Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro 4 Channel Live Stream HDMI Switcher User Manual
- June 10, 2024
- Blackmagic
Table of Contents
- ATEM Mini Pro 4 Channel Live Stream HDMI Switcher
- Installation and Operation Manual
- ATEM Mini
- Languages
- Getting Started
- Plugging in Power
- Plugging in Video Sources
- Plugging in a Monitor and Testing Inputs
- Connect a Microphone
- Using Cuts and Transitions
- Controlling Audio
- Using Picture in Picture
- Using the Upstream Keyer
- Fade to Black
- Using a Still Graphic
- Stream Buttons
- Recording using the Record Buttons
- Direct Streaming via Ethernet
ATEM Mini Pro 4 Channel Live Stream HDMI Switcher
Installation and Operation Manual
ATEM Mini
The ATEM Mini is a compact live production switcher designed for
live streaming and video production. It allows you to switch
between multiple video sources, add effects and transitions,
control audio, and more.
Languages
The ATEM Mini manual is available in multiple languages. To
access your preferred language, click on the hyperlinks listed in
the contents below.
Getting Started
Before using the ATEM Mini, you need to plug in power, video
sources, and a monitor. You can also connect a microphone for audio
input.
Plugging in Power
Connect the included power supply to the ATEM Mini and plug it
into a power outlet.
Plugging in Video Sources
Connect your video sources to the HDMI inputs on the ATEM Mini.
You can connect up to four HDMI sources.
Plugging in a Monitor and Testing Inputs
Connect a monitor to the HDMI output on the ATEM Mini and turn
it on. The ATEM Mini will display the first connected source by
default. Use the buttons on the ATEM Mini to switch between sources
and verify that each source is working properly.
Connect a Microphone
You can connect a microphone to the 3.5mm audio input on the
ATEM Mini for audio input. Adjust the audio levels using the
buttons on the ATEM Mini.
Switching your Production
The ATEM Mini allows you to switch between video sources using
cuts and transitions. You can also control audio levels and add
effects like picture-in-picture and upstream keying.
Using Cuts and Transitions
You can switch between sources using cuts or transitions. To use
a cut, simply press the button for the desired source. To use a
transition, press the auto button and select the desired transition
style using the buttons on the ATEM Mini.
Controlling Audio
Use the audio buttons on the ATEM Mini to adjust audio levels
for each source.
Using Picture in Picture
The ATEM Mini allows you to add a picture-in-picture effect to
your production. Use the buttons on the ATEM Mini to adjust the
size and position of the picture-in-picture.
Using the Upstream Keyer
The upstream keyer allows you to add graphics or text overlays
to your production. Use the buttons on the ATEM Mini to adjust the
key settings and position of the overlay.
Fade to Black
You can use the fade to black button on the ATEM Mini to quickly
fade out all video sources.
Using a Still Graphic
The ATEM Mini allows you to add a still graphic to your
production. Simply connect a USB drive with your graphic and use
the buttons on the ATEM Mini to select and display it.
Additional Features on ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme
The ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme have additional
features, including stream buttons, recording capabilities, and
direct streaming via Ethernet.
Stream Buttons
The stream buttons on the ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme
allow you to start and stop streaming directly from the
switcher.
Recording using the Record Buttons
You can record your production using the record buttons on the
ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme. You can also set up recording
parameters using the ATEM Software Control.
Direct Streaming via Ethernet
The ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme allow you to stream your
production directly via Ethernet without the need for a separate
streaming device.
Installation and Operation Manual
ATEM Mini
February 2021 English, , Français, Deutsch, Español, , , , Italiano, Português
and Türkçe.
Languages
To go directly to your preferred language, simply click on the hyperlinks
listed in the contents below.
English Français Deutsch Español Italiano Português Türkçe
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English
Welcome
Thank you for purchasing ATEM Mini for your live production streaming! If
you’re new to live production switchers, then you’re about to become involved
in the most exciting part of the broadcast industry and that’s live
production! There is nothing like live production and it’s so easy to become
addicted to the adrenaline rush of editing in real time while the live event
unfolds before your eyes. ATEM Mini is a small live production switcher that
automatically converts 720p and 1080p HD video and connects it directly to
your computer via USB. The computer sees your ATEM Mini as a webcam so it can
be streamed online using your favorite online streaming application like
YouTube or OBS Studio. ATEM Mini switchers use the same internal video
processing used in the largest ATEM switchers, so even though the unit is
small and portable, you get the same amazing level of control and professional
features so it is very powerful. You can use the high quality buttons on the
built in control panel, or launch ATEM Software Control and perform more
complex switching. For example, you can manage all your graphics, set up
keyers, record and run macros, and even mix and enhance your audio using a
full audio mixer with faders and advanced EQ and dynamics controls. ATEM Mini
lets you start small, then expand your ATEM workflow as your projects grow.
There really is no limit to what you can do! We hope you get years of use from
ATEM Mini and have lots of fun with your live production! This instruction
manual should contain all the information you’ll need for installing your ATEM
Mini and getting started. Please check the support page on our web site at
www.blackmagicdesign.com for the latest version of the ATEM software. When
downloading software, please register with your information so we can keep you
updated when new software is released. We are constantly working on new
features and improvements, so we would love to hear from you!
Grant Petty CEO Blackmagic Design
Contents
Getting Started
6
Plugging in Power
6
Plugging in Video Sources
7
Plugging in a Monitor and Testing Inputs 7
Connect a Microphone
8
Cut Transitions
9
Connecting to Skype or Zoom
10
Setting the Webcam Source
10
Switching your Production
12
Using Cuts and Transitions
12
Switching Sources using a Cut
12
Switching Sources using an Auto
Transition
12
Transition Styles and DVEs
13
Controlling Audio
14
Using Picture in Picture
15
Using the Upstream Keyer
16
Fade to Black
17
Using a Still Graphic
17
Additional Features on ATEM
Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme
19
Stream Buttons
19
Recording using the Record Buttons 20
Setting the HDMI Output using
the Video Out Buttons
21
Direct Streaming via Ethernet
22
Smartphone Tethering
26
Additional Features on ATEM
Mini Extreme
27
Connecting Headphones
28
Select Bus
28
Camera Control
29
Macros
31
Using SuperSource
31
Using the Multiview
33
ATEM Software Control
38
Switching Modes
38
Using ATEM Software Control
40
Media Manager
41
Audio Mixer
41
Camera Control
42
Using the Software Control Panel
42
Processing Palettes
46
Media Player Tab
47
Output Tab
48
Recording ISO Files
51
Preparing Media for Recording
57
Preparing Media on a Computer
57
Timecode Generator
59
Using the Audio Mixer
60
Shaping your Audio Mix using
Advanced Fairlight Controls
62
Using the 6 Band Parametric Equalizer 63
Fairlight Controls Workflow Guide
69
Using the Media Page
69
Navigating the Browse Window
70
ATEM Media Pool
71
Image File Types
72
Creating a TGA File with
an Alpha Channel
72
Using Camera Control
75
DaVinci Resolve Primary
Color Corrector
79
Using Macros
82
What is a Macro?
82
The Macros Window in
ATEM Software Control
82
Changing Switcher Settings
88
Setting Audio Input and
Output Behavior
89
Multiview Settings
90
Labels Settings
91
ATEM Mini
4
HyperDeck Settings
91
Setting the HDMI Output Source
92
Saving and Restoring
Switcher Settings
92
Preference Settings
94
ATEM Mini Setup Settings
96
Updating your ATEM Mini
97
Configure Page
97
Setting up Open Broadcaster
98
Using Adobe Photoshop with ATEM 100
Using Multiple Control Panels
101
Connecting to a Network
103
Using DHCP and Fixed IP Addresses 103
Manually Setting a Fixed IP Address 104
Changing ATEM Mini Network
Settings
105
Changing the Hardware Panel
Network Settings
106
Setting the Switcher’s IP
Location on the Panel
107
ATEM Software Control
via the Network
108
Connecting to an Internet Router
109
Getting a Stream Key
110
Keying using ATEM Mini
111
Understanding Keying
111
Luma Key
111
Linear Key
112
Pre multiplied Key
112
Performing an Upstream
Luma/Linear Key
113
Chroma Key
115
Performing a Chroma Key
116
Pattern Key
119
DVE Key
121
Performing Upstream
Keyer Transitions
124
Creating Video Links with
ATEM Streaming Bridge
126
Direct Connection
126
Network Connection
127
Remote Administration
130
Internet Connection
130
Connection Status
132
Connecting to ATEM Mini Pro or
ATEM Mini Extreme
132
Remote ATEM Mini Pro
134
Broadcast Video Reference
135
Factory Reset
135
HyperDeck Control
136
Introducing HyperDeck Control
136
Controlling HyperDecks with
ATEM Software Control
138
Controlling HyperDecks with
External Hardware Panels
139
HyperDeck Setup with
ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel
140
Controlling HyperDecks with
ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel
142
Connecting ATEM 1 M/E
Advanced Panel
143
Using ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel 144
Performing Transitions using
ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel
150
Recording Macros using
ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel
161
Using ATEM Camera Control Panel 163
Changing Network Settings
165
Camera Control Panel Layout
167
Controlling Cameras
171
Using Audio
178
Connecting other Audio Sources
178
Using Embedded
HDMI Audio Sources
178
Using a Third Party Audio Mixer
Control Surface
179
Help
181
Regulatory Notices
182
Safety Information
183
Warranty
184
ATEM Mini
5
Getting Started
At first glance ATEM Mini might seem intimidating with all the connectors and
buttons, however the unit is actually very easy to set up and use. Each
feature serves a specific function and it won’t take long to get familiar with
ATEM Mini and know exactly what each feature does.
This section of the manual will show you how to get started with your ATEM
Mini, including how to connect power, connect an HDMI video source, connect a
microphone and plug into your computer so you can start broadcasting online.
Plugging in Power
The first step to getting started is to plug in the mains power supply using
the supplied power adapter. If your power supply has a locking ring, secure
the connection to ATEM Mini by tightening the connector to the unit. This
locks the power cable to ATEM Mini preventing it from being accidentally
removed.
1
2
Connect power to ATEM Mini’s power input using the supplied cable
Secure the connector to ATEM Mini by tightening the connector screw
TIP It’s important to note that the power supplies for ATEM Mini are different as the ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme models use a little more power so its power supply can provide more current. However they are both 12 volts. So this means it’s important to use the power adapter supplied with each unit. If you have different models of ATEM Mini then it might be a good idea to label each power adapter so you know which adapter is for each unit.
Getting Started
6
Plugging in Video Sources
Plug your HDMI cameras and other HDMI sources into ATEM Mini’s HDMI inputs.
The first input you plug in will set the video format, so if the first video
source you plug in is 1080p50, all other inputs will automatically be
converted to 1080p50.
Plug HDMI sources into ATEM Mini’s four HDMI inputs
Switch between your sources by selecting the large numbered buttons on the
unit.
Plugging in a Monitor and Testing Inputs
With your video sources connected, you can now plug an HDMI television into
ATEM Mini’s HDMI output and check all the inputs are working. This is also a
good opportunity to check sources and see if your shots are smoothly switching
between each other.
Plug an HDMI television or monitor into ATEM Mini’s HDMI output so you can
monitor your program output and check all your sources are working properly
TIP ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme models have a powerful multiview feature that
lets you see all your inputs, plus program and preview outputs simultaneously
on one screen. For more information, refer to the `Using the Multiview’
section.
Getting Started
7
To check your sources, simply press the numbered video out buttons on ATEM
Mini’s control panel and watch the HDMI television. If your sources are
working correctly, you should see them switch between each other. On ATEM Mini
Extreme models, the video out buttons select the source for the second HDMI
output.
Connect a Microphone
When broadcasting a PowerPoint presentation or a Kickstarter video, you might
want to use a microphone so your voice can be heard loud and clear. Plug a
microphone, for example a small wireless collar microphone, into one of the
3.5mm audio inputs. If you are broadcasting an interview, plug the second
microphone into the second 3.5mm audio input. You can even plug a music player
into one of the audio inputs and mix it into your production.
Connect microphones to ATEM Mini’s mic inputs
To add the microphone to your audio mix, press the on’ button. This switches the mic input on air until you press
off’. The button will illuminate red
when on air.
Getting Started
8
Cut Transitions
Now that you have your cameras and microphone connected, ATEM Mini is ready to
start switching your production. This happens when you switch from one video
source in your broadcast to another. A source can be any HDMI video signal
connected to the HDMI inputs. It can also be a still graphic, a keyer, or any
internal source like a color generator, color bars, or black.
In the demonstration below ATEM Mini will cut from input 1 to input 2.
To perform a cut: 1 Input 1 is illuminated red to indicate input 1 is
currently live on air.
2 Select a cut’ by pressing the
cut’ button. Pressing cut’ tells ATEM Mini you want to use a straight cut instead of an auto transition. 3 Now press the input 2 button. Input 1 will now immediately switch to input 2 and you will see input 2 illuminated red, which means input 2 is now live on air. This is known as a cut as you are
cutting’ directly from one source to another.
Getting Started
9
Connecting to Skype or Zoom
Plug ATEM Mini’s webcam output into your computer’s USB input. Your computer
will recognize ATEM Mini as a webcam and you can select it as the webcam
source in your streaming program, such as Skype, Zoom or OBS Studio.
