Main Window Overview
The WATCHOUT 7 Producer interface is a multi-window workspace where every major function — stage layout, timeline editing, asset management, device configuration, and network monitoring — operates in its own independent, resizable window. Rather than a fixed panel arrangement, the interface lets you position, resize, dock, and layer windows freely, then save the arrangement as a layout preset that you can recall instantly. This design accommodates a wide range of production phases: a compact single-monitor setup during pre-production, a spread-out multi-monitor arrangement during programming, or a monitoring-focused layout during live performance.
This article covers the top-level structure of the application: the menu bar and its indicators, the window system, and how windows behave. For details on saving and restoring layouts, see Customizing Your Workspace.
The Menu Bar
The menu bar runs along the top of the application and provides access to all commands. It also contains several status indicators on its right side that give you at-a-glance information about the system state.
Menu Structure
The menu bar contains seven menus:
| Menu | Key Commands |
|---|---|
| File | New, Open, Open Recent, Open Show from Director, Save (Ctrl+S), Save As (Ctrl+Shift+S), Save Copy, Create Archive, Show Properties, Quit |
| Edit | Undo (Ctrl+Z), Redo (Ctrl+Y), Cut/Copy/Paste/Delete, Select All (Ctrl+A), Select to End (Ctrl+E), Move (Ctrl+M), Find (Ctrl+F), Tween Colors toggle, Snap toggle (Ctrl+N), Legacy Keyboard Mode toggle |
Legacy Keyboard Mode
The Legacy Keyboard Mode toggle in the Edit menu changes how playback-related keyboard shortcuts behave. This is particularly relevant for users migrating from WATCHOUT 6.
When ON (Legacy behavior):
- Spacebar only functions as a text input character in text fields — it does not toggle play/pause.
- Play controls (Space, Escape, Numpad-0) affect the last selected timeline, even if the Timeline Editor is not the active window.
- The last selected timeline is indicated by a purple highlight in both the Timeline Editor and the Timelines window.
When OFF (Default WATCHOUT 7 behavior):
- Spacebar works like most media applications — it toggles play/pause for the active timeline.
- Play controls only work when the Timeline Editor is the active window, indicated by a purple top bar on the Timeline Editor.
The affected keys are Escape (stop) and Numpad-0 (reset to start), in addition to Spacebar.
| Stage | Add Display, Add Virtual Display, Add 3D Projector, Create Display Grid, Frame All Displays (Ctrl+Shift+D), Frame Selected Displays, Scroll to Origin (Ctrl+Shift+O), Camera Mode submenu |
|---|---|
| Timeline | Click Jumps to Time toggle (Ctrl+T), Add Play/Pause Control Cue (Ctrl+P / Ctrl+Shift+P), Add Output Cue, Add/Insert/Delete Layer (Ctrl+I / Ctrl+Delete), Select All Layer Cues, Insert/Delete Time (Ctrl+Shift+T), Group into Composition (Ctrl+G), Ungroup (Ctrl+Shift+G) |
| Effect | Fade In/Out/Cross-Fade toggles, Position/Scale/Rotation X/Y/Z toggles, Opacity, Gaussian Blur, Linear Wipe, Crop submenu, Color submenu (Brightness, Contrast, Exposure, Temperature, Gamma, Hue, Saturation, Invert, RGB Gain, RGB Offset), Volume |
| Window | Stage (Ctrl+Alt+S), Assets (Ctrl+Alt+A), Timelines (Ctrl+Alt+T), Devices (Ctrl+Alt+D), Variables (Ctrl+Alt+V), Cues (Ctrl+Alt+C), Cue Sets, Properties, Nodes, Layout submenu (Import, Export, Reset, Save/Load Presets 1-9) |
| Help | Documentation, Open Auto-Saves Directory, Open Log Directory, Create Feedback Report, WATCHOUT Licenses, About |
The Effect menu items are toggles. When checked, the corresponding tween property is active for newly created cues or for adding tweens to existing cues.
Menu Bar Indicators
To the right of the menu buttons, the menu bar displays several status indicators:
| Indicator | Description |
|---|---|
| Gamepad | A controller icon appears when one or more gamepads are connected to the system. |
| FPS | Displays the current frame rate of the show (for example, "60 fps"). This reflects the frame rate configured in Show Properties. |
| Director | An earth icon followed by the hostname of the current Director, or "none" if no Director is assigned. Click to see Director connection details. |
| Asset Manager | A database icon followed by the hostname of the current Asset Manager, or "none" if no Asset Manager is assigned. Click to see connection details. |
| Activity Monitor | A progress icon that also serves as a shortcut to the Nodes window. A yellow dot appears on this indicator when there are ongoing asset transfer jobs (for example, media being distributed to Runner nodes). A warning badge appears if errors have occurred. |
| Messages | A bell icon that opens a dropdown list of recent system messages and notifications when clicked. |
Log Window
The Log Window (accessible from the Window menu) displays system messages, warnings, and errors in real time. Use it for troubleshooting — it surfaces information about connection issues, asset transfer failures, playback errors, and other diagnostic events that may not be visible elsewhere in the interface.
