
Player, Windows Media Player, and RealPlayer are available as free downloads.
If you plan to use Flash video, do one of the following:
■ Set up an account with a streaming service provider that supports Flash video. Obtain
server information from your provider and configure Visual Communicator with those
settings.
■ Run your own Flash Media Server on a separate computer.
138 Live streaming

If you plan to use Windows Media format, do one of the following:
■ Set up an account with a streaming service provider that supports Windows Media
format. Obtain server information from your provider and configure Visual
Communicator with those settings.
■ Run your own streaming server on a separate computer running Windows Media Services,
which is a component of the Windows 2000 and 2003 Server operating systems.
If you plan to use RealMedia format, do one of the following:
■ Set up an account with a streaming service provider that supports RealMedia format.
■ Run your own Real server with RealNetworks Helix Universal Server software installed.
This software supports many different operating systems including Windows 2000 and
XP. Set up a mount point and use it to configure your Visual Communicator streaming
profile.
Setting up an account with a streaming service

provider
To stream a show over the web without a streaming server, sign up for an account with a
streaming service provider. Search the web for streaming service providers to find one that
meets your streaming requirements.
When you account is set up, obtain the following information from your provider to set up
your Visual Communicator streaming profile:
■ Publishing point: The name of your streaming session on a Windows Media streaming
server.
■ Mount point: The name of your streaming session on a RealMedia server.
■ Server name: This might be a name or an IP address.
■ Port number: Required for pull streaming and port-to-port streaming only.
■ User name and password: Not necessary for all servers.
Configuring streaming settings

“Select a server profile” on page 140
“Configure the server profile” on page 140
“Select live streaming” on page 143
“Set up audio for streaming” on page 143
“Selecting Pass-Thru To Speakers” on page 144
Configuring streaming settings 139

“Live Streaming status light” on page 145
“Troubleshoot live streaming” on page 146
Open the project to stream and set up your streaming settings in Visual Communicator.
The streaming settings are saved in Visual Communicator, not with individual shows. This
means that the loaded streaming profile and settings are maintained even if you create a new
project.
Select a server profile

1. In the main menu bar, select Settings > Live Streaming Settings, and then click Load.
2. Double-click the profile that best matches your audience’s bandwidth and media player. If
you find that the profile you loaded is not correct, click Load again to select another profile.
NO TE
If you have web links in your show and want them to trigger while streaming:
• For Windows Media format, load a profile that has Web Links Enabled in its name.
• For a RealNetworks profile, select Trigger Links at the bottom of the Live Streaming
Settings dialog box.
Configure the server profile

Your server configuration options vary depending on whether the selected profile is for Flash
Media Server, Windows Media, or RealPlayer. A key property to set in both cases is whether
your video will be pushed or pulled.
Configure Flash Media Server

1. In the main menu bar, select Settings > Live Streaming Settings and then click Configure.
TI P Yo u c a n l o a d a p r e - co nf ig u r e d s t r ea mi n g s e tt i ng b y c l i cki n g th e L oa d bu t to n. T he
pre -c on fig ur e d st re am ing s et t in g s l e t yo u sel e ct l o w, m e diu m o r hig h ba ndwidt h
p r ofi l e s. O nce s el e ct e d , yo u ca n th e n c on fi gu r e t he F la sh M e d i a S er v e r se t ti n gs .
2. Enter the Flash Media Server configuration information in the Flash Live Streaming dialog
box. The required information should be provided to you by the server administrator or
the streaming service provider. The information required is:
Media Server URL The fully-qualified URL of your Flash Media Server; this URL is
often termed an "RTMP string." The string must begin with rtmp:// and include the
domain name of your server and the Flash application to use. The string may optionally
indicate a specific application instance, and a port number.
rtmp://fms.example.com:1234/appName/instanceName
140 Live streaming

