All Collections
Platform
Showreels: Showreel editor
Showreels: Showreel editor
J
Written by Jeremy Shapero
Updated over a week ago

Role required: Customer Admin, Channel Admin, or Pro. See User roles.

The Showreel editor is available for any showreel you are the owner of. It is available when the showreel status is Editable, after you make your first clip until you generate the showreel for download.

Access the editor by clicking the showreel's Edit button on the Showreels screen, as shown in this image.

A screenshot of the Showreels screen with the Edit button emphasized.

Showreel editor view

This topic describes all features available in the showreel editor, including:

Styling Configuration

Styling Configuration is a text styling editor. Adjust default text settings in the Styling Configuration editor so they appear in clip and transition slide text overlay. Styling Configuration settings only apply to clips and transition slides made after settings are saved. They do not apply to clips and transitions made before the settings are saved.

1. Click the configuration cog and select Styling to access the editor.

2. Select defaults for:

  • Font — Select a font. Ariel font is default.

  • Font Size — Select a font size. Type in a value between 20-100 or use the up and down arrows. Size 40 font is default.

  • Text Colour — Select a text color using the color picker or type in the color hex code. White text color is default.

  • Background — Select a text background color using the color picker or type in the color hex code. Black text background color is default.

  • Transparency — Select text background color transparency. 100% transparency is default, alternatives are 50% and 0% transparency.

3. Click Save.

Tip: Styling Configuration is most effective if you make these settings after making your first clip. Styling Configuration settings overwrite the default text styling values in any clip and transition slide made after the settings are saved.

Edit Styling Configuration at any point before you generate the showreel.

Tip: Make Styling Configuration settings depending on the type of media to avoid editing clips or slides styling on an item by item basis. For example, make settings that apply to every clip. Then, edit Styling Configuration settings before making transition slides so settings appear in every transition slide.

Generation Configuration

Generation Configuration are settings that determine how the platform creates the downloadable showreel file.

1. Click the configuration cog and select Generation to access the editor.

2. Select generation settings for:

  • Showreel NameRequired. The showreel name input when the first clip is created. It is the Name listed on the Showreels screen. Showreel Name does not appear in the generated showreel. If applied and the showreel is published to the Media Library, it appears as the media title.

  • Generated Video Description — The showreel description. If applied and the showreel is published to the Media Library, it appears as the media description.

  • Country — The country of origin. If applied and the showreel is published to the Media Library, it appears as a filter.

  • Subtitles — Select to overlay subtitles on the bottom of each clip. By default, none. Options are Native (spoken word language) or English (the English translation if applicable). If all clips are in English, select either Native or English.

    Important: When Subtitles are selected, do not position text overlay on the Bottom region of a clip. Bottom region text overlaps with subtitle placement. Set text overlay to the Top or Middle region. A warning appears on every clip with text overlay set in the Bottom region.

  • Enable fade transitions between clips? — Inserts a fade to black between each clip and transition for smooth transition between showreel components. Enabled (green) by default. Disable (grey) for no fade to black between any clips or transitions.

  • Publish to media library? — Displays the showreel as a playable video with a thumbnail in the Media Library. Disabled (grey) by default. Enable (green) to publish the generated showreel.

3. Click Save.

Edit Generation Configuration at any point before you generate the showreel.

Showreel editor tools

The carousel at the bottom of the editor screen displays every clip and transition slide made in the showreel and the total duration of the showreel. Clips appear in order from left to right.

Tools available in the carousel:

Add a transition

Use transitions to create a title card and text transition slides between clips. Click the plus button to add a transition.

A transition appears as grey tile in the showreel media carousel.

By default, transition slides are labeled Transition. The transition label is for reference and it does not appear in the generated showreel. Click Edit next to the transition label to edit.

Transition slides have two tabs.

  • Transition — Style the transition slide

    • Background Colour — Choose a background color using the color picker or type in the color hex code.

