Blackmagic Desktop Video User Manual Using your Favorite 3rd Party Software

Adobe After Effects CC

After Effects CC

How to Preview Video

To display your composition in real time through your Blackmagic Design hardware, go to preferences > video preview. ‘Enable Mercury Transmit’ must be ticked in order to use your Blackmagic Design hardware with After Effects CC. Under ‘video device’, select Blackmagic Playback. You can now use a broadcast monitor to view your After Effects compositions in the correct video colorspace.

‘Video Preview’ preferences

If you work with unsupported or non standard frame sizes, these can also be correctly outputted by your Blackmagic Design hardware. Go to preferences > video preview and click the ‘setup’ button next to ‘Blackmagic playback’. The ‘Blackmagic device selection’ window will appear. You can scale your image up or down to the next closest video standard supported by your hardware. For example, if you are using UltraStudio 4K and your After Effects composition is set to a resolution of 2048 x 1152, scaling down will output DCI 2K, scaling up will output Ultra HD.

Rendering

When you have completed your composition, you can render a DPX image sequence or any of the following codecs:

‘Output Module Settings’ rendering options

QuickTime codecs on Mac OS

Blackmagic RGB 10 bit (uncompressed)
Apple Uncompressed YUV 10 bit 4:2:2
Apple Uncompressed YUV 8 bit 4:2:2
Apple Photo - JPEG (compressed)
Apple DV - NTSC (compressed)
Apple DV - PAL (compressed)

Other codecs including ProRes and DVCPRO HD will be available if you have Final Cut Pro installed.

AVI codecs on Windows

Blackmagic 10 bit 4:4:4 (uncompressed)
Blackmagic 10 bit 4:2:2 (uncompressed)
Blackmagic HD 8 bit 4:2:2 (uncompressed)
Blackmagic SD 8 bit 4:2:2 (uncompressed)
Blackmagic 8 bit MJPEG (compressed)

Other codecs including DVCPRO HD and DVCPRO50 will be available if you have Premiere Pro CC installed.

QuickTime codecs on Windows

Blackmagic RGB 10 bit (uncompressed)
Blackmagic 10 bit (uncompressed)
Blackmagic 8 bit (uncompressed)
Apple Photo-JPEG (compressed)
Apple DV - NTSC (compressed)
Apple DV - PAL (compressed)

Adobe Photoshop CC

Photoshop CC

How to Import and Export Video Frames

Import an image into Photoshop CC

Select file > import > Blackmagic image import.
Select the ‘video input format’ and the ‘image bit depth’ and then click ‘import image’.

Image Capture

Export an image from Photoshop CC

Select file > export > Blackmagic image export.
Select ‘video output format’ and then click ‘export image’.

Image Export

Once you have set the ‘import’ or ‘export’ options, subsequent imports and exports will not display the settings window. However, you can still change your settings, by holding the Option [Mac] or Ctrl [Win] key, when selecting import or export.

Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Premiere Pro CC

Setting Up a Blackmagic Design Project

Open Premiere Pro and click on ‘new project’. Type in a name for the project and select a storage location for it.
If your graphics card is supported by Premiere Pro CC’s Mercury Playback Engine, the renderer option will be available and you should switch it to Mercury Playback Engine GPU acceleration.
In the ‘capture format’ drop down menu, select ‘Blackmagic capture’. Click the ‘settings’ [mac] or ‘properties’ [windows] button to set the video and audio capture settings. Select the video standard and video format. Click ‘ok’ to return to the ‘new project’ window.
Click on the ‘scratch disks’ tab to set the locations for your captured video, captured audio, video and audio previews. Click ‘ok’ and your new project will open.
Now check your default system audio is not set to Blackmagic Desktop Video. On Mac OS, open ‘system preferences’, click on the ‘sound’ option and in the output tab, make sure your Blackmagic device is not selected. In the input tab, select your microphone input, making sure your Blackmagic product is not selected. On Windows, go to the task bar and right click on the audio ’speaker’ icon to open the sound settings. Click on the ‘playback’ tab and set your PC to use the on board sound hardware or a sound output device other than your Blackmagic Design hardware. Click on the ‘recording’ tab and set the computer to use a recording device other than your Blackmagic Design hardware.
Back in Adobe Premiere Pro, click on the ‘preferences’ menu and select ‘audio hardware’. Set your ‘default output’ to ‘built-in output’ using the dropdown menu. Under ‘output mapping’, map output for ‘Adobe desktop audio’. When setting up Adobe Premiere Pro’s audio hardware preferences, make sure the default audio output and output mapping settings are set to ‘built-in output’.
In the ‘playback’ menu under preferences, select ‘Blackmagic playback’ from the ‘audio device’ dropdown menu and check the ‘Blackmagic playback’ box under ‘video device’. Press ‘ok’. Set Adobe Premiere Pro’s ‘playback’ audio device to ‘Blackmagic Playback’ and be sure to check the ‘Blackmagic Playback’ checkbox in the ‘video device’ settings.
To create a new sequence, click file > new > sequence. Select the desired preset, give the sequence a name and then click ‘ok’.

