Previewing Node Output

Chalice lets you preview the image output of a node using the following tools:

  • Frame Icon
  • Monitor
  • Flipbook

When you click the Frame Icon of a node, it displays a thumbnail version of the current frame of your imagery as it is output from that node.

Note:
The icon image in the Frame Icon of a node will appear black, or very indistinct, if the node is processing Cineon images that have been converted using a non-default method in the Disk Input Node . For more information about working with Cineon imagery, refer to "Image Format Notes " in chapter 12, "I/O Nodes ."

Of course, the frame icon image is used as a general reference and not to examine imagery in detail. To view individual frames, open a Monitor. To view a sequence, create a Flipbook. Monitors and Flipbooks are both accessed from the Local Node Menu. (For more information about them, refer to chapter 8, "Monitors and Flipbooks .")

Using the Frame Controller

The Frame Controller is used to specify the current frame to display in both the Frame Icon and the Monitor. (The Frame Controller is not used to control the playback of animated sequences; this function is handled by the controls in the Flipbook.)

You must click the Frame Icon of a node to actuate the change for the node icon. In a Monitor, you must click the Eye icon ("cook" button) to actuate the change, unless you have the Monitor Auto Update option checked.

Navigation Controls

Use one of the following methods to navigate to any frame in a sequence:

  • Click the Go to Next Frame (+) or Go to Previous Frame (-) buttons.
  • Click the Start of Range button to go to the first frame in the sequence or the End of Range button to go to the last frame in the sequence.
  • Drag the Frame Slider Bar until the frame number you desire appears in the Current Frame field.
  • Key a frame number directly into the Current Frame entry field.
  • Frame Navigation Hot Keys:
    In any Chalice monitor, you can use the comma ( , ) and period ( . ) keys on your keyboard to navigate back or forward a frame.

Increment

This field enables you to specify how many frames to increment or decrement when you use the Next or Previous Frame buttons. By default the increment is set to 1.

End Frame Field

You use the Frame Controller to specify the total number of frames to operate on in the current sequence by typing a number that represents the last frame in the sequence into the "End" data entry field. (The first frame is assumed to be "1.")

The End Frame value is used by Chalice to set an initial sequence length for animated parameters--not to alter the actual number of frames in an input sequence.

You can revise this value at any time for any node. When you open the Space-Time Editor (the STED), the frame range in the graph will match this setting.

Changing the "End Frame" Value

When you reset the current End Frame number in the Frame Controller, a notifier panel will appear to confirm that you want to decrease the length (if you set the end frame to less than the current number of frames) or to increase the length (if you set it for more than the current number).

This notifier panel gives you the option to simply truncate or append the range, which are the default options, or to squash or stretch the range. The " squash" and " stretch" options refer not to the number of frames but to parameter data that has been animated:

  • The default options, truncate and append , simply shorten or lengthen the range without affecting existing frame values. In almost all cases, you will want to use the default options.
  • The squash and stretch options will move any key frames, resetting all existing animated parameters to the new frame range.




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