The updated section on the Video Input is better ,
https://www.tvpaint.com/doc/tvp11/index ... ideo-input , the photos showing a more typical table top stop motion set up demonstrate the function of the video input more clearly , but it could still use some further clarification to discuss the options for selecting video capture devices and the difference between the selecting and setting up the video device on the 64bits version and 32bits version (which are different, at least on Mac OS ... I don't know about Windows.) My suggestions below are based on using Video Input on Mac OS , because I do not have Windows .
Where the User Manual says:
Device: shows the video flow retrieved by the user’s OS ; on Windows it shows WDM, on Mac Facetime, and on Linux V4L2
It is true that on Mac one of the devices to show up will be the Facetime HD camera (the Mac's internal webcam) , but if an any other compatible video device is plugged into the Mac it will also show up on the list . The user must select the desired device. In the screen capture shown below , it shows selecting the Logitech C930e webcam, not the Facetime camera.
- Video Input available devices.jpg (35.24 KiB) Viewed 105503 times
The User Manual says:
"The Settings button: located just below, opens the window where you can adjust your camera’s / webcam’s settings."
In the 64bits version of TVPaint running on Mac OS the "Settings" button underneath "Device" has no functionality. Clicking on "Settings" does nothing. (is the "Settings" button functional on Windows ? Ok, but could you make a different version for Mac to avoid confusion to the user?) I can tell you from my own personal experience tutoring students and faculty who are new to using TVPaint , this non-functional "Settings" button is confusing to the new user , because when they see a button called "Settings" they would expect that the button has some functionality . (and indeed, if they hover their mouse over the "Settings" button it says:
"Opens the video device's settings panel" )
- Settings button is non-functional in Mac OS.jpg (89.37 KiB) Viewed 105503 times
Here is something important : On Mac OS , if using a webcam with the 64bits version of TVPaint, to adjust any settings on the webcam (i.e. focus, exposure, white balance) one must first open the camera using a
webcam control software. The webcams I have the most experience using (and the ones we recommend to our students) are the Logitech C920 and Logitech C930e . These can be used with the very basic
Logitech Camera Settings software (which must be installed from the
Logitech support website ) , or better, used with the more sophisticated webcam control software for Mac such as
iGlasses or
Webcam Settings. After pairing the webcam with one of these webcam control softwares , open TVPaint and select the Logitech webcam as the video input device (or in the case of running the Logitech webcam through the
iGlasses software you must select "iGlasses" as the video input device.) Any changes to be made to the webcam's focus, exposure , white balance, etc. must be done through the webcam control panel (iGlasses or Webcam Settings, or Logitech Camera Settings) , but this webcam control software is not accessed directly from TVPaint with the Settings button , the webcam control software must be kept open in a separate panel (which can be hidden in the dock when not needed) .
I realize you may not want to address using third-party webcam control software in the context of the TVPaint User Manual , but for Mac users some mention needs to be made that on Mac OS in the 64 bit version, there is no functionality to the "Settings" button , and any adjustments to the webcam's settings must be performed through a webcam control software. (and I would argue for removing the non-functional "Settings" button entirely in the 64bits version for Mac OS to avoid any confusion on the part of new users who would naturally expect that this button would have some function ...)
Now , about using the Video Input in the 32bits version on Mac OS :
There are several additional steps that must be taken which are not mentioned in the User Manual, so it is the source of confusion for the new users who has TVPaint Standard Edition (32bits) or is using the 32bits version of TVPaint Pro .
Under Device there are only two options: "None" and "Movie Grabber" . No matter what video device(s) are plugged in to the Mac , the only device that shows up in the list is "Movie Grabber" . I would say this is also confusing. The new user who has plugged in their webcam is naturally expecting to see the name of their webcam (Logitech C920 , or whatever it may be) in the list of available devices. But there is only "Movie Grabber". The "Movie Grabber" is what must be selected , before the "Settings" button underneath becomes active. (otherwise it is greyed-out).
- 32bits version Video Input - Movie Grabber.jpg (31.66 KiB) Viewed 105503 times
After selecting "Movie Grabber" , the user must then click on the "Settings" button (which is now active) and go to the "Source" tab to select the desired video source device .
(and this is a major difference between the 64bits version and 32bits version: in the 32bits version the "Settings" button is functional , so it must be there for the 32bits version , but it is confusing to have the non-functional "Settings" button in the 64bits version ... is there any way to remove it for 64bits version , but retain the "Settings" button in the 32bits version?)
They must also go to the "Compression" tab to select the compression type. In my experience from many hours of trial & error testing there are two compression types that work best on Mac OS : DV/DVCPro-NTSC or Apple Intermediate. Some types of compression (such as H.264 or Uncompressed) will result in the webcam displaying a split screen in TVPaint (this is a long-standing bug which as never been resolved entirely ; the workaround is to use DV/DVCPro-NTSC or Apple Intermediate as the compression type ; but this is "hidden knowledge" that is not at all apparent to the new user from reading the user manual , thus the source of much confusion.)
Some minor adjustments may also be made to the webcam (such as Brightness , Contrast, White Balance, Sharpness ) under the "Adjustments" tab . (but on Mac OS it is better to use the webcam control software , either
iGlasses or
Webcam Settings for a much greater degree of control over the webcam's image quality.
After having followed those steps , the webcam is now set up to capture images into TVPaint (32bits version) . But from reading the User Manual , how would the new user with TVPaint Standard Edition or TVPaint Pro 32bits version know any of this ? (because it is not mentioned in the User Manual.)
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Frankly, it must also be said there seems to be a bug in the 32bits version where sometimes it is impossible to select the option of "Movie Grabber" and at that point TVPaint is frozen and must be forced to quit and the computer must be restarted . Sometimes this will fix the problem and then the procedure given above may be followed to enable the webcam capture. But other times the only solution to fix this issue is to make a new configuration .
EDIT: Here is more information about the bug I mentioned above: a seemingly random issue students have reported to me in the past with the 32bits version is that occasionally when they try to select "Movie Grabber" in the Video Input panel , TVPaint freezes , the cursor turns into a 'clock' icon (see the attached screen grab) as if the software is
calculating something , but nothing ever happens and eventually the user must force quit TVPaint.
- Video Input_panel_frozen.jpg (45.71 KiB) Viewed 105488 times
When this happens they are able to get the Video Input to work again by creating a new configuration (or switch back to the Default config) because I think the issue is that the config has become corrupted in some way , which is what prevents the Video Input from functioning properly ... this is a very time consuming annoyance, because it requires re-building/re-loading all custom panels from the old configuration to the new configuration. In my notes from dealing with reports of this issue I am sorry to say I can not detect any regular pattern to this 'bug' . It just happens randomly ... the easiest solution for TVPaint
Pro users is to simply not use the 32bits version for video capture , but to only use the 64bits version for video capture. However, I think this is an issue that the developers should be aware of (if they are not already aware of it) , because it is an issue which impacts people who only have TVPaint Standard Edition (32bits) and who do not have the option to switch over to using the 64 bits version.
When set up correctly , TVPaint's Video Input function is a very useful tool for either traditional line testing or for Stop Motion frame capture, but it is unnecessarily confusing to the new user on how to set it up (especially in the 32bits version , which is not addressed at all in the User Manual.)
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