Ross Video XPression U: Recent Episodes
Ross Video XPression U
Have you heard of Ross Video’s XPression U? It’s a place for online, self-directed learning, to get you up to speed on all the software and workflow XPression has to offer through Ross Video. We’ll be sharing Quick Tips, Basics, and Advanced learning videos to show you just how easy it is to use all the tools XPression has to offer. Living Live! with Ross Video http://rossvideo.com/xpression-u
To protect XPression Maps users from making a mistake by deleting an entire group of Drawing Tools, the software had required the user to delete all the Drawing Tool items from the group, before being able to delete an entire Drawing Tool Group. After careful consideration and a lot of feedback, it is now possible to delete an entire Drawing Tool Group, without emptying it, first.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
To protect XPression Maps users from making a mistake by deleting an entire group of Drawing Tools, the software had required the user to delete all the Drawing Tool items from the group, before being able to delete an entire Drawing Tool Group. After careful consideration and a lot of feedback, it is now possible to delete an entire Drawing Tool Group, without emptying it, first.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
When creating a map for a national level story, the display of bodies of water can distract from the general map presentation. To allow Maps Designers the ability to control how bodies of water are shown, we have added a MAX RANK for bodies of water, with 1 being only the absolute largest lakes and 10 being all the bodies of water. This allows an XPression Maps Designer to control the bodies of water, within the Map Style they are using and additional controls in the OpenStreetMaps Overlay settings.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps has always supported creating a border for countries as they are shown on a map. However, borders that are along an ocean were not drawn, as the water is assumed to be the border, or in some cases the administrative border might extend into the ocean, sea, or other bodies of water.
It is now possible to show the border alongside the body of water, using the resolution quality shown in the properties panel.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Designers are often asked to export a still image of a map they create. However, their default file format might not be the first choice presented in the XPression Maps Designer software. With the latest update, XPression Maps Designer will remember the last file format saved, and automatically present that as the File Format choice.
There is also a new configuration choice for the Compression Quality settings of JPEG files saved in XPression Maps.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
When using an XPression Maps Database shared across multiple XPression Maps Designers, it has not been possible to delete a Drawing Tool Group. However, more and more users on one database means that temporary Drawing Tool Groups may get added to an XPression Maps database, which eventually need to be deleted. Now, there is a way to delete them with XPression Maps 3.2.2 Build 11682 or higher.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Tick-it! provides both data streams and control over an XPression engine to display data-driven content. Did you know that users can trigger XPression Tick-it! using tools like RossTalk or an Elgato Stream Deck? While Tick-It! is normally triggered via automation controls from devices like station automation systems, it is possible for people and production devices to trigger Tick-It! for playout as well. Watch and see!
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression supports a Windows Capture Shader, which allows the XPression user to display the contents of a window on their computer as a material on any geometry in their XPression scene. This can be a web browser, Video Chat Tools, or any application on their computer. Best practice for this would be dual monitors on the XPression engine so that the desired window isn’t covered up by the XPression user interface.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In Version 11.0, we have enhanced the user experience for Mac OS users working with the HTML5 MOS client. Users can now preview Clips content inside the HTML5 MOS Client before adding it to their scripts. Simply select a Clip asset by clicking on it, and then clicking on it in the preview pane will allow the user to watch a proxy video with sound.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Maps Templates used in the XPression MOS Workflow were designed for the artist to define the starting flight point and letting the newsroom user search for the end point. This means that there are several templates for doing a map. Now, it is possible to allow the Maps HTML5 client (MOS) user to define where they want to have the Map flight start, and better tell their story. It can also reduce the number of Maps templates and reduce some confusion over which templates to use to make a map.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
One of the most important parts of branding is consistency. When creating mapping content for your viewers, it is important to show them common locations the same way, most of the time. If you want your local maps to start with the same point of view each time, consider creating a bookmark to allow your XPression Maps Designers to use the same location each time. In this video, we explain XPression Maps Bookmarks to create a consistent reference point every time.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression MOS client allows users to select between two (or more) XPression Gateway Servers on their network. Now the NLE users can do the same thing! Allow editors in a duopoly to participate in both newsrooms and let them collaborate with both newsrooms too.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
MOS enabled newsrooms have freed the control room up from the chaos of frantic live control rooms, by allowing producers to create and schedule their own content. However, some shows are still so “live” they don’t follow a rundown. Now it is possible to export a snapshot the rundown as a CSV file, to allow the producers to see a list of graphics and Take IDs from a specific show and timeframe.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Remote Sequencer users can create, modify, or delete graphics Take Items, and now with Version 11, it is possible to also move Clips assets in the rundown, change the order of Clips assets, or even move two or more of them at one time.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Project Server can handle a lot of file transfers in busy stations. For station groups with a central XPression Project Server which can share XPression Projects to multiple locations for breaking news and other critical productions, now it is possible to keep an eye on file transfers in either direction.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The new Text Object Property for Published Value allows for a value to be pushed to a text object, but also allows for users in XPression or the XPression MOS Client to overwrite the value, if things change. This is a critical fix, since Visual Logic runs any time the XPression scene is rendered, making the original way XPression handled data from XMP or other sources non-negotiable. Now it is possible to update a value.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
When creating a copy of an existing XPression Take Item in the Sequencer, it is now possible to select the Take ID, as well as define the location of the new Take ID in the Sequencer. This allows operators to work quickly and gives them a lot more control when making copies of the same Take Item in their Sequencer playlists.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
News requires a high standard of accuracy and is often questioned about grammatical choices. In some countries, the requirement to add some text in Superscript or underline is very important, and often one of the most critical parts of news graphics. XPression now supports the use of underline, superscript and subscript in text to make your graphics as accurate as possible.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Displaying text properly sometimes requires the use of superscript or subscript, so now… XPression supports it. This allow users to properly emphasize key words, it is also possible to underline text in XPression. This is possible in the Viewport as well as the Template Data Fields in Sequencer.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Creating content for the digital platforms is often as critical as creating content for the newscast. XPression Maps and the Maps HTML5 Client allows your busy newsroom to create content for both at the same time. With the XPression Maps Server Download option, your newsroom users can now download the map animations they create for use in other platforms, giving your web or mobile app the same content and branding as your newscast. This keeps your viewers informed and depending on your station for their news content 24 hours a day.
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
If you have ever built a complex transition logic scene where you created tons of very involved logic rules, you also know you want to use the same rules on another template that is very similar. You used to have to go and copy and paste the rules, line-by-line. Now, you can save the entire set of Transition Logic rules and recall them inside another template. This reduces the amount of work (and tears) needed to build an amazing graphics package.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
See what Preview Markers, Default Markers and a Preview or NLE Scene Director can do to make your newsroom or Non-Linear Editing (Adobe Premiere, Avid Media Composer, GV Edius) workflow run flawlessly. Adding these pro-tips to your scene design and logic work will make for a smoothly running show, no matter is your working in a manual playout workflow or a totally automated control room.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Want to know how one XPression scene can affect another? Well, this is where you will learn all about adding another track in your Scene Director to add a Scene Director Trigger, which allows one XPression scene to interact with another one.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ok, we call them topic bars in the USA, but in the UK, they are called Flags. Don’t let it confuse you. Simon is going to show you how to animate the Flag scene, as well as how to do it with some great shortcuts.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The masks are already built for you but learn a couple of great shortcuts as well as what the check box for Render animated objects only does, and how to leverage it on your XPression scene design and animation work. If you want to learn how to create masks in XPression go back and watch the tutorial on creating and animating masks, (Basics 136).
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Here is the magical part of the series, where we learn how to create Transition Logic Rules and adding in the Conditions to execute them. There are a couple of great shortcuts in this video, in addition to the great lesion on Transition Logic.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
This tutorial covers how to animate the text objects in the scene, to create effects for the various situations where XPression Transition Logic will be added in the next video.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Learn how to the add animation controllers to your scenes, to add transitions to basic templates, even without logic, and how this is different them just using a pause in the middle of the scene director and reversing the animation. Watch the tutorial on the basics of animation in XPression if you forgot, (Basics 108)!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Get introduced to what XPression Transition Logic is, and what will be covered in this series of tutorial videos.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In a live production control room, a great user interface still requires a dedicated control surface, sometimes. Ross Video has created an optional keyboard for controlling Trackless Studio with single keystrokes. Recalling camera presets, events or even transitions can now be done with dedicated keystrokes.
There is even a joystick for immediate access to repositioning the scene camera. This is extremely helpful in the pre-production times for setting camera presets as well as random control of the scene camera for immediate camera repositioning while in production. Take a look at this quick introduction video to see if the Trackless Studio dedicated controller option is right for your productions.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Adding XPression graphics in or over the Trackless Virtual Studio is easy to do, using Events. Setting a scene with Datalinq™ keys online and then sending a new Datalinq™ key value allows users to update lower-third name graphics or even election results in complex data visualizations. This video will take users through the steps to add a lower third name super and update the contents using events, within Ross Video’s trackless Studio.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Trackless Studio can be more than just the virtual set in your production. Using the Events settings in Trackless Studio, it is possible to use other scenes in the XPression Project which has the virtual set. Adding another scene, and even populating it with new content is simple, and this video provides an awesome tutorial on how to set up Insert Graphics events for your virtual set solution.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Virtual sets can contain virtual monitors, and it is easy to change the content, such as Videos, still Images or live sources to fill the monitors, using the Trackless Studio Media Events and Hot Swap functions. Setting up a series of media events that can be triggered from the Production Control interface is quick and easy. The use of events can handle more than just updating media in the monitors; Media Events can update Datalinq™ sources, on-set objects, insert graphics superimposed on the program stream and event selecting other camera presets can all be part of a Media Event in Trackless Studio. For a random access type of program, the Media Hot Swap tools allow operators to select a pool of preset media (videos, still images or live sources), and simply click on them to selectively populate the on-set monitors and keep up with the on screen dialog.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Setting up a Trackless Studio show will be easy after reviewing this tutorial. Setting up different Scene Presets and triggering moves between the camera presets and transitions between scenes of presets to mimic a full studio production workflow. Setting presets, adjusting transition durations based on production demands and setting new presets when needed, give the operator comprehensive set of handles on the entire production.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
There are some essential but simple settings that need to be set up and occasionally reviewed and tweaked in Trackless Studio. Items such as setting up the Chroma key for each live input, setting up or updating a list media to be used in either hot-swap mode or event-base triggering. Learning to set up or modify the chroma key settings as well as modifying the media and event presets helps to take an operator to the next level of Trackless Studio user.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The Trackless Studio playout process is handled through the Production Control screen. Learning the specific functions of the main areas on this part of the user interface gives the operator the confidence to handle their show knowing what controls are available to them. Viewing this tutorial as well as the Trackless Studio Basic Operation Overview gives the operator a solid understanding of how to set up and run a basic show.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Understanding the Menu option of a software application can make the different between the operator mastering the software or the software mastering the operator. The quick tutorial walks the viewer through the items on the main menu and when or why to use them.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Launching Trackless Studio and XPression in the proper order is important to establishing the “handshake” between the two applications. This short video provides instruction on the proper order for launching and gives the operator the confidence to continue forward in the playback process.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
This video is a comprehensive tutorial walking the user through the process of identifying the proper version of XPression to work with Ross Trackless Studio or XPression BlueBox and the proper installation and setup of the Trackless Studio software. Geared towards the maintenance or IT staff, this video is mainly installation, however, it is a good reference for operators who want an overall knowledge of Trackless Studio.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ross Video would like to introduce you to Trackless Studio, our cost-effective solution for virtual set technology. We feel that Ross Video Trackless Studio can be a “game changer” for even your most basic video productions. The application opportunities for Trackless Studio are almost endless.
Imagine having a library of stunning virtual sets allowing for dramatic camera moves, multi-camera support, transitions, live inputs, real-time 3D graphics, and updatable video clips and still images on the set. All this is done without a large studio space, and at an amazingly affordable price.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
A crawl becomes a ticker once the system is designated to display real-time data feeds in an unattended but critical situation. Nothing could be more critical reporting on statistics regarding the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
Using XPression Tick-it! community, XPression Tick-it! customers have immediate access to real-time data feeds which provide up-to-the-minute statistics on the spread or containment of Covid-19.
