Layers
In mimoLive, layers hold every ingredient of the final video composition. The concept is taken from how we create real-world photo collages and work in the same way. The lowest layer is in the very background, the highest layer is in the foreground of the composition. The overall final video output is called the program out.
mimoLive has lots of different types of layers. Please refer to the Layer Library for a list of available layers.
The Layer Stack
The layer stack in mimoLive is the area of the document which holds all layers of the project.
Example of Layers in mimoLive
In this example, there are three layers used. The background layer, a placer layer containing the speaker video and a lower third layer which contains name and title information.
Adding A New Layer To The Layer Stack
There are three ways to add a new layer to the layer stack:
- Drag a source from the Sources Repository to the layer stack.
In the case of a visual source, you will get a preconfigured Placer layer which displays the source in full-screen mode.
In the case of an audio source, you will get an Audio Only layer. - Click on the “+” button on the top right of the layer stack to open the Layer Templates Library. Find your layer and drag it to the layer stack.
- In the Layer Templates Library double click on the Layer Template you want to add. The new layer will be added on top of the currently selected layer.
Reordering Layers in the Layer Stack
Because it is important at which position a layer is placed in the layer stack you may need to rearrange the layer e.g. to bring a background behind a half-transparent video source.
To rearrange the layers in the layer stack simply drag the layer to the new position in the layer stack.
Dragging the top layer (Placer layer with placeholder “B”) to the bottom brings it behind the placeholder “A”.
Removing A Layer From The Layer Stack
Layers can be deleted in two ways.
- Select the layer
- Click on the “-” button on top of the layer stack to remove it permanently.
Or:
- Hit “cmd” ⌘ + “backspace” on your keyboard at the same time.
Copy/Paste Layers
Layers can be copied and pasted between mimoLive documents as well as dragged and dropped. E.g. if you created a certain design of a Lower Third layer in one mimoLive document you can select it here, press ⌘-C, select a layer in a second document, and press ⌘-V to insert this layer above the selected one. Or you can drag it from one document to another.
Media files or other sources that are associated with the copied layer won’t be copied to the destination document. You need to copy those sources manually to it and reconnect them to the layer.
Layer Settings
Every layer has individual settings. To edit the layer settings, select the layer in the layer stack. The layer will be previewed on the right of the layer stack and its settings will be shown below the preview image. Scroll down to see every available parameter.
Common Layer Settings
All the layers have certain settings in common. The Event Triggers are described in the Start/Stop Show Button section.
Individual Layer Settings
Many layers support direct manipulation. This means that you can click its elements or guides in the preview area and manipulate them here. The setting values below will update accordingly. However many settings can’t be manipulated in the preview like colors, font face, and font size, or overall behavior changes.
To unleash the full power of each layer it’s recommended to look at all the settings of a layer and play around with them.
Layer Variants
Variants store sets of settings. For example, instead of having five individual Lower Third layers with a different name each, you can have one Lower Third layer with five Variants.
The big difference is that different variants of a layer can’t be used at the same time.
Each variant can have its own keyboard shortcut trigger or button in the Remote Control Surface.
Please note that there are different information to see in the variants list:
- The little “Live” button (below the big “Live” button) can be used to switch a certain variant live. If another variant is currently live this variant will be switched off (some layer has a transition between variants, most don’t)
- The little “Live” button indicates with red that this variant is currently live. This information is independent of the select state of a variant!
- The light grey background indicates that this variant is currently selected for preview on the right. This is independent of the live state of a variant!
The selected variant doesn’t need to be the live variant! If the output doesn’t show what the previews show it’s most likely because you selected a different variant than the live one.
Adding Variants To A Layer
To add a variant to a layer you need to do the following steps:
- Select the layer you want to add a variant in the layer stack. The preview will be shown on the layer on the right.
- Click the “+” button at the top of the preview settings. This will duplicate the current variant. If you want to make a copy of a certain variant you need to select it first.
Because the setting of variants is independent of each other it makes sense to create the look of a certain layer before duplicating it into multiple variants! (E.g. first design the Lower Third in its graphical appearance then make duplicates of it and after that fill in the titles and subtitles.
Collapsing Variants In The Layer Stack
If you have too many variants that you don’t need to see at once in the layer stack you can collapse the variants for a particular layer by clicking on the white triangle on the left of the variants list on the layer in the layer stack.
A dot indicator shows you which variant currently is selected (white, this will be the one that goes live if you click on the layers live button) and which one is currently live (red). You can jump through the variants by clicking on the arrow buttons next to the dot indicator or you can click on the dots to directly jump to this variant.
The feature of stepping through the variants makes a lot of sense if you have a list of things you want to go through while a show. For example, if you have a show with several guests in a row you can prepare the Lower Third variants upfront in the order as the guests will appear on the show. Then you just need to walk through your variants step by step.
Renaming Variants
The layers come up with a default variant name that is based on the behavior of a layer. However, sometimes you want to rename a layer variant the way you want. To do so you can either
- Double click on the variant’s name to directly jump into the editor in place.
- Right-click on the variants name to reveal a context menu. Click on “Rename Layer Variant” to enter the edit mode of the name.
Removing Variants From A Layer
To remove a variant from a layer follow these simple steps:
- Select the variant you want to remove in the variant list of the layer. The preview of that variant will be shown on the right.
- Click on the “-” button on top of the preview settings.
