Multicam overlays and a second display in Video by Zaweba

Multi-camera editing means keeping track of a lot of pictures at once. When there are nine angles playing, knowing which is which and where you are in time becomes the hard part. Video by Zaweba helps in two ways: overlays on the multi-camera monitor, and the option to show the camera grid full screen on another display.

What the overlays show

Overlays can show each camera's number and name, the file name of the clip it is playing, each file's own timecode, and the multi-camera timeline's timecode. You can place them at the top or bottom of each picture, and make them small or large.

Each piece of information answers a different question.

Camera numbers tell you which key to press. When you are cutting live with 1 to 9, seeing the number on each picture means your fingers never have to guess.

Camera names tell you what each angle is for. "Wide", "Bride close", "Band left" are much easier to read than numbers when you are deciding what to show.

File names help when a camera recorded several files over a long event. You can see which file is playing on each angle and spot a gap where one camera stopped and restarted.

Each file's own timecode, set beside the multi-camera timeline's timecode, is the check that the sync is right. If a camera's timecode drifts against the others, you will see it. It also helps when someone gives you notes that refer to a camera's original timecode.

Choosing size and position

Small overlays keep most of the picture visible, which suits faces and action. Large overlays are easier to read on a crowded 4x4 grid or from a distance. Putting overlays at the bottom often clears the faces in a shot, while the top can be better on material with lower thirds or subtitles already burned in.

Pick the least you need. A clean grid with just numbers suits a fast live cut, while a busy one with names, files and both timecodes suits checking sync before you start.

Showing the grid on another display

"Show on a display" puts a borderless full screen copy of the camera grid on any display Windows drives. That can be a second monitor, a TV or a projector.

It makes the grid big. On a single laptop screen, nine angles in a 3x3 grid are small, and choosing the best shot by eye is hard. On a second monitor, each picture is several times larger, and details like a blink or a missed focus are obvious.

It also helps when someone else is watching. A director, a client or a producer can sit in front of the TV and see every angle while you cut on the main screen. On a projector in a meeting room, a group can watch the angles and talk through the choices.

Capture card outputs are not supported. The grid goes to displays that Windows itself drives, such as monitors and TVs plugged into the computer's graphics outputs.

A good setup for a long event

For a wedding, a concert or a full day of talks, try this. Main screen: the timeline and the program monitor. Second screen: the camera grid full screen, with small numbers and names at the bottom. Before you begin, turn on the timecode overlays briefly to check that the sync holds across the whole event, then turn them off for the cut.

Seeing better, cutting the same

Overlays and the second display do not change your edit. They only help you see. Everything else about multi-camera editing in Video by Zaweba, from building the source to cutting live and flattening, works the same whether you use them or not. They simply make the job easier on the eyes, especially on long events with many angles.