Plug your computer into ATEM Mini’s webcam out USB-C connector
Setting the Webcam Source
In most cases, your streaming software will automatically set ATEM Mini as the
webcam, so when you launch your streaming software you will see the picture
from your ATEM Mini straight away. If your software doesn’t select ATEM Mini,
simply set the software to use ATEM Mini as the webcam and microphone.
Setting the Webcam on Skype
1
2
Click on the profile picture and select settings’. Select
audio & video’
from the sidebar
3
4
Click on the `camera’ menu and select Blackmagic Design from the list. You will see the video from ATEM Mini appear in the preview window.
Now go to the `microphone’ menu and select Blackmagic Design as your audio source.
Getting Started
10
With your Skype settings set correctly, perhaps try out a Skype call with a friend as a quick test to check your broadcast setup is working.
Setting the Webcam on Zoom
1
2
Before joining a meeting, click your profile picture and select settings.
3
Click the `video’ tab and select Blackmagic Design from the list. The video from ATEM Mini will appear in the preview window.
Now click the audio’ tab and select Blackmagic Design as the microphone. With your ATEM Mini now set as your webcam you are now ready to broadcast your video to the world live! TIP ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme models can also directly stream via Ethernet to any streaming platform including YouTube and Twitch. This means you can stream to YouTube while simultaneously recording your program to a flash disk via the USB-C connection. For more information on direct streaming, see the
Direct
Streaming and Switcher Control via Ethernet’ section later in this manual.
Getting Started
11
Switching your Production
With ATEM Mini, you can switch cleanly using professional cuts or transitions.
For example, a cut will instantly change from one source to another and a
transition will change sources over a defined duration often using an effect.
For more information, refer to the using cuts and transitions’ section later in this manual. Using Cuts and Transitions When switching video sources, you can use a straight cut which will immediately change one source to another, or a transition which gradually changes one source to another over a defined duration. Transitions appear as an effect, for example a cross dissolve or mix, a dip to colour, or even a stylized wipe and you have many styles to choose from. Switching Sources using a Cut In the demonstration below ATEM Mini will cut from input 1 to input 2. To perform a cut: 1 Input 1 is illuminated red to indicate input 1 is currently live on air. 2 Select a
cut’ by pressing the cut’ button. Pressing
cut’ tells ATEM Mini you want to use a straight cut instead of an auto
transition. 3 Now press the input 2 button.
Input 1 will now immediately switch to input 2 and you will see input 2
illuminated red, which means input 2 is now live on air. This is known as a
cut as you are cutting’ directly from one source to another. Switching Sources using an Auto Transition Transitions let you smoothly switch from one source to another over a defined duration. For example, a mix transition gradually fades the current source into the next until the original source is no longer visible. A wipe transition will move a line across the original source revealing another effectively wiping across the image. You can add a colored border, or make it soft so the edge is smooth and pleasing. You can even use digital video effects or DVEs, such as a squeeze or push, to move the images as they transition from one to the other. In the demonstration below ATEM Mini will switch from input 1 to input 2 using a mix transition: To perform a mix auto transition: 1 Press the
mix’ button to select a mix
transition.
Switching your Production
12
2 Now press a duration you want for the mix.
3 Press the auto’ button to tell ATEM Mini you want to use an automated transition. 4 Press the input 2 button to perform the mix transition. You will now see inputs 1 and 2 buttons illuminated red while the transition happens and your broadcast changes to input 2. When the transition is complete, input 2 will be illuminated red to indicate it is now live on air. Transition Styles and DVEs The buttons above the
auto’ button contain different transition styles,
including a mix cross dissolve and a dip to color. You can also select
horizontal and vertical wipe transitions by pressing their respective
transition style buttons. These also include DVE push and squeeze transitions.
Press the transition type button for the transition you want to use, for
example a horizontal or vertical wipe, push or squeeze DVE transition, and mix
or dip transition
ATEM Mini Extreme models provide more transition types. Below is a table of
the different transition types you can select on the control panel.
DVE Push Horizontal
DVE Squeeze Horizontal
DVE Push Vertical
DVE Squeeze Vertical
Circle Wipe
Box Wipe
Diagonal Wipe
Diagonal Wipe
Vertical Wipe
Horizontal Wipe
Mix
Dip
Switching your Production
13
Controlling Audio
When setting up your production or during your broadcast, you will likely want
to control audio levels if the sound is too quiet or too loud.
When an audio level is too loud it will clip. Clipping means the audio has
increased beyond the maximum accepted level and when this happens it can
distort and sound unpleasant.
Pressing the up and down arrow buttons for each input will increase or
decrease the audio level for the respective source. For example, if the
presenter’s voice is too loud and risks clipping, you can decrease the audio
level by pressing the down button incrementally until the level is safe.
ON OFF
Pressing the on or off buttons will let you permanently enable the audio from
the respective input source, or turn its audio off completely.
ON When the input’s audio is set to on’, the input audio will be heard permanently, even if the source is not currently on air. OFF When the input’s audio is set to
off’, the source audio will never be heard even if
the source video is on air.
AFV
AFV stands for `audio follows video’ and will let the audio for a respective
input be heard whenever the source is switched on air.
To enable or disable AFV for each input, simply press its AFV button.
Switching your Production
14
MUTE
Headphone controls include a mute button to silence all audio playback
including program audio. This is helpful if a presenter wants to mute program
audio while speaking. The button will illuminate red when selected.
RESET
Pressing the `reset’ button will restore the input audio level to its default
position. This is helpful if you want to cancel any adjustments or reference
the original level before you made changes. On ATEM Mini Extreme, pressing the
reset button for the headphone input will restore the headphone level to its
default setting.
Using Picture in Picture
Picture in picture superimposes a second source over your broadcast video
source in a small box you can position and customize. Input 1 is the default
picture in picture source, so if you’re broadcasting gameplay and want to
superimpose your reactions, plug your camera into input 1 and it will appear
in picture in picture.
Switching your Production
15
To enable picture in picture: 1 Make sure your video to be inside the box is
plugged into HDMI input 1.
2 Plug your main video into one of the other HDMI inputs.
3 In the picture in picture buttons on control panel, press `on’.
You will now see the picture in picture box appear on the screen. To select a
different position, press any of the position buttons.
ATEM Mini Extreme models feature additional picture in picture configurations
including a single side box arrangement and the ability to superimpose two
sources over the background. HDMI 1 and HDMI 2 are the default sources when
dual picture in picture sources are enabled.
Using the Upstream Keyer
ATEM Mini’s upstream keyer is used to superimpose graphics or blend one video
layer over another using transparency. This means you can tell ATEM Mini to
make an input source’s background color invisible using the chroma keyer, or
only use a specific section of a graphic using a luma or linear key. Linear
keys are great for visual effects, titles and lower third graphics.
Press the `key’ on or off buttons to switch the upstream keyer on and off air
TIP ATEM Mini’s advanced chroma keyer is perfect for keying graphics from a
PowerPoint presentation. For example, you could have a series of graphics
designed to be keyed over a background and these can played out directly from
a PowerPoint sequence. All you need to do is make any invisible areas green,
or any solid color that isn’t used in your graphic, then set the chroma keyer
to make that color transparent. The images from your computer will be high
quality over HDMI so will key very cleanly and look fantastic.
Switching your Production
16
ATEM Mini Extreme features four upstream keyers. Use the key 1′ on or off buttons to switch upstream keyer 1 on or off air. To switch to other upstream keyers save them in a macro or use ATEM Software control. For more information on macros, see the
Using Macros’ section later in this manual.
Fade to Black
The fade to black button is an easy way to start and end live broadcasts. Fade
to black performs a mix to black which happens across all video layers at the
same time. This means all video inputs, stills and any upstream or downstream
keyers that are visible in your broadcast. When performing a fade to black,
the master program audio will also fade out to silence.
Simply press the FTB button to perform the fade to black. The button will
flash while enabled.
To fade up from black, simply press the FTB button again. This is a clean way
of starting and finishing a broadcast.
Using a Still Graphic
ATEM Mini and Mini Pro switchers’ still’ button is another input source you can switch to in your production. Press the
still’ button to switch a still
loaded in the media player to air. To take the graphic off air, simply switch
to a different input source. The `still’ button will switch a graphic loaded
in ATEM Software Control’s media pool. ATEM Software Control is an extremely
powerful software control panel that opens a world of options and lets you do
a lot more with ATEM Mini.
Switching your Production
17
On ATEM Mini Extreme model switchers, use either of the two media player
sources, for example MP1 or MP2, to switch to a loaded still.
For more information on how to load stills into the media player, see the
`using the media page’ section later in this manual.
Switching your Production
18
Additional Features on ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme
ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme model switchers have additional features that give
you more options for your broadcast and even more ability to control your
production directly from the unit without the need for a computer.
Dedicated buttons on the control panel let you switch sources to the HDMI
output, start/stop streaming and start/stop recording.
ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme model switchers provide more features so you have
more control from their built in control panels plus additional streaming
options
You also have the choice of streaming via the webcam output or direct
streaming via Ethernet. At any time, you can record your broadcast to an
external disk via USB-C and use the dedicated record buttons on ATEM Mini Pro
to start and stop recording.
One of the most exciting additional features is the multiview. This powerful
feature displays a multiview on the HDMI video output that shows a
comprehensive overview of your production. All HDMI input sources, the program
and preview outputs, plus important recording, streaming and audio status
information is presented on one screen so you always know exactly what is
happening during your broadcast!
This section describes all the additional features and how to use them.
Stream Buttons
Streaming is built into all ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme model switchers, so you
don’t need to use any complicated software to get started. Just use the
included ATEM Software Control to select what streaming service you intend to
use and then enter in the streaming key. Once you have completed this setup,
you can simply press On Air to go live! There is more information in the live
streaming section of this manual.
Additional Features on ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme
19
The stream buttons labeled on air’ and
off’ let you start and stop streaming
directly
When your broadcast has finished, all you need to do is press the off’ stream button and your stream is stopped. This means once you are set up and streaming, the switcher is completely independent and you don’t need to go back to your computer to stop and close your stream. TIP After your streaming details are entered into the
output’ palette in ATEM
Software Control, your streaming setup is now stored in your ATEM Mini Pro or
Extreme so you can start streaming again immediately, even after a power
cycle. This makes it easy to stream a new broadcast without having to reset
your streaming software every time. On ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme, it
is actually easier and faster to stream via Ethernet. This lets you stream
immediately via any internet connection on a computer or internet router,
while simultaneously giving you the additional benefits of ATEM Software
Control over the same connection. For information on setting up streaming and
control via Ethernet, refer to direct streaming and switcher control via Ethernet’ later in this section. Recording using the Record Buttons ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme switchers let you record your stream via USB-C using an external disk or flash drive. For example, you can connect a Blackmagic MultiDock 10G and record directly to an SSD. When the disk indicator above your switcher’s record button illuminates green, press the record button and you are now recording your broadcast to disk. To stop recording, press the
stop’ button. ATEM Software Control records your stream using H.264
compression with an optimized compression ratio to provide high quality video
without large file sizes.
Press the record button, marked `rec’, to record your broadcast to an external drive or flash disk via USB-C
Additional Features on ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme
20
Disk Status Indicator
The disk status LED indicator lets you know the status of the recording media.
For example, the indicator illuminates green if the current drive is formatted
and ready to record and red while recording.
Indicators include:
Green
Formatted disk is detected and ready to record.
Red
Disk is recording.
The record button will also indicate the performance of the drive. When the record button is slowly flashing red, this indicates there is low disk space. When the record button flashes red rapidly, the disk performance is poor causing skipped frames.
NOTE To record to an external drive, you first need to format the disk. Refer to the `preparing media for recording’ section for more information.
Setting the HDMI Output using the Video Out Buttons
The video out buttons on the right side of the switcher are used to switch
sources to the HDMI output on ATEM Mini Pro and HDMI out 1 on ATEM Mini
Extreme. The default output source for ATEM Mini Pro is the multiview and you
can read more about this powerful feature later in this section. ATEM Mini
Extreme’s default output is program for output 1 and multiview for output 2.
Press the video out buttons to switch a source to the HDMI output
To change the HDMI output source, press any of the video out buttons. For
example you can select the HDMI inputs for isolated camera recordings, or
select the program output or multiview. Compared to ATEM Mini, having the
buttons built into ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme means you can change the HDMI
output directly from the unit itself! In addition to the 8 HDMI inputs,
program and multiview, ATEM Mini Extreme lets you select a clean feed or the
preview output.
NOTE If you want to switch camera 1 direct or preview to the HDMI output,
these sources are available from the `output’ menu in ATEM Software Control.
Additional Features on ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme
21
Direct Streaming via Ethernet
ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme switcher’s Ethernet connector lets you stream
directly while simultaneously providing the added benefits of ATEM Software
Control. You can learn more about this powerful control software in the `using
ATEM Software Control’ section.
Plug into your internet router via Ethernet to stream directly
You can select which platform you want to use in ATEM Software Control and set
all the relevant settings for your stream. If you are setting up a broadcast
on your channel that you will regularly use, these settings will be stored in
your switcher and you can then plug into any internet connection at any time
and broadcast directly from the unit.