Ross Video and our partners are providing this XPression Tick-it! Community data feed to all XPression Tick-it! customers so they can share this vital data with their viewers as a community service.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Combining XPression Tick-it with Ross Video Inception Social to moderate, schedule, manage and display social media content for your ticker requirements. Learn about these workflow tools and how they can make your staff more productive.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Tick-it systems can scale from a single system to an entire enterprise-level solution around the world. Demanding environments like yours can be managed using XPression Tick-it. Let us show you how Ross Video and XPression Tick-it can help.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Tickers are being used outside of traditional broadcast workflows, such as venues, large organizations, and corporate facilities. See several real-world examples of XPression Tick-it in action and get some ideas on how XPression Tick-it can improve your messaging needs.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Tick-it provides reporting capabilities on many activities. Watch this video to learn what reporting tools are available and how to use them.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Tick-it workflow can be set-up using one person or an entire team. Learn what resources are available, and who might be using them to keep XPression Tick-it performing as expected.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Tick-it can scale from a single system to an entire network of stations. This video will explain the XPression components and the XPression Tick-it system.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Tick-it Player app is used on the XPression system to manually recall content and display it to output of the XPression graphics engine.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Tick-it concept of “Shows” help to schedule content for air. This video explains the Story and Rundown components of the Tick-it web interface.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Tick-it Projects move from conception to deployment inside a facility. This video provides an understanding of the overall project and who might perform each part of the project.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Understanding the potential of XPression Tick-it is critical to designing the XPression Scenes. Learn about the XPression tools used to design tickers for using XPression Tick-it.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Scheduling Promos, generating “As Run” reports and even adding artwork make the Promos and Ads Module an invaluable feature in the XPression Tick-it Workflow.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The Elections Module for XPression Tick-it allows for registration of Candidate information, elections, and voting regions (districts, etc.). Linking elections results and candidate information to templates has never been easier. The data in the system can be used for tickers as well as regular XPression scenes.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Tick-it Financial Module provides a simple user interface to link data sources of financial data to XPression graphics. Generate tickers and headlines from wires, rises feeds and other data sources.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Tick-it Weather Module lets users link data from service providers into XPression templates including statistics and imagery.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Tick-it Sports Module les you link data feeds to XPression Tick-it or create custom leagues and teams for regional and local sports that may not have a data feed provided.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The Story Module of XPression Tick-it allows the user to set-up or modify content before approving the item for air. This can range from manually creating story content or linking data sources such as an RSS feed.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression is linked to Tick-it data, using the XPression Tick-it Ace module, running on the XPression engine. This video shows the user how simple it is to link the data module to the XPression template.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Designer Alain Savoie discusses the design process he uses to create content in XPression and set it up with XPression Tick-it.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Tick-it Content Modules provide focused on data sets for News, Sports, Weather, Financial Data. This video provides a general overview of the modules, which are explained in depth in other videos in the series.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ever wonder how to set up a ticker project and who does what? This video will show you a suggested workflow and how XPression Tick-it makes it easy to set-up and run a ticker without needing developers.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Tick-it has specific modules for specific workflow requirements. All are web-based, and accessible to everyone in the organization, using a web browser. Take a quick look at all the modules and get an understanding of how they can streamline your workflow.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Tick-it puts control in your hands. Take a look at the entire solution using XPression Tick-it. Take a quick look at the workflow tools that allow your team to quickly add and update information for your ticker requirements.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Introducing XPression Tick-it, from Ross Video. XPression Tick-it is a highly flexible tool for getting data and media on the screen, using browser-based tools and XPression graphics. XPression Tick-it allows users within your organization to input and manage data from multiple sources using a web browser, and directly to air.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Tick-it is a simple but powerful set of tools from Ross Video to develop, display and automate ticker content using a web browser and a Ross Video XPression graphics engine. The XPression Tick-it video series is tailored to the user looking for specific information, when they need it, so there are several segments to choose from. Watch what you need, or watch them all…
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Using a simple on-screen menu or standard PC keyboards, select the drawing tool that best highlights the on-screen action. Show your viewer exactly what is happing in the video. Whether the action is on the field, or in the news video; illustrate the action so the viewers at home are informed and learn from the expert commentary your on-screen team provides.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Adding telestration to your video productions is easier than you think. Ross Video Telestrate is a software option to your existing XPression engine, which, when combined with a touch screen monitor; provides simple but powerful telestration capability. It isn’t as difficult or as involved as you think it is… really… it’s easy! Just watch.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Any successful user knows that tips and tricks learned along the way are what makes them highly sought after. Why not learn from the best in the business, when it comes to XPression Tessera and DashBoard workflows?
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Tessera uses Regions and Region Mapping to control placement of assets. Using the Drop Zones (also known as Template Data Fields) assures that the proper aspect ratio of assets remains as defined in the templates.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Tessera workflows are built around the use of regions and mapping them to outputs of XPression. This video will show users how to set up the regions and map them to frame buffers in XPression Tessera. Users will also learn how to pre-configuration scenes for XPression Tessera Regions.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression INcoder provides a drag-and-drop watch folder workflow for transcoding and importing assets into XPression Tessera One workflows. XPression INcoder allows users to define some important configuration options, so this is a valuable lesson.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The hardware for XPression Tessera One has a unique configuration from other XPression Hardware. In this video, users learn the best practices for configuration of the hardware and other user preferences.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ok. Ribbon board animations done. Check… right? Well, what about adding a scoreboard onto the ribbon boards? Maybe in two locations? Watch and find out how Andrew suggests using the Layering features of XPression to add the scoreboard on top of (and underneath) ribbon board. There are a lot of options here, let’s see which one you choose.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Well, you just learned that using Region Mapper, it is possible to span content in a single frame buffer output across multiple displays. Well, let’s take that to the next step and create a single Take Item that will be used to “Take Over” all the monitors in the venue with a single Take ID.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In this video, learn how to take supplied content for ribbon boards, in this case 15360×80; and use the region mapping tools to stripe it onto a 1920×1080 output. Once this is done, you can take the single frame buffer output and feed it to your display cabinets and use their internal scaling tools to map out the ribbons for a complete and seamless display.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Another visit from Andrew Sampson, where he covers the basics of the XPression Tessera and Tessera SE workflows. In this video, Andrew is explaining how to work in the Region Mapper in Tessera to set up playout of a 3840×1080 video across two frame buffers in a single XPression Engine.
We know some of you want to follow along at home, so here is a link to a zip file of the XPression project Andrew used. Copy it onto your hard drive and launch the project file to follow along with him.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ross Video has developed a very successful MOS workflow for creating graphic for traditional linear programming. With the rise of social media platforms that attract different users on a variety of digital media platforms, we wanted to make sure that you knew how to use the same workflow to create graphics for digital media outlets that work in a different aspect ratio or format. Think about Instagram, Twitter, even TikTok, and how you would like to extend your branding into those formats.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Having a STATS PERFORM SGL subscription is like adding a whole team of researchers and graphics producers to your production with the click of a button, providing hundreds of data points for each player in a structured method which creates XPression Take IDs automatically. In this video, learn how to leverage your STATS PERFORM SGL subscription and the XPression CII Gateway option to quickly create hundreds of statistical nuggets for your next game.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
To wrap it up, lets add some Clock and Score buttons to our Dashboard panel and then set up XPression DataLinq™ to put the Dashboard values into our XPression Scoreboard.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Since both Dashboard and XPression can communicate using RossTalk, let’s see what how to add some buttons to our Dashboard panel hook them up to control XPression.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Now, let’s use the Dashboard Widget tool to create an XPression Preview window. Then make it pretty, so it will match the rest of our dashboard later.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Create a blank, self-contained Dashboard panel for XPression, configure it to talk with you XPression software and create some Style Attributes in Dashboard to make it all look pretty.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Let’s get an overview of what this series of videos is all about. Greg introduces us to Ross Video Dashboard and shows us what the Dashboard we will be building will look like and how to use XPression DataLinq™ to make it all connect!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
If you have ever needed to build visual logic sets in XPression, and had a lot of repetitive groups of blocks, assigned to similar but sequential scene objects, you can now copy the original group and then paste while incrementing them. This makes working with Visual Logic on tables, league ladders or similar groups of objects much easier to work with. See how to use the Paste and Assign function as well as the ability to display the block values to know if your math blocks are calculating properly or not.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For critical times, newsroom users may need to get a PNG still image of an XPression graphic they have built for their newscast. This allows them to use their current graphics workflow to create content to be used in other newsgathering tools.
This tutorial shows users in the newsroom and the control room (gallery) how to export XPression as PNG images to continue to provide critical information to their viewers in times of crisis where the full production control room workflow might not be available.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
As the Coronavirus spreads around the globe and society comes to terms with #SocialDistancing, we want to help Ross Video Limited customers share critical details with their viewers. IN this Tutorial, we show users how to: Create a Crawl with multiple Text Objects, bind them to a DataLinq™ source, set up Visual Logic to deal with variable sizes of text input, and then make a crawl using a Sequence Group, rather than a Scene Group.
We have also decided to share three XPression DataLinq source configurations, which contain up-to-date information on Covid-19 cases for either worldwide totals by nation, USA totals by state, or Canadian totals by Province. These DataLinq files are provided, free of charge; to XPression customers in order to share details with their viewers. Click on the following link (https://tinyurl.com/uhk5gfn) to download the XPression Datalinq Source Configuration file.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ready to add DataLinq™ into your crawls? I thought so…
In this video, we use the ADODB tools to link multiple scenes in the crawl scene group we have been working on, to create a more complex crawl, which can have real-time updates using an Excel spreadsheet.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Using a single stream of text might seem like more than enough data for a crawl. However, if you need to show several different items of data, how are you going to set it up in XPression? Well, this video shows you how to add multiple scenes into a Scene Group for a more detailed crawl. Watch and see…
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In addition to communicating vital information to the viewer, crawls are used to drive branding for the station they air on. This means adding the representative colors for the station, a station logo and maybe even a show logo or icon in between each crawl item. Let’s explore how to do all those things in the video.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
One of the most common places to see graphics on video productions is a continuous stream of data displayed along the bottom of the screen. This is most commonly referred to as a crawl. In this tutorial, we learn about the basics of a crawl, and how to compose the most basic version in XPression.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
DataLinq™ is already the easiest way in video graphics to associate data sources to templates. Now, with XPression 8.5 or higher, there are more data source types, improved ways to use Ross Video Dashboard XML data, browsing to data source files, Refresh Live data when browsing, DataLinq™ several new data sources for horse racing data and so much more. Here is a quick review of all the items added to DataLinq™ in version 8.5.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression is now available in a 64-bit edition! Learn how to install the 64-bit edition, why you might want to keep the 32-bit edition and how the installer helps during the install process. The 64-bit edition allows access to more CPU and RAM resources of the computer which allows for even better cache handling than ever before. Utilize all the resources to improve on XPression’s already amazing real-time performance as well as access to other 64-bit tools such as an amazing Cinema4D Import tool to bring in C4D models with materials and lights to make your XPression scenes even more impressive.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The 64-bit edition of XPression supports the import of Cinema4D scenes. This includes the models, materials, Lights and Cameras from the scene. Now XPression users can have access to the power of Cinema4D and bring those items directly into XPression.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
It is now possible to take a Sequence Group Online when the project is loaded. This takes items in the sequence online, as soon as the project is loaded, which means that Take IDs like monitor walls, slates, or emergency graphics can automatically appear with minimal operator intervention.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Tracking the playback of assets to outputs often needs to be accounted for, and this is referred to as; As Run Logging. XPression has had a simple As Run Log for some time, but there is also a tool for formatting the As Run Log to show the metrics of content playout in a few common formats. The As Run Log Formatting tool allows XPression users to format the data by sorting it using any one of several criteria, which suits the requirements of the accounting, sales or marketing organizations.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Setting up DataLinq™ sources used to take a lot of copy-and-paste work to create the DataLinq™ source strings for ADODB sources. Now, there is a Browse button, which allows users on the local file system to set up the DataLinq™ source by selecting the Template Type and then browsing to the file. Now it really is even easier to use XPression for data-driven graphics.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How many times have you been working on designing an amazing XPression scene, and wanted to align two or more objects with each other? How about making sure that you have them equally distributed across the scene? Well, maybe you should learn how to use the Multi-Select Align and Distribute Tools in XPression. Watch this video and learn how it’s done.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Studio and Prime user interface now has an improved Search function! Look for anything in XPression, by name. Using the new Search tool, users can see the results from their search query and find each instance of that search string as any item in the XPression project(s) which are currently loaded. Find Materials, Fonts, Scenes; you name it, the search tool will find it.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How many times have you wanted to put a scene into an output layer and make sure NOTHING replaced it? Think of things like show logos (bugs), hashtags or clocks. Well, now you can do just that. Put a TakeID on an output layer and lock it. Nothing will take it offline, transition it offline, or replace it until you go in and turn off the layer lock. Check it out, it might save the show some day.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Have you ever wanted to speed up or slow down a Roll Group or Crawl Group which was already on output? Well, now you can. Using the Plus and/or Minus keys on the keyboard, it is now possible to change the speed of Rolls and Crawls on output with XPression 8.5 or higher.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
