Saving Your Work

Regular saving is fundamental to any production workflow. WATCHOUT provides several save options to accommodate different scenarios—from quick incremental saves during programming to deliberate version snapshots before major changes.

The Save Command

The primary save command, accessible via File → Save or Ctrl+S, writes your current changes to the show file you're working in. If you're editing a show that's never been saved, this command prompts you to choose a location and filename.

Use this frequently throughout your programming session. Timeline edits, display configurations, property adjustments—all of these modifications live only in memory until you save. A power interruption or application crash would lose unsaved work, so developing a habit of regular saves protects your progress.

Save As

File → Save As (or Ctrl+Shift+S) lets you write the current show to a new file with a different name or location. After saving, your working context switches to this new file—subsequent saves will update the new location rather than the original.

This command is useful when you want to branch your work. Perhaps you're about to make experimental changes and want to preserve a known-good version first. By saving as a new file, you create a checkpoint you can return to if the experiment doesn't work out.

Save Copy

File → Save Copy creates a duplicate of your show without changing which file you're actively working in. The copy is written to a location you specify, but your current show file remains the active target for future saves.

Think of this as creating a snapshot for archival purposes. You might save a copy before a major rehearsal to preserve that day's version, then continue editing without interruption. The copy serves as a recoverable milestone while your workflow continues unbroken.

Understanding the Differences

The distinction between these three commands matters in practice. Save updates your current file. Save As creates a new file and switches your context to it. Save Copy creates a new file but leaves your context unchanged.

Knowing which to use prevents confusion about which file contains your latest work. When collaborating with others or managing multiple versions of a production, clear understanding of your save behavior keeps everyone synchronized.