This section includes how to configure settings for YouTube Studio and Twitch.
TIP As you’re setting up your broadcast, it’s worth loading a standby graphic into ATEM Software Control’s media player and switching it to the program output so you can perform a quick test broadcast before actually going live.
To configure your settings for YouTube Studio:
1
2
Log into your YouTube account. Click the `go live’ icon.
If prompted, choose to start your stream right now’ or at a
later date’ and
select `streaming software’ from the options. Otherwise, select Edit
3
4
Enter your broadcast name and details. Set the broadcast to `public’ so anyone can watch.
Set the child protection to the appropriate setting and press save.
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5
An auto generated stream key will appear in the stream settings, click `copy’ to copy the stream key.
Now you have copied the stream key for your broadcast, you will need to paste it into the stream details in ATEM Software Control.
1
2
In ATEM Software Control’s processing palettes, click on the output’ tab. Open the
live stream’ palette.
3
Set the platform to YouTube by clicking in the menu and selecting YouTube from
the menu list. Set the server to `primary’.
4
In the `key’ setting, paste the stream key you copied from YouTube.
5
Set the streaming quality to low, medium, or high. This will also set the quality for the recording output via USB-C.
With all the streaming details now set, it’s worth performing a quick test broadcast to make sure everything is working. Press the `on air’ button on your switcher, or click on the on air button in the live stream palette.
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YouTube Studio is now ready to start broadcasting. It may take a few moments
for the memory buffer to initiate. When the buffering is complete, the go live’ button will appear in the YouTube Studio manager and all you need to do is click
go live’.
You are now broadcasting!
To test that everything is working properly, click the share’ icon, copy the link and paste it into a new window or tab in your internet browser. You can now monitor your live stream just like a member of your audience. When your production has finished, press the
off’ streaming button on your
switcher to stop your broadcast.
To configure your settings for Twitch:
1
2
Log into your Twitch account. Click on your account avatar in the top right
corner.
3
Click on `creator dashboard’.
4
In the stream manager preferences, select `channel’.
5
A primary stream key will be automatically generated.
Click `copy’.
Now you have copied the stream key for your broadcast, you will need to paste
it into the stream details in ATEM Software Control.
Additional Features on ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Extreme
24
1
2
In ATEM Software Control’s processing palettes, click on the output’ tab. Open the
live stream’ palette.
3
Set the platform to Twitch by clicking in the menu and selecting Twitch from
the menu list.
4
Click on the `server’ setting menu list and select the server nearest to your location.
In the `key’ setting, paste the stream key you copied from Twitch.
5
6
Set the streaming quality to low, medium, or high. This will also set the quality for the recording output via USB-C.
With all the streaming details now set, it’s worth performing a quick test broadcast to make sure everything is working. Press the `on air’ button on ATEM Mini Pro or Extreme switcher, or click on the on air button in the live stream palette.
You are now on air! To check your broadcast, click on your account avatar and
select back to Twitch’. Once in the main Twitch window, click your avatar icon again and select
channel’. You will now see your broadcast on your
channel and the live indicator will appear at the top of the window.
NOTE If you are using additional ATEM control panels with your ATEM Mini, then
you might need a dedicated IP address. For more information, refer to the
`connecting to a network’ section.
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25
Direct Streaming by Sharing Your Computer Internet
With ATEM Software Control now connected to your switcher, you can set up a
direct stream via your computer’s internet connection.
To set up your ATEM Mini Pro or ATEM Mini Extreme for software control and
direct streaming: 1 Plug your ATEM into your computer’s spare Ethernet port.
It may take a moment for DHCP to find the unit and assign an IP address.
2 Launch ATEM Software Control.
3 You will see ATEM Mini Pro or ATEM Mini Extreme listed as a connected ATEM
switcher on your network. Simply select your switcher from the list.
4 Click connect’. 5 Configure your computer to share its internet connection through its Ethernet port. Mac: in System Preferences, click
sharing’ then select internet sharing’ from the
service’ list. In the share your connection from’ menu, choose
wi-
fi’ if your Mac is connected to the internet over wifi. In the to computers using’ list, select
ethernet’. In the service’ list, tick the
internet
sharing’ checkbox. When you are asked if you are sure you want to turn on
internet sharing, click start’. Windows: in the Windows search box, type
view network connections’ and press
enter. Right click on the internet connection and select properties’. On the
sharing’ tab, tick allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection’. Select a network connection in the menu then click
OK’.
ATEM Software Control will now appear with buttons and indicators illuminated.
You can now operate your switcher the same way you would via USB-C. Your ATEM
switcher is now setup for direct streaming via your computer.
Smartphone Tethering
Once you have set up your ATEM Mini Pro or ATEM Mini Pro ISO model switcher to
stream to YouTube, Twitch or other platforms, you can now direct stream using
your smartphone. This means you can set up fast and be streaming to the world
in any location where your smartphone has a 4G or 5G cellular connection or is
capable of reverse tethering your WiFi connection.
1 Simply connect a cable from your smartphone to the USB-C port on your ATEM
Mini Pro.
2 Once connected, make sure your smartphone device has hotspot activated.
On your iOS device open settings> personal hotspot and make sure `allow others
to join’ option is on.
For Android devices, swipe the screen to display the quick menu. Press and
hold the hotspot icon and then turn on USB tethering.
Now you can press the On Air button on your ATEM Mini Pro switcher to go live!
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26
USB
TIP Once you’ve finished streaming, we recommend turning off tethering
connections to save battery life.
Additional Features on ATEM Mini Extreme
With ATEM Mini Extreme, there are more button options for your broadcast
available directly from the control panel. These include dedicated buttons for
camera control, a select bus and six direct macro selection buttons.
With ATEM Mini Extreme, you can connect two USB-C devices at the same time. This means you can record to USB while streaming to your computer via USB or tethering to a smartphone so you can stream using your smartphone’s internet connection.
Additional Features on ATEM Mini Extreme
27
Connecting Headphones
ATEM Mini Extreme model switchers have a headphone input for monitoring the
program output using headphones.
Select Bus
The select bus located at the top of ATEM Mini Extreme is used to assign
sources for effects processing and keyers. The select bus is used to select
key inputs and can also be used to change your key and fill source to an
upstream or downstream keyer while on air. For instance, if there are two
angles of weather presenter in front of a green screen, you can use the select
bus to cut between the angles while the key is being broadcast.
To assign a source to upstream keyer 1 on ATEM Mini Extreme:
1 Select the upstream luma keyer 1 by pressing K1LUM.
2 Select `2′ from the source buttons in the top row. The input connected to
input HDMI 2 is now the fill and key source for the key.
When performing a luma key, the same source is used for both fill and key.
To refine your key parameters, such as mask and gain, use the palettes tab in
ATEM Software Control.
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28
Camera Control
When using Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and 6K, you can adjust camera
settings including iris, gain, focus and shutter directly from ATEM Mini
Extreme.
Buttons will illuminate green when selected
These buttons, located above the audio options for each input, adjust the
camera much in the same way as the camera control panel in ATEM Software
Control. By default, the arrow buttons control iris when no other option is
selected.
NOTE ATEM Mini Extreme model switchers can also adjust camera settings on
Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro cameras. Connect a Blackmagic BiDirectional SDI/HDMI
3G converter between the camera and switcher to switch and now you can use
camera control on both the control panel and ATEM Software Control.
Iris
To set auto exposure on, press both of the arrow buttons simultaneously. This
setting automatically adjusts the aperture to maintain a constant exposure
while keeping shutter angle consistent. This will keep motion blur unaffected,
but may affect your depth of field. To manually adjust the iris
1 Press the up arrow to increase the aperture. 2 Press the down arrow to
decrease the aperture.
TIP The arrow buttons control iris unless another setting, for example gain or
shutter, is selected. The selected setting will time out 3 seconds from the
last button press.
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Gain
The camera gain setting allows you to turn on additional gain in the camera.
On Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras, this setting relates to ISO. This is
important when you are operating in low light conditions and need extra gain,
or ISO, in the front end of the camera to avoid your images being under
exposed. To adjust the gain
1 Press the gain button to highlight it. 2 Press the up arrow to increase the
gain or the down arrow to decrease it. It’s worth noting that adding gain will
increase noise in your images.
Focus
To use your camera’s auto focus feature, hold down the focus button for three
seconds. To manually adjust the focus
1 Press the focus button to select it. 2 Press the up arrows up or down to
manual focus while viewing the video feed from the
camera to ensure your image is nice and sharp.
Black
To adjust the black level 1 Press the black button to select it. 2 Press the
up arrow to increase the black level or the down arrow to decrease.
Shutter
This setting automatically adjusts shutter value to maintain a constant
exposure while keeping iris aperture consistent. If you want to maintain a
fixed depth of field, this is the setting to choose. It’s worth mentioning
that the subtle automatic adjustments of the shutter may have an effect on
motion blur. It’s also worth keeping an eye out for any flicker that may be
introduced from various light fixtures on indoor shoots. The auto iris feature
is not available when the `shutter’ auto exposure mode is selected. To adjust
the shutter
1 Press the shut button to select it. 2 Press the up arrow to open the shutter
or the down arrow to close it.
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30
Macros
A macro is a recorded series of events you can save and then access when
needed. Macro buttons on ATEM Mini Extreme models let you recall the first six
recorded macros. This is useful when using repeated sequences, such as
transitions in and out of graphics, so you only have to press a single button
to play a sequence of elements. To run a macro, simply press the numbered
macro button on the unit and the macro will run immediately. Macros can also
be used to recall additional upstream and downstream keyers.
When a macro contains a user wait, the button will flash to indicate it needs
to be pressed again to resume the sequence.
For more information on recording macros, including naming macros, see the
`Using Macros’ section later in this manual.
Using SuperSource
ATEM Mini Extreme switcher models include a feature referred to as SuperSource
allows you to arrange multiple sources on the monitor at one time. The
SuperSource processor appears on your ATEM switcher as a single video input.
For example, if you were broadcasting a discussion between four presenters,
you could superimpose them all over a background. It is a similar feature to
picture in picture but more powerful as you can add more sources.
Setting up SuperSource To set up SuperSource, first you need to be able to view it on your monitor. Do this by either assigning SuperSource from the tab in ATEM Software control to a multiview window or by switching to the S/SRC option on ATEM Mini Extreme while a monitor is connected.
Additional Features on ATEM Mini Extreme
31
Positioning Sources In ATEM Software Control open the SuperSource palette and
choose from one of the four preset layouts. Click the one that is closest to
the look you want, this will automatically arrange the boxes into the preset
positions indicated in the software. Make sure the box is enabled. You can
then change the position and size via the X Position, Y Position and Size
fields. Ticking the Enable Crop check box allows you to crop the image. The
crop parameters are Top, Bottom, Left and Right. You may then wish to alter
the parameters of boxes 2 to 4 by doing similar steps.
If you make a mistake, click on the menu icon on the right hand side of the
Box Control tab and you can easily reset the parameters.
Background and Foreground Art To use background art, clicking on the `art’ tab
in the software to reveal the art settings. To use art as a background source,
select the place in background option. Then choose your art fill source via
the menu. Assign the source and your choice will be placed behind the on
screen boxes.
If you wish to make the art foreground, then select source in foreground and
choose whether your graphic is pre multiplied or not. If it is pre multiplied
then tick the check box, assign the Art Fill Source and the Art Key Source.
This will now allow the art to be placed over the enabled box or boxes. If
your art is not pre multiplied then you can use the clip and gain controls as
discussed in the Keying section of this manual to achieve the desired result.
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32
Copying Settings To perform the copy function using ATEM Software Control,
simply click on the Copy tab and the Copy Box The settings dialogue will
appear. You can quickly & easily copy the settings of the currently selected
box to any of the other boxes, making an exact clone in just one click! The
copied boxes will appear directly behind the master box and will also share
the same source as the master.
Putting SuperSource On Air The entire SuperSource processor appears on your
ATEM Switcher as a video input. Simply select the SuperSource button on ATEM
Mini Extreme or in ATEM Software Control to use the composite you have just
made!
Using the Multiview
ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme model switchers have a powerful multiview feature
that lets you monitor all HDMI inputs, together with the program and preview
outputs as a group of views on one screen. The multiview also displays the
media player, streaming status, disk recording disk status, audio levels, plus
Fairlight EQ and dynamics indicators. This feature provides a comprehensive
overview so you will always know exactly what is happening with your
broadcast!
The multiview is a powerful feature that lets you monitor all sources and outputs simultaneously
Using the Multiview
33
Below is a description of each view.
Preview
The preview view lets you monitor the source currently switched to the preview
output. This view is helpful to practice switching between sources, previewing
transitions or setting up a keyer so you can see what it will look like before
switching to the program output. You need to change the switcher operation to
program/preview style switching to make use of the preview view. There is more
information about this in later sections of this manual.
Program View
The program view displays what is currently switched to the program output.
This view will always show exactly what you are broadcasting.