When problems come up, the best thing to do is gather all the available information before attempting to solve the problem. Ross Video feels the same way, and the XPression team is here to help. We have created a new tool for collecting XPression logs from each computer that is running any XPression software on it. Using this tool, it is possible to automatically gather all the logs and upload them directly to our servers for our technical support team to review them with you. This is helpful for finding pesky mistakes in a script you may have created or troubleshooting system problems. Either way, this is a big help!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Autodesk’s FBX 3D import/export transport has become an important tool for moving 3D projects between applications. Ross Video has added the ability to import 3D models and their baked in materials to XPression. XPression users can now accept FBX models from 3D animators and bring them into their XPression projects.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Moving between groups in the Sequence View is often easier to do when using Sequence Groups. To make that navigation even easier, it is now possible to utilize the Arrow Keys on the keyboard to expand or collapse them. Now, users can manage their Sequence Groups without using their mouse and stay on their keyboard.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For operators who are working from a Sequence list and populating the Take IDs with changes in Text or Assets, it is now possible to send the cursor back and forth from the Take Item Inspector to the Sequence List the item was in, using the same F4/Sequence Key or button that opens the Sequence view. This allows the operator to travel up and down the list and then move the cursor to modify content in the Take Item Inspector with just one keystroke. Pressing the same key will return the cursor back to the Sequence list, where it came from.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For operators who are adding assets from the local file system to their Take IDs before taking them to output, XPression now has a control to change the size of the thumbnails of the image assets. This new functionality provides better visual confirmation of content to be selected and added to an XPression Take ID in the Sequence view.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Sporting event XPression operators often utilize a tool referred to as Data Pages (remember what Data Pages are? Watch Datalinq™ 105 video to review) as a way to repurpose an often-used text string. In the past, the ability to preview them using Desktop Preview Server, was not showing the composite of the base Take ID and the Data Page combined on one output. This left the producers and directors wondering what the final output composite would be. Well, we all want to trust our XPression operators to present the right content, but the level of trust in some people might be somewhat… lower than deserved. To resolve that, the Desktop Preview Server now shows the composition of the base Take ID and the Data Page together, now.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Using Video files as materials is very easy in XPression, and there are a few ways to control them. When the goal is to not have the video begin to play as soon as the Take ID is taken online, be sure to add the video material to the Scene Director and place it at the frame you wish the video to begin playing at.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Producers think that XPression users who can animate scenes back-to-back are the coolest people in the world. Don’t you want to be cool, too? Well, Simon takes us through the basics of how to create amazing back-to-back animations on XPression, using Transition Logic. Learn how to create Scene Directors, Animation Controllers, when to set Default Frame Markers and Preview Frames. When you finish with this video, you will be able to make scenes animate in or out of the frame buffer as well as back-to-back transitions.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In the Previous tutorial (QT132), you learned how to Create a Simple Roll in XPression. Now, let’s get a little trickier. How about adding a Mask to gently blend the roll into the screen and back out again. Simon will show you not only how to create the soft fade or feathered mask, but also remind you that using Parent-Child tools in XPression is very powerful, but simple to do.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In school, the teachers always said to, “Give credit, where credit is due”. So, we at XPression U want to help you out with that. Simon created a quick tutorial on how to create a simple credit roll in the XPression Sequence view, where users can link together multiple scenes to create a roll. He also shows users how to use an event marker and some cool functions of inertia and speed. He even shows users how to add an image into the roll and make the roll pause with the image as a full screen on the roll.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Everyone knows that XPression is the fastest Real-time motion graphics engine in the industry today, but did you know it handles audio files, also? The best format for audio files is a WAV file sampled at 48KHz (16-bit). The WAV files can be added to a Scene Director to trigger at a specific time, and it is even possible to add keyframing to adjust audio levels. Monitoring the WAV files on the timeline is also possible. To find out more, watch (and listen) this video.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In situations where two monitors need to be fed video only, and no alpha is needed, adding the XPression option FILL2 allows the user to repurpose the alpha channel output of the XPression Studio Go! as another video output channel. This provides two RGB outputs, the Alpha signal is dropped. Now there are two video streams, to drive two monitors or cross-points on your Ross Video Switcher.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Time is something that escapes all of us but adding time to a scene in XPression is something everyone should have a handle on. For adding clocks such as game clocks to an XPression scene, Widgets are the right way to do it. This tutorial shows how to add a scoreboard game clock and use the keyboard to start and stop the clock, if needed. Hurry up and watch now, so you don’t run out of time…
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
One of the most important parts of being a Graphics Operator is making sure that everything is neat and tidy on the screen. This includes intercharacter spacing, or kerning. While kerning is often part of the TrueType or OpenType Typeface, the kerning pairs on some typefaces still require a little manual intervention. Did you know that XPression does allow the operator to kern characters? It is a very simple trick, once you know how. Watch…
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Need to work on a small detail in an XPression scene, and want to zoom in really close? Top-notch operators would add another camera to the scene and move it very close on the Z-axis. Then forget about it and it might wind up on-air later. Now, it is possible to just zoom in the viewport while you work on it, as well as pan-and-scan the viewport to see exactly the detail you wanted, without having to use additional cameras or anything. Zoom through this video to get the details on how to do it.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
If you are lucky enough to have two XPression operators working on their own engines for the same production, you have wondered how to share a Take ID from one system to the other. It is possible, as a matter of fact, it’s pretty easy. Once you know how. Exporting a Take ID as XML allows users working on more than one machine, each using the same project as the other, to Import the XML file as a new Take ID on their XPression engine. File sharing for XPression.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression allows users to place either still images or videos as materials on the surface of geometry. By default, video materials loop in XPression. To change the settings so that a video added to the XPression Scenes in a MOS workflow don’t loop, it’s pretty simple. Follow along with this tutorial and learn how to make an OTS Scene which can hold stills or videos and doesn’t allow the video to loop.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Who doesn’t love pie? Well, next time a producer asks if you can create a Pie Chart, you can say, “I’d love to!”. This tutorial video shows how to use the XPression 3D primitive geometry cylinder and XPression Visual Logic to back a basic Pie Chart. At no time, will a script be required to generate this visual delicacy of data. Follow along and see what else you can add to make your pie and realize that everyone makes their pie differently. Take this information and see what little tidbits you can add into the pie chart to make it do what you want it to do.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
It seems like everyone knows that animating in XPression is easy-peasy. However, did you know just how easy it is to adjust the pivot point of an object in XPression? A simple right-click to access a menu, and another click to select the proper pivot point is all it might take. Watch and learn from Red, as he shares one of his favorite quick tips.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Graphics help to tell a story in television. Often times, the graphics are a way to visualize important information or data about the story. Creating a bar chart has often been a requested function of real-time graphics systems, which required the ability to write scripts. With the Visual Logic feature in XPression, it is possible to create interactive bar charts and not write a single line of scripting.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ever wonder how users build an XPression Project and then share it with other users? Building a sports package or creating a news package as a designer is easy, and sharing the file is, also. Learn how to share an XPression Package with other users, as well as making your own back-ups if you don’t have an XPression Project Server.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Every once in a while, producers will provide video elements as a separate file for the RGB video and another for the Alpha video. To merge them together into a single 32-bit video, use the XPression Video Coder. Audio can also be added together if required.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
While image sequences (.tga sequences, .tiff sequences, .png sequences) are efficient ways to covert a complex video file into something which is more portable, they are not the most efficient way to play media on real-time graphics devices. The XPression Video Coder provides a way to convert sequences into XPression Videos, so take a look and follow along.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression uses a native video codec for optimum performance at playout. When XPression is installed, the XPression Video Coder is also installed, giving the user a fast and easy way to flip video files into the XPression Video Codec. It is a pretty simple application which uses a Job List to convert videos into the XPression Video Codec.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Users setting up a laptop or other PC may not be sure how to properly configure their computers to use the right GPU. One of the most common questions sent to Ross Video is how to set up a computer for the optimal rendering capability of XPression. This is even more confusing when using a laptop for XPression Designer or XPression Developer. In this video, we take users through the more common settings to assure that the NVIDIA GPU is properly selected and enable the highest rendering possible.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Some simple XPression scenes have a default duration, but it is possible to change the duration of pauses or the overall duration of a scene playing out in XPression Sequencer. Change the speed, duration or pause lengths with confidence, and look like a rock star.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
There is a misunderstanding that the only way to add materials to XPression is one-at-a-time, via the Material Manager. Did you know you can bring in a bunch of materials into the Material Manager all at once? Dragging them onto the Viewport, will add them to the existing scene, as well as place them onto a Quad. They also get added to the Material Manager using the file name they have in the local file system. Watch this and give it a try.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
While XPression is an excellent system for real-time graphics in “live” or “live to tape” productions, it is also possible to export scenes from the XPression Sequencer as individual videos (or stills) for use on other systems. Using the video codecs, you provide and install on your XPression system, it is possible to export scenes as either .MOV or .AVI files, using a variety of codecs. For more answers, watch the video.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For users who focus on playback of the same show every day, there is a setting to make XPression launch right into XPression Sequencer, so you don’t have to switch the layout mode or load the same project. Automate some of the workflow so you can get more done in your day and always have the right project loaded so you can get right into your show.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Studio projects save the contents of the Sequence with the project. It is possible to save Sequences and recall them in XPression, as needed. This is handy for daily shows where the sequence might be different every day. Sequences can be saved as Text or XML files, and recalled in both formats, as well. Watch along as we step through saving a Sequence independent of the XPression Project.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Animation Controllers are the heart of animation using Scene Directors, and they all start off with a default duration. Did you ever want to know how to change that value? It’s easy. Watch as Simon shows you how to change the default value as well as adjust the duration of the animation controllers, already in use.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Not everyone uses AES audio, however, it is available on the XPression Studio systems, when shipped from the factory. Watch and see how the AES breakout cables are attached to the hardware. XPression Studio also allows for audio channel mapping for assets with audio on them. See how it is done at the system and asset levels.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression user interface allows the user to create multiple docking layouts so the interface can be quickly changed to show the most important windows of the User Interface for the task at hand. This powerful feature allows the user to create and save the docking layouts and recall them as needed.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For the users who are tasked with setting up hardware, this video shows how to configure the output hardware on the XPression Studio systems using the Matrox x.mio2 I/O cards. Follow along to get a dual-channel XPression Studio output hardware configured.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression software is optimized for and NVIDIA Graphics Processer Unit for the hardware rendering of images and composite animations. It is critical to set the application up properly to use the right hardware renderer in the computer for optimum performance from XPression. This includes not only the selection of hardware, but also the selection of the proper anti-aliasing settings.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Operators who move from production to production often wonder what version of XPression is installed on the systems they work on and what features are licensed on the system. Opening the XPression software will display the version and build information in the title-bar of the XPression window, but did you know the Help>About… popup will show what features are licenses on that system, as well?
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
After installing XPression, the first time the application is launched, there is a First Time setting dialog box which is intended to walk the user through the setup of software and hardware preferences. This tutorial shows users of XPression Designer or Developer how to set the important settings and get started working on XPression.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
This video shows users how to install the XPression Studio software. The processes are basically the same for XPression Studio, BlueBox, Designer and Developer. New users, and users who are doing updates will appreciate the simple step-by-step of installing the software and the explanations of what the steps are doing.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Customers who maximize their utilization of a templated workflow often add NLE clients to their XPression Gateway. The get the rendered files delivered to the NLE user, an Offline Render Engine associated with the XPression Gateway is used. Customers in high volume newsrooms and edit suites add additional Offline Render Engines and want to segregate the NLE rendering from the MOS client preview rendering. XPression now supports reserving an Offline Render Engine to work specifically with the NLE clients.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Designers Spent a lot of time fussing over fonts which are attractive, easy to read and when used with the right number of characters don’t look messy or crowded. If you ever wish there was a way to limit the number of characters which could be added into an XPression Text Object; today is your lucky day! Now it is possible to set a hard limit (no more text can go into the input field) but there is also a soft limit to alert the journalist that they are close to too many characters boing in the box. Set this up for each Text Object and be assured that the graphics integrity is maintained without using rulers to crack knuckles.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
That little blob of text that shows up in the script pages after an XPression Graphic is dragged into the script was difficult to configure and full of useless information. Well, not anymore!
Now it is possible for administrators to structure the MOS Abstract by right-clicking in the XPression Gateway input field for MOS Objects and selecting the desired tags to create an expression statement that forms the MOS Abstract for XPression. Set the format for how the MOS Abstract is created, and if you are really savvy, you can use the Description field to hold unique information like the number of reveals for the director to call out during the playout of your package. Very cool and pretty easy.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For users of Adobe Creative Cloud’s solutions, Ross Video is introducing support for the Adobe Premiere Pro for Windows Non-Linear Editing software. Premiere Pro for Windows Editors can add XPression templated graphics directly to their video projects... Post branded video to web and mobile distribution outlets to inform your viewers about your linear programming as well as identifying the subject on-screen, without using your production control room to do it.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Producers trying to review the XPression items in their newscast have come to love the BROWSE function of the XPression MOS ActiveX plug-in. However, the one complaint was the thumbnail view was too small to proofread some of the graphics. Well, but those reading glasses back on top of your head. We made the thumbnails even larger in XPression 8.5 or higher. Now it is even easier to proofread the graphics in the Browse tab of the XPression MOS plug-in.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How many of you MOS users wish you could use your Apple Macs to do your daily news workflows? Well, guess what? You can. Ross Video has released an HTML5 version of the XPression MOS plug-in for building graphics. Ross Video Inception users or users of other HTML5 based MOS-enabled newsroom systems can now use an HTML5 edition of the XPression MOS plugin to create graphics in a MOS newsroom. How cool is that?
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Newsrooms are changing. For years, dedicated PC applications have been to driving force of newsroom workflows and even automation tools such as MOS. Well, many of the newsroom systems are now browser based, which means that users no longer need to have a specific application installed, but they can even use Mac-based computers in the newsroom. XPression now has an HTML5 MOS Plug-in for use with XPression 8.5 or higher.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
To support newsroom users who are now working literally everywhere, Ross Video is now able to provide access to the XPression MOS workflow using a web browser. Using newsrooms computer systems like Ross Video Inception, users with a URL and a login can use a web browser on any computer to start contributing graphics content to their rundowns. No installations or IT helpdesk required to join the show production.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Setting up Channel Groups in the XPression Gateway makes creating control room configurations easier than ever. Now it is possible to set up unique channel mappings for multiple control rooms in a single facility and even segregate the playout engines to be accessible to only certain Remote Sequencers. This allows for either protection from one control room accidently taking over the engines of another, or to create backup configurations using other engines.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
We have all been there. Working the early morning news, when there aren’t any graphic artists scheduled, but a late breaking news story comes in. You need to get a photograph someone emailed you into an Over-The-Shoulder graphic, but there isn’t an artist to help. What do you do…? Well, we have “Streamlined the workflow” using watch folders. Check it out and ask your system administrator about it.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The Streamline Media Asset Management server now allows users of The Associated Press Graphics Libraries to access their accounts, directly from their desk, using the XPression MOS Self-Service Graphics Workflow. Simply click-and-drag content from The Associated Press Graphics Libraries right into your XPression MOS templates and create the content that tells your story best. There is no additional per-user-per-month fee to access your existing The Associated Press Graphics Libraries account to create graphics. Use the graphics account you are already subscribed to, without the additional monthly operating expense.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The Streamline Media Asset Management server now allows users of MGN Online to access their accounts, directly from their desk, using the XPression MOS Self-Service Graphics Workflow. Simply click-and-drag content from MGN Online right into your XPression MOS templates and create the content that tells your story best. There is no additional per-user-per-month fee to access your existing MGN Online account to create graphics. Use the graphics account you are already subscribed to, without the additional monthly operating expense.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In a busy news day, the perfect photo for a news graphic might not be part of the catalog of assets the graphics team has already provided the newsroom. In those cases, journalists must ask the artist to create an image from scratch or download something from a third-party news content provider. What if that image is already available, in a trusted source like the Associated Press Graphics Libraries or MGN Online? Well, now with Streamline and XPression MOS workflows, journalists can directly browse those libraries if the station has an account. Creating captivating graphics in minutes, on their own, journalists become empowered to share the story they set out to tell.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How many times have you built a new graphic in the XPression MOS plugin, only to find out you needed it built in a different template? I think you need a reminder
Did you know you can simply press the SHIFT key and choose another template and all the graphics content will transfer into the new template if there is a field to put it all.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
When a newsroom user doesn’t change the content of a replaceable asset field, XPression displays in that field, to indicate no content has been added. There is now a setting in the XPression Gateway which can remove and just leave the field empty. This is a global choice at the facility and configured by whoever is administrating the XPression Gateway for the MOS workflow users. Watch this video and see how it should be set for your facility.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Hopefully, the graphics team and the Director have spent some time to decide which XPression scenes should be played on which channels. If they have, they most likely don’t want to the newsroom team to change the channel or layer assignments in the XPression MOS Editor. The XPression Administrator can now configure settings on the XPression Gateway, which protect the newsroom users from changing the channel assignments in the XPression MOS Editor. Don’t worry, this is an optional setting, and if you spend a few minutes watching this video, you can learn how to over-ride that setting, too.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Sometimes, embedded knowledge can lead to career advancement, but leave a void for the next person. I mean, who doesn’t know which button labelled … is for still images and which button labeled … is for videos? Right? …well, we decided to put icons on them.
