Is it possible to send the letters of a song on a CLEAR back ground? This is for use with an overlay unit - to have the words of the songs OVERLAYING over the image of the camera feed...
Discussion
Anonymous
-
2014-03-23
Is it possible to send the letters of a song on a CLEAR back ground? This is for use with an overlay unit - to have the words of the songs OVERLAYING over the image of the camera feed...
The best we get is a WHITE background, but it bleeds the picture badly!!!
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What exactly do you mean with a 'CLEAR' background? Do you mean transparent? No, that is not possible because we are drawing an image on a screen.
In the style settings you can choose any color you want. Are you using the background color as chroma key?
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Anonymous
Anonymous
-
2014-03-25
we are using open song for the words and a camera to show the band, and we would like the word to show without a light white background it is showing at th emoment
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So you mean present the lyrics on something transparent so you can see the video? Then how do you play the video?
There is no real video overlay support in OpenSong that allows you to show lyrics on video. There is a build-in method using VLC to the background on Windows and use a Direct-X trick to simulate this, together with a slide background of RGB (0,0,1) this simulates lyrics on video overlay. It however is very much dependent on Windows (I last got this to work on Windows XP), DirectX and specific versions of VideoLAN.
A solid solution is to use a videomixer and use a chroma key filter to mix the lyrics with the video from you camera; then you just need to sync the background color with the color set in the video mixer.
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Anonymous
Anonymous
-
2014-03-27
Our setup is as follows(see the JPEG attachent)
The video switch does not have a VGA input nor a overlay function, this is whay we use this AVERY overlay unit to "overlay" the words of OpenSong over the video of the band playing - but when overlaying the words, a white "glare" suddenly drowns the picture, that is the background of the OpenSong sending the words. So if it was possible to ONLY sending the words, with no background at all OR transparent, it should solve this problem?
Just sending the words is not possible. Imagine your normal screen attached to the computer. What do you expect to happen when OpenSong uses a transparent background? Then you would see your Windows desktop. You can't show 'nothing' on your screen.
I can't find a spec on this Avery overlay unit, but other overlay units seem to expect either red (#FF0000), green (#00FF00), blue (#0000FF) or black (#000000) as background color. You can set that in the default presentation style.
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I can't find the specification on this overlay unit, either. I'm fascinated by the discussion. Can you please provide a web link to the specifications for this unit or a more complete description, including model number?
Vwout's experience and mine are the same. I have never seen an overlay unit that does not work on chroma keying to replace a specific color with the image coming from the output of your Datavideo switcher.
I noticed the Datavideo switcher has component, S-video, or composite outputs. Which are you using to feed into the overlay unit?
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Anonymous
Anonymous
-
2014-04-01
Sorry, I type the wrong name: the Overlay unit is a AMBERY model MPVGA1, see attached pdf manual. We use the s-video output from the SE-500 and the normal VGA screen output from the PC(only switching to OVERLAY mode when "sending the text" of the song)
The problem is, the bacground having the smallest influence on the end result is a white bacground. This looks if the brightness is way to much when ovelaying - obviously comming from the chosen white background of Opensong. My common sense tell me if we can send the words only - with NO or clear bacground, it could sole the problem?
The other problem is that we do not know what "chroma key" or "VLC" means??
Thanks for correcting the name and providing the manual. It is not very helpful. However, I was able to find more information about the product at this link: http://www.ambery.com/pcvgatovimeg.html.
I believe you have it set up in "mixer mode." According to the website, it places a semi-transparent image of the computer screen on top of the video image. This would explain the flashing you see when OpenSong repaints the white background. By making the white background semi-transparent, the video image underneath would be most visible.
This is where "chroma keying" is used. The Ambery can do this. You will need to change output mode from "Mixer" to "Overlay." In chroma keying (chroma means "color, so this means color keying), the unit will detect a specific color (the key color) and completely make it transparent. You will have the effect you want of the words floating above the image. Your unit can use blue, green, red, or black as the key color.
Here is how to do this. Go to the style settings in OpenSong. Pick a good text color to contrast with your image. This might be white with a black outline, for example. Now, set the background to all green. A "pure" green is best (Red=0, Green=255, Blue=0). If you choose to use red or blue, do something similar and make it totally that color.
I attached a sample screen shot of the OpenSong color picker.
Now, on your Ambery overlay unit, use the Mode button and the arrow keys to change the Output mode to Overlay and the Overlay mode to Green Key (or blue, or red).
This should get your system set up properly to display the text over your image.
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Anonymous
Anonymous
-
2014-04-02
Hi Ed,
Thanks so much for all your time spent on this problem! It is much appreciated.
The moment I'm back in church, we will set the Ambery and our OpenSong program as you recommend. I'll let you know asap
God's Blessings
Deon Kruger (Secunda, South Africa)
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Anonymous
Anonymous
-
2014-04-06
Hi Ed,
It is working so fine! Thanks again...