Create a new sequence from the Blackmagic Design presets

Device Control

Many Blackmagic Design capture and playback models feature RS-422 device control for controlling decks. Click preferences > device control, and check that Blackmagic device control has been selected from the ‘devices’ menu. Click ‘ok’.

Playback

If you work with unsupported or non-standard frame sizes, these can also be correctly outputted from your Blackmagic Design hardware. Go to preferences > playback, and click the ‘setup’ button next to ‘Blackmagic playback’. The ‘Blackmagic device selection’ window will appear. You can scale your image up or down to the next closest video standard supported by your hardware. For example, if you are using UltraStudio 4K and your Premiere sequence is set to a resolution of 3996 x 2160, scaling down will output Ultra HD, scaling up will output DCI 4K.

Select an option to output unsupported frame sizes.

If your Desktop Video device supports HDR, you can also set the color gamut and transfer function for HDR projects. These include HLG and PQ for Rec 2020. The HDR mastering display setting should be set to the maximum nits your monitor or television is capable of displaying.

Capture

To capture choose:

File > capture [F5]

Enter your desired tape and clip name.

Set your capture and device control settings in the capture window

To immediately capture, or to capture from a non-controllable device, click the red record button [G].

If you wish to log the clip using RS-422 deck control, enter the desired in and out points using the ‘set in’ and ‘set out’ buttons, or by manually typing the timecode and clicking ‘log clip’. Enter a clip name and press ‘ok’. The empty clip will now appear in the ‘project’ window. Repeat this until you have logged all of the clips you wish to batch capture.

Then choose: File > batch capture [F6]. To set handles on the clips, enable the option to capture with handles and type the number of additional frames you require at the start and end of each clip and click ‘ok’. You will now be prompted to enter your tape. Click ‘ok’ and your clips will now be captured.

Export to Tape

If you want to edit your timeline to an external deck, you can do so using Premiere Pro’s ‘edit to tape’ feature. Choose between two export types: insert and assemble. Insert editing requires unbroken timecode for the duration of the project which is to be laid to tape, and is also a great solution when you want to replace a shot on an existing tape. In assemble mode, the tape needs only to be “blacked” until a point just beyond the starting timecode of the sequence. As assemble editing erases the tape ahead of the record heads, it should not be used where other projects already exist on the tape after the out point of your edit.

Use the ‘edit to tape’ feature to export your edit to an external deck

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TIP When exporting to tape using the assemble mode, it’s always good to add at least 30 seconds of black to the end of your sequence. This assists with tape post roll functions and prevents unwanted media appearing directly after your footage.

To export to tape via RS-422 deck control:

Make sure the Adobe Premiere Pro preferences are configured correctly as described in ‘setting up a Blackmagic Design project’ earlier in this section.
Open Premiere Pro’s ‘edit to tape’ window by clicking File > export > tape (serial device). Click on ‘recorder settings’, select Blackmagic capture from the dropdown menu and click ‘settings’. Choose your video standard and format along with audio settings. Click ‘ok’. If the capture format does not match the output format, it can cause confusion for the deck during preroll and audio might not be exported.
Now choose your ‘export type’ by selecting ‘assemble’ or ‘insert’ from the dropdown menu, enter the desired in point timecode and click ‘record’.

When editing to tape, the software waits at the first frame of your project for the deck to drop into record at the predetermined timecode. Should you find that either the first frame of your program is repeated or lost during the edit to tape procedure, you will need to adjust the ‘playback > video device > offset’ setting to bring the deck and computer in sync. You should only need to do this once with any combination of deck and computer and the correct setting will be retained.