Input Views
The input views display all the sources connected to the HDMI inputs. Having
all inputs on the multiview lets you see the image from every camera so you
can make quick decisions. However they don’t always have to be cameras as you
could also have a computer’s video output or a HyperDeck disk recorder
connected to the switcher’s inputs and you can monitor them in the input
views. When an input is switched to the preview or program output, a green or
red tally border will appear around the input’s respective view. Green
represents the preview output and red represents the program output, or on air’. Media Player View This view displays the graphic currently loaded in the media player. To load a graphic, simply go to the media pool in ATEM Software Control and drag a still into the media player. You can read more about how to use the media player and the media pool in the section
using ATEM Software Control/’using the media
page’.
Using the Multiview
34
Streaming View
This view displays the streaming on air status, including the broadcast data
rate and the cache status. You can also see what streaming platform you are
currently broadcasting to as it is displayed at the bottom of the view. On Air
Indicator Prior to recording, the on air status indicator will display off’ to let you know the switcher is standing by and ready to broadcast. When streaming begins, the indicator will display a bright red
on air’ status until
streaming is stopped. If there is an interruption during the stream, for
example the internet connection speed becomes too slow and the cache is
depleted, the on air indicator will begin flashing. Broadcast Data Rate The
data rate is measured in megabits per second. For ATEM Mini Pro and Extreme
switchers to broadcast 1080p60 video without losing frames, the data rate
needs to be approximately 5 to 7 Mb per second. Cache Status The cache status
displays the capacity of the switcher’s built in memory buffer. The cache is a
small amount of internal memory that continuously records and plays the
program output. It acts as a safety measure if the broadcast data rate
decreases below a level able to sustain video. The variable nature of the
internet is mostly due to network activity or wireless signal strength, so if
the broadcast data rate decreases, the buffer data will increase accordingly.
If the connection speed becomes slow enough that it cannot support the video
stream, the cache will fill with video frames to compensate. However, once the
cache is 100% full, the video stream will be compromised, so you will want to
avoid a full cache where possible. You can do this by testing the connection
speed when you set up your stream. During a broadcast test, watch the cache
display in the multiview. If the cache frequently approaches 100%, choose a
lower quality in the live stream settings. Tethering status The smartphone
icon is displayed when ATEM Mini Pro or ATEM Mini Extreme is connected to the
internet using mobile tethering. The icon will become red when on air.
Recording View
If you are recording to external drives via USB-C, this view will display the
current recording status.
Using the Multiview
35
Recording Indicator Prior to recording, or if there are no disks connected,
the indicator will display stop’. When disks are connected, you will see them appear as icons below the indicator. When a disk is recording, the indicator displays
rec’ and will illuminate bright red.
Duration Counter Underneath the recording indicator is the duration counter.
When you press the record button on the switcher, the duration counter will
start running.
Record Status Indicators These indicators provide details on each drive and
its recording status. For example, if you are using two drives, their drive
names will be displayed along with available space and record time remaining.
While a disk is recording, the indicator will illuminate red and shows how
much disk space is left. The disks are ordered by capacity. For example, if
you have 4 SSDs connected via a Blackmagic MultiDock 10G, the drive with the
largest remaining space will be labeled 1. Drive 2 will be the SSD with the
next largest available space. When drives 1 and 2 are full, drive 3 will then
assume the disk 1 indicator and disk 2 will become drive 4. You can always see
what drives are assigned to the disk numbers by looking at the disk names
underneath their icons.
Audio View
During your broadcast you can monitor the audio levels for each source and the
levels of the program output using the audio view. Audio Meters Each input and
the program output has its own audio meter and you can
monitor them all simultaneously. If the audio level rises above -10dB the
meter will illuminate red to warn you that it is close to the maximum strength
of 0dB. Once the level reaches 0dB the audio will clip. Clipping means the
audio will distort and you will need to decrease the level using the
switcher’s audio level buttons or the audio mixer in ATEM Software Control.
You can read more about ATEM Software Control in the next section of this
manual. The audio meter is an important tool to monitor your levels so you can
make sure your audio always sounds great! Fairlight Icons These icons let you
know if EQ and dynamics controls are enabled in ATEM Software Control’s audio
page.
If the Fairlight icons are colored and illuminated, the EQ or dynamics tool is
active and the input is on air. If the icons are colored but dim, it means the
tools are active, but the input is not on air. If the icons are dim and
colorless, the tools are inactive or bypassed on the audio page.
Using the Multiview
36
ATEM Mini Extreme Enhanced Multiview
ATEM Mini Extreme switcher models have a customizable multi view layout for 4,
7, 10, 13 or 16 views so you can display a combination of all the inputs
available. Click the menus to select what you want on each view. If you don’t
have enough cameras on your job to fill all input views, you can select other
sources such as media players, color generators and streaming and recording
status views. It’s extremely flexible and you can also change the multi view
layout to suit your preference.
Audio meters can be turned on or off within each source view, or all at once,
by clicking on the respective icons in each view or the `all on’ button,
respectively. Use the view control button to select your preferred layout.
Customize the multi view for ATEM Mini Extreme
The multiview is an excellent tool that will let you spot every detail and put
you in the moment. For example, it can help you previsualize ideas in the
preview window before switching them to the program output. You can monitor
each HDMI source and test switching between them, set up a chroma key, or even
preview a transition to see what it will look like before switching it to the
program output!
Using the Multiview
37
ATEM Software Control
ATEM Software Control is a powerful software control panel that gives you a
lot more control over your ATEM Mini. Once you start using ATEM Software
Control you will quickly see just how much your ATEM Mini can actually do.
For example, you can manually perform transitions using the fader bar, select
internal sources on the program and preview buttons, mix audio using a mixer
with channel faders, set up keyers, load graphics in the media pool and much,
much more.
ATEM Software Control is included in the ATEM software installer and can be
downloaded from the Blackmagic Design website. It’s free and allows you to
control your switcher in a similar way to a full hardware control panel. A
range of palettes on the right side shows you all processing features of your
ATEM Mini and allows settings to be easily made.
You can also use ATEM Software Control to configure your switcher settings.
For more information on how to use ATEM Software Control, refer to using ATEM Software Control’ in the following sections of the manual. Switching Modes
Cut bus’ is the default switching mode which lets you change sources as soon
as you press an input button. Setting ATEM Mini to `program preview’ mode lets
you preview the source before switching it to air.
Cut Bus
In cut bus mode, as soon as you press an input button, it will immediately
switch to air. This is a fast and easy way of switching.
ATEM Software Control
38
In cut bus mode, pressing an input button will instantly switch it to air
Program Preview
In program preview mode, switching a source is a two step process. This is
because pressing an input button puts the source in a preview state so you can
decide whether you want to switch it, or perhaps select a different input
source. This powerful switching mode is used by professional broadcast
switchers across the world.
TIP If you connect an HDMI monitor, for example Blackmagic Video Assist, to
ATEM Mini’s HDMI output you can output the preview signal and monitor the
selected input before switching it to air. For more information, refer to the
`setting the HDMI output source’ section later in this manual.
ATEM Software Control
39
In program preview switching mode, press an input button and then press the
auto’ or
cut’ button to switch the source to air
Using ATEM Software Control
ATEM Software Control has four main control windows: Switcher, Media, Audio
and Camera. You can open these windows by clicking the three main buttons at
the bottom of the interface or by pressing the Shift and left/right arrow hot
keys. A general settings window can be opened by selecting the gear icon at
the lower left of the interface.
Switcher Panel When first launched, the switcher screen is selected, which is
the main control interface for the switcher. ATEM Mini must be connected to
your computer via USB for the software control panel to run.
Mouse or Trackpad Operation The virtual buttons, sliders and fader bar on the software control panel are operated using your computer mouse or a trackpad if you’re using a laptop.
ATEM Software Control
40
To activate a button, click once with the left mouse button. To activate a
slider, click and hold down the left mouse button while dragging. Similarly,
to control the fader bar, click and hold down the left mouse button on the
fader bar handle and drag up or down.
Media Manager
The media manager allows you to upload graphics to the media pool in ATEM
Mini. Your ATEM Mini has memory for graphics that’s called the media pool and
holds up to 20 still graphics with alpha channel that can be assigned to a
media player for use in your production.
So, for example, you could have the maximum 20 still graphics loaded that will
be used on your live production and then assign various stills to the media
player as you work. As you take a graphic off air, you can change the media
player graphic to the next graphic you want, and then you can put that media
player back on air with the new graphic.
When a still is loaded into the media pool, the alpha channel is loaded
automatically if one is included in the image. When a still is loaded into a
media player, the output of the media player will include both key and fill
outputs. If you select the media player as a key source, for example Media
Player 1, both the fill and the key are automatically selected so you don’t
have to select them separately. However the key can still be routed separately
so you can use a different key source if you wish. To learn more about keying,
refer to the `keying using ATEM Mini’ section of this manual.
Audio Mixer
The audio tab in ATEM Software Control contains a powerful audio mixer
interface which becomes active when controlling your ATEM switcher.
ATEM Mini includes a built in audio mixer that lets you use the embedded HDMI
audio from your cameras, media servers and other inputs without the need for
an external audio mixer. This is perfect when using your ATEM Mini on location
or in small spaces within modern OB vehicles as you don’t have to find room
for an external audio mixer. The audio is mixed in the audio tab of ATEM
Software Control and output via the USB webcam and Ethernet outputs. You can
also route the program output via HDMI if you want to record your broadcast.
ATEM Software Control
41
Your ATEM Mini also features built in mic inputs for mixing external audio.
If you prefer to use an external audio mixer, it’s easy to disable the audio
for all inputs and you only need to leave the external audio active in the
audio mixer interface. More information on how to use the audio mixer is
included in the next sections.
Camera Control
ATEM Mini can control Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and 6K models when
updated to the latest software and plugged in via the HDMI inputs. Click on
the camera’ tab to open the camera control page. This is where you can control your HDMI camera settings such as iris, gain, focus, detail and zoom control on compatible lenses. Plus you can color balance cameras and create unique looks using the DaVinci Resolve primary color corrector that is built into Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and 6K. For detailed information on how to use the powerful camera control features, refer to
Using Camera Control’ later in this section.
Camera control lets you control Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and 6K with
ATEM Mini
Using the Software Control Panel
The switcher window is the main control interface for the switcher. During
live production, the switcher window can be used to select sources and take
them to air. You can select the transition style, manage upstream/downstream
keyers and turn on/off the fade to black. The palettes on the right hand side
of the interface are where you adjust transition settings including transition
rates, adjust color generators, control the media player, and adjust the
upstream and downstream keyer as well as control fade to black rate.
ATEM Software Control
42
Mix Effects
The Mix Effects block of the switcher tab contains all the source select
buttons for the program and preview buses, allowing external inputs or
internal sources to be selected for next transition previewing or switching to
air.
ATEM mix effects
Program Bus Source Select Buttons
The program bus source select buttons are used to hot switch background
sources to the program output. The source currently on air is indicated by a
button that is illuminated red.
Preview Bus Source Select Buttons
In program preview switching mode, the preview bus source select buttons are
used to select a background source on the preview output, this source is sent
to the program bus when the next transition occurs. The currently selected
preview source is indicated by a button that is illuminated green.
The source select buttons for the program bus match the preview bus.
INPUTS BLACK BARS COLOR 1 and 2 MEDIA 1
Input buttons match the number of external switcher inputs. Black color source internally generated by the switcher. Color bars source internally generated by the switcher. Color sources internally generated by the switcher. Internal media player that display stills stored in the switcher.
Transition Control and Upstream Keyer
CUT The CUT button performs an immediate transition of the program and preview
outputs, overriding the selected transition style.
ATEM Software Control
43
Transition control
AUTO/RATE The AUTO button will perform the selected transition at the rate
specified in the rate’ display. The transition rate for each transition style is set in the transition palette for that style and is displayed in the
rate’
window of the transition control block when the corresponding transition style
button is selected.
The AUTO button illuminates red for the duration of the transition and the
rate’ display updates to indicate the number of frames remaining as the transition progresses. When you perform a transition using the fader bar on an external ATEM hardware panel, the fader bar indicator on the software panel updates to provide visual feedback on the progress of the transition. Fader Bar The fader bar is used as an alternative to the AUTO button and allows the operator to manually control the transition with a mouse. The AUTO button illuminates red for the duration of the transition and the
rate’
display updates to indicate the number of frames remaining as the transition
progresses.
Transition Style The transition style buttons allow the operator to select one
of four types of transitions; mix, dip, wipe and DVE. The selected transition
style is indicated by a yellow illuminated button. Selection of these buttons
will be reflected by the corresponding tab in the `transitions’ processing
palette. For example, when you have the transitions processing palette open
and click on a transition style button, the transitions palette will match
your selection so you can quickly adjust the settings.
PREV TRANS The PREV TRANS button enables the preview transition mode, allowing
the operator to verify a mix, dip, wipe or DVE transition by performing it on
the preview output using the fader bar. When the PREV TRANS is selected you
will see the preview output match the program output, and then it’s simple to
practice your selected transition with the fader bar to confirm you are going
to get what you want. This is a very helpful feature to avoid mistakes on air!
Next Transition The BKGD and KEY 1 buttons are used to select the elements
which will transition on air or off air with the next transition. More
upstream keyers are available on ATEM Mini Extreme model switchers and that is
why other upstream keyers appear grayed out. The key can be faded on and off
when the main transition occurs, or you can select just the key to transition
individually, so the main transition control can be used to fade the key on
and off.
