Main Window Overview
Producer is a multi-window workspace. The Stage, timelines, assets, devices, properties, and network monitoring each open in their own window that you move, resize, and save as a layout. This page covers the menu bar, its status indicators, and the window types. For arranging and saving windows, see Customizing Your Workspace.
The Menu Bar
The menu bar holds seven menus. File, Window, and Help hold the actions you click. The Edit, Stage, Timeline, and Effect menus list commands you trigger with keyboard shortcuts or right-click menus — their entries appear for reference but are greyed in the menu. See Keyboard Shortcuts.
| Menu | Holds |
|---|---|
| File | New, Open..., Open Recent, Open Show from Director, Import WATCHOUT 6 Show..., Preferences..., Save, Save As..., Save Copy..., Create Archive..., Show Properties, Quit |
| Edit | Undo, Redo, Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Select All, Find..., and the Tween Colors, Snap, and Legacy keyboard mode toggles |
| Stage | Add Display, Add Virtual Display, Add 3D Projector, Create Display Grid, Frame All Displays, Scroll to Origin, and the Camera Mode submenu |
| Timeline | The Click Jumps to Time toggle, add-cue and add-layer commands, Insert/Delete Time, and group into composition |
| Effect | Toggles for the tween properties (fades, position, scale, rotation, opacity, blur, crop, color, volume) applied to selected cues |
| Window | Opens each window (Stage, Assets, Timelines, Devices, Variables, Cues, Cue Sets, Properties, Nodes) and the Layout submenu (Import..., Export..., Reset, Save/Load Presets) |
| Help | Documentation, What's New, Open Auto-Saves Directory, Open Log Directory, Create Feedback Report, Watchout Licenses..., About |
Legacy Keyboard Mode
The Legacy keyboard mode toggle in the Edit menu changes how the playback keyboard shortcuts behave. It is on by default and is relevant for users migrating from WATCHOUT 6.
The playback keys always act on the last active timeline — the one you most recently played or controlled: Space toggles Run and Pause, Numpad 0 runs, Escape pauses, and Numpad * jumps the view to the playhead (or the playhead to the last start position). In a text field, Space types a space instead.
- On (default): the playback keys work from any window, even when the Timeline window is not focused. This matches the WATCHOUT 6 behavior.
- Off: the playback keys work only when the Timeline window is the active window.
Menu Bar Indicators
The right side of the menu bar shows system status:
- Gamepad — a controller icon, shown while a gamepad is connected and Producer has focus.
- FPS — the show's frame rate, for example "60.00 FPS". Set it in Show Properties.
- Director — the current Director's host name, or "none". Click to choose a different Director.
- Asset Manager — the current Asset Manager's host name, or "none". Click to choose a different one.
- Node activity — a clock icon that opens the Nodes window. A dot appears on it while assets transfer or process, and turns red if an export error occurred. It clears when the work finishes.
- Messages — a bell that opens recent messages and warnings from all nodes. See Troubleshooting.
Producer Windows
Open any window from the Window menu or its shortcut. Each has a reference page in this chapter.
| Window | Purpose | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Position displays and content in 2D/3D space | Ctrl+Alt+S |
| Assets | The show's media library | Ctrl+Alt+A |
| Timelines | The list of all timelines | Ctrl+Alt+T |
| Timeline | Edit one timeline's cues (one window per timeline) | — |
| Devices | Output devices: displays, audio, capture | Ctrl+Alt+D |
| Variables | Show variables and external inputs | Ctrl+Alt+V |
| Cues | A flat list of every cue across timelines | Ctrl+Alt+C |
| Cue Sets | Cue Set (variant) management | — |
| Properties | Settings for the current selection | — |
| Nodes | Discover, monitor, and manage nodes | — |
| Warp / Mask | Open when you edit a display's warp or mask | — |
Offline Indicators
When a service the show needs is not connected, the affected window shows an overlay. The Timeline window shows No Director (none set) or Offline (set but disconnected). The Assets window shows No Asset Manager or Offline. The Nodes window shows No Nodes. Is Manager running?. The overlay clears when the service reconnects.
Layout and Settings
- Window layout — move, resize, snap, and save layout presets. See Customizing Your Workspace.
- Show Properties — frame rate, sync groups, audio buses, defaults, warp, and NDI® discovery appear in the Properties panel with nothing selected, or via File > Show Properties. See Show Properties.
- Application preferences — File > Preferences... sets which GPU Producer renders with (GPU Selection, default Auto (Prefer Dedicated)). Changing it needs a restart.
Related
- Customizing Your Workspace — moving, snapping, and layout presets.
- Keyboard Shortcuts — every Producer shortcut.
- Show Properties — show-wide settings.
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