In the example above, rtmp://fms.example.com indicates the protocol and the Flash
Media Server hostname (required), :1234 indicates the port number to connect to
(optional), appName indicates the name of a Flash application on the host (required), and
instanceName the instance of the application to connect to, if there are multiple instances
(optional).
Stream Name A unique name by which to identify the FLV stream you will be
broadcasting.
Username/Password If the Flash Media Server requires authentication, enter a user
name and password.
Encoding Settings The encoding settings you want to use for the FLV stream. If you
selected a pre-configured streaming setting, these fields will be populated with video
encoding settings appropriate to the target bandwidth over which you’re streaming. The
encoding settings are:
■ Video Bit Rate—The bit rate of the video stream in kilobytes per second (kbps).
■ Video Size—The dimensions of the video in pixels.
■ Frame Rate—The frame rate in frames per second (fps).
■ Audio Format—A drop-down menu that lets you choose from several audio bit rates
and sampling rates.
3. Click OK to save the server configuration, and verify the changes in the Summary Of
Current Settings dialog box. If satisfied with your configuration, click Save As, and save
your changes to the streaming property under a recognizable name.
4. Click OK to exit the Live Streaming Settings dialog box.

Configure Windows Media
1. In the main menu bar, select Settings > Live Streaming Settings, and then click Configure.
Configuring the server for streaming
2. In the Server: Push Method section:

a. Select Enable Push Streaming.
b. Fill in the Server Name and Publishing Point boxes with the information that your
streaming service provides.
c. If required, enter your user name and password in the appropriate boxes.
3. In the Server: Pull Method section:
a. Click Enable Pull Streaming.
b. Type the proper value in the Port Number box.
c. Click OK.
Configure RealPlayer
■ If you select a RealNetworks profile, click Configure to open the Helix Producer Profile
window. To learn how to configure Helix Producer to push or pull, see that program’s help
system.
NOT E
For account-based push mode: In the RealProducer Server Destination window, select
Remember Password.
142 Live streaming

Select live streaming
1. Select Settings > Live Streaming Settings, and select Enable Live Streaming.
2. Select from the following options that control when your video will stream:
■ Stream Only During Record: Limits streaming to when you are recording.
■ Stream Only During Record and Rehearse: Starts streaming video when you begin
■ Stream Always: Streams whenever the program is running. When the show is not
running in the rehearsal or recording mode, whatever is in the Output Monitor
streams.
Use this option for testing a streaming setup.
3. Click Save As, enter a name for your new customized profile, and click Save.
Assuming you save to the default folder, this SMP file is listed along with the preset files.
Each time you select live streaming, the last profile that you saved is reloaded.
4. To connect to your streaming server and leave this window open so that you can check the
status, click Apply.
The status box below the Apply button indicates if connection to the server is successful.
5. Click OK.
If you do not click Apply, Visual Communicator attempts to connect to the server.
Unless you select Stream Always, streaming does not begin until you start rehearsing or
recording.
Set up audio for streaming

■ To stream the audio from your microphone, select Setup, click Audio, and then select Pass
Thru To Speakers. This option is automatically selected when you select live streaming.

■ If you have problems with audio, check that Pass Thru To Speakers is still selected when
you stream.
Selecting Pass-Thru To Speakers
Test a stream
With a streaming profile loaded and configured, select the Connect button in the Live
Streaming settings dialog box (Settings > Live Streaming Settings), or click Start on the
Director tab. Check the color of the Live Streaming Status light at the bottom of the Director
tab. The color codes are:
■ Black or gray: Visual Communicator is not connected or streaming.
■ Bright green: Streaming is on. Data is streaming to the server and should be viewable.
■ Dark green: Connected and ready to stream when you click Start on the Director tab.
144 Live streaming

■ Bright red: Streaming failed. Unable to connect to the server or stream video.
Live Streaming status light
View a streaming show on the web

1. On a computer other than the one that holds your Visual Communicator files, open a web
browser and enter the URL for your show. The format of the URL varies depending on the
streaming method:
■ Flash video streaming:
Obtain the URL from your Flash Media Server administrator or from the hosting service.
■ Push streaming in Windows Media format and using the mms protocol:
mms://servername/publishing point
■ Pull or port-to-port streaming in Windows Media format:
■ mms://ipaddress:portnumber
■ mms://servername/portnumber
■ RealMedia format with the RTSP protocol:
rtsp://servername/mountpoint/streamname.rm
NOT E
If your computer is behind a network firewall and you want to stream to the web, work
with your network administrator to provide viewers with a port that allows them to access
your stream.
2. To stop the stream, go to the Live Streaming Settings window. Deselect Enable Live
Streaming, and click Apply or OK.