Windows in WATCHOUT 7
The application uses the following window types, each dedicated to a specific function:
| Window | Purpose | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Visual canvas for display layout and content positioning | Ctrl+Alt+S |
| Assets | Media library and asset management | Ctrl+Alt+A |
| Timelines | Multi-timeline management (list of all timelines) | Ctrl+Alt+T |
| Timeline | Individual timeline editing (one window per open timeline) | — |
| Devices | Output device management (displays, audio, capture) | Ctrl+Alt+D |
| Variables | Show variables and external input management | Ctrl+Alt+V |
| Cues | Flat cue list across all timelines | Ctrl+Alt+C |
| Cue Sets | Cue set (variant group) management | — |
| Properties | Context-sensitive property inspector | — |
| Nodes | Network node discovery, monitoring, and system management | — |
| Warp | Warp geometry editor (opens when editing warp) | — |
| Mask | Display mask editor (opens when editing masks) | — |
Window Behavior
Every window in WATCHOUT 7 shares common behavior for movement, resizing, focus, and docking.
Moving and Resizing
Drag a window's title bar to reposition it. Drag any edge or corner to resize. All eight resize directions are available (top, bottom, left, right, and the four corners). Windows enforce a minimum size to keep their controls usable.
Double-click the title bar to fit the window to the best available space on screen.
Snapping
When you move or resize a window near another window or the edge of the application canvas, the window snaps into alignment with a small gap between them. This makes it easy to tile windows neatly without overlapping. Hold Ctrl while dragging to temporarily disable snapping. Hold Alt while dragging to resize the window to fit the available space between adjacent windows.
Pink docking indicators appear when you drag a window near edges or other windows, showing potential docking positions where the window can attach. Release the mouse while a pink indicator is visible to dock the window at that position.
Docking
To dock a window to an edge of the application, hold Ctrl and double-click the window's title bar. The window stretches to fill the nearest edge (left, right, top, or bottom). Docked windows remain anchored when the application resizes. To undock, Ctrl+double-click the title bar again.
Focus
The currently active window is indicated by a brighter border and a stronger drop shadow. Only the focused window receives keyboard input. Click any window to bring it to the front and transfer focus to it.
Closing and Reopening
Close a window by clicking the close button in its title bar, or press Ctrl+F4. Reopen any window from the Window menu or its keyboard shortcut.
Offline Indicators
When a required service is not connected, the affected windows display an overlay message:
| Window | Condition | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | Director set in show but not connected | Cloud-off icon and "Offline" |
| Assets | Asset Manager set in show but not connected | Cloud-off icon and "Offline" |
| Nodes | No nodes responding | "No Nodes. Is Manager running?" |
These overlays disappear automatically when the service reconnects. Until then, the window's content may be read-only or empty.
Default Layout
When you first launch WATCHOUT 7 or reset the layout, the application arranges windows in a default configuration:
- Stage — top-left area
- Properties — top-center area
- Assets — top-right area
- Timelines — below the Assets window
- Timeline — bottom area, spanning beneath the Stage and Properties windows
- Devices — bottom-right area
You can return to this arrangement at any time using Window > Layout > Reset or by pressing Alt+0.
Keyboard Shortcuts Reference
Window Navigation
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+F6 | Cycle to the next window |
| Ctrl+Shift+Tab or Ctrl+Shift+F6 | Cycle to the previous window |
| Alt+Left | Previous window of the same type |
| Alt+Right | Next window of the same type |
| Ctrl+F4 | Close the active window |
Window Activation
| Shortcut | Window |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Alt+S | Stage |
| Ctrl+Alt+A | Assets |
| Ctrl+Alt+T | Timelines |
| Ctrl+Alt+D | Devices |
| Ctrl+Alt+V | Variables |
| Ctrl+Alt+C | Cue List |
Layout Presets
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Alt+1 through Alt+9 | Load layout preset 1-9 |
| Ctrl+Alt+1 through Ctrl+Alt+9 | Save current layout to preset 1-9 |
| Alt+0 | Reset to default layout |
Spacebar plays or pauses the currently selected timeline — the single most-used shortcut during programming and rehearsal.
For a full guide to workspace customization, layout presets, and multi-monitor workflows, see Customizing Your Workspace.
Show Preferences
When nothing is selected in the application, the Properties panel displays Show Preferences — the global settings that apply to the entire show. These are organized into the following sections:
| Section | Settings |
|---|---|
| General | Frame rate (presets from 23.98 to 120 fps, or custom), eye point position (X/Y/Z), SDI genlock toggle |
| Hardware Sync Groups | Named groups of nodes for synchronized rendering |
| Audio Bus | Number of audio buses and their names |
| Defaults | Image duration, auto-fade toggle, fade-in/out duration and curve, default anchor point (9-position grid) |
| Warp | Fixed handle length toggle and value, smooth warp points toggle |
| NDI | Additional IP addresses for NDI discovery beyond the local subnet |
| Show Information | Statistics (cue counts, timeline details, display counts), asset counts by type, technical details (show name, creation date, file path, file size, last modified) |
Show Preferences are per-show settings stored in the show file. They are separate from application-level preferences such as window layouts, which persist across all shows.