Adobe Character Animator CC

Some Desktop Video capture and playback devices let you connect graphics generated by Adobe Character Animator CC to other video equipment such as a confidence monitor. For example, you may want to use the performance of a virtual character in a video edit and monitor the performance in realtime.

This section shows you how to set the output options in Adobe Character Animator CC.

In Adobe Character Animator, select Character > Preferences > Live Output.
Ensure ‘enable Mercury transmit and syphon’ is checked.
Ensure ‘Blackmagic playback’ is checked.
Select ‘setup’ next to ‘Blackmagic playback’.
In the ‘output mode’ drop down menu, choose a mode from the following options.

Playback

Outputs a signal directly from Adobe Character Animator CC without any keying.

Internal Keying

This option allows you to superimpose your animated character over another video source using your Desktop Video device’s internal keyer. For example, the background could be a video of a location relevant to a news story and the character could be superimposed over the top providing a live interview. Another option would be to have the character superimposed over the broadcast feed and sit in the bottom corner like a logo or watermark, providing reactions to the content that is being broadcast.

Fill/Key

If you want to perform the keying using an external switcher, for example an ATEM switcher, you can set the output mode to fill/key. The fill signal is the animated character and the key signal is the grayscale mask that tells a keyer to make the space around the character transparent. This allows the keyer to superimpose the character over a background.

Final Cut Pro X

You can use the A/V output option in Final Cut Pro X to output your video through Blackmagic Design video hardware. If you are using a Desktop Video device that supports HDR, you can also view and edit HDR video with a wide color gamut on a compatible television or monitor.

Final Cut Pro X

Setting Up Final Cut Pro X

Ensure you are running Final Cut Pro X 10.0.4 or later with the latest version of Mac OS.
Open Blackmagic Desktop Video Setup. Click on the ‘video standard’ drop down menu and then set the same format that you will use in your Final Cut Pro X project. For example, 2160p29.97. The format should be the same as the video format of your clips. The video standard setting also determines the monitoring video output mode.
Set the ‘output format’ to match your Final Cut Pro X project format.
Click on the ‘pixel format’ drop down menu and set it to match a format your TV or external monitor will accept. For example, if you are working with a wide HDR color gamut, choose ‘10-bit YUV 4:2:2’ or ‘10-bit RGB 4:4:4’ based on your monitor’s compatibility requirements.
Click on the ‘color gamut’ drop down menu and set this to match the color gamut your project is using. If you are working with a standard or high definition project with a standard dynamic range, choose ‘Rec. 601/Rec. 709’. If you are using a Desktop Video device that supports HDR and you are editing a 4K or high dynamic range project, select ‘Rec. 2020’. For projects that are both 4K and high dynamic range, choose either ‘Rec. 2020 HLG’ or ‘Rec. 2020 PQ’. This should also be a format your TV or monitor is capable of displaying.

Now that you have set your output display settings using Desktop Video Setup, you can create a new project in Final Cut Pro X.

To create a new project:

Launch Final Cut Pro X. In the library properties, you will notice the default untitled standard project name. Click on its corresponding ‘modify’ icon. Create a new library by going to the file menu, then selecting new and library.
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TIP If after creating a new library, the library properties on the right side of the screen are hidden, enable them by clicking the clapper board icon in the top left corner. This opens the libraries sidebar.
Select the new library in the libraries sidebar and click its corresponding ‘modify’ icon. An options window will appear asking you to set the color space for your project. Select ‘standard’ for an SD or HD project using a standard color gamut. If you are intending to create a wide color gamut HDR movie, select ‘wide gamut HDR’.
Click ‘change’ to confirm your setting.
Create a new project by right clicking the library name in the libraries sidebar and selecting, ‘new project’. Type a name and choose an event to place your project in. If you haven’t already created one, you can choose the default event, which is named as the current date.
Click ‘use custom settings’. Set the ‘video format’, ‘resolution’ and ‘rate’ to match the video standard and frame rate you set in Blackmagic Desktop Video Setup.
Set ‘rendering’ to your preferred Apple ProRes codec or ‘uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2’ for an uncompressed workflow.
If your project is standard HD, you don’t have to change the color space as Final Cut Pro selects the standard HD Rec. 709 color space for you. If you are working on an HDR project with a wide color gamut, select the color space and either PQ or HLG according to what your TV or monitor is able to display.
Set the audio channels to stereo, or you can choose ‘surround’ for 6 audio channels. Set the audio sample rate to the television rate of 48kHz.
Click OK to complete the creation of your new project.