Troubleshoot live streaming
If your video is not streaming, check the status of the Live Streaming Status light.
Status Light color Problem Solution

Black or gray You are not connected or Load and configure a Live Streaming
streaming video. profile, and then connect and/or begin
streaming to a server.
Bright green Data is streaming to the Check with your streaming service
server. provider or network administrator to find
out why the video is not getting from the
server to your viewers.
Dark green A connection is established Click Start on the Director tab.

to the server but is not
streaming data.
Bright Red You are not connected to Check your live streaming settings and
the server. physical connections and try to connect
and stream to the streaming server
again.
146 Live streaming

CHAPTER 16
Shortcuts
16
File menu Alt+F
Create a new project Ctrl+N
Open the New Show Ctrl+W

Wizard
Open a project Ctrl+O
Save the project Ctrl+S
Print the script Ctrl+P
Exit Ctrl+Q
Edit menu Alt+E

Undo last action Ctrl+Z
Redo last action that Ctrl+Y

was undone
Cut selected content Ctrl+X

to the clipboard
Copy selected Ctrl+C

content to the
clipboard
Paste content from Ctrl+V

the clipboard
Select all content Ctrl+A
147
Director menu Alt+D
Rehearse F5
Record F6
Review F7
Publish F8
Stop Rehearsing/ Esc

Recording
Teleprompter Alt+T
menu
Pause/Resume Ctrl+Space bar
Next Effect Ctrl+Enter
Advance Alt+A
End Effect Alt+Z
Settings menu Alt+S

Application Settings Alt+M
Performance Settings Ctrl+F
Camera Properties Alt+C
V-Screen
commands
Enable V-Screen Alt+V
Auto-Select key Alt+K
Open Advanced Alt+G

Settings dialog box
Reset Settings to Alt+R

Default
148 Shortcuts
Tools menu Alt+O
Open Audio Mixer F9
Launch Advanced F10

Titles
Help Menu Alt+H

Visual Communicator F1
Help
Check for Update Alt+H+U
About Visual Ctrl+Shift+A

Communicator
Action trays
Move selected trays Shift+Drag
and all trays below it
149
150 Shortcuts
CHAPTER 17
Glossary
17
Action window: The window in the upper-right corner of the main interface where you
place the Action Trays.
action tray: The container for your video effect and media input.
Audio Mixer: Also known as the Windows Audio Mixer. This is where you adjust the
volume and balance of your incoming and outgoing audio.
background: A picture or graphic often used behind a set or person as a chroma key. Also
used behind on-screen text.
camera frame rate: The rate at which a camera or other video device displays video frames.
The standard frame rate for video is 30 frames per second (fps). Internet streaming video
commonly uses 15 fps because it reduces the file size and download time by half.
chroma key (V-Screen): An effect in which a person or object is filmed or videotaped in
front of a color background, usually green or blue. The green or blue background is
removed digitally and replaced with a picture, video, or graphic. The Visual
Communicator technology for high-quality chroma keying is called V-Screen.
closing slate: The graphic images seen at the end of a show. Show title, credits, and so on
are usually included in the closing slate.
color correction: The process used to adjust color variations in the video signal. For
example, if people in your video appear green because of lighting conditions, adjust the
color correction to make them look more true to life. The Visual Communicator color
correction options are in the Adjust Colors dialog box.
countdown: A timer that displays the number of seconds until the show starts. In Visual
Communicator the countdown appears in the output window. You can turn off the
countdown timer in the Application Settings dialog box.
duration: The number of seconds that a video effect takes to complete. With non-
transition effects, this time is divided between the transition in and the transition out. You
can change the duration on the Actions tab.
151
encoding: The conversion of information to a particular format. For example, the
Windows Media Encoder converts audio and video to a form that can be streamed to
clients over a network. In reference to mp3 digital audio in particular, encoding refers to
converting a WAV audio file into an mp3 file.
FireWire: The Apple Computer trade name for the IEEE 1394 video format.
IEEE 1394 (FireWire): The interface standard that enables direct transfer of digital video
between devices, such as a digital video camcorder and a computer or two digital video
devices.
lower third: A title graphic that appears at the bottom of the frame and is usually used to
identify a person.
opening slate: A full-frame, fully opaque title graphic typically used at the beginning of a
program to show the title and perhaps the date, company, or other production
information.
Output Monitor: The window in the upper-left corner of the main interface where you
can preview and review your program.
over the shoulder: A dual-source video effect that shows the B source in a box in one of the
upper corners of the frame. This term can also refer to the box in which the B source
appears.
project: This is not the video itself, but all of the media inputs, recorded audio, video, and
effects that you program into a show, along with all of the properties you set, the script
you enter, and so on.
publishing: The process through which Visual Communicator turns a project into a
video, ready for viewing.
S-Video: An analog video signal. This term also refers to the particular design of plugs and
jacks used for this type of signal. S-Video keeps the chrominance (color) and luminance
(brightness) information separate, which improves picture quality by keeping signal
interaction to a minimum.
show timer: The digital clock in the main interface that tells you the current show
duration. You can set the timer to count up or down.
streaming: A technology for transmitting electronic information in a stream, rather than
in a complete package. Audio, and especially video, files tend to be large, which makes
downloading and accessing them as a complete package time consuming. With streaming
technology, you can download and access the files at the same time, which makes using
them much faster.
Teleprompter: The device that network newscasters and politicians often use to read their
scripts and speeches while looking into the camera. Visual Communicator includes a
teleprompter from which you can read your script.
152 Glossary
titling: The addition of text, symbols, and graphic elements to a video show or
presentation.
transition: A video effect that switches from one source to another.
V-Screen: The chroma-keying technology in Visual Communicator. With V-Screen you
can create high-quality greenscreen effects without using professional cameras or studio
lighting.
video effect: This term encompasses both transition and non-transition effects.
virtual set: Used in conjunction with chroma key. A virtual set is a digital set into which
people or objects can be composited.
white balance: A process by which a video camera calibrates itself to the ambient lighting
based on the color of the light it sees reflected from a white card. Setting the white balance
is essential to getting accurate color representation in your video. It’s a good idea to set the
white balance manually and turn off your camera’s automatic white balance feature.
153
154 Glossary
Beta
155
Beta
156