So, if you use a local asset browser for content going into XPression MOS template replaceable asset fields, now you know what button to click on, for still images. Everyone will, as long as you share this video with your bosses and get them to upgrade to the latest version of the XPression software.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Sometimes, filling in a form can be an intimidating experience, especially if you don’t know what the right answer is. We know that feeling, so we tried to help out a little bit. On the XPression MOS Editor, fields which should be populated with replaceable assets like still or video assets now have a logo next to the field label to help users identify what content goes into those fields. Any fields without an icon, should just be text. Take a moment and relax. Watch this video before going back and filling in any more fields…
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How many times have you wanted to take a graphic used in the newscast and also use it on your station’s digital outlets like web and mobile? Well, you know… you can. At any time, you can right-click on the preview image and get whatever is showing in the plugin as a downloadable file. Check out this video to see how the #HighEfficiency workflow can assist you in repurposing content for your station’s digital media presence.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
While glancing at the MOS rundown, did you ever wish you could see the XPression Channel Name as part of the MOS Abstract (blob of text where a MOS object has been dragged)? Well, now the XPression Administrator can configure the channel name, from within the XPression Gateway configuration menus; as part of the MOS Abstract for XPression items dragged into the rundown. A great visual confirmation of what channel that graphic is expected to be played out from.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression is built to be the fastest on-air graphics device in the industry, but did you know you can use it on post-production, too?
Adding the XPression Gateway and the NLE plug-in to your facility will allow editors in Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, and GV Edius to add titles and other production graphics which match the branding content used in the control room. Viewers at home (or on the web and mobile devices) won’t know if the graphics were added in post or live. For web and mobile platforms, add content with complete titling capability before the control room staff even shows up for work. Get to viewers in mobile and web before your competition, with full titling. Make sure they know who the content came from and drive traffic back to your show with the proper branding.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Have you ever been working in the XPression MOS Editor and wanted to reset one field back to the default value? Well, it used to be either resetting them all and starting over or trying to remember what was in that field to begin with and restoring it manually. Well, your frustrations are over. Now MOS users can reset one field, by clicking in it, and then right-clicking to select the option Clear Field to remove the content from just that one field. Use one-click now to watch this video!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Transitioning over to a MOS workflow is hard on everyone in the station. To make it easier on the newsroom users, it is possible to add some visual images as PREVIEW ONLY, using Render Layers. The images added into the Render Layer which is set to Preview Only will appear on the XPression Operator User Interface or anywhere a Preview image is shown. The Preview images do not appear on the frame buffer outputs, so they are hidden from the viewers at home. However, the operator and the newsroom users will see them and use them as hints for checking if text might go behind a show logo, or even as a way to show the difference between talent lower-third graphics and lower-thirds for generic ‘man on the street’ interviews.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Clips can integrate them into their MOS newsroom clients. This allows newsroom users to add clips to their scripts and rundowns for the programs they are working on. This video shows the integration of the two tools and how they can aid in the streamlining of workflows in program production.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression MOS workflow users who also have an openMAM system with order management and fulfillment, such as Ross Video’s Streamline server, will see updated thumbnails. Within the XPression MOS plug-in rundown view, when assets ordered through the openMAM tools are fulfilled, refreshing the view of the panel will now display updated thumbnails if an asset has been delivered. This gives the producer a visual confirmation that the required assets have been published to XPression from the graphics department order management systems.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For facilities with one openMAM source, the openMAM button now opens that source, rather than presenting the user with a drop-down list to choose the single source from. The button is also relabeled to show the individual source, rather than a generic openMAM label. This modification in the XPression MOS Client has been added in version 6.5 or higher.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Users of Ross Video’s XPression MOS Client, version 6.5 or higher, working in Avid’s iNews NRCS can now modify an existing graphic from their story by double-clicking on it to make changes and then click on the Update Story button. Once that is done, the XPression MOS client is no longer in Edit mode, which allows the user to continue in the same window to create new graphics rather than re-opening the XPression MOS plug-in.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Starting with XPression 6.5 or higher; the XPression MOS client updates can now be installed automatically. When new XPression software is provided to a station, one of the most difficult tasks in the installation of the XPression MOS plug-in client on each newsroom desktop. Now, the updates for the XPression MOS plug-in can be installed by the newsroom user, without requiring Administrative permissions on their workstation. The XPression Gateway can be configured to allow remote installation of updates to existing users, which takes only seconds to install.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For enterprise customers or facilities that service two or more stations on the same network, it is now possible to create a list of servers in the XPression MOS Client to show more specific names as well as more than two XPression Gateway Servers in the client list. In an effort to identify with the needs of our enterprise and multi-tenant customers, we have added this functionality to XPression 6.5 or higher releases.
This allows managers in an enterprise or central Art Department to have the ability to configure and view the content of any XPression Gateway on the network within their XPression MOS Client to confirm content and review templates for any of the stations (on the same WAN) that they service.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Using simple tricks, XPression designers can create templates with options to reduce the number of templates required to produce a newscast. Rather than build variations of the same template for each position on the screen, or animated or static templates. By entering in an L for Left-Side or R for Right-side, two OTS templates can become one. Make it easier for your busy newsroom staff to select the right templates and reduce the number of templates they need to browse through.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ross Video XPression MOS workflow is possible in a variety of Newsroom Computer Systems. The Associated Press and their ENPS system is no exception. In this video, watch XPression integrated with the ENPS newsroom MOS workflow. The XPression MOS Client shown, here in ENPS 7, allows NRCS users to select templates, add content and drag-and-drop the completed graphics into the scripts in their running orders.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Stations with an XPression gateway for their MOS workflow can now provide the same templates to their Avid NLE users on Windows-based Media Composer or NewsCutter systems, to extend the station branding as well as streamline the workflow. Newsroom users can also create graphics from in the XPression MOS plug-in and save them in folders for the editor to pick up and add to their bin and then to their timeline.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Maps are great tools for telling the whole story in a newscast. Showing the viewer where something happened makes the viewer understand the importance of the news story in their region or the world. It is possible to design map templates and provide them to the MOS users to create their own maps. MOS users can select a map style, plot an end location and render maps as a total self-service workflow, and never compromise the quality of the station’s brand. Watch this video to see how easy self-service map graphics can be.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression MOS ActiveX plug-in provides advanced tools which allow journalists to utilize reposition and scaling functionality that can be exposed by the XPression designer. Finding assets for use in the XPression ActiveX is easy to do, using Streamline Media Asset Management. Assets can be selected, and repositioned to create the desired graphic by the journalist. Watch this video to see how this can help you to produce better graphics for your newscast.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
This video shows how to use the XPression MOS ActiveX Plug-in. The example is using Ross Video’s Inception Newsroom system, but iNews, ENPS, Octopus, Open Media, Blaze and others all work with the XPression MOS plugin, to quickly create a wide range of graphics for a newscast. Selecting templates, dragging in content and then adding the finished graphics to the rundown is as easy as drag-and-drop. Adding in Ross Video’s Streamline Media Asset Management and Order Management System empowers journalists using powerful self-service tools.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
This quick video provides an overview of the Ross Video XPression Workflow. Learn how the workflow tools fit together and allow your team to collaborate on building a MOS rundown.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps now allows users to select multiple roads, highways, or service roads and when they intersect, the casing (or outline) of the roads are all available on each level of road, but also appear that the casing is around the group and not just the individual road(s).
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The US Interstate Highway Authority created strict guidelines on how highway signs were to be created. Interstate signs were to have consistent numbers in fonts and sizes to provide clarity to users traveling at high speeds. Broadcast map designers might have a different purpose. Our original XPression Maps customers in the USA asked for the shield to stay the same size, and the numbers to shrink. That is not what the Interstate Highway team wanted, and some other customers agreed. Now, there is a way to use Open Street Maps and utilize wider shields, like it was intended.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Designers have a lot of tools available to them to create content and a variety of ways to use them. XPression Maps Designers who wish to capitalize on blending modes for creating full screen overlays now have that tool available to them. Watch and see what can be done to make XPression Maps content even more creative.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps content is created inside of XPression Maps Designer or the XPression Maps MOS plugin and might not give the user an idea what programmatic content might obscure the final map when it goes to air. Now, it is possible to add images, such as a mock-up of a channel logo and lower-third content to the XPression Maps Safe Title Tool, to give users a better idea of where to leave some room for other graphics content. This video shows how this advantage can improve how maps are used in your productions.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
We saw in the previous video that the XPression Maps Engine and XPression Maps Touch combine to show video inputs on your maps. Let’s learn how that is done inside the XPression Maps Touch Preferences.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Did you know that XPression Maps Touch enables video input options on the XPression Maps Engine? Use video inputs on your maps and eliminate the need for pre-production sessions to position video fly-outs from map locations. Use live video sources and run them in real-time.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps Touch is all about setting up the presets and overlays as an XPression Maps Touch Project. Let’s learn how that gets done.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The overlay controls for XPression Maps Touch are very important, and easy to configure. Let’s take a look at how to set them up so that your on-camera presenters can interact with XPression Maps Touch.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Let’s take a few minutes to learn how to create XPression Maps flights that can be used as Presets for XPression Maps Touch.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Not on-camera presenter is comfortable turning their back to the camera and working a touch screen monitor. The XPression Maps Touch system can be controlled using an HTML5 browser from another computer or tablet. Presenters can utilize an iPad in their hand to run XPression Maps Touch or pass the control to another person in the facility on their tablet or another computer on the same network.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Have you ever wanted to take your viewers on a tour of the top stories of the day, on the map? Well, now you can do just that. An exciting new option for XPression Maps adds touch screen workflows to your studio that you can even control on an iPad or computer using an HTML5 browser.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Maps Administrator can make changes to any user account settings from within the XPression Maps HTML5 client. Change the user group they assigned to, fix typos in the account information, or even reset a forgotten password for your end-user community.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
User Rights Management is often done by placing users into groups related to their job functions or titles. The XPression Maps Administrator can go into the system from a web browser to make changes to group permissions.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
While the administrator of the XPression Maps system might have created an account for me, the password they assigned might not be what I want to use. I can access My Account settings to change the password and a few other user account settings, on my own. Here is how to do that.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps now utilizes an HTML5 client to allow newsroom users to access the self-service functionality of Map building. To provide a layer of security to XPression Maps, User Rights Management and User accounts need to be set up for each user. This is done using the XPression Maps HTML5 client.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
News coverage extends past the traditional newscasts scheduled throughout the day. With the dominant force of tablets, websites and smart phones; news production is done 24/7/365. To accommodate that, XPression Maps has allowed users to download still map images from the XPression Maps client. The function has been added to the XPression Maps HTML5 Client, and we will be adding an option to download the current map as an MP4 file. In the pre-release (beta) builds, we are offering this as a free trial and hoping for feedback on the functionality. Please also check your Microsoft BING! Developer License contract to make sure you are not violating it in any way. Ross Video cannot assume any responsibility as that is part of your agreements with Microsoft and BING! Maps.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
There are a lot of different ways to show a map on-screen in a television newscast. While the automated process of XPression Maps means that all the maps are rendered at the same size, it is possible that some of the XPression Templates used show them in a different scale or position on the screen. Artists can now create a variety of Safe Title Markers for the HTML5 client to use and allow the newsroom user to see what the area of interest is for that map.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps allows for a wide variety of Text Tools in the HTML5 client, and that can be confusing. To reduce the number of decisions which a newsroom user has to make during crunch time, it is now possible for the user to define a default Text Tool for adding labels in their maps. It is also easier to change to another Text Tool to highlight something important with a different text style that has been provided by the graphics team.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Maps are an excellent visual aide for storytelling. While it is easy to put labels on a map, sometimes, the maps really benefit from having regions filled in with colors to highlight something. With XPression Maps, Shape Styles are used to do just that. Your art department can create shape styles for various reasons, including political alignment or even just plain highlighting. Here is how you can use those shape styles in the newsroom.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How many times have you seen a map with a label for a location in the wrong place, or wished you could pick and choose what street labels are shown? Well, now with the XPression Maps HTML5 client, use the Information Layers like hints to help you make better maps with labels in the right place. Make Maps like a pro and rest assured that you have labels spelled right and in the correct location.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In the XPression Maps 3.2 HTML5 workflow, users are required to save their map flights before they can be dragged into an XPression Template. While this is not a new workflow, the ability to create folders and sub-folders to organize how your newsroom works has been changed a little bit. Check it out.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ross Video is introducing the new XPression Maps HTML5 client interface for the MOS enabled newsroom user. Customers may scale the UI to fit their needs, as well as benefit for a zero-installer tool. This means that NRCS users who can connect to the newsroom system from their computers at home do not need to install any new versions of the XPression Maps plugin anymore, and could possibly work on either Windows or Mac, if their newsroom system are cross platform capable.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Two questions we get asked (…in this order…) a lot are: 1. Can we use animated icons in XPression Maps 2. How do I add my own icons to XPression Maps
You would think the questions would be in the opposite order, but… no. We get asked if it is possible, then how. Well, this video will not only show you how to do those, but we even spent a little bit of time to show how to do a simple concentric rings animation in Adobe After Effects.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How many times have you wished you could just add a simple pause to a map animation? Well, guess what? Now, you can!