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When selecting the elements of the next transition, the switcher operator
should look at the preview video output because it provides an accurate
representation of what the program output will look like after the transition
is completed. When only the BKGD button is selected, a transition from the
current source on the program bus to the source selected on the preview bus
will occur without the keyer. You can also select only keyer to transition,
leaving the current background live throughout the transition.
ON AIR The ON AIR indicator button indicates when the key is currently on air
and can also be used to immediately cut the key on or off air.
Downstream Keyer
TIE The TIE button will enable the downstream keyer, or DSK, on the preview
output, along with the next transition effects and tie it to the main
transition control so that the DSK can be taken to air with the next
transition.
The DSK will transition at the rate specified in the rate’ display of the transition control block. If the DSK is tied, the signal routing to the clean feed 1 is unaffected. ON AIR The ON AIR button is used to cut the DSK on or off air and indicates whether the DSK is currently on or off air. The button is illuminated if the DSK is currently on air. AUTO The AUTO button will mix the DSK on or off air at the rate specified in the DSK
rate’ window. This is similar to the main AUTO rate on the transition
control block, however it’s limited only to the downstream keyer. This can be
used to fade up and down bugs and logos, such as live or replay bugs during
production, without interfering with the main program production transitions.
Fade to Black
Downstream key and fade to black
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The FTB button will fade the whole program video output to black at the rate
specified in the fade to black RATE window. Once the program output has been
faded to black, the FTB button will flash red until it is pressed again. Doing
so will fade up from black at the same rate, or you can enter a new rate in
the fade to black palette in the switcher’ window. Fade to black is mostly used at the start and end of your production, or when cutting to commercial breaks. It ensures all layers in ATEM Mini are faded down together. A fade to black cannot be previewed. You can also set the audio mixer to fade the audio with your fade to black by selecting the
audio follow video’ checkbox in the
fade to black palette, or by enabling the AFV button on the master audio
output fader.
Processing Palettes
The software control panel features tabs for the processing palette, media
player, and output options.
TIP The palettes also show the order of the processing in the switcher. You
can expand and minimize palettes to save space and scroll them up and down to
get the adjustments you need to set.
The following processing palettes are available.
Palettes Tab
The `palettes’ tab contains the following processing controls.
Color Generators
Your ATEM switcher has two color matte generators which can be configured from the color generators palette using a color picker or by setting hue, saturation, and luminance levels.
SuperSource
ATEM Mini Extreme model switchers include a feature referred to as SuperSource that will allow you to arrange multiple sources on the monitor at one time. For more information refer to the section `Using SuperSource’ later in this manual.
Upstream Key
The switcher’s upstream keyer can be configured from the upstream key palette. Within the keyer palette, the keyer can be configured as a luma key, chroma key, pattern key or DVE. The type of key available will also depend on if the DVE is available. The upstream key palette will display all the parameters that are available to configure the keyer. More information on how to use upstream keyer is included later in this manual.
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Transitions
The transitions palette is where you can configure the parameters of each transition style. For example, for the dip transition the palette has a menu where you can select the dip source and for the wipe transition the palette displays all the available wipe patterns. There are lots of variations of transitions and a large number of transitions can be created by combining settings and features in the transitions palette.
NOTE It’s worth noting that selecting a specific style of transition in this palette will only adjust the settings for these transitions, and you still need to select the style of transition you want to perform in the transition control section on the software or ATEM Mini’s control panel. The software and ATEM Mini’s control panel work together and mirror all settings, so you can use any combination you like!
Downstream Key Fade to Black
ATEM Mini has a downstream keyer which can be configured from the downstream
key palette. The palette has menu boxes for selecting the fill and key signals
to the keyer, plus sliders to set the pre multiplied key clip and gain values,
and mask settings.
The fade to black palette is where you can set the fade to black transition
rate. An `Audio Follow Video’ checkbox is also provided as a shortcut for the
audio mixer’s master fader AFV button. Selecting this feature lets you fade
your audio with your fade to black.
Media Player Tab
The `media player’ tab contains controls for your ATEM Mini’s media player and
connected HyperDecks.
Media Player Hyperdecks
Your ATEM Mini has a media player that plays back the stills that are stored
in the media pool memory built into the switcher. The menu list is used to
select the still that will be played or made available on the media player
input to the switcher.
You can connect up to 4 Blackmagic HyperDeck Studio model disk recorders and
control them using ATEM Software Control’s HyperDecks palette. For more
information refer to the `HyperDeck Control’ section of this manual.
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Output Tab
The output tab lets you capture a still image from the program output. When
using ATEM Mini Pro or Extreme switchers, this tab also contains additional
options for you to live stream, record your stream and set the timecode
generator. The capture video option supports the original ATEM production
switchers that feature legacy USB output recording.
Live Stream
When using ATEM Mini Pro or Extreme switchers, this important output option
lets you set up your live stream by entering the streaming details from your
streaming platform. After assigning all the settings, you can start your
broadcast by clicking the on air’ button, then stop the broadcast by clicking
off’.
The live stream status will clearly show you are on air by displaying a large
red `on air’ indicator together with the timecode generator, which you can set
using the timecode generator options.
Platform
Click in the `platform’ menu and select the streaming platform for your broadcast. Options include Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch.
Server
Select the server that is closest to your location by clicking in the settings window and using the menu.
Key
Enter the stream key that has been assigned to your broadcast from the
streaming platform. For information on how to obtain a stream key, refer to
getting a stream key’ in the
connecting to a network’ section.
Quality
Select the streaming quality and stream recording quality you want. This
setting contains the following options: HyperDeck High 45 to 70 Mb/s HyperDeck
Medium 25 to 45 Mb/s HyperDeck Low 12 to 20 Mb/s Streaming High 6 to 9 Mb/s
Streaming Medium 4.5 to 7 Mb/s Streaming Low 3 to 4.5 Mb/s
More information about the quality settings is included in this section of the
manual.
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For more information on how to use these options when setting up a live stream
directly via Ethernet, including getting a stream key, refer to connecting to an internet router.’ Even though the settings are nice and simple and you only need to select the service and a few other options, there is an XML file that has additional settings that knowledgeable users could take advantage of to add other streaming services and customize the streaming menu with low level settings. Refer to the
changing switcher settings/saving and restoring switcher
settings’ section for more information on how to save and restore using an XML
file.
Streaming and HyperDeck Quality Settings
The data rate used by the quality setting will change depending on the video
standard your switcher is running at. For example, if you select Streaming
High quality and are running at 1080p24 then it would use the 6 Mb/s data
rate.
The data rates used on HyperDeck High are 45 to 70 Mb/s, the rates for
HyperDeck Medium are 25 to 45 Mb/s and the data rates used for HyperDeck Low
are 12 to 20 Mb/s. The streaming data rates are lower to allow for
transmitting the data over the internet, so the data rate for Streaming High
is 6 to 9 Mb/s, the data rate for Streaming Medium is 4.5 to 7 Mb/s and the
data rate for Streaming Low is 3 to 4.5 Mb/s.
You will notice that each setting has 2 data rates mentioned. The lower number
is used for the lower frame rates of 24p, 25p and 30p, while the higher data
rates are used when you are running higher frame rates of 50p and 60p. It’s
also worth noting that the default setting for the streaming quality is
Streaming High 6 to 9 Mb/s, as this gives a very high quality streaming
channel, and the fairly good recording quality.
If you are not streaming, then you could just pick one of the HyperDeck
quality settings. These are the same quality as the settings in HyperDeck
Studio Mini and are a good quality data rate when you need broadcast quality
recordings. However, with the latest software released for HyperDeck Studio
Mini, it will also play the lower quality streaming data rates.
Record Stream
If you are recording your stream via USB-C on ATEM Mini Pro or Extreme, this
palette is where you can control your disks and start and stop recording. You
can also set a file name and trigger record in all cameras when connected to
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and 6K.
NOTE When your ATEM Mini Pro’s USB-C output is connected to an external disk
for recording and you want to keep using ATEM Software Control, you will need
to connect your ATEM Mini Pro to your computer via Ethernet.
Refer to the `connecting to a network’ section for more information.
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File Name Drives
Switch
Prior to recording, set a file name by typing it into the file name window.
Click anywhere outside the window to confirm. If you stop and start recording,
the file name will assign version numbers incrementally.
Formatted drives connected to your switcher will appear as a list in the
record window. You can assign drives by selecting them from the menu. The
drive window displays the disk capacity and record time remaining. Recording
will always begin with the disk containing the largest available space, then
proceed to the next disk with the largest available space. However, you can
manually switch the drive you are recording to by clicking the switch’ button. This is helpful if there is less than 5 minutes remaining on the current disk and you want to switch it over to the next disk at a determined moment in your broadcast. Click the
switch’ button to change the drive you are currently recording to
the next drive with the largest available space.
TIP You can also switch drives by holding down the record button on ATEM Mini Pro.
Record button Stop button Display status
Record in all cameras
Click the record button marked rec’ to start recording. Click
stop’ to stop recording.
Enable this feature by clicking the display status checkbox in the record
options. The display status will appear in ATEM Software Control at the bottom
right side of the user interface and shows the recording status. When
recording, the record indicator will illuminate red and displays the current
drive and record time remaining.
This feature lets you set all Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras to record when
you press the record button. This is helpful if you want isolated recordings
from each camera for editing later. Cameras will be automatically set to
record using Blackmagic RAW at the quality setting the camera was last set to.
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Recording ISO Files
ATEM Mini ISO models can record video files from each of its video inputs, and
these are called isolated input files or “ISO” files.
By default, ATEM Mini ISO models will record a program file in exactly the
same way as the ATEM Mini Pro model. However if you select to record the ISO
files, it will change to recording a whole folder of content that includes the
input video files as well as audio files, and a DaVinci Resolve project file.
How to Record ISO Files
To record a folder of ISO files and other items, simply go to the record
palette in ATEM Software Control and select the setting “ISO record all
inputs”. Now ISO switcher will record the folder of contents when you press
record in the palette or on the front panel.
To enable ISO recordings, check the `ISO record all inputs’ checkbox in the
record stream palette.
It’s important to use a disk that’s fast enough. A good flash disk is
recommended as often mechanical disks cannot work fast enough to record the 5
streams of H.264 HD video that you will record with this setting.
What’s in the ISO Folder?
The record folder will take the name of the record palette. Even though this
folder will have multiple ISO files, it also has the main program recording.
But when ISO recording, it will be placed inside this folder with the other
items.
The ISO video files are recorded from each input and placed into a sub folder
called Video ISO Files. Each video file is recorded from each input and is an
exact recording of the video connected to that specific HDMI input. The ISO
files also have synced timecode and camera number metadata, so you can use any
edit software’s multi-cam feature. To make editing simpler, all ISO files have
program audio, the same as the master video file.
Because the ISO files include camera number metadata and synced timecode, you
can also use the DaVinci Resolve Sync Bin to quickly select between views and
build an edit.
It’s worth noting that if you use any graphic from the media pool, these will
be automatically saved into a sub folder called Media Files that’s located
inside the Video
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ISO Files folder. This allows you to rebuild the titles in your edit that were
used during your live program.
Audio input files from each input as well as the microphone inputs are also
recorded. These are placed into a sub folder called Audio Source Files. These
files are in broadcast WAV format and are professional stereo audio files that
exclude any processing or EQ from the built in ATEM Mini audio mixer.
So this means the files are clean and you can use them to create a whole new
audio mix using professional audio software. The audio tiles also include
timecode so they are synchronized to the video files.
The most exciting item to be saved into the project folder is the DaVinci
Resolve project file. This file will have been built based on the switcher
actions that occurred since you started recording. It currently allows several
switcher functions to be recorded and then when you double click this file, it
will open up DaVinci Resolve with a full timeline of all these edits.
ATEM switcher functions that are currently supported include cut and mix edits
between all video inputs and the media player, downstream titles and fade to
black. These are the most used functions and these will be restored as the
video edit in DaVinci Resolve. Further functions will be added in future
updates.
Append Recording
If you don’t change the project name, when you record, it will append the edit
to the DaVinci Resolve project file you have previously recorded on disk. This
is very useful as it means you can stop for mistakes, or lunch, and then start
recording again. Both recordings will then open into the same timeline and you
can knit the recordings together so they appear seamless to the viewer. If you
don’t want to append record, be sure to change the project name, or use a new
blank USB disk.
Benefits of Editing a Live Project
There are multiple benefits of editing a live event. Some of the edits you
might need to do can be completed very quickly and then you can render out a
new master file before uploading.
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It means you don’t have to accept the live edit you did while streaming, as
now you can make changes to it before uploading it.
You can also use the ISO recording features and editing to create programs
faster, because you can just use ATEM Mini ISO switchers as a multi track
recorder to feed edit stations with multiple camera views!
If you are importing the DaVinci Resolve project, then you are going to see
your live production rebuilt as an edit almost instantly. Now you can make
some fast creative adjustments to your event before uploading.
What’s on the Layers?
The processing in a switcher normally progresses from the switcher inputs on
the left of the control panel to the right where the output features are.
That’s because a switcher is a live processing pipeline from the video inputs,
through all the switcher features and then out to the video output.
Editing works very differently. You get a stack of layers in editing software.
