idea: support for pictures and animated gif video output

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giacomo
Posts: 509
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 6:17 pm
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maybe it's something easy to implement: it could be very useful if qlcplus could outup just simple pictures and animated gif.
Actually I've tried with the video function using the loop playback mode and it's already a nice strobe effect...
regards
OddSocks
Posts: 152
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:33 am
Real Name: Tim Cullingworth

hi,

The RGB matrix does do image display but doesn't do any scaling.

You can do animations with it as well but you need to create an image with all the frames next to each other and the correct size.
face.png
This is for a 26x39 panel with 32 frames.
giacomo
Posts: 509
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hello Tim,
maybe my post wasn't clear: I'm wishing to use one or more video-projectors with qlcplus.
but thanks for your reply!
3rdPlanetRob
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:53 am
Real Name: 3rdPlanetRob

That's something i've been looking for too- beamer was the only program (that i knew of anyway) made specifically for it, i haven't seen anything else, though there are some visualization packages you might like to look at, VSXu, VVVV, one called Pure data, mostly visual programming based, but pretty powerful. Would be much better to have it integrated in the lighting software, i haven't seen it in any yet.

I forgot, there was also music beam http://www.musicbeam.org/
Really cool programs, but that and beamer lacked functionality to use live.
OddSocks
Posts: 152
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:33 am
Real Name: Tim Cullingworth

Hi,

Is there any chance that some one could point me to the location of the code involved with image display on the RGB matrix. I have had a look but can't find it.

Not promising that I can do anything useful but would like to have a look :-)
plugz
Posts: 637
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Real Name: David

3rdPlanetRob
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:53 am
Real Name: 3rdPlanetRob

We've been shooting multicam video for local bands for years as a hobby, just lately i started getting more into doing the lighting, using existing lighting has too much disadvantage. I spent about a year designing my own fixtures, another few months trying to find software that would let me make unique effects, hands down qlc+ was it.. This was the only thing it didn't have (tools to project hi res animations for the lighting fx), but neither does any other lighting package, at least not that i've seen, maybe in the expensive packages, but who has that kind of money..

I'm not sure why- i think the general consensus is that projectors aren't bright enough for beam effects, unless you spend a ton of money on one with lots of power. But i think it's a mistake- brighter is better for sure, but there's so much potential for uniques looks, especially if 2 or 3 projectors can be used, along with standard and LED lights and some haze. I have some effects worked out, i just always lacked the software to do it right on a live show. One way to do it is to use premade gifs or other animations, and that's pretty powerful as it is. But for a live show, it would be so much more powerful to be able to generate the effects realtime- say the guitarist starts his lead, using premade animations for the beam effects, you could make a hollow circle that would envelope the guitarist, really just by itself an amazing look, if you're using haze, but if the guitarist moves around some, you have to be able to move the effect to where he is. The visualization software i mentioned looks pretty powerful to that end, but vastly overkill, something really simple (hah simple yeah right!) is all that's needed- ability to make basic shapes, circles, ovals, lines etc and change shape/position over time. Pure data looked to be the best because it's the simplest, but it's more time to learn the programming.

Just being able to play animations would be a big deal, so many unique, fluid looking effects that you could never get otherwise without i imagine hours of programming.. Qlc+ is already amazing though.
OddSocks
Posts: 152
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:33 am
Real Name: Tim Cullingworth

Ok, so you are looking to get the RGB matrix type effects projected from a projector. I am after trying to get video on an RGB matrix.

I am now off to investigate ;-)
janosvitok
Posts: 1266
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Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
Real Name: Jano Svitok
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OddSocks,

for animated gifs, RGBimage is the right place (unless you make your own like RGBVideo). QMovie is class that will provide you with individual frames out of animated gifs.

3rdPlanetBob:

I don't think QLC+ should include functionality for live video creation. I guess (hope?) there are better programs for that already and there no need to duplicate the functionality.
I believe in Unix philosophy - each program should do one thing, do it as good as possible, and should enable easy communication with other programs.
If we consider limited development resources (more or less two active people fixing bugs and adding features in their free time) spreading the scope of the program doesn't make sense at all.
OddSocks
Posts: 152
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:33 am
Real Name: Tim Cullingworth

Hi Janosvitok,

I think 3rdPlanetRob is after, being able to use a projector as a fixture, and creating lighting effects through the projector. Where as I was wondering about being able to play videos on a RGB matrix.