If you have an external HDMI or SDI monitor connected, you will need to ensure your new project displays correctly.

To set the output display settings in Final Cut Pro X:

Go to the Final Cut Pro menu, choose ‘preferences’ and then click the ‘playback’ tab. Ensure the ‘A/V Output’ setting has ‘Blackmagic’ selected and the video standard matches your project. Close the preferences.
In the menu bar, select ‘window’ and click on ‘A/V Output’ to enable the video output via your Blackmagic Design video hardware.

To configure the audio output on Mac OS:

Open the Mac OS ‘system preferences’ and click on the ‘sound’ icon.
Click on the ‘output’ tab and select ‘Blackmagic Audio’ for the sound output.

TIP You can also monitor audio via your Desktop Video hardware.

Playback

Import some clips in to your new project.
You can now use the Final Cut Pro X timeline on your computer monitor and view the video preview on the monitor or TV connected to the output of your Blackmagic Design video hardware.

Capturing Video and Audio

You can use Blackmagic Media Express to capture video and audio with your Blackmagic Design video hardware. Once you have captured the clips, you can import them into Final Cut Pro X for editing.

When capturing clips with Media Express, make sure you choose one of the video formats that is also supported by Final Cut Pro X. For example, Apple ProRes 4444 XQ, ProRes 4444, ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422, ProRes 422 LT or uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2.

Editing to Tape

Once you have completed a project in Final Cut Pro X, you can render the project to a movie file and then use Blackmagic Media Express to master the movie to tape with your Blackmagic Design video hardware.

Select your clips from the timeline in Final Cut Pro X.
Go to file>share>master file and the ‘master file’ window opens.
Click ‘settings’ and select your desired video codec from the dropdown menu.
Click ‘next...’ and select a location for your movie and then click ‘save’.
Open Media Express and import the clip that was exported from Final Cut Pro X.
Refer to the Blackmagic Media Express section of this manual for ‘Editing video and audio files to tape’.

Avid Media Composer

Avid Media Composer captures and plays back up to 4K video and audio with Blackmagic Design video hardware and also supports RS-422 deck control. Blackmagic plugins for Media Composer are automatically installed if Media Composer is installed before the Desktop Video software.

Avid Media Composer

Setting Up

Launch Media Composer and the ‘select project’ dialog box will appear.
Choose your preferred ‘user profile’ if you have previously created one.
Select a private, shared or external project location for your project.
Click the ‘new project’ button.
Type a project name and set the project options including format, color space and stereoscopic. Click ‘ok’. The color space and stereoscopic settings can be changed later in the ‘format’ tab of the project. Type a project name and set the project options.
Double click the project name in the ‘select project’ dialog box. The Media Composer interface will appear along with the project window for your new project. You have completed setting up your project.

Playback

As a quick test to make sure everything is connected correctly, go to the ‘help menu’, click ‘read me’ and select the Media Composer Editing Guide. Follow the ‘Importing Color Bars and Other Test Patterns’ section. Double click the imported file to play it. You should now see the image on both your computer monitor and your Blackmagic Design hardware output.

If you can’t see any video on your Blackmagic Design hardware output, check the connections again and ensure you have the correct output settings configured within Blackmagic Desktop Video Setup by choosing tools > hardware setup from within Media Composer. Make sure the hardware icon above the timeline is enabled.

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NOTE If you are using an external Blackmagic video device such as Blackmagic UltraStudio 4K, make sure it is powered and connected prior to starting Media Composer.

Capture from Non-Controllable devices

Many video sources including all kinds of modern cameras and disk recorders, as well as old cameras and VHS tape players, do not have any device control.

To capture video without deck control:

Choose file > input > tape capture to open the ‘capture tool’.
Click the ‘toggle source’ button so that the button’s icon of a deck shows the satellite button, an earth icon with plus symbol. This symbol indicates that deck control has been disabled. Set up the ‘capture tool’ to capture video without deck control by clicking the ‘toggle source’ button.
Select the video and audio source tracks you wish to capture. These are labeled ‘V’ and ‘A1’, ‘A2’, etc. Using the dropdown menus below, select Blackmagic for both video and audio.
Use the ‘bin’ menu to select a target bin from the list of open bins.
From the resolution menu labeled ‘res’, choose which codec you wish to use for your captured clips. In this example, select DNxHD175x for 10-bit HD video.
Select the disk storage for your captured video and audio. Use the ‘single/dual drive mode’ button to choose if video and audio will be stored together on a single drive or on separate drives. Select the drives for your captured media from the ‘target drives’ menu.
Click the ‘tape name?’ button at the bottom of the window to open the ‘select tape’ dialog box. Add a tape name, or select from the list if you’ve used the tape before.
Ensure your video and audio source is ready or playing and then click the ‘capture’ button. The capture button will flash red while recording. Click the capture button again to end the capture.