    • Image — Click Upload to select and upload an image. Image file must be in a supported format: .JPEG, .JPG, .PNG, .PNG8, .GIF, .BMP. Image should be 16:9 aspect ratio.

      Once an image is uploaded, Change or Remove the image is available.

    • Duration — Move the sliders to set the length of time the transition slide appears in the showreel between 0 and 60 seconds. By default, duration is 5 seconds. The duration appears on the grey transition tile in the media carousel.

  • Overlay — Input and style the text that appears on the transition slide

    • Text Overlay — Input the text that appears on the transition slide.

    • Text Alignment — Select text placement on the transition slide.

      • Choose Top, Middle or Bottom of the screen. By default, Middle is selected.

      • Choose Left, Center or Right justified. By default, Center is selected.

    • Duration — Move the slider to set the length of time the text appears on the transition slide. By default, duration is 5 seconds. The maximum duration is the Transition Duration, up to 60 seconds. Duration appears at the bottom of the transition slide

      Tip: Take read rate into account when determining Text Overlay Duration. Read rate is the approximate amount of time it take to read text. Time yourself reading the text to determine a read rate.

    • Font — Select a font. Arial font is default. See Note below.

    • Font Size — Select a font size. Type in a value between 20-100 or use the up and down arrows. Size 40 font is default. See Note below.

    • Text Colour — Select a text color using the color picker or type in the color hex code. White text color is default. See Note below.

    • Background — Select a text background color using the color picker or type in the color hex code. Black text background color is default. See Note below.

    • Transparency — Select text background color transparency. 100% transparency is default, alternatives are 50% and 0% transparency. See Note below.

Note: After you make Styling Configuration settings, these overwrite the default text styling values in any clip and transition slide made after the Styling settings are saved.

View the media type

Each clip has an icon in the upper right corner identifying the type of media the clip came from (video, audio, image).

Preview transition image

If the camera on the transition tile is white, the transition has an uploaded image. Hover over the camera to view the image.

Preview text overlay

View if text is overlaid on a clip or transition and preview the text.

  • Clip — The overlay icon appears in the upper right corner of the clip if there is overlay text. Hover over the icon to preview the overlay text.

  • Transition — If the overlay icon is white, the transition has text overlay. Hover over the icon to preview the overlay text.

Move icons

Adjust the order of clips and transitions using the Move icons.

  1. Click the clip or transition in the carousel.

  2. Click < Move or Move > the put the media in the desired place.

Delete

Delete a clip or transition slide. Deleting a clip has no impact on the original media. Once a clip or transition is deleted, there is no way to retrieve it. You will need to re-make the clip from the original media or re-create the transition slide.

Copy

Copy a clip or transition slide for re-use in the showreel.

Preview

Preview the showreel.

Edit a clip

Click any clip in the carousel to access the clip editor.

By default, clips are labeled with the clip name input when the clip was created. The clip name is for reference and it does not appear in the generated showreel. Click Edit next to the clip name to edit.

Navigate back to any clip's original media by clicking the "View Original Media" button beneath the player.

Clips have two tabs.

  • Transcriptions — Edit or copy the clip's transcription

    • Edit subtitles

Subtitles in a showreel are generated from the transcript text. If you set Generation Configuration to include native or English subtitles, edit the transcript of a clip so the subtitles match the spoken word.

Editing transcript text in the Showreel editor does not update the original media transcript.

To edit the subtitle text in the transcript:

  1. Click Edit Transcript so the button changes color.

  2. Click on a word to edit in the transcript. This opens the text editor area beneath the transcript field.

  3. Edit the cue point in the text editor.

  4. Click Save.

    Important: Edits do not save if you do not click Save before clicking to a different cue point.

  5. Click another line of transcript to open a new cue point in the text editor. Click Save after you edit each cue point.

  6. Click Edit Transcript to exit the text editor.

  • Overlay — Input and style the text that appears on the clip

    • Text Overlay — Input the text that appears on the clip.