The lowest layer is covered by layers above. So this means any clip on layer 2
will cover any clip on layer 1. Normally people edit with cuts and dissolves
on layer 1, however then other items are placed on layers above. Any clip
placed on layer 3 would cover any clips on layers 1 and 2. You can have dozens
of layers in complex edits.
So to understand what DaVinci Resolve does when it imports your project file,
just look at the project after it’s been imported. You can see the various
types of processing that have been placed on different edit layers.
Layer 1 Layer 2 Layer 3
Layer 1 has all the main editing between your sources. You will see the clips end to end and sometimes the edit points are cuts and sometimes you can see dissolves. This layer was created from your main input switching. All the edits with the video inputs and the still frame source will be placed on layer
- Layer 2 is for the downstream keyer. In the ATEM switcher, the downstream keyer is located after the transition block. In editing this means it’s on layer 2 so it can override the main switching that’s been placed on layer 1. If you place a graphic with an alpha channel in the downstream keyer and put it on air, it will have added this title to the video output. Now this layer is on layer 2 and it overlays the same graphic with alpha channel over layer
-
Layer 3 is for fade to black. Fade to black is the last processing in the switcher and it fades all layers in the switcher to black. This is commonly used at the end of the program, or to lead into commercial breaks. Fade to black is on layer 3 because it will override all the layers below it, just like it does in the switcher. Fade to black is a black video generator with a dissolve applied to the front and end.
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Shifting Edit Points An advantage of editing is you can shift your edit points
around. When you do a live production, the action can get very fast and it can
be difficult to keep up. Imagine an interview program where multiple people
are rapidly talking and interrupting each other. The live switch may have
struggled to keep up as the conversation moves from person to person.
So rolling the edit points will allow you to move the edits to before a person
starts talking. In a live switch you need to keep up so your edits lag behind
the person starting to talk. However now you can shift them back in time and
the edit will cut to the person just before they start talking. This will
transform the feel of the program.
To roll the edit forward, scroll to the edit point in the timeline and then
move your mouse to the edit point in the lower timeline. You will see a double
bar tool appear. If you click and drag to the left, the edit point will move
to earlier in time. If you click and drag to the right, your edit point will
move later in time.
Be sure not to click the half bar tools with the little arrows. These are the
trim in and trim out tools. As you move the mouse around the edit point the
tools automatically change. So if you use the trim in and trim out tools, you
will increase or reduce the duration of your whole video track and the audio
will become out of sync with the green audio track below.
Replacing Shots The sync bin will let you find shots that sync to the point on
the timeline where you are currently positioned. This means you can fix
situations where you cut to the wrong camera, or you can search for better
shots because you have more time to see what alternatives you had.
To use the sync bin, just select it from the top left of the cut page. Once
selected, you will see your media pool at the top left and your viewer will
change. The media pool will now show a timeline of available clips and the
viewer will show a multi view of the shots you have. These are only the shots
that sync to the point in the timeline you are positioned on. If you move the
timeline, these shots will also track in sync.
Think of the sync bin as an assistant editor that looks for shots for you and
displays them in a multiview, so you can use them for editing.
Because ATEM Mini Pro ISO and Extreme ISO knows what input you have connected,
plus it’s recording those inputs into video files, it will have placed the
camera number metadata into the files for you. This means camera 1 in the sync
bin is really the video input you had connected to input 1 on the switcher.
Camera 2 is input 2 and so on.
To select an alternative edit, you need to follow 2 steps. First you need to
select the shot you want and set its in and out point. The next step is to
edit it into your timeline, over the shot you currently have.
So scroll to the position in the timeline that has the start of the shot you
want to replace. You are going to edit over the top of this clip. You should
see the alternative shots displayed in the multiview. These are the other
options you have and you see all the input video files that were recorded from
the ISO switcher’s inputs.
Now click the shot you want. You will see it display full screen. It will also
have an in point set for you, and it will be located at the current timeline
position. There is an out point also placed at a clip duration of 4 seconds.
It’s unlikely you want this exact out point, so now all you need to do is
scroll along the timeline to find the point you want the new shot to end and
press O. The out point will move to this position.
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If you did not select the correct shot, just press escape and it will return
you to the multi view and you can select another shot.
Now you have your shot selected, you want to place it in the timeline. This is
where you need to use the source overwrite edit mode. The edit modes are
centered below the media pool, and the right most one is called source
overwrite. You can see which edit mode is which, by hovering your mouse over
the buttons to display the tool tips with the edit label.
The source overwrite is intelligent, and it will look at the clip you have
selected, then look at the timeline and it will edit that clip into the
timeline at the exact timecode match. This means all the shots you are editing
into the timeline with source overwrite will stay in sync. Not only that, you
don’t need to set any in and out points in the timeline, as you can just
scroll along, look for shots, and add them into the timeline as cutaways.
The source overwrite edit mode will always place the clip on the layer above
the current clip in the timeline. If there is no layer, it will add the layer
and then place it. This means it’s easy to find your cutaways as they will be
on the layers above your original edit.
Simply scroll along your timeline, select your cutaways from the sync bin
multi view and replace as many shots as you need.
Adding Dissolves Another great feature for editing is you can add extra
dissolves to your timeline. Often when streaming at low bandwidth, dissolves
can look blocky. So this means you might not use them for the live stream. But
when you upload your program you might want to add more dissolves to make the
feel of the program gentler and more elegant.
You can now add the dissolves to smooth out the flow. DaVinci lets you drag
transitions from the transition palette onto each edit point, however there is
a faster way to add dissolves. At the bottom right of the media pool on the
cut page are 3 transition buttons. One will remove any transition and make the
edit point a cut, but the middle button will add a dissolve. You can just
scroll along and press the middle button and add dissolves.
If you watch the timeline ruler you will see a little triangle marker bouncing
up and down. This will show you the edit point that DaVinci thinks you want to
add the dissolve to. This means you don’t even need to add in points to the
timeline as when you press the dissolve button, it will add it to the marked
edit for you. It’s very fast and you can just scroll along and add dissolves
where you need them.
Cutting Out Boring Bits or Mistakes Sometimes you might have parts of your
show that are a bit slow, or you could have stopped because of a mistake. You
can cut out these sections by using the split tool. Below the media pool there
is a tool on the left side that looks like a pair of scissors. Click this tool
and you will split all the layers in your timeline. Now if you click the clips
between the cuts, you can just press delete to remove those clips and the gap
in the timeline will close up automatically.
You can see how easy it is to do common fixes to your live event. Now select
quick export on the top right of the cut page window and you can get a new
master file with all these changes applied.
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Editing in DaVinci Resolve
To understand how to use DaVinci Resolve, it’s best to watch some tutorial
videos online and download the free version to use for training. DaVinci
Resolve is very sophisticated and is used by high end Hollywood studios on
feature films, however the cut page is a lot simpler and is easy to learn.
Check online for more information.
Recording in Camera
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
models can be controlled by the ATEM Mini switchers via the HDMI cable that
connects from the camera to the ATEM Mini. It does this using some
communication wires in the cable.
This means you can do color correction and adjust lens settings via the camera
control panel in the ATEM Software Control app. Please check the section in
this manual that describes how this works.
Another advantage of this control is you can select the record in camera
setting in the record stream palette so you can record in the cameras while
recording to a USB disk.
The advantage of recording in camera is that the cameras will record in
Blackmagic RAW, which is a film gamma file that’s perfect for applying
advanced color correction. However even more exciting is that the files in
camera are 4K, so by using these files you can master your live production in
Ultra HD. Even though these are HD switchers, you can still deliver Ultra HD
masters for upload or broadcast.
The connections to the camera will upload timecode as well as camera number
and filename information. This means the Blackmagic RAW files will be in sync
with the switcher timecode. This makes using them easy.
To use Blackmagic RAW files from the cameras, be sure to select the record in
camera setting in the record stream palette. Then once you have completed
recording, be sure to copy the camera files into the Video ISO files folder
from the switcher. It’s important you do this as DaVinci Resolve needs to see
these files when you first open the DaVinci Resolve project file.
However one problem with using both ISO files from the switcher and the
Blackmagic RAW files from the camera is they will clash. Both files have the
same timecode and the same camera number. This is not an issue because DaVinci
Resolve, by default will use the ISO files.
To change to use the higher resolution Blackmagic RAW files in your project,
just select the camera originals button on the top right of the cut page
window. The icon that looks like a little camera. Once you select this icon,
you should see your timeline change as it’s now selected the Blackmagic RAW
files, which are film gamma.
You might need to add color correction to these files to make your cut look
good. Blackmagic RAW files are clean without color correction, so you can use
the powerful color correction tools in DaVinci Resolve to create an amazingly
graded master.
If you want to deliver in Ultra HD, just select the resolution menu next to
the camera originals icon and it allows you to select various resolutions and
aspect ratios. The top setting is for Ultra HD. Once you select this, your
whole project will be changed over to Ultra HD and you should see your images
become sharper.
Any non camera inputs such as slide shows from a computer will be upscaled
automatically. HD images from the media pool will also be upscaled
automatically. You can replace these images in the media folder if you want
them to be replaced by higher resolution versions of your media pool graphics.
Now when you do quick export, you will be exporting an Ultra HD master, all
from a HD switcher!
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Preparing Media for Recording
External disks can be formatted via a Mac or Windows computer. HFS+ is also
known as Mac OS X Extended and is the recommended format as it supports
`journaling’. Data on journaled media is more likely to be recovered in the
rare event that your storage media becomes corrupted. HFS+ is natively
supported by macOS. exFAT is supported natively by Mac and Windows without
needing any additional software, but does not support journaling. This can be
a good choice if you need to read or write to the disk using both Mac and
Windows computers.
Preparing Media on a Computer
Formatting Media on a Mac Computer The Disk Utility application included with
your Mac can format a drive in the HFS+ or exFAT formats. Make sure you back
up anything important from your disk as you will lose everything on it when it
is formatted.
1 Connect your disk to your computer with an external dock, USB hub, or cable
adapter and dismiss any message offering to use your drive for Time Machine
backups.
2 On your computer, go to applications/utilities and launch Disk Utility.
3 Click on the disk icon of your drive and then click the erase tab.
4 Set the format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or exFAT.
5 Type a name for the new volume and then click erase. Your media will quickly
be formatted and made ready for recording.
Formatting Media on a Windows computer The format dialog box can format a
drive in the exFAT format on a Windows PC. Make sure you back up anything
important from your drive as you will lose everything on it when it is
formatted.
1 Connect the drive to your computer with an external dock, USB hub, or cable
adapter. 2 Open the start menu or start screen and choose computer. Right-
click on your drive. 3 From the contextual menu, choose format. 4 Set the file
system to exFAT and the allocation unit size to 128 kilobytes. 5 Type a volume
label, select quick format and click `start’. 6 Your drive will quickly be
formatted and made ready for recording.
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Use the Format dialog box feature in Windows to format your external disk in
the exFAT format
Capture Video
The capture video option supports legacy model ATEM switchers with USB capture
features.
Capture Still
If you need to capture a still image from your broadcast simply click on the
capture still’ button. This acts like a still store which lets you add capture files to the media pool. You can then immediately load a still into the media player and use it in your broadcast, or save the media pool to your computer. To save the media pool: 1 Go to the menu bar at the top of your screen and click on
file/save as’. 2
Choose the location you want to save to. 3 Click `save’.
Now that your media pool is saved on your computer, you can access the
captured stills and use them in your graphics software.
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Timecode Generator
The timecode generator automatically runs time of day timecode from the moment
you launch ATEM Software Control. However, you can reset the counter to zero,
or manually enter a new timecode value to start from.
When using ATEM Mini Pro or Extreme, the timecode generator can be set to time
of day, or free run timecode where you can set a manual preset timecode
To manually set a preset timecode value: 1 Click in the run mode’ menu and select
free run’. 2 In the smaller timecode counter, type in a defined
timecode value. As you type, the new values will appear green.
To confirm the change and set the timecode running, click `set’. Time of Day
When ATEM Mini Pro or Extreme switcher is connected to your computer, the unit
will sync time of day timecode with your computer. The unit has a built in
clock that can continue running for approximately 6 days, so once you
disconnect the switcher from your computer, the time of day timecode will
continue until the battery is depleted. The battery will charge while
connected to your computer via USB.
NOTE The timecode generator is also crucial when recording isolated files on
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras 4K and 6K. When these cameras are connected
to ATEM Mini’s HDMI inputs, they will automatically conform to the ATEM
timecode generator. That means when all cameras are recording the same
timecode, you can edit your broadcast in post production and have all cameras
easily synchronized on a multicamera timeline. For example, you can import
your isolated camera recordings in DaVinci Resolve and setup a multicamera
edit with all cameras synced to the same timecode.
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Using the Audio Mixer
The audio tab is used to mix audio sources connected to ATEM Mini via HDMI and
mic audio.
Cameras and external mic audio sources are listed along the top of the audio
mixer along with the master audio output for the USB webcam program output to
your computer.
The audio mixer displays tally lights for any audio sources that are currently
on air or when AFV is selected, as well as audio level, audio balance and
buttons for selecting which audio should be used
Below each audio source is an audio level meter, a fader for setting the
maximum audio level, and a knob for setting the left/right audio channel
balance. The master fader on the right side of the audio mixer is used to set
the gain on the audio level on the USB webcam program output and has its own
audio level meter. Next to the master fader are mic faders which let you
control the audio level for microphones connected to the mic inputs.