In the timeline, move the play head to the desired location and set a pause duration and mark it as a keyframe. Tada! Pause.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Sometimes, it is important to be able to show distance between two points on a map. This could be to define the physical distance between two cities, the distance from the epicenter of a seismic event, or even just the distance from the parking lot to the front gates at Disneyland. Well, now/// we have a tool to allow users to show that measurement.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Transparency in television news isn’t always about the reporting. Sometimes, it is about the visual presentation. We have had a few requests for allowing transparency in the XPression Maps rendering, so we have added that functionality in XPression Maps 3.2. Here is how to use it!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The drawing tools for XPression Maps content has been referred to as a dark art. With this video, we hope to better explain how those tools work and allow users to create more compelling content in their XPression Maps workflows.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
It is now possible to change the fonts used in labels on your XPression Maps. Using fonts on your computer, you can now change the drawing tools fonts to match your channel’s branding requirements and set your content apart in the market.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
With the #HighImpact Maps have on the story telling process, maps are becoming a very important part of every newscast. Did you know that it is possible to set up XPression Maps to automatically deliver a copy of every map created with XPression Maps using the XPression MOS workflow, to your Streamline Media Asset Management System?
Now, every map made in the XPression MOS Workflow can be sent to the Streamline MAM system and metadata can also be auto populated with items like the name of the newsroom user who created it, the Map Template Scene used, and even the Safe Title type used. Users can now search Streamline for an existing map, before starting off to make a new one which makes this a #HighEfficiency workflow tool.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps produces full raster images for video production. However, not every time XPression Maps imagery is used will be a full screen display. Sometimes, XPression Maps output files might get used in an Over-The-Shoulder (OTS) or siderail graphic template and it is difficult for an artist or MOS Newsroom user to know what portion of the map image will fit in the OTS window. XPression Maps now has a non-binding safe title marker set that allows the user in XPression Maps Designer or the XPression Maps MOS workflow to select the safe title marker for the workflow they expect to use the map in. The entire raster still gets used, but the region of interest (inside the safe title marker) should be populated and text or images required should be visible inside the safe title marker.
Confused? Me too. Watch the video for a better explanation…
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The shape data in XPression Maps might not be 100% accurate base on things like disputed boundaries for geographic regions. Also, the resolution of satellite imagery and the vector-based map shapes might not completely line up. It is now possible to modify XPression Maps 3.0 and higher shapes to match what is thought to be a more accurate representation of the boundaries of a geographic region. These changes can be quickly made as a temporary adjustment or committed to the XPression Maps database.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Sometimes, adding an icon or other artwork to a map helps to more clearly tell the story. Creating a solid set of icons and artwork is easy to do but setting things up for the MOS newsroom user to use can be another story all to itself. Maps Designers can choose and upload icons and other artwork to the XPression Maps Server for the MOS user to access and add to their maps, restricting the opportunities to only artwork approved for use with the map styles in the group they came from. This allows the designer to set the branding style for maps in their station, but also allow the newsroom user the ability to make their own maps to tell their story more clearly,
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Without labels, maps can be very confusing. With XPression Maps, the Maps Designer can create specific label styles to use in specific situations to follow the branding for the station. The Location Labels can also be shared using the XPression Maps Server, so that XPression MOS newsroom users can supplement the map images with labels to tell their story. Since the label styles are managed, the designer has control of the labels and extends the branding while making the tools available to all users.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps allows the Maps Designer to design and utilize styles to colorize and label shapes with consistency. Using the Manage Templates Tool in XPression Maps, those styles can be shared on the XPression Maps Server so the XPression MOS users can access them. Maps users in the newsroom can use the styles to highlight geographic regions for comparing trends or weather warning, geographic political affiliations, medical trends or many other reasons. The nice part about it, the Maps Designer chooses which styles to expose with specific groups of XPression Maps Scenes and the MOS users cannot mix and match styles and maps. The Styles are bound to a specific scene group of maps templates to preserve the branding and design efforts.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps has always allowed designers to create animated map templates for the XPression MOS users. However, starting with XPression Maps 3.0 and higher, Maps Designers can define the duration of the animation as well as the heads and tails of the map animation. This means that Map animations can now sit on the starting frame for a defined duration and rest on the end frame as well. This can be used to define the playout speed of animated XPression Maps in the XPression MOS workflow.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps added to the XPression MOS workflow can empower the newsroom to create their own Maps to news graphics but preserve the branding framework of the station. XPression Maps Artists will design and manage maps scenes and define the starting point and branding components of the XPression Maps Scenes. The XPression MOS newsroom user will select the maps scene that fits with the story they are telling, and that scene allows them to define the end point which communicates the location of the story.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Newsroom users can also benefit from the Open Street Maps Information Layers. The Information Layers are just “hints” for the user, unless one of the information layer items is double-clicked on, however; they are very powerful tools for identifying points of interest, streets, highways or even neighborhoods on a map and being sure that they are properly used. See how XPression MOS users in the newsroom can benefit from using the Information Layer in their workflow.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Open Street Maps (OSM) adds an amazing amount of power and detail to XPression Maps 3.0 and higher. The Information Layer tool is like having hints of places, labels, signs and other points of interest on the map. This not only helps to eliminate improper spelling and positioning of labels, but it also provides detail that other mapping tools might not offer. Used with the OSM Style Editor to define not only fonts and highlights, but also replacement drawing options can allow for some very powerful customization, within the established branding framework of your station.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps has multiple ways to add new typefaces, or fonts, to the software. In this video, learn how to use fonts with the XPression Maps Drawing Tools, as well as adding new fonts to XPression Maps 3.0’s new Open Street Maps Style editor properties. If you are working with XPression Maps in a MOS workflow, make sure to add the new fonts to the XPression Maps Designer workstations as well as the XPression Maps Server.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps 3.0 now allows users working with Open Street Maps styles to define the colors for highways, roads, streets, and other traffic elements as well as a highlighted color, to help indicate the subject of the map to the viewers at home. Set up your map branding imagery and define the color palette for your station. Once the Open Street Map Style editor is configured, your maps are all going to be branded which helps your viewers identify maps on your channel.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The addition of OpenStreetMaps.org as a provider in XPression Maps 3.0 adds an amazing amount of customization to maps and enables you to develop your own branding on maps. The most basic level of branding is color choices. With XPression Maps 3.0, using Open Street Maps provides access to Map styles which include the ability to set color properties for all the map elements, including the background. AS the base of any map, let’s start here with this video on creating OSM Map Styles.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps is a completely reimagined version of mapping software for video production. Built in information layers to reduce the awkward issues brought up when trying to add labels for countries, states, cities, streets or other Points of Interest (POI) to your maps. Add stylized labels, colors, icons and even custom shapes to maps and brand the whole world as if it was your own. For XPression MOS workflows, Maps Designers can create templates and allow newsroom users to create their own maps, while still protecting your brand. Check out this video and the rest of the XPression Maps videos here on XPression U.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps has shape files for countries, states, and counties. Adding in every city, voting or school district shape would be overwhelming for rendering and detail tracking. However, if a more granular level of shape file is required for your maps, it is possible to import many of them from government sources.
In this video, watch and learn how to find US Congressional Districts and import them for use on your XPression Maps systems.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In the previous video Maps 200 we explained how to create Shape Styles in XPression Maps. Now, we want to show you how to use them in the XPression MOS workflow. Once Shape Styles are defined and created for your station, sharing them in the Maps Scene Templates workflow means that the newsroom user can create maps that have a #HighImpact on their storytelling capabilities. Newsroom users can use XPression Maps Shape Styles to illustrate political alignment, regional dominance or simple infographics based on highlighting areas on a map.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In XPression Maps, Shape Styles allow users to highlight a geographic region to draw the viewer’s attention to that region. It is possible to define and create Shape Styles as well as assign them as the default appearance for countries, states or regions when searched and added to an XPression Map. In this video, learn how to create XPression Maps Shape Styles for your XPression Maps design and branding requirements. In later videos, learn how you can share the Shape Styles with XPression MOS newsroom users so they can create more compelling maps, without requiring a designer for each one.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
One of the most important part of keeping viewers tuned in is a consistent use of typography to create branding. XPression Maps allows users to use TrueType typefaces and shapes to extend the branding capability of fonts across the broadcast graphics presentation. XPression Maps has a very powerful text tool which allows users to create text boxes, pointers, and effects in order to help illustrate the key items on the map.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Using simple tricks, XPression designers can create templates with options to reduce the number of templates required to produce a newscast. Rather than build variations of the same template for each position on the screen, or animated or static templates. By entering in an L for Left-Side or R for Right-side, two OTS templates can become one. Make it easier for your busy newsroom staff to select the right templates and reduce the number of templates they need to browse through.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Creating a Map template for use in the self-service XPression MOS Plug-in workflow is really easy. Select a map style and set a starting Flight Point and then upload it to the template database. It is now available to the newsroom use. The designer can define the map style, starting point, potential icons that can be added by the newsroom user and the animation duration. All the journalist needs to do is define the final destination.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Creating an animated map in XPression Maps is as easy as selecting a starting and ending location or position and then storing them as keyframes on the timeline. It is possible to keyframe items such as the zoom level, region and even the type of map used. Select from Microsoft® Bing™ Maps or NASA’s Blue Marble maps. Add details such as street names, titles, icons, etc.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Maps is a powerful tool for creating detailed maps for your video productions. XPression Maps Design Workstation allows designers to create world, regional, or street-level maps using aerial imagery accessed in real-time from Microsoft® Bing™ Maps or NASA’s Blue Marble. The final output can be still images or video animations in a variety of formats. XPression Maps does not have any monthly fees associated with map contents or map creation. The server is located inside the station, and not in a data center in the cloud.
Maps may also be designed as templates and saved for use in a MOS enabled newsroom. The templated maps provide tools for journalists to create their own maps using the defined styles of the station, in a matter of seconds. This empowers journalists to create their own maps around the clock, even if the artists are not available.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Wanna see how easy it is to play out graphics on election night? We don’t want to marginalize your XPression operators, but we maybe after you watch this video you might be able to lend them a hand? Maybe let them run to the restroom during the long evening? Ok, maybe not. Let’s just say this video is for the XPression operators, ok?
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Use XPression Elect-It! to create rundowns for election night. Create playlists for lower-thirds, tickers, and full screens that can run all night long, or specific Take IDs that show up as required by the XPression Playout Operator.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
One of the most important parts of an election, is setting up critical races and making sure that all the candidate information is ready and available. With XPression Elect-It!, using subscription provider services like the Associated Press Election Wires or Decision Desk HQ, races can populate themselves, or you can also manually build and maintain your own election races. Check out just how easy it is with XPression Elect-It!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Creating XPression Scenes for Elect-It! is very simple. This video will walk your graphics team through how to set them up for use on Election night. Binding election data to templates is very easy to do and makes using template workflows straight forward for all the races throughout your election coverage.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Learn how XPression Elect-It! fits into your station’s planning and production for election night coverage. Regardless of your geographic location, XPression Elect-it! can handle your election night coverage. Watch this preliminary video to learn how.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How do you share your election coverage across multiple departments? Spreadsheets? Emails? Post-it Notes? Well, Ross Video would like to introduce you to XPression Elect-It!, a centralized web server that allows your entire team to work together, at the same time…
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
We all maintain folders of important files. Folders full of logos, headshots, color backgrounds, etc. Imagine if there was a way to use them with XPression to update a volatile texture or material surface using just input text on a template?
Well, dream no more. Use input fields to choose team tricodes to select logos, headshots, background elements and more using paths to files you build in real-time. Change one input field and change the team. This is for operators & MOS users. Very powerful stuff.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression DataLinq is a powerful tool for aggregating data feeds and adding real-time data to your graphics. Now you can improve that data feed by adding additional characters to the beginning or ending of the data stream. Add degree symbols, stat category headers, or any other prefix or appended text, from inside the Datalinq user interface. No need to create and hide text objects and use Visual Logic or scripting to concatenate text strings anymore.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Like any file-based workflow, it is always good to save your work occasionally. With XPression DataLinq™, users can save all their DataLinq™ sources in one file, and they can load a whole new set. Did you know you could append a one set of DataLinq™ sources to another?