I am wondering if there is mileage for being able to use a projector as an output for the RGB matrix effects, also having RGB matrices as an out put option for video playback.

I have managed to get animated GIFs tor work in QLC by creating a long image with each frame next to each other, but if QLC was able to directly load them that would be great, another thing I am wondering about is to get images to automatically scale.

Nothing like setting your self high goals :D
plugz
Posts: 637
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 6:30 pm
Real Name: David

OddSocks wrote:I am wondering if there is mileage for being able to use a projector as an output for the RGB matrix effects, also having RGB matrices as an out put option for video playback.
You can almost do that already: display the 2D monitor on your projector screen. Getting a pretty output with this is just a matter of tuning the 2D monitor.
OddSocks wrote:Nothing like setting your self high goals :D
"Many goals" is not the same as "High goals". :)
3rdPlanetRob
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:53 am
Real Name: 3rdPlanetRob

Yea, i was talking about using projectors as fixtures, where the image is projected through haze to get the beam fx, like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6RcoTwwvd4

i didn't mean to hijack, i misunderstood what the OP meant. Now i digress..
TEL0000
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2015 4:38 pm
Real Name: Tobias

I was looking for something like that as well. I tried http://www.beamerlasershow.com/ for ios and it looks great on a projector. Unfortunately i didn't find any software that is controllable QLC+ via DMX.
giacomo
Posts: 509
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 6:17 pm
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too keep it simple, as QLC+ can already play videos would it be easy to implement it for images too?
my idea is similar to the link posted by 3rdPlanetRob: the video-projector can allow me to draw the distribution of the lighting, so I could prepare a set of images with the shape/colors needed and then just play them as I was controlling another fixture, without the necessity of editing several videos.
someone else could be interested in playing just logos or writings.
maybe this is too complicate right now but I wish I could control the brightness, as it's possible to fade the sound tracks.
best wishes 2016
3rdPlanetRob
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:53 am
Real Name: 3rdPlanetRob

I was just playing around a bit with my projector, you can get some amazing effects that are really similar to laser effects.

Here is another video that shows what can be done. The video uses a projector that' has average power, it's not necessary to have a super powerful projector, just some fog or better, haze. The person in the video explains how the software works and shows some effects, this would be amazing to be able to do. I don't mean to be a nag, sometimes i look around to see if any new software is available, come across some of the videos that show the effects off and get all excited.. The video mentioned sounds nice, i could never get it to work though, some people have i guess. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9owK6OHUWE
lufi
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2020 10:36 pm
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This thread is quite old but it seems to me that it covers what I would like to do.

I would like to show a picture (a simple non-animated jpeg) fullscreen on a second monitor, which is my projector. It would be great if I could trigger that via a function. I've seen that I can show a video there and set in the properties of the function the output screen. Is that possible for a simple picture too? I have many pictures to show so I would like to avoid having convert every picture to a video.
OddSocks
Posts: 152
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:33 am
Real Name: Tim Cullingworth

Easy to show an image.
Set it up as you would a video and set it to loop mode.
thibaultphil
Posts: 39
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:22 am
Location: Blois - France
Real Name: philippe thibault

Hello,
1 script to read the JPG file with VLC
systemcommand: "C: \ Program Files (x86) \ VideoLAN \ VLC \ vlc.exe" arg: - fullscreen arg: - play-and-exit arg: "C: \ QLC +4 August \ QLC images \ ciel.jpg "
wait: 11s
systemcommand: "C: \ QLC + 4 August \ QLC videos \ stopvlc.bat"
1 .bat file to stop VLC: taskkill / f / im vlc.exe
lufi
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2020 10:36 pm
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thibaultphil wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 1:16 pm 1 script to read the JPG file with VLC
Good idea. I tried it with the following command on Mac.

Code: Select all

systemcommand:/Applications/VLC.app arg:--fullscreen arg:--play-and-exit arg:--video-on-top arg:--no-osd arg:/Users/lufi/Downloads/beispielbild.jpg 
I still have the problem that
  • it uses the wrong screen and
  • I didn't find any option to disable the fullscreen controller
  • and VLC closes itself automatically after 10 seconds
lufi
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2020 10:36 pm
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OddSocks wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 11:34 am Easy to show an image.
Set it up as you would a video and set it to loop mode.
I already tried that earlier. The result is a black window. Am I missing something?
Screenshot 2020-01-05 at 12.07.29.png
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