The buttons below each audio level meter determine whether audio is always
available for mixing or only when the source is on air.
The solo monitoring feature for each input is grayed out as it supports ATEM
Production Studio and Broadcast Studio model switchers.
Tally Any source whose audio is on air is lit with a red tally light in the
software. In the example on this page, camera 3 and camera 4 are lit because
their audio is set to be always on. The tally light will be illuminated dull
yellow when AFV is selected and the channel’s associated camera is off air.
This also applies to the master fader tally light when the master fader AFV
button is selected. When FTB is activated, the master fader tally light will
blink red.
Audio Level Drag the audio level fader to set the gain on the audio level for
each camera and audio source. The numbers under each audio level meter show
the maximum audio level set by the fader. The numbers above the audio meter
show the peak audio level reached by the audio source. A green number
represents low to medium audio levels.
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If the audio meter is regularly showing red, and the red number above it is
not changing, then you should reduce the audio level to avoid audio
distortion. After adjusting the audio level, you may wish to reset the red
number by clicking on it once. Observe the new number to make sure it changes
for a while and does not immediately shoot up and become stuck on a red
number. If it does, you may need to reduce the audio level even further.
Audio Balance The audio mixer supports stereo audio from each audio source. If
you wish to change the left and right audio channel balance for a camera or
other audio source, adjust the knob to the desired balance point.
The audio meter for Cam1 is shown in gray to indicate that its audio will not
be used as neither of its ON or AFV buttons are enabled. Cam2 has AFV selected
but its audio is not currently being used as the camera is not on air as is
indicated by its dull yellow tally light. Cam3 and Cam4 have their direct mix
set to ON so their mixed audio is always used and their tally lights remain
lit, even if another camera is currently on air. The audio level meters for
mics 1 and 2 are also set to `on’ and therefore always present in the mix.
Audio Source Selection
Below each audio level meter, you will find the ON and AFV buttons that select
which audio sources are sent to the program output of the switcher.
ON
Selecting the direct mix to ON allows an audio input to be permanently mixed
into the program output, even when the associated video source is not on
air. The red tally light will always be lit because the audio is always on air.
Selecting this option automatically disables AFV.
Audio Follow Video
Audio follow video allows audio to crossfade when inputs change. The audio will only be sent to the program output when the input is on air, lighting the red tally light above. When off air, the tally light is lit dull yellow. Selecting this option automatically disables the direct mix ON setting.
SOLO
The solo feature appears as a headphones icon below each input and is available for ATEM Production Studio and Broadcast Studio model switchers.
Master Audio Level Output
The master fader on the right side of the audio mixer is used to set the gain
on the audio level for the USB webcam program output and has its own audio
level meter. Select the AFV button on the master audio output fader to enable
the AFV fade to black feature. This lets you fade your master audio when you
click on the fade to black button.
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Audio Mixer Monitor
The monitor volume knob and buttons appear below the master fader and control
the monitoring audio output behavior. You can use these settings to set
independent audio levels for monitoring the audio mix without affecting the
program output audio. If you’ve selected a solo input that you want to
monitor, these settings let you control the audio monitor levels for the
single input without affecting the program output audio. You can enable these
settings by going to the settings window and selecting the audio out setting
to “monitor audio”.
AFV DIM
Select ON to enable audio monitoring via the monitor XLR output. Deselect ON
to disable all audio via the monitor XLR output.
Select DIM to temporarily reduce the monitor audio level without having to
adjust the fader.
Shaping your Audio Mix using Advanced Fairlight Controls
ATEM Mini has advanced Fairlight audio controls that let you enhance and
refine the quality of sound on each input and master output, including input
level controls, a 6 band parametric equalizer and powerful dynamics settings.
This section of the manual shows the different Fairlight audio controls you
can use to shape and optimize the audio mix in your live production.
Input Level
Generally, when setting up your audio mix, the first step is to normalize all
your inputs. This means adjusting the input level knob on each input so you
can optimize all the levels to their highest strength without clipping.
This control is at the top of each track under the tally light. Change the
level by clicking on the knob and dragging left to decrease the level, or
right to increase. By setting the input control, it brings all the inputs up
to a common signal strength so they are all at their strongest without
clipping.
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After you have normalized all your input levels, you can now begin optimizing
and shaping the qualities in each audio input using the 6 band parametric
equalizer and dynamics controls.
Delay Control
Sometimes when using analog audio via your ATEM Mini’s mic inputs, there may
be a slight difference in the sync between analog audio and video. For
example, the analog audio may sound slightly ahead of the video. This is
because analog audio is independent of the video inputs and is coming directly
from an external source, while the HDMI inputs might have some delay depending
on upstream equipment, such as some cameras and video processors. Setting the
audio delay will ensure the analog audio input is perfectly AV synced to the
video inputs from cameras. To adjust the amount of delay on the selected
input:
1 Click on the delay indicator beneath the input audio level control knob on
the channel strip.
Click on the delay indicator below the level input knob to open the delay
control.
A small popup window will open containing the delay adjustment knob. 2 Click
on the delay knob and drag left to decrease the amount of delay, or drag right
to
increase. The amount of delay is measured in frames. Close the window by
clicking on the small `x’ in the top corner, or move the window to a safe
place on your desktop if you need to make further adjustments later.
Click on the delay control and drag left or right to decrease or increase the
amount of delay required for an analog input
Using the 6 Band Parametric Equalizer
Each input and the master output has a 6 band parametric equalizer which can
be used to control specific frequencies. This could include reducing low
frequency hum or noise on a microphone input, or boosting the low frequencies
on a thin sounding track, or even to add uniqueness to each input so they are
more distinct in the final mix. You have many creative options.
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Parametric Equalizer
To open the parametric equalizer for an input or the master output, click on
the corresponding equalizer indicator.
Click on an input’s equalizer indicator to open a 6 band parametric equalizer
The first item you will notice is the graph along the top of the window with
numbered indicators from 1 to 6. These numbered indicators are adjustable
handles that correspond to bands 1 to 6. Each band of the 6 band parametric
equalizer has a column of settings. These settings will differ based on which
band you are controlling, and what filter type you are using.
Each audio input has its own 6 band parametric equalizer
TIP You can learn more about band filters later in this section.
If you want to make changes to a setting, you will first need to make sure the
band is enabled. Click on a band label to enable it. When enabled, the button
label is illuminated blue. Now you can change the settings for that band, or
click and drag the handles to make fast adjustments. Handles Each band handle
is positioned along the line curve displayed in the graph. You can click and
drag each handle to choose the frequency you wish to adjust for that band, and
the gain you want to set. When moving a handle with your mouse, both the
frequency and gain settings are affected simultaneously, which gives you a
fast way to make quick adjustments to each band across the entire range of
frequencies.
NOTE To make changes using a handle, ensure the band is enabled. Simply click
on the band you want to adjust. The band label will illuminate blue when
enabled.
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As you drag a handle left or right, you will notice the frequency and decibels
update in the band settings. This will also be reflected by the frequency
range preset buttons for low, medium low, medium high, and high.
Frequency Knobs Alternatively, you can use the frequency knobs for each band
to select a specific frequency to adjust.
Range Presets The frequency range for each band is defined by the range preset
buttons. For example, low is labeled `L’ and covers the frequency range from
30 to 395 Hz.
As a quick example of how the range presets define the frequency range, select
a notch filter from the band filter menu and then click on each range preset.
You will see the filter effect move to a position along the graph curve that
corresponds to the range preset you choose. This lets you quickly define a
specific range of frequencies you want the filter to affect.
Below is a table showing the range of frequencies for each range preset
setting.
Range Preset Low
Frequency Range 30 Hz to 395 Hz
Mid Low
100 Hz to 1.48 kHz
Mid High
450 Hz to 7.91 kHz
High
1.4 kHz to 21.7 kHz
Gain Knobs Click and drag the gain knob left or right to decrease or increase
the volume level for the selected frequency.
Q Factor The Q factor control is available when the bell filter is applied to
bands 2, 3, 4 and 5. This sets the range of frequencies the filter will
affect. For example, setting the minimum will allow the filter to affect a
wide range of surrounding frequencies and the maximum setting will narrow the
effect down to a tiny point. This is important if you have sound qualities in
surrounding frequencies that you want to either include or exclude from the
change you are making.
As you adjust the Q factor, watch the shape of the effect on the line curve
change from a broad, rounded edge to a sharp point. This is a visual
representation showing how the regions of frequencies surrounding the target
frequency are affected.
TIP Compare the audio with changes against the original unaltered audio by clicking on the bypass button at the very top of the equalizer window. This lets you turn the equalizer on or off.
Band Filters
There are six different types of band filters you can choose from. These
filters include bell, high shelf, low shelf, notch, high pass, and low pass.
These filters let you control specific zones within the frequency range. For
example, a low shelf filter lets you increase or decrease the level of volume
for lower frequencies on the graph, and a high shelf filter controls the
higher frequencies.
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Try setting a low shelf filter to band 3 and make changes to the gain setting.
You will see the changes are weighted towards the low end frequencies on the
graph.
A description for each filter type is provided below.
Bell
High Shelf
Low Shelf
This filter is used to increase or decrease a range of frequencies surrounding
a defined frequency.
Notch
Lets you increase or decrease the level of volume for higher frequencies along the graph.
Lets you increase or decrease the level of volume for lower frequencies along the graph.
High Pass
Low Pass
This filter lets you remove, or cut, a defined frequency.
Smoothly removes extreme low end frequencies, allowing the high end frequencies to pass unaffected.
Smoothly removes extreme high end frequencies, allowing the low end frequencies to pass unaffected.
TIP It’s not uncommon to have filters on each band overlapping on the graph
curve with adjustments working together. For example, you may have a low shelf
filter applied to band 4, and a notch filter on band 5 reducing a frequency
within the same range.
Dynamics Controls
In addition to the 6 band parametric equalizer, you can also enhance and
finesse the input and master output audio using dynamics controls. Where the
equalizer lets you control the frequencies within a signal, dynamics controls
let you set how various levels behave. Levels within the signal can be
adjusted including expanding the dynamic range between low levels and high
levels, gating an input so you can choose what is stronger or softer within a
signal, or you can even use the compressor and limiter so that audio can be
generally lifted and made stronger without clipping.
Combined with equalizer controls, these features are extremely powerful,
giving you the ability to precisely shape and define the audio and generally
optimize the sound of the master output.
This section describes the expander, gate, compressor and limiter controls.
The dynamics controls can be opened for each input and the master output by clicking on its corresponding dynamics indicator
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Common Dynamics Settings
The expander/gate, compressor and limiter share common settings that let you
shape how each function affects the audio. For example the level at which the
function initiates, how long the function is applied, the strength of the
function, etc. The settings available differ depending on the dynamics control
you are using.
Threshold
Sets the sound level at which the function activates. For example, setting the threshold for the compressor to -20dB tells your switcher to activate compression when the signal rises above -20dB. Alternatively, setting the expander to -40dB means the switcher will only initiate the expander once the signal level drops below -40dB.
Range
This setting defines the range of decibels affected by the function.
Ratio
Defines the maximum strength of the function once initiated.
Attack
Sets the smoothness of the function when it initiates. For example, a long attack will allow the function to fade into the signal, blending in better without drawing too much attention, whereas a short attack may be better for complex sound activity with many quick variations where a longer attack may cause artifacts.
Hold
Sustains the dynamics function over an adjustable period of time.
Release
Similar to attack but occurs at the end of the function activity. For example, lets the dynamics function ease out gradually, or fall away rapidly, once the level moves out of the threshold.
Expander/Gate The first set of dynamics parameters can be switched between
expansion and gating.
Expansion emphasizes differences in volume by lowering the level of soft parts
of the signal relative to the level of louder parts. You can use an expander
to emphasize the differences between quiet and loud parts of a track, or to
increase the dynamic range of a signal and minimize unwanted noise.
Gating is like an exaggerated expander, reducing the level or even silencing
parts of a signal that fall below a certain level in order to reduce or
eliminate noise in quiet parts of a recording. For example, a range of 15 to
20 dB can reduce breathing in a vocal track but leaves just enough to sound
natural.
Gating is extremely effective, but it’s also very powerful so requires careful
attention. If the gate threshold is set too high it can cause artifacts, such
as cutting off the start of a syllable or the quiet end of a word. You can
compensate by reducing the threshold slightly, or by increasing the attack or
release time.
Compressor Compression lets you reduce peaks in an audio signal, reducing the
dynamic range of a signal, so you can boost the overall level without
clipping. This is helpful when you want to make sure the loud elements in a
signal don’t diminish the strength of quieter sounds, or to smoothen changes
in audio levels within the signal.
TIP It’s a good idea to apply the compressor after you have set the EQ
controls.
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Make Up The make up setting lets you increase the overall signal in
combination with compression settings. With loud parts of the audio reduced
using compression, you can now use the make up control to boost the overall
sound without clipping.
Limiter The limiter prevents peaks of the signal from exceeding a set maximum
level. A limiter is helpful to prevent hard clipping. For example, if you set
the limiter to -8 dB, the input signal will never exceed that level. Adjusting
the attack, hold and release settings will set how gentle the limiter affects
the signal.