…wanna learn how? Watch this video.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For many Ross Video customers in the Sports and Live Events world, showing scores from out of town games as well as other leagues helps to keep fans in the seats and focused on the game at hand, rather than the one on their phone. Stats Perform customers can now access a data stream of scores from other games out of town, in the same or other leagues that you subscribe to.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
DataLinq™ is a powerful tool with several ways to integrate data sets and present them as real-time motion graphics. Using tools like RelID and SQL Queries to pull specific data and populate Take IDs with content has made DataLinq™ a very flexible tool. To make it even accessible, users can now use Text Objects in their Take IDs to select which record is shown inside the graphic. Marking the Text Object as a Macro capitalizes on a very simple way to select which record is retrieved an shows immediate results in the preview in the XPression Sequencer and even the XPression MOS Client. Take a look at how it is used inside of an XPression Take ID to select which game data set is used to generate a scoreboard from an XML file.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Using RSS feeds or other HTML data sources used to mean that you need to create bunches of DataLinq™ sources. Not anymore! With the new Dynamic DataLinq™ URL feature, it’s possible to use one DataLinq™ source, and a pulldown menu to dynamically change the URL to point to different URLs, by substituting part of the URL path with simple pull-down lists or other User Input Controls. If you know how to use DataLinq™ keys, your are a step ahead if not, review XPression U tutorial DL103 about DataLinq™ keys to become a power user of the new Dynamic DataLinq™ feature in XPression version 9.0 or higher
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
As powerful as Datalinq™ is, there is still a need for “row pop” graphics. Single line graphics which get appended to basic scenes to create complex but often randomly generated graphics for air. This video teaches users how to create Data Pages which are similar to row pops, but have far greater value to the live operators. Combine Data Pages with CII and X-commands for external updates to get the most out of your graphics package.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Statistical data is often entered in on the fly, and in no specific order. Using a SQL Queries in Datalinq™ allows for real-time data sorting as items in a list are recalled in a scene. Using a few basic SQL queries, it is possible to get tables of data sorted in real-time and into scenes for on-air display. Learn how to get the most from your data tables with the least amount of work.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
It is possible to set up a single scene in XPression and use key values in one field to select values in other fields. Known as Datalinq™ Keys, when used properly allow items like a player’s jersey number, a last name, or a political party abbreviation, to drive the data selection for other fields in the scene. A relation to the XPression Sequencer Take ID can set up using a %relid%, which updates the value of a Take ID to populate fields in the XPression scene. This makes extremely short work out of binding data to scenes and adding an entire list of people or players to an XPression Sequence in seconds.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Learn how to set up the Datalinq™ Server in XPression. There are tips in this video for using an Excel® as a data source, binding cells in Excel® to fields in an XPression scene and how to manually set up the same scene for use in XPression Sequencer. Learn how easy it is to bind data to graphics in this video.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Datalinq™ is a powerful tool for integration of data-driven graphics in real-time. Sports statistics, Election results, quotations, and more. Using simple tools like Microsoft Excel®, it is possible to get real-time updates in your on-air graphics without building complex databases. This video will show you the very basic requirements for setting up your workbooks properly to share data with not only XPression but others in a collaborative workflow.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The Grand Pappy of XPression U stops in to show us all how to use the latest functions of the XPression INcoder. Sports and Live Events Customers often have to fill ribbon boards that are thousands of pixels wide and only a couple of dozen high. XPression Tessera can be used to fill those displays, but the massive files need to be trimmed down to fit onto a broadcast resolution output. Yup. INcoder does that.
Also, some extremely large screens inside sporting arenas of news studios need to be filled video elements that are pixel accurate, but the video clips won’t play on any single frame buffer. Again, INcoder handles those videos and chops them up into manageable files to be played in Tessera. Take a look at how it’s done from the master, himself.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Seasoned XPression graphics users find the tracks in the Scene Director a very powerful tool. In addition to holding XPression Animation Controllers, Events like RossTalk commands can also be added to a track. Event Tracks have now been added to XPression Clips, which allow users to add items like RossTalk events to their clips content. This allows a clip to be able to trigger switcher events, router events, even triggering effects and Take Items on any XPression units on the same production control room. This is strong stuff!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
An Event Track is a new feature of XPression Clips, which allows for RossTalk events and other items to be added to an XPression Clips asset. Imagine an XPression Clip being able to trigger the switcher to properly wipe from A-bus to B-Bus at exactly the right frame, every time. Now, imagine that you create an INcoder Watch Folder for Switcher Wipe Clips which can automatically add that event trigger into any clip ingested using that Watch Folder.
Well, stop imagining, and start doing… That feature is included in XPression INcoder version 9.5 and higher.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In a busy newsroom, sometimes the assets required to create a newscast are not directly available. With XPression Clips, it is now possible for a newsroom user to create a placeholder item in the XPression Clips database and add it to the MOS rundown. If properly fulfilled by the graphics department, the placeholder item will become an actual clip asset and fill in the placeholder once it is delivered. Check this out and imagine how it can streamline your Video Clip workflow with XPression Clips.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
While the XPression INcoder allows for setting various properties on any clip processed, sometimes Clips already in the database need to have settings like HOLD LAST FRAME or LOOP turned on. Well, now in XPression 9.5, it is possible to select multiple clips and adjust some of the setting to them all at once. Take a look!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Clips was designed to use a separate server to transcode and import assets into the Clip Store database. While the XPression INcoder provides a Watch Folder interface and can be purchased as a turnkey solution or as software only, smaller facilities who only do playout and very little ingest of new content couldn’t justify the expense. Also, XPression Clips users in remote productions may not have access to the INcoder server. To help out, XPression Clips now allows for a batch import of XPression Clips within the XPression Record Client. This isn’t as good as using the INcoder, but it still is pretty cool and will solve some workflow issues.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Clips content can be set to pause on the last frame in the clip. However, depending on how that clip was recorded, it might show some interlacing problems. Well, now XPression Clips has a setting, per server channel, for how pauses are executed. Things to consider are the video format (Progressive vs. Interlaced), if it is interlaced, Upper or Lower Field dominance (ask your engineering team which one you are using). Well, XPression Clips can accommodate these items for you. Settings for pauses in XPression Clips now allow for Progressive or Interlaced (upper or lower) or an Auto detect setting. Watch and learn. Then try it on your copy of the new XPression software.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Clips Server Channel panel now as a Preview Window. Why? Well, this allows users to stage a Clips asset for the channel, and if the Auto Take function is enabled, when the asset on the server channel output completes, the item in the Preview Window will automatically transition to the server channel output, using the default transition for that channel. When browsing the Clip Store, users who double-click on an item will see it show up in the Preview Channel, rather than taking it straight to the Server Channel or Frame Buffer. Great way to confirm an item, before pushing out to the studio!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Did you know you can cue to a specific frame of a video in XPression Clips Edit mode, and save that one frame as a still image into XPression Clips as well as export that still image as a file on your desktop? Did you also know the difference between interlace and progressive when capturing still images from video? Well, there is a lot of great information in this tutorial about XPression Clips, stills and how to grab the cleanest still image from both Interlaced video and progressive video clips.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Clips has had 3-point and 4-point looping for a while, however, the Edit User Interface for XPression Clips has be modified with buttons to make it clearer. Watch this video to get a good idea on how to mark loop in and out points as well as set how many times the loop repeats before continuing to the end. The Mark In and Mark Out buttons and Go To Start and Go To End really simplify the work of trimming clips and setting up loops.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Did you know you can edit XPression Clips content on the User Interface and not use the program output channels in the control room (or do you say gallery?) outputs? We even can support 5.1 and 7.1 audio monitoring, for situations where there are multi-channel audio workflows to utilize when trimming heads or tails from a clip. This is especially useful, when there is multi-channel audio and the output might be based on a sound cue on a channel other than the traditional channels 1 or 2. Watch this tutorial, even if is only in stereo, to find out how to monitor 5.1 or 7.1 audio.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Clips users looking for random access recalls of XPression Clips content can use the Fast Recall feature of XPression along with the Filter feature of XPression Clips. Random access of Clips content can now be set to use items from one Project as well as direct access to content using the Recall ID, Name info or both. Shortcut keys, to reduce the dependency on mouse use are also available. This is a quick lesson, which will have a lot or value for live production operators of XPression Clips.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Clips assets can have a Recall ID for use in a random access workflow or for basic organization, and now when the asset is dragged into an XPression Sequence playlist, the Recall ID will be assigned as the Take ID, if the number isn’t already used in the sequence. The allows for operators creating playlists in the Sequence to keep track of which assets are in the list, by Recall ID, by looking in the Take ID column.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Facilities with multiple shows or productions each day often standardize workflows and want to use the same tools and processes on each show, so that operators can work on more than one show. XPression Clips now allows users to assign the same Recall ID in two or more different XPression Clips Projects. This means that Recall ID 1000 can be the “show open” in each XPression Clips Project. This can reduce the confusion of trying to find a way to use number ranges to segregate clips content, also. There are a couple of tricks here, so watch and learn.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression INcoder workflow now allows for an auto-assignment of a Recall ID during the ingest and transcode process. The INcoder will assign the next available Recall ID, based on the either a user-defined value or by synchronizing with the Clip Store database to serialize, or use the next available Recall ID number available. This is user-definable for each XPression Clips project, so that all clips in the Clip Store database can have a Recall ID, now.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression INcoder workflow will now retain the source time-code of files using Quick-Time™ of QuickTime Codecs (which are provided by the customer) when transcoding the file. A new feature inside of XPression Clips also allows for use of the original source time-code when editing the clip and displaying the original source time-code in the user interface and in the vertical interval time-code of the video output.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression INcoder can now transcode .MXF files with AVC Intra content in them. The .MXF file extension has been added to the INcoder file formats, so customers with an .MXF codec installed on their INcoder engine can now transcode them for use in XPression Clips.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Record Client now can grab a still and upload it to the XPression Clips Clip Store Database. As a new feature in XPression 6.5, the change to the Record Client allows users to add Still items into the Clip Store Database without having to use the XPression INcoder workflow.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In a busy control room, it can be difficult to keep track of what clips are queued on if it starts in black or uses a common countdown leader. Starting with XPression 6.5, there is now an option to display the clip name and the total running time of the clip as a slate. The slate will be presented if it is cued (and paused) on the output at the first frame. Triggering PLAY on that channel will remove the slate information and execute the play command.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Clips users, working in XPression 6.5 or higher, who access clips content randomly, using the Quick Find field can now set the Quick Search function to require an exact match for the input field. This can be set to the Clip Name, Recall ID or both fields. If a value is input, and there isn’t a match, the Clip Browser list will be empty. If the value matches a clip, that clip will be selected and ready for direct playout the current server channel.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Beginning with XPression 6.5, XPression Clips users can now select a group of items in the Clip Browser and modify the Recall IDs. This allows the user to add or change Recall IDs to a range of clips at a time. Simply selecting items by clicking on the first item using the mouse, holding the SHIFT key and then selecting additional items. Once that is done, Right-click with the mouse and access the Change RECALL ID function from the list. A dialog box will appear, allowing the user to set the first number in the range.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The INcoder software provides watch folder workflows for XPression video files, transcoding files from various different public file formats into the XPression Video Codec. Suggested folder structure, Projects and email alerts are discussed.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
This video will provide instruction on how to set up the XPression Clip Store software, once it has been installed. The use of the Clip Store Manager and starting the Clip Store Service on the Clip Store computer is covered. User accounts and access control are also reviewed.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
This video covers the installation of the software components of the XPression Clips option. There are three programs to install, assuming that XPression Studio version 6.0 or higher has been installed on the XPression Studio system: Clip Store, Media Control Gateway and INcoder.
The INcoder application should be installed on a separate computer in facilities that will be doing lots of video imports while also using their XPression Studio system in production. This video shows the installation of the INcoder software on the same system, to show the installation process, only; and should not be considered the optimum installation location.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Some features and options of XPression have minimum version requirements and may require the system is properly licensed to run the optional software. Even though it is possible to install the software, it will not run if the XPression system is not licensed for that option. This video shows you how to check these two items.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
This video shows how to install the XPression Studio software. This is important, since the XPression Clips option works on XPression version 6.0 or higher, only. This same installation process should be used for all versions of XPression.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression 6.0 adds the ability to record baseband video within the XPression user interface. Operators can record videos and grab stills to add as either materials in their currently active project, or within their Clip Store database. This video also shows how to import videos, one at a time, that have already been converted to the XPression Video Codec and add them to the XPression Clips Clip Store without using the INcoder software.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Clips also supports the import of still images within the watch folder process. Setting the Parsing Options to monitor for still file formats, allows the system to be used with still images as well as video assets.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Program producers often has a requirement for simple looping videos. If the content creators can provide a video asset that will be ready to play from beginning to end and then loop endlessly, it is now possible to create an INcoder Watch Folder that will automatically set any video that comes into that folder with a LOOP flag, making it automatically loop from beginning to end.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Clips automatically enables the FILL2 option for XPression Studio. This allows single channel XPression systems to repurpose the key output of channel 1 as another Fill output, providing 2 Fill outputs (neither with a key signal), or choose to use the traditional 1 Fill/Key Pair workflow.
For XPression Studio systems in the multi-channel configuration, this setting will allow the user to switch from 2 Fill/Key Pairs to a 1 Fill/Key Pair and 2 Fill outputs in place of the traditional Fill/Key Pair for Channel 2. There is a setting for 4 Fill Outputs, but that is a future functionality. Users can try it, but performance will not be up to expectations in the current software. Ross Video does not endorse using the 4 Fill Outputs setting, at this time.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Accessing the components of the user interface for XPression Clips and the basic requirements of output configuration are shown in this video. Dragging items to outputs, adding items to a sequence, and using the PBUS interface to connect to switchers is also covered. This video also shows how to edit a clip, create a sub-clip and set multi-point looping of a clip in the XPression Clip Store.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The Clip Store option for XPression is a powerful tool for video clip management and playout in the production control room. The important process of any asset library is how to get assets into the system. The INcoder for XPression is a powerful tool for both transcoding assets into the proper codec for XPression, but also for batch file ingesting. This video provides an overview of the different methods for getting assets into XPression, and illustrates the reason for INcoder.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Crawl groups are powerful tools to create automated display of content across the bottom of the screen. Hopefully you watched the XPression U series on Crawls already (Quick Tips 170). However, it is not easy to use them in a MOS workflow. Well, using this process with the scripting lesson shown, it is possible to create a crawl that the newsroom can use in the XPression MOS plugin to create crawls at their discretion.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ever want to make a change in a text object trigger something else to happen? In this exercise, learn how to change the number of the draft pick order, add an Ordinal indicator (you know the letters you add to the back of a number to make them show order…), as well as replace them to make sense as the values change. Oh, and also restart the draft clock timer.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In this video, learn the basics about the places where users can create scripts in XPression and why they use them. Part of the introduction is a creating a simple script to take the contents of one text object and copy it to another text object. It might seem like a simple process, but all journeys begin with the first step. Right?
