GIF Preview Settings
Every exported cue file, along with the fixture data, includes a short GIF animation — a preview of the composition. This is exactly what Light Stream Player displays in the animation list, so the operator can find the composition they need by its preview without running it. There's no need to prepare or upload images separately: the preview is captured automatically during export.
Three things can be configured for the preview: the viewpoint it's captured from, how long it lasts, and how detailed it looks.
Where the Settings Are Located
GIF preview parameters are shared across the program, not per project: they are stored on the computer and apply to all projects and all compositions at once.
They can be opened in two ways:
- the Settings menu → Properties (Ctrl+P), the Export tab, the GIF Settings group;
- in the Export window — via the gear button to the right of the Export Mode list: it opens the required tab directly.
Changes take effect immediately and apply to the next export. Cue files that have already been exported are not changed: to update the preview in them, the compositions need to be exported again.
Parameters
| Parameter | What It Sets | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Colors | The palette size of the resulting animation. The more colors, the cleaner smooth transitions and gradients look, but the heavier the file | 32, 64, 128, 256. Default is 128 |
| Quality | The smoothness of the animation — how often frames are captured (see the table below) | From Maximum to Minimum. Default is Medium |
| Duration, sec | How many seconds of the composition go into the preview | From 1 to 100. Default is 15 |
Quality is the interval between animation frames:
| Quality | Interval Between Frames | Frames per Second |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum | 0.03 s | about 33 |
| Very High | 0.06 s | about 17 |
| High | 0.09 s | about 11 |
| Medium | 0.12 s | about 8 |
| Low | 0.15 s | about 7 |
| Very Low | 0.20 s | 5 |
| Minimum | 0.30 s | about 3 |
The speed of the animation itself does not depend on quality: the preview always plays in real time, just like the composition, and is looped — in Player it plays on a loop. Quality only affects smoothness and the number of frames, and therefore the file size.
What Goes Into the Preview
The capture viewpoint is not chosen in the settings, but directly in the Export window, in the Select View list:
- Mapping Preview — captures a flat image of the Mapping field: the effects as they look on the mapping, without the 3D scene. A universal option: it also works in projects where no 3D scene has been built.
- Any other item in the list — the view from a camera in the 3D View window, including cameras added to the project. This way the preview shows the object the way the viewer sees it.
The frame is always square, 256×256 pixels in size. The 3D View window is usually wider, so not everything visible on screen goes into the preview — only the central square. To see its boundaries in advance, enable View → 3D View → Show 3D GIF Bounds (the F5 key): the edges of the window will darken, and the undarkened square in the center is the future preview frame. It's convenient to fit the object into this square by moving the camera or changing its field of view.
The fragment is taken from the middle of the composition. For example, with a duration of 15 s, a two-minute composition will contribute 15 seconds around its middle to the preview: seven and a half seconds before and after. If the composition is shorter than the specified duration, the entire composition goes into the preview.
Auxiliary 3D objects do not appear in the preview — camera icons, projection icons and other service markers are hidden during rendering, even if they are enabled in the 3D View window. Everything else, however, is captured as is: the model, the scene background, the glow of the fixtures.
How to Choose the Settings
The default values (128 colors, Medium, 15 seconds) suit most projects — you can leave them as is. There are two cases where it's worth changing them.
The files turn out too heavy, and uploading to Player takes a long time. The preview is stored inside the cue file, so it always adds to its size. Reduce values in this order: first Duration (5–10 seconds is usually enough to recognize the animation), then Quality, then Colors. This is especially noticeable when a project has several dozen compositions.
The preview looks worse than the animation itself. If the composition has smooth color shifts and gradients, raise Colors to 256 — banding and blotches in the transitions will disappear. If the animation is fast and looks "jerky" in the preview, raise Quality to High or Very High.
The usual workflow is as follows:
- In the Export window, choose the view from which the object is recognizable at a glance.
- If capturing from a 3D camera, enable F5 and check that the object fits inside the square.
- Set the parameters on the Export tab in the program settings.
- Export one composition and check the result — during export it plays in the image on the left in the Export window.
- If everything looks good, export the remaining compositions.
If the Preview Didn't Turn Out Right
- Black square instead of the animation — the preview was captured from a 3D camera pointing away from the object, or there's nothing to show in the scene. Choose a different camera or Mapping Preview.
- Object is small or cropped — enable Show 3D GIF Bounds (F5) and adjust the camera so the object fills the central square.
- Camera icons and other markers are visible in the preview — this shouldn't happen: service objects don't appear in the frame. If something else is getting in the way, check whether an extra object or background image is enabled in the scene.
- The animation in the preview is choppy — raise Quality.
- Banding and blotches on gradients — increase Colors to 256.
- Player shows the old preview — the file wasn't overwritten: export the composition again and upload the cue file to the player once more.