Dynamics Controls Characteristics
Control
Minimum
Expander/Gate Expander Controls* Threshold
-50dB
Range
0dB
Ratio
1.0:1
Attack
0.5ms
Hold
0.0ms
Release
50ms
Expander/Gate Gate Controls*
Threshold
-50dB
Range
0dB
Attack
0.5ms
Hold
0.0ms
Release
50ms
Compressor Compressor Controls Threshold
-50dB
Ratio
1.0:1
Attack
0.7ms
Hold
0.0ms
Release
50ms
Limiter Limiter Controls
Threshold
-50dB
Attack
0.7ms
Hold
0.0ms
Release
50ms
Default
-45dB 18dB 1.1:1 1.4ms 0.0ms 93ms
-45dB 18dB 1.4ms 0.0ms 93ms
-35dB 2.0:1 1.4ms 0.0ms 93ms
-12dB 0.7ms 0.0ms 93ms
Maximum
0dB 60dB 10:1 30ms 4s 4s
0dB 60dB 30ms 4s 4s
0dB 10:1 30ms 4s 4s
0dB 30ms 4s 4s
- Master Dynamics expander/gate controls are unused in Master Dynamics. ** Master Dynamics expander/gate threshold default is -35dB. Mic
Dynamics expander/gate threshold default is -45dB.
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Fairlight Controls Workflow Guide
This section describes a basic workflow to help you get started using the
Fairlight controls to refine and enhance your audio mix.
1 Generally, the first step to optimizing your mix is to normalize all the
inputs so they are all at their maximum strength without clipping. This is
normally done by increasing or decreasing the input gain level for each input
so their signal peaks just below 0dB on the channel strip’s level indicator.
2 If you want to split any mono inputs into two separate channels for stereo
output, go to the general switcher settings and navigate to the audio tab.
Enable the checkboxes for the mono inputs you want to change to stereo. Click
`done’.
TIP If you want to split mono inputs into two separate channels, it’s best to
do this before normalizing the input as described in step 1, so that you can
normalize both channels after they have been split.
3 Now, click on the EQ indicators below input level controls and make
equalization changes to each input. You can move the windows into a better
position, or close them if needed.
4 After setting EQ, open the dynamics controls for each input by clicking on
their respective dynamics indicator. Make the required dynamics changes to
generally improve and refine the input audio.
5 With EQ and dynamics set for each input, you can now open the EQ controls
for the master output and sweeten the final audio mix.
6 Now open the master output’s dynamics controls and make any required changes
to improve the final output.
Once all the Fairlight controls are set, you can then increase or decrease the
faders on the audio mixer to set them at their best levels for the live mix
and make adjustments where necessary during the production. You can also go
back to any of the settings and make further adjustments if needed, but it’s
best to follow the same order as described above to get the best results from
each function. For example, it’s important to set EQ controls before making
dynamics changes as the processing chain in your switcher applies dynamics to
the audio after equalization.
Most important of all is to apply the effects carefully so your audio still
sounds natural but exciting too!
Using the Media Page
The media page is where all your graphics or stills are stored and is very
easy to use. Simply find the still you want to use with the browse window,
then drag and drop the file into a slot in the media pool. From there, you can
load any one of those stills into the media player and switch it to air using
the media player 1 source button on the software control panel. You can also
use stills in the media player with the upstream and downstream keyer.
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Keep reading this section for information on how to use the media page in ATEM
Software Control.
Navigating the Browse Window
The browse window is a simplified file browser that lets you navigate your
computer to look for graphics files. All attached drives on your computer are
displayed, and you can select folders from them. View sub folders by clicking
on the arrows next to each folder. The `preview’ window will show any selected
graphics files.
Browse window
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Browsing and loading files Loading a still is as easy as dragging it from the
browse window and dropping it into an empty slot in the media pool.
When dropping a still into a slot, a progress indicator will show the loading
status. You can drop multiple files into the media pool, even if the first
images have not yet completed loading, as they will continue to load one after
the other. If a still is dropped into a window which already has content
loaded, the existing content will be replaced.
The ATEM media pool supports PNG, TGA, BMP, GIF, JPEG and TIFF still image
formats.
ATEM Media Pool
When files have been loaded into the media pool, the slots will show a
thumbnail image. Stills are marked with a slot number so you can identify them
when assigning a still image to the media player when using an external ATEM
hardware panel.
The file name for each loaded file is displayed underneath the slot so you can
easily keep track of files you have loaded. This is very useful as you will
see a list of media pool still and clip numbers and their file names in the
media player palette on the switcher page.
Numbers are displayed on slots in the media pool to clearly show which slot is
assigned to the media player. When a media player slot is switched to the
program output, the media player number on the slot changes to red to indicate
the slot is on air. When a slot is on the preview output, the media player
number changes to green.
ATEM Media Pool
On the switcher page, you can change the media player assignment from the
media tab by selecting your desired still from the media’ menu. Simply click on the arrow in the player
media’ list to select from a list of media pool
slots.
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Image File Types
The ATEM media page can use many different file formats including TGA, PNG,
BMP, GIF, JPEG and TIFF.
Formats such as TGA include a separate alpha’ channel together with the RGB color channels. This lets you embed a matte, or key image, inside that alpha channel. When a TGA image is loaded in the media player, ATEM Software Control will automatically detect the key image in the alpha channel and load it as the linear key source. This means your TGA graphic will key beautifully straight away with perfect transparency. Creating a TGA File with an Alpha Channel Below is a demonstration showing how to create a title in Photoshop with an alpha channel. 1 Launch Adobe Photoshop and start a new project. Set the project to use the same horizontal and vertical dimensions used in your broadcast video format. For example, if you are broadcasting 1080p50, set the resolution to 1920 x 1080 pixels. 2 In the layers panel, create a new layer and build the graphic you want to use. In this demonstration, we are using a
wedding’ lower thirds graphic.
3 Hold down the command’ key on a Mac, or
control’ key for Windows, and
click on the layer thumbnail for your graphic. This will generate a selection
of the color channels’ opacity values in your image. Their opacity determines
the transparency of the graphic.
4 Go to the adjoining channels’ panel and click on the
save selection as
channel’ tool.
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You will now see an alpha channel appear underneath the RGB color channels. The alpha channel contains a grayscale version of the combined color channels in your graphic. Don’t forget to click on the alpha channel’s `eye’ icon to make sure it is selected so it will be included when the TGA file is saved.
5 Your selection has now been used to create the grayscale matte in the alpha
channel. If you want to, you can now go to the ‘menu’ bar and click
select/deselect’ to remove the selection marquee. 6 Now it’s time to save your TGA file. Go to the file menu and click on
save as’. Type the file name and select the
location for your file. In the format box, select targa’, which is the full name for a TGA file and make sure the
alpha channels’ checkbox is selected.
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7 Click save’. A targa options box will appear asking which resolution you want to save. Select ’32 bits/pixel’. This provides enough data for four 8 bit channels which includes the red, green and blue color channels, plus the alpha channel. Click
OK’.
)
Your TGA file is saved. Now you can open ATEM Software Control and load the
file into the media pool. From there, drop the graphic into the media player
and the alpha channel you saved will automatically be loaded into the media
player key source. The key source uses the grayscale image in the alpha
channel to tell the linear keyer transparency values for the graphic. If you
switch the linear key to air, you will now see the graphic keyed over the
background with perfect transparency.
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Using Camera Control
Clicking on the `camera’ button in ATEM Software Control opens the camera
control feature that lets you control Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and
6K from your ATEM Mini. Camera settings such as iris, gain, focus, detail and
zoom control are easily adjusted using compatible lenses, plus you can color
balance cameras and create unique looks using the DaVinci Resolve primary
color corrector that’s built into the camera.
ATEM Camera Control.
When controlling cameras, the ATEM switcher control works by broadcasting
camera control packets via all the HDMI inputs of your ATEM Mini. So this
means you can connect an HDMI input of your ATEM Mini to the camera’s HDMI
connector and the camera will detect the control packets in the HDMI signal
and allow you to control features in the camera.
ATEM Software Control automatically knows which camera is connected to each
input, so the tally signals will always trigger the appropriate cameras.
However, if you want to change the button mapping so camera inputs appear on
different buttons, you can do that in the button mapping settings in ATEM
Software Control’s preferences.
Camera Control Panel Launch ATEM Software Control and click on the `camera’
button located at the bottom of the software window. You’ll see a row of
labeled Blackmagic camera controllers containing tools to adjust and refine
each camera’s image. The controllers are easy to use. Simply click the buttons
using your mouse, or click and drag features to adjust.
Camera Control Selection The button row at the top of the camera control page
lets you select the camera number you would like to control.
Channel Status The channel status at the top of each camera controller
displays the camera label, On Air indicator and lock button. Press the lock
button to lock all the controls for a specific camera. When on air, the
channel status illuminates red and displays the On Air alert.
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Camera Settings The camera settings button near the bottom left of the master wheel lets you adjust detail settings for each camera’s picture signal.
Each camera controller displays the channel status so you know which camera is
on air. Use the color wheels to adjust each YRGB channel’s lift, gamma and
gain settings.
Detail Use this setting to sharpen the image from your cameras live. Decrease
or increase the level of sharpening by selecting: Detail off, detail default
for low sharpening, medium detail and high detail.
Color Wheel The color wheel is a powerful feature of the DaVinci Resolve color
corrector and used to make color adjustments to each YRGB channel’s lift,
gamma and gain settings. You can select which setting to adjust by clicking on
the three selection buttons above the color wheel.
Master Wheel Use the master wheel below the color wheel to make contrast
adjustments to all YRGB channels at once, or luminance only for each lift,
gamma or gain setting.
Reset Buttons The reset button near the bottom right of each camera controller
lets you easily choose color correction settings to reset, copy or paste. Each
color wheel also has its own reset button. Press to restore a setting to its
default state, or copy/paste a setting. Locked controllers are not affected by
the Paste feature.
The master reset button on the bottom right corner of the color corrector
panel lets you reset lift, gamma and gain color wheels plus Contrast, Hue,
Saturation and Lum Mix settings. You can paste color correction settings to
camera controllers individually, or all cameras at once for a unified look.
Iris, focus, coarse and pedestal settings are not affected by the Paste
feature. When applying Paste to all, a warning message will appear asking you
to confirm your action. This is so you don’t accidentally paste new settings
to any unlocked cameras that are currently on air.
When applying `paste to all’, a warning message will appear asking you to confirm your action. This is so you don’t accidentally paste new settings to any unlocked cameras that are currently on air.
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Iris/Pedestal Control The iris/pedestal control is located within the cross
hairs of each camera controller. The control illuminates red when its camera
is on air.
To open or close the iris, drag the control up or down. Holding the shift key
allows only iris adjustments.
To darken or lift the pedestal, drag the control left or right. Holding the
command key on a Mac, or the Control key on Windows, allows only pedestal
adjustments.
The iris/pedestal control illuminates red when its respective camera is on
air.
Zoom Control When using compatible lenses with an electronic zoom feature, you
can zoom your lens in and out using the Zoom control. The controller works
just like the zoom rocker on a lens, with telephoto on one end and wide angle
on the other. Click on the zoom control, located above the coarse slider and
drag up to zoom in, or drag down to zoom out.
Coarse Setting The coarse setting is located to the right of the iris/pedestal
control and is used to limit the iris range. This feature helps you prevent
over exposed images from going to air.
To set your coarse threshold, completely open the iris using the iris control,
then drag the coarse setting up or down to set optimum exposure. Now when you
adjust the iris, the coarse threshold will prevent it from going above optimum
exposure.
Iris Indicator The iris indicator is located to the left of the iris/pedestal
control and displays a visual reference so you can easily see how open or
closed the lens aperture is. The iris indicator is affected by the coarse
setting.
Auto Focus Button The auto focus button is located at the bottom right corner
of each camera controller. Press to automatically set the focus when you have
an active lens that supports electronic focus adjustments. It’s important to
know that while most lenses support electronic focus, some lenses can be set
to manual or auto focus modes and so you need to ensure your lens is set to
auto focus mode. Sometimes this is set by sliding the focus ring on the lens
forward or backward.
Using Camera Control
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Click on the auto focus button or drag the manual focus adjustment left or
right to focus a compatible lens.
Manual Focus Adjustment When you want to adjust the focus on your camera
manually, you can use the focus adjustment located at the bottom of each
camera controller. Drag the wheel control left or right to manually adjust
focus while viewing the video feed from the camera to ensure your image is
nice and sharp.
Camera Gain The camera gain setting allows you to turn on additional gain in
the camera. On Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras, this setting relates to ISO.
This is important when you are operating in low light conditions and need
extra gain, or ISO, in the front end of the camera to avoid your images being
under exposed. You can decrease or increase gain by clicking on the left or
right arrows on the dB gain setting.
You can turn on some gain when you need it, such as outdoor shoots when the
light fades at sunset and you need to increase your image brightness. It’s
worth noting that adding gain will increase noise in your images.
Shutter Speed Control The shutter speed control is located in the section
between the color wheel and the iris/pedestal con
References
- Blackmagic Design
- Support Center | Blackmagic Design
- P65Warnings.ca.gov
- Blackmagic Forum • Index page
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