Here is the first step, download the XPression Project without the scripts to follow along. The second step, download the XPression Project with the scripts to compare your work with the teacher and grade yourself on your success..
Now, run along on your journey.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
This is a quick intro on how to write a C Sharp application to control your graphics which can make the workflow sometimes easier depending on what you're aiming to do.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Ok. Ribbon board animations done. Check… right? Well, what about adding a scoreboard onto the ribbon boards? Maybe in two locations? Watch and find out how Andrew suggests using the Layering features of XPression to add the scoreboard on top of (and underneath) ribbon board. There are a lot of options here, let’s see which one you choose.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Well, you just learned that using Region Mapper, it is possible to span content in a single frame buffer output across multiple displays. Well, let’s take that to the next step and create a single Take Item that will be used to “Take Over” all the monitors in the venue with a single Take ID.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In this video, learn how to take supplied content for ribbon boards, in this case 15360x80; and use the region mapping tools to stripe it onto a 1920x1080 output. Once this is done, you can take the single frame buffer output and feed it to your display cabinets and use their internal scaling tools to map out the ribbons for a complete and seamless display.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Another visit from Andrew Sampson, where he covers the basics of the XPression Tessera and Tessera SE workflows. In this video, Andrew is explaining how to work in the Region Mapper in Tessera to set up playout of a 3840x1080 video across two frame buffers in a single XPression Engine.
We know some of you want to follow along at home, so here is a link to a zip file of the XPression project Andrew used. Copy it onto your hard drive and launch the project file to follow along with him.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression and Datalinq™ are already a very powerful combination of workflow tools. Implemented in XPression 6.5, Visual Logic provides even more power to the data handling capabilities of XPression. A Sort Selection function block has been added which enables XPression to automatically review and sort data and pass the re-ordered data from input fields to outputs using the Function Blocks and Object Blocks.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
MOS workflows allow the newsroom user to create their own graphics using templates the art department may create. When a material is created using a video asset, the default setting for videos is looping. When a scene is used as a MOS template, the settings for the default material is inherited by the video element dropped into the template in the newsroom. If the default material, used as the placeholder, is set to PLAY ONCE, the video elements dropped into that template by the newsroom user will not loop. The best way to handle this is to use a placeholder element with the desired settings for a replaceable asset. It is also wise to use something like a station logo or show logo, in case the replaceable video asset is from an openMAM or Order Management System and the desired asset isn’t delivered in time for air.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Studio systems with the XPression Clips option also have the PBUS option as part of the clips software. While PBUS is normally used to handle triggering video servers from a video switcher, PBUS can also be used to trigger XPression Scenes. This video shows how to add an XPression Scene to the PBUS register and what happens when it gets triggered. Ross Video Dashboard is used, for illustration purposes, to trigger PBUS register. However, this could be any switcher or device that can trigger PBUS.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression can import 3D models in the OBJ and 3DS formats, as well as an OBJ Sequence. The OBJ Sequence contains the object as well as animation properties of the object(s). Importing them is fairly straight forward, however, there are some common mistakes that are made when creating the OBJ Sequence. This video shows both the proper and OBJ Sequences when imported, so that the XPression user can identify where the issue is.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Find out what visual logic is and how you can build smart templates that can control conditional animations, position of objects and a variety of different parameters without having to use scripts.
We're going to show you how to use Visual Studio to write a C Sharp or Visual Basic Application that will connect to the dot net interface of XPression to be able to control your graphics.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In this tutorial we're going to look at how you can change existing keyboard shortcuts in XPression, how to create your own shortcuts, how to create groups of shortcuts so you can perform multiple actions with a single keystroke.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In XPression 10.5, we are leveraging our existing SNMP tools and add the ability to start and stop XPression services remotely, but also to push and install XPression software remotely to all your XPression systems from one location, over the LAN.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In a busy production environment, every bit of help is appreciated. Designers can now color-code input fields to show operators which fields need special attention or to call attention to them. Combine this with the ability to show or hide template data fields for impact.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Items like bulleted lists can be dynamically changed to show or hide rows based on what items have text in them. Now, it is also possible to hide the Template Data (input) fields if the objects are not seen on the screen.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Designers often would like to get a clear view of what they are designing in their viewport. This can be disrupted by simple tools like safe-title markers and bounding boxes around objects in the scene. Now, XPression users can show/hide them with a keystroke.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For instances where the operator needs to make a change to the font properties, XPression now makes a clone of the original font, and allows the operator to apply the clone to the text objects on the scene or across the project.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Even though XPression benefits from a project-based workflow, it is now possible to use Export Scene (and Import Scene) to emulate a file-based workflow of sharing a single file between users on different workstations.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Dashboard is the free utility program from Ross Video that enables operators to have a common user experience, regardless of the device(s) that it is interfaced to. Two years ago, we extended the XPression API to include Dashboard as an option which displayed the XPression Sequencer user interface in Dashboard. This enabled casual users to play back XPression content from a less intimidating user interface. Well, now the Dashboard API isn’t an option… it is a feature on XPression version 10 and higher.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Back in XPression Version 6.7, we added a Countdown column into the XPression Sequencer. Well, now you can display that countdown value in Dashboard Version 9.0 as well. This is helpful for users who depend on custom Dashboard panels to show them previews of their XPression channels during a very busy show. Keep your focus in one place and don’t worry about what everyone else is doing, count yourself down to the end of the graphics or clips.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The XPression Remote Sequencer provides an amazing user experience for MOS enabled newsroom workflows. Displaying the complete linear rundown, as well as showing a column per channel has enabled amazing user control for MOS newsrooms. Now that same power is available to create rundowns from scratch, for any of your productions. Control multiple XPression engines from one user interface for any type of production and create your rundowns from scratch.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The impact of Covid-19 has been felt by everyone. Those fortunate enough to work, might be working from places they never have before. Since that means that monitor walls and tally lights on them might not be present, Ross Video has added support for TLS 3.1 and 4.0 into XPression Version 10, which means that Tally Light support has been added into the User Interface. Red for On-Air and Green for Preview are now supported on the Output Monitor panel on the UI.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
When users try to share XPression Video Codec files for review by users without XPression, the ability to play the files on a Windows 10 PC seems to befuddle some folks. Installing the XPression Video Codec is pretty easy, but some users prefer using VideoLAN’s VLC media player over the native tools in Windows. Ross Video has developed the VLC plugin, for the XPression Video Codec, so now VLC users with the XPression Video Codec installed can view XPression Video assets and Clips.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For those of us who use XPression BlueBox and have content in mixed video formats coming at us, Ross Video has added a preference item for defining the Default Video Format. This allows the administrator of the system to set a preference and define what video format the engine will output, rather than just allowing the Project setting to define it.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
With so many of you designers working in various platforms and mediums, RGB or HSL color values are not the only way to share color information anymore. Ross Video has added support for Hex Values to the color picker and to Visual Logic. Use your favorite method of representing color values, now.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
While XPression is the fastest growing real-time motion graphics engine in the market today, audio does also play a part of the production process. We had more than a few requests to be able to upload more than one audio file at a time to the Audio Files tool in XPression. So now, you can upload more than one at a time.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
While Sequencer Groups are a powerful way to organize Take Items in the XPression Sequencer, many operators like to use colors to highlight Take Items as a way to organize or prioritize key items. Well, we saw users doing that, and found out if we gave them more colors, they’ll use them. We added almost a dozen new colors to the Sequencer for you to choose the ones that work best for you.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Many XPression customers use the Export as Video functionality in the Sequencer to give editors a video clip of an XPression Graphic. Now it is possible to get more control of the naming of the file with the latest version of XPression.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
When Ross Video released the 64-bit edition of XPression, users found one missing function, the ability to use the Export as Video to video file formats supported with Apple QuickTime. While this is due to the lack of a QuickTime installer for the 64-bit Windows applications, Ross Video is providing a way around it. Customers who download an installation of FFMPEG on their own (Ross Video is not licensed to distribute it), XPression 9.5 now restores the ability to Export as Video for .MOV or other QuickTime Video file formats.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
We work with a lot of E-Sports productions, and we see a lot of things behind the scenes. One of our favorites is the Elgato Stream Deck. This cool little device is a USB connected shotbox, which can be programmed with either simple keyboard macros or leveraged with their SDK to create plugins that speak directly to other applications over the network. We decided to try this little gizmo with the new XPression Remote Sequencer and found out that adding some additional RossTalk commands allow the user to send commands to specific channels in the new Remote Sequencer, even if Remote Sequencer isn’t in-focus on the PC. As long as the Remote Sequencer is on the network and the Stream Deck has been programmed, it will just work. How cool is that?
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
I bet nobody ever showed you how to work with Docking Layout Tools before, did they? Well, they have been part of XPression for a while, so let’s take advantage of introducing the Improved Remote Sequencer to show you how the Docking Layout tools work, and now you can make them work for you. There are also a couple of examples of layouts for working in the new XPression Remote Sequencer you might want to take note of. See which ones might work for your facility.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Not just a playout controller, the new XPression Remote Sequencer is a powerful content creation tool, too! Manage the content in the rundowns for the studio. Modify Take Items., create new Take IDs, move them around to other channels, but still retain the power and ease of driving a linear rundown with one or two keys. When you need to see graphics in a channel per column layout, set it up and use it. Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
When using videos as replaceable materials in XPression, it is always tough. So many times, artists create video which start with a black screen and animate to display franchise content or other information. Ironically, they all seem to use the same points in time for each animation. So now, rather than using FRAME 0 for the preview seen in the MOS newsroom or the Sequencer in XPression, artists can define which frame is used as the preview. Now the guess work of is this the right asset, goes away.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Font Management is a challenge in every graphics workflow, so Ross Video decided to create a Font Manager for XPression. Now it is possible to rename, renumber, sort, organize and modify the fonts in your XPression projects from a single panel. Create folders to put all the fonts you use for names and another folder for the titles. Set it up however you want to. Imagine Material Manager, but for Fonts.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Did you ever wonder what the scene in preview looks like when it animates on the screen? Well, the only way to find out in the middle of a show used to be playing it to a frame buffer when nobody was looking. Well, those days are over, since everyone is watching XPression. In the Sequencer, it is now possible to play the default scene director preview in the Up Next Preview panel. Preview your animations and make sure you have the right one.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Everyone always pushes XPression around, so we decided it was time to push back. RossTalk commands, we mean. Now it is possible to add RossTalk commands as a track in a Scene Director so XPression Take IDs can trigger other devices. Trigger Carbonite to start the wipe and change sources at the specific frame required. Or even more interesting, XPression Clips can now hold RossTalk commands on a track in the Clip properties. Imagine triggering another XPression from an XPression engine with clips, that is being used to roll bumper animations. How cool is that?