At first it seems that the red background bleed into the video picture again, but after some contrast settings, it suddenly come right!
We are all fixed up - thanks
Deon
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Is it possible to send the letters of a song on a CLEAR back ground? This is for use with an overlay unit - to have the words of the songs OVERLAYING over the image of the camera feed...
The best we get is a WHITE background, but it bleeds the picture badly!!!
What exactly do you mean with a 'CLEAR' background? Do you mean transparent? No, that is not possible because we are drawing an image on a screen.
In the style settings you can choose any color you want. Are you using the background color as chroma key?
we are using open song for the words and a camera to show the band, and we would like the word to show without a light white background it is showing at th emoment
So you mean present the lyrics on something transparent so you can see the video? Then how do you play the video?
There is no real video overlay support in OpenSong that allows you to show lyrics on video. There is a build-in method using VLC to the background on Windows and use a Direct-X trick to simulate this, together with a slide background of RGB (0,0,1) this simulates lyrics on video overlay. It however is very much dependent on Windows (I last got this to work on Windows XP), DirectX and specific versions of VideoLAN.
A solid solution is to use a videomixer and use a chroma key filter to mix the lyrics with the video from you camera; then you just need to sync the background color with the color set in the video mixer.
Our setup is as follows(see the JPEG attachent)
The video switch does not have a VGA input nor a overlay function, this is whay we use this AVERY overlay unit to "overlay" the words of OpenSong over the video of the band playing - but when overlaying the words, a white "glare" suddenly drowns the picture, that is the background of the OpenSong sending the words. So if it was possible to ONLY sending the words, with no background at all OR transparent, it should solve this problem?
Just sending the words is not possible. Imagine your normal screen attached to the computer. What do you expect to happen when OpenSong uses a transparent background? Then you would see your Windows desktop. You can't show 'nothing' on your screen.
I can't find a spec on this Avery overlay unit, but other overlay units seem to expect either red (#FF0000), green (#00FF00), blue (#0000FF) or black (#000000) as background color. You can set that in the default presentation style.
I can't find the specification on this overlay unit, either. I'm fascinated by the discussion. Can you please provide a web link to the specifications for this unit or a more complete description, including model number?
Vwout's experience and mine are the same. I have never seen an overlay unit that does not work on chroma keying to replace a specific color with the image coming from the output of your Datavideo switcher.
I noticed the Datavideo switcher has component, S-video, or composite outputs. Which are you using to feed into the overlay unit?
Sorry, I type the wrong name: the Overlay unit is a AMBERY model MPVGA1, see attached pdf manual. We use the s-video output from the SE-500 and the normal VGA screen output from the PC(only switching to OVERLAY mode when "sending the text" of the song)
The problem is, the bacground having the smallest influence on the end result is a white bacground. This looks if the brightness is way to much when ovelaying - obviously comming from the chosen white background of Opensong. My common sense tell me if we can send the words only - with NO or clear bacground, it could sole the problem?
The other problem is that we do not know what "chroma key" or "VLC" means??
Thanks for correcting the name and providing the manual. It is not very helpful. However, I was able to find more information about the product at this link: http://www.ambery.com/pcvgatovimeg.html.
I believe you have it set up in "mixer mode." According to the website, it places a semi-transparent image of the computer screen on top of the video image. This would explain the flashing you see when OpenSong repaints the white background. By making the white background semi-transparent, the video image underneath would be most visible.
This is where "chroma keying" is used. The Ambery can do this. You will need to change output mode from "Mixer" to "Overlay." In chroma keying (chroma means "color, so this means color keying), the unit will detect a specific color (the key color) and completely make it transparent. You will have the effect you want of the words floating above the image. Your unit can use blue, green, red, or black as the key color.
Here is how to do this. Go to the style settings in OpenSong. Pick a good text color to contrast with your image. This might be white with a black outline, for example. Now, set the background to all green. A "pure" green is best (Red=0, Green=255, Blue=0). If you choose to use red or blue, do something similar and make it totally that color.
I attached a sample screen shot of the OpenSong color picker.
Now, on your Ambery overlay unit, use the Mode button and the arrow keys to change the Output mode to Overlay and the Overlay mode to Green Key (or blue, or red).
This should get your system set up properly to display the text over your image.
Let us know how it works out.
Last edit: Ed Palmer 2014-04-01
Hi Ed,
Thanks so much for all your time spent on this problem! It is much appreciated.
The moment I'm back in church, we will set the Ambery and our OpenSong program as you recommend. I'll let you know asap
God's Blessings
Deon Kruger (Secunda, South Africa)
Hi Ed,
It is working so fine! Thanks again...
At first it seems that the red background bleed into the video picture again, but after some contrast settings, it suddenly come right!
We are all fixed up - thanks
Deon