    • Text Alignment — Select text placement on the clip.

      • Choose Top, Middle or Bottom of the screen. By default, Middle is selected.

        Important: When Subtitles are selected, a warning appears on every clip with text overlay set in the Bottom region. Bottom region text overlaps with subtitle placement. Set text overlay to the Top or Middle region.

      • Choose Left, Center or Right justified. By default, Center is selected.

    • Duration — Move the sliders to set the length of time the text appears on the clip. By default, duration is the full length of the clip.

      Tip: Take read rate into account when determining Text Overlay Duration. Read rate is the approximate amount of time it take to read text. Time yourself reading the text to determine a read rate.

    • Font — Select a font. Arial font is default. See Note below.

    • Font Size — Select a font size. Type in a value between 20-100 or use the up and down arrows. Size 40 font is default. See Note below.

    • Text Colour — Select a text color using the color picker or type in the color hex code. White text color is default. See Note below.

    • Background — Select a text background color using the color picker or type in the color hex code. Black text background color is default. See Note below.

    • Transparency — Select text background color transparency. 100% transparency is default, alternatives are 50% and 0% transparency. See Note below.

Note: After you make Styling Configuration settings, these overwrite the default text styling values in any clip and transition slide made after the Styling settings are saved.

Fine tune edit

There are three ways to precisely edit the start or end time of a clip.

  1. Keyboard shortcuts

    1. Click the clip start or end marker on the player so it turns red (edit mode).

    2. On your keyboard, tap the left arrow key to move the marker 1/10th second to the left or right arrow key to move the marker 1/10th second to the right. Tap as many times as needed.

    3. Hold the keyboard shift key before tapping the left arrow key to move 1 second left or shift plus the right arrow key to move 1 second right. Tap as many times as needed.

    4. Click Escape (Esc) on your keyboard to exit edit mode.

  2. Drag and Drop

    1. Click the clip start or end marker on the player so it turns red (edit mode).

    2. Drag the clip marker to the desired location.

    3. Click Escape (Esc) on your keyboard to exit edit mode.

  3. Edit the timestamp

    1. Click the start or end timestamp.

    2. Type in the desired time.

    3. Tap Enter on your keyboard.

    4. Click anywhere outside of the timestamp field to exit.

The platform provides auditory feedback each time a user moves a clip start or end marker to help asses that the clip starts or ends exactly where desired. Each time the start marker moves, the clip begins playing. Each time the end marker moves, the editor plays the three seconds before the end of the clip.

Save and Draft State

Save

Save often when editing showreels.

Save and Discard appear any time a new edit is made. All edits are logged since the last save until you save or discard them.

If you attempt to navigate elsewhere within the LivingLens platform and you have unsaved changes, you are prompted to Save Changes or Discard Changes. This saves or discards all edits made since the last save.

Draft state

A showreel enters Draft state when the Showreel owner exits the web browser with unsaved showreel edits. The showreel stays in Draft state until the Showreel owner saves or discards the unsaved changes.

You cannot transfer ownership of a showreel in Draft state. Save or discard the unsaved changes before transferring showreel ownership.

Generate a showreel

To generate a showreel for download:

  1. Click Generate.

  2. Confirm the Generation Configuration settings.

    1. To make changes, click X or Cancel to leave the summary. Navigate back to the Generate Configuration editor to update and save new settings. Then, click Generate.

  3. Click Generate on the Generate modal. This begins processing and automatically sends the user to the Showreels screen.

Showreel generation takes a few minutes. When the showreel status is Generating, the system retrieves the clips from the original media and inputs transition slides and subtitle and overlay text.

The showreel status is Generated when the showreel is available for download. Click Download to download the showreel. The showreel downloads as a 720p .MP4 file unless all original media uploads at 480p or less.

Tip: Refresh the Showreels screen to see status updates. The page does not automatically refresh.

Did this answer your question?