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
While XPression is a very powerful real-time motion graphics system, designers still might favor creating content in their favorite desktop content creation tools. With the ability to import Adobe Photoshop files into XPression and retain their layers, adding the ability to import Adobe After Effects animation tracks provides a way to bring the animations created by the desktop designers to XPression. Actually, it is pretty simple. So sit back, watch Greg Oz take you through the steps.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Transition Logic revolutionized how graphics were designed to play back-to-back on XPression. Now, XPression artists and animators can create a base Scene Director, and the duplicate it, with all the objects and animation controllers inside of them. No more copy-and-paste and wondering if you got all the elements. Now, they are all duplicated with the Scene Director. Right-click>Duplicate.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The design process doesn’t always start in XPression. Sometimes, cocktail napkins are the source of amazing design ideas, other times… Adobe Photoshop. At Ross Video, we know that artists often do their design and layout in Adobe Photoshop, so rather than fight it we embrace it. Now, you can import layered PSD files into XPression, retaining folder structure and grouping, alpha masks and even many blending modes. Now your design team can just share their Photoshop files with you, and you can animate their designs. Just don’t laugh at how many layers in their Photoshop files are called LAYER 1 COPY COPY…
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression and Dashboard have always interacted well, using the free Dashboard tools leveraging RossTalk, XML Data integration to DataLinq™, and even the XPression Preview Widget for Dashboard. Well, we took it another step further and cooler. XPression now offers an optional Dashboard API control which allows Dashboard to see the XPression Sequencer and control playout of the sequence as well as adding new Take IDs to the Sequencer. This is a really cool option for XPression which some of you have been waiting for all of your life. Take a look.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Starting with XPression version 7.2 or higher, XPression USB License dongles can be reprogrammed in the field. This allows customers to purchase new features and have their XPression USB dongles remotely re-programmed in the field. This is a very straightforward process, and allows for direct updates to the license, based on the purchased features and options, as well as the entitlement of software, based on the expiration of the software maintenance contract for that license.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Visual confirmation is key to being confident. Want to really know what graphic is in the next Take ID? Well, now you can see a thumbnail of that graphic in the Take ID event in the Sequencer. It is the same image that appears in the Preview window, but now there is one for each Take ID in the sequence. All you need to do is show that column in the XPression Sequencer, if you know where to find it. What to know where to find it? Well, watch this video and I will show you.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How many times as the director asked you how much longer, before the graphic is complete and they should move on to the next visual? “how much longer?”, it’s like driving a car full of kids on a vacation. Well, rather than guessing, there is now a column available in the XPression Sequence layout which can show you both in countdown time, as well as a progress bar. Don’t know where to find that field? Take a quick look here and find out.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
The ability to display open captioning for all fans to see and observe both informational announcement and emergency notifications has become a top priority for public venues. Ross Video is proud to have added a DataLinq™ Source feed to the XPression DataLinq™ option which can take 3rd party provider data streams and convert them into open captioning displays. This video shows how to use the new DataLinq™ source with an incoming captioning data feed from common 3rd party data provider partners.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
While building a scene in XPression, designers envision how it will look, and assume all materials are designed to fit onto the geometry provided. Well, sometimes that just isn’t realistic. Especially for an XPression MOS workflow. Maybe the still images are all one size, but videos from the edit room, only seem to come in one size (and not the same as the still images the artists create). Now, it is possible to set the Quad so that whatever material that gets dropped onto the Quad will scale to the height or width of the Quad for a uniform look. It is really easy to do, if you know how. See for yourself, after you watch the video.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How many times have you been asked if you can change one word in an XPression graphic to another color to highlight it? Maybe to a nice yellow? Now if you have the material available in your project, it can be used to change the font material to it. Adding a simple Material Tag around a word or even dragging the material onto a selected string of text in the Take Item Inspector will allow you to change the material, which in turn, can change the text to be highlighted in a different color. You can even share the trick with the XPression MOS users in the newsroom, if you want them to be able to do this. This might force you to spend more time thinking about the names you give materials, now won’t it? Take a minute to learn how this is done.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Have a big day coming up in your future? Maybe the first day of spring? The start of the Fantasy League Draft? New Year’s Eve? Now you can easily display that in your XPression Graphics using Visual Logic. Set the date and then tell XPression to count down to it, we can count the hours until the big day, and make it magically appear, and count down; every time you out that Take ID on the Output Frame Buffer. Do you want to show your enthusiasm for the big day by showing the countdown clock to it? We want you to know how to do it, we are counting the seconds until you click on the video to watch it. See just how it is done.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
When someone asks to change a scene, and there are already dozens of Take IDs built from it; the best recourse was to exit the XPression application and restart it. Well, those days are over. Now it is possible to make a change to a scene in XPression and force the updates to that scene to be published out to the existing items in the Sequence. Things like moving a logo to a different area on the viewport, or changing the material on a quad, wouldn’t be reflected in the Take IDs already built from that scene. Those days are over, my friend! Find the Update button in the Object Inspector and relax. No need to quit XPression, now!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Animation Controllers are based on the ability to keyframe the transform properties of objects in the scene. Did you know that all the published properties of an object are now able to be keyframed? Things like Texture Coordinates, Cylinder start and end angles, etc. Even effects functions can be keyframed, now. Imagine being able to control how much a Cylinder is tessellated or how much blur is applied to an material on a quad by keyframing it? Once you watch this video and learn, be sure to only use this power for good, and not evil.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Working in the XPression Sequencer, Take IDs are very important. Being able to import a list of Take IDs from another show into the one you are working on is important, also. The hard part… the Take ID numbers might overlap, and there might be a reason to overwrite the existing Take IDs or move the new items to another range of numbers. Of course, this all has to happen to dozens (ok… hundreds) of Take IDs at once.
Well, now it is possible to import Take IDs from an XML file (you do know you can export a group of Take IDs as an XML file, right?), in bulk, and add them to the existing Sequence list, and choose how to handle the Take ID numbers, if there are conflicts. Watch and learn. Tell all your friends. This is gonna be HUUUGE!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression has a powerful tool called Stagger Animations. They can be used to create read-on effects for text as well as objects in a group. Stagger Animations can be set up on a per character, per word, per line or even per paragraph. Take a look at this tutorial to see just how easy it is to create a set of Stagger Animations and see how you can re-purpose them throughout your project.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression utilizes keyframes to create animations, moving an object between two or more points. Did you know you can apply effects to objects, such as blur, color correction, even wipes and pushes. There is also a way to set keyframes for each property in the effect, when added to the Scene Director properly. Watch this video to find out just how that works and how easy it is!
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Often times, back-to-back graphics have common elements, such as the story topic or on-camera subject name. The XPression Desktop Preview Server displays a short flash of blue to alert users monitoring the Desktop Preview Server, out of the corner of their eye, that the graphic has changed or been updated. Some members of the production team may find that flash alarming, so starting with XPression 6.5, it is now possible to disable the blue flash in the Desktop Preview Server settings.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
New in XPression 6.5, it is now possible to export an XPression scene as a video file, at a defined duration and with an Out Transition. Leveraging the XPression Transition Logic feature, XPression scenes may now be exported with an Out Transition and at a specified duration. This allows the XPression designers to provide an exported video file at a requested duration which also has the same Out transition as the graphics played live in production. Editors may now as for a specific duration and still get the full In and Out effects that are done live in production.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression animations are keyframe-based, meaning that animations are interpolated between two (or more) points on a timeline. There are several ways to adjust keyframes on the timeline, using the Keyframe Editor. Changing points in time as well as the keyframe type are just a couple of things that can be adjusted in the Keyframe Editor.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Sometimes, a specific XPression scene from one project might be needed in another project. Using the Import function, it is possible to import a scene from another project into another, quickly. The Import Scene function has a great user interface for moving the scene(s) and all the associated assets required to reproduce that scene in the new project.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Sequencer is a powerful tool for playout of scenes in order as well as random order. Most people don’t know that it is possible to save a Sequence and recall it later, when needed. Since the XPression Project saves the current sequence with the project, most users assume that is the only way to handle sequences. However, it is possible to save them and recall them as XML files. This can be very useful for making changes to the sequences within a project that is handed over from another user or location where XPression projects are built.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression can handle audio as embedded or as AES inputs and outputs. Setting up AES audio is very simple, once you are aware of how to do it. This video will explain the XPression Quick Start Guide for configuration of AES Audio as well as how to assign audio channels to audio outputs in XPression.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression Studio can work in various broadcast video standards. Setting the XPression unit to the proper video standard will properly configure frame rates and output dimensions for the XPression systems in your facility, regardless of the video standards used in the XPression projects. To get optimal performance, the project should be created in the same video standard as the facility it will be used in. This video will show users how to set a video standard on the hardware.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Situations such as ingesting video and alpha from a single source feed (video tape or single-channel file server) requires the operator to merge an RGB file and an alpha file together to create an RGB+alpha video file for ingest to XPression. Review this tutorial to learn how to merge the two files together to make a single file with RGB and alpha.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Some designers and rendering programs provide image (.tga, .jpg, .png, etc.) sequences as output files, rather than video animation files. While XPression can work with image sequences, it is far more efficient to convert the image sequences into an XPression video file. The conversion from Image Sequence into XPression Video codec-based video files is very easy. Following this tutorial will show the basic steps from importing the image sequence all the way to outputting the file into XPression or XPression Clips and INcoder.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
XPression utilizes a highly efficient compression codec for video files used in XPression. This gives predictable playout performance capability while still providing a high-quality output file for video sources. Ross Video provides a job-based transcoder application with each installation of XPression Studio, Designer, Developer or BlueBox software. While the application is fairly simple, this video covers the basics of converting videos on the local file system of the PC to the XPression Video Codec.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
For users who count on textures from the local file system, rather than adding textures as materials to a project, it has been somewhat cumbersome to manage projects where textures may be replaced with new files during production. XPression now has an option to check in memory cache against the local file system for a newer version of the same file (file name), based on the date stamp of the file.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
It is now possible to set loop points for videos used in XPression scenes at the material level, rather than having to go into the animation controller and setting loops. This makes it easier to use materials with a loop point inside of Transition Logic workflows, which were introduced in XPression 6.0.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Adobe has formalized the use of embedded metadata into a protocol they call eXtensible Metadata Platform, or XMP. Since XMP is part of the Adobe product line, it is available in almost every software tool Adobe provides. The benefit of XMP metadata is once it is entered, the metadata is part of the asset, and not a separate database. This makes the asset the database for the asset, as well. Using an asset with XMP metadata, allows XPression designers to link data to fields in an XPression scene. This is accomplished using assets with XMP metadata as well as functionality of the Visual Logic components of XPression 6.1 or higher. Download the XPression Project for XMP workflow training at: http://rossvi.de/1Xmhbs9
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
- Using the same process as the Project Server listed above, the XPression MOS plug-in gets the NRCS username from the host computer
- XPression MOS users can now save their favorite scenes to their own private location and even give them a name that means something to you, as well as also maintaining the Scene name the designer provides
- The User Favorites are stored on the XPression Gateway, so that users who might move from computer-to-computer to get their job done, can still access their own favorites
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
- The XPression MOS plug-in now gathers the username of the NRCS client which is hosting the plug-in. This is going to be advanced later to provide access controls to projects in the XPression Project Server as well as Single Sign On (SSO) Streamline MAM workflows, which will reduce the number of times the user needs to sign into
- To review this, notice the log window of the XPression Gateway when a user launches the XPression MOS client. The username will appear next to the client count information displayed in the log
- Template Builder will retrieve the NT Login (Windows username) and pass it along the same way
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
- XPression Clips is now available in the XPression MOS ActiveX plug-in (not currently in the NLE Plug-in or Template Builder)
- Users may browse or search for Clips using either the Quick Find tool on the toolbar of the Clips panel of the MOS plug-in or an advanced search tool by clicking on the button next to the Quick Find input field
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
- Building on the basics of User Input Controls, Importing lists can be done using text fields with Comma Separated Values. Learn how to make CSV files from Excel files, and even save them as .txt files
- Add photos into your User Input Control objects using files that are either on the local file system or on a network share.
- Link one User Input Control to drive another User Input Control to change the list of values presented in one field based on the contents chosen in another field.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
- XPression now has an additional Data Source for text objects, User Input Controls. User Input Controls provide Check Boxes, Radio Buttons, Lists and Combo Boxes for text input in the XPression MOS ActiveX Plug-in and Sequencer.
- XPression MOS users can be provided with closed lists for text input fields, Radio Buttons for simple “either or” choices or Combo Boxes which allow for a pull-down list to choose the desired item from
- One User Input Control field can affect another User Input Field, such as changing the data source presented to User Input Field Control 2, based on the setting of User Input Control Field 1.
- User Input Controls can create a simple (small grouping of one or two items) as a Static List (based inside the single scene), a Global List (based inside the entire project), or a Datalinq™ (same functionality and accessibility as the traditional Datalinq™ utilization
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Driven by customer requests, there have been considerable changes to the XPression MOS Plug-in. This item is being broken down into multiple sessions. Items included are: Improved Thumbnail viewing, inclusion of XPression categories and scene ordering from the XPression project.
Thumbnails in The XPression Plug-in:
- The thumbnail view of available scenes (templates) can now be expanded wider than one column
- Thumbnails can now be scaled from tiny to very large in this panel
- If an XPression Project is created using categories and uploaded to the Project Server, the Categories now show up in the Scenes panel as a way to organize scenes and their thumbnails. The scene thumbnails appear in the same order the XPression Artist sets them in XPression
- Thumbnails are now visible and scalable (per user) in the Rundown Section of the XPression MOS Plug-in as part of Tile, Thumbnail or List view
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
To meet the needs of XPression designers, a new Primitive Object has been introduced, which has advanced functionality of:
- Rounded corners (with variable adjustments for radius and smoothness of the corner
- Skewing of the object and the ability to extend the skew to the material textures, or not
- Extrusion and bevels are also included as functionality of the slab. Consider this the XPression answer to the VizRT Noggi or the Chyron Pod
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Some XPression customers are using their XPression engines for station branding which includes sponsorship artwork or other materials which may need to be tracked as to when or if they were played to an output. XPression 6.0 adds an “As Run” logs. The “As Run” logs can be configured with user-defined “expression strings” to show specific content in the order that is required for the facility, rather than a generic log configuration. The As Run logs can be set up to provide only the information required.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Stations with an XPression gateway for their MOS workflow can now provide the same templates to their Grass Valley Edius NLE to extend the station branding as well as streamline the workflow. Newsroom users can also create graphics from in the XPression MOS plug-in and save them in folders for the editor to pick up and add to their bin and then to their timeline.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
New in XPression 6.0, Transition Logic is Ross Video’s feature in XPression that allows the XPression Designer to leverage the Scene Directors to create individual animations for different playout scenarios. Animations can now be created for playing graphics created from the same scene to output back-to-back or graphics from different scenes playing back-to-back. A simple rules-based workflow can help to pre-determine the effects so that there is never a surprise about how a graphic plays to the output.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Creating keyframed animations in XPression.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In this tutorial we will learn how to create and edit take items, controlling the sequencer and controlling layers and channels from the sequencer.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
In this video we will learn how to move stuff by creating any kind of looping continuous effect. Make objects spin and create nice looking looping effects without relying on video clips.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Template links or Object Publishing. Anything published trough the Template Links option tab will be exposed to the video operator when they call it up in the sequence.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
An introduction to using materials and how to include Images or Videos with reflective effects that moves based on the 3D environment.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
Creating text objects, formatting text and creating fonts in XPression is a breeze and you can create unlimited fonts and use them as part of your templates for your scenes.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
We're going to cover Object Manipulation in XPression, creating objects, moving objects around in 3D and understanding perspective inside of an XPression scene.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U
How to properly set up an XPression project. Make sure your files and assets get stored in the correct location. Create and Save Presents. Learn how to pick your editing mode, frames per second and define frame size, width and height of your project.
Living Live! with Ross Video
www.rossvideo.com/XPression-U