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© 2007 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Using Adobe® Visual Communicator 3 for Windows®

Chapter 1: Installing Visual Communicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 2: Feature and control overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Chapter 3: Making your first show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Chapter 4: Setting up a studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Chapter 5: Creating a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Chapter 6: Managing projects and media files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Chapter 7: Planning shows and writing scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Chapter 8: Using the Teleprompter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Chapter 9: Adding closed captions to a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Chapter 11: Digitally replacing the background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

Chapter 12: Rehearsing and recording a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Chapter 13: Presenting live shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Chapter 14: Publishing a video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Chapter 15: Live streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Chapter 16: Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Chapter 17: Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Install Visual Communicator

10 Installing Visual Communicator

Feature and control overview

Visual Communicator windows, Action

The Output Monitor window and buttons

Review Plays back the show.

The Teleprompter and Action window

12 Feature and control overview

Styles An assortment of title graphics.

Graphics Still images for use as backgrounds for V-Screen effects or as

Audio Audio clips that Visual Communicator includes, including TV-quality

Up button Moves up one level from the current folder.

Visual Communicator windows, Action window, and Media libraries 13

The Coach area

Th e Coa ch are a au to m a ti c a lly ch ang e s on a s et t i m e durat i on . Click Ne xt t o

The Visual Communicator Coach area

The tabbed control panels

14 Feature and control overview

Save button Saves the project.

The tabbed control panels 15

The Director tab

Timer Display Displays the current position in the show.

Live Streaming Indicates the live streaming status.

16 Feature and control overview

The following table describes the controls on the Actions tab.

Duration box Displays the current duration of the effect in seconds. To

Edit button Opens a box for editing the text in a title.

Audio & video clips

Volume slider Adjusts the volume of the clip’s audio.

The tabbed control panels 17

Stretch To Fit Scales the image to fill the Output Monitor.

18 Feature and control overview

The V-Screen tab

Active check box Switches the V-Screen effect on and off.

Wizard button Starts the V-Screen setup wizard.

Auto-Set Key Automatically calibrates the V-Screen settings.

Freeze V-Screen Displays an animated background as a still image to conserve system

V-Screen Tips Opens Help for Using The V-Screen.

The tabbed control panels 19

The Audio setup button

Pass-Thru To Controls whether the microphone’s output plays through to the

20 Feature and control overview

The Video setup button

Capture Resolution Sets the current video input’s resolution in pixels.

The tabbed control panels 21