Capture from Controllable Devices with UltraStudio, DeckLink and Teranex

If you have a deck that connects via RS-422, you will need to configure the deck settings before performing a capture with deck control.

Connect an RS-422 serial cable from your Blackmagic Design video hardware and your deck. Set the deck to ‘remote’. If you’re using an external Blackmagic Video device, make sure it it connected and powered prior to starting Media Composer.
From your project window, click the settings tab and double click on ‘deck configuration’.
In the ‘deck configuration’ dialog box, click ‘add channel’ and then set the channel type to ‘direct’ and the port to ‘RS-422 deck control’. Click ‘ok’ and choose ‘no’ when asked, ‘do you want to autoconfigure the channel now?’
Click ‘add deck’ and then select your brand and model of deck from the device menus and also set the desired preroll. Click ‘ok’ and then ‘apply’.
Under the settings tab, double click on ‘deck preferences’.
If you plan to make assemble edits to tape, enable the option to ‘allow assemble edit and crash record for digital cut’. If this option is left unchecked, you will only be able to perform insert edits. Click ‘ok’.

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TIP If Media Composer fails with the error, ‘failed to find coincidence point on tape’, you can check the ‘relax coincidence point detection’ option in deck preferences to continue.

In the ‘deck preferences’, enable the option to ‘relax coincidence point detection’.

To capture with deck control on the fly:

Choose file > input > tape capture to open the ‘capture tool’. If a connected deck is recognized and contains a tape or disk, you will be prompted to enter a tape name, or you can choose it from the list.
The ‘toggle source’ button should show the icon of a deck. If the satellite icon is present, click the button to enable deck control and make the deck icon appear.
The ‘capture/log mode’ button should show the ‘cap’ icon. If this button displays a ‘log’ icon, click the button to switch to capture mode and the cap icon should appear.
If ‘no deck’ is displayed in the timecode window, or a deck name appears in italics underneath, click the dropdown menu and select ‘check decks’. When deck control is re-established, the deck name will appear without italics. Now try the standard J, K, L shortcut keys to control the deck.
Select Blackmagic for the video and audio input. Select your video and audio source tracks, target bin, res, target drive and tape name the same way as in ‘capture from non-controllable devices’.
Use the deck controller window in the ‘capture tool’ to cue the tape and start playing.
Click the ‘capture’ button. The capture button will flash red while recording. Click the capture button again to end the capture.

Set the ‘cap’ and ‘toggle source’ buttons to use deck control. Use the ‘deck controller window’ to cue the tape and start playing.

Batch Capture with UltraStudio and DeckLink

To log clips for batch capture:

Choose file > input > tape capture to open the ‘capture tool’.
If the deck is in satellite mode, click the toggle source button to change it to deck mode. Click on the ‘capture/log mode’ button so it displays the ‘log’ pencil icon.
Configure video and audio input, video and audio source tracks, target bin, res, target drive and tape name the same way as in ‘capture from non-controllable devices’.
Use the ‘deck controller window’, or use the standard j, k, l shortcut keys, to shuttle backwards, pause and shuttle forwards on the deck and locate the video you want to capture.
Click the ‘mark in/out’ button, to the left of the log button. The icon will alternate between in and out so you only have to click the one button to mark all your in and out points and log your clip. This can be more convenient that using the separate ‘mark in’ and ‘mark out’ buttons in the deck controller window. Alternatively use the ‘i’ and ‘o’ keys on the keyboard to mark in and out points, and the keyboard shortcut ‘F4’ to log the clip. Click on the ‘mark in/out’ button or use the ‘i’ and ‘o’ keys on the keyboard to mark in and out points.
When you have finished logging your clips, close the capture tool, open the logging bin and select the clips you want to capture.
From the ‘clip’ menu, choose batch capture, select the desired options in the resulting dialog box and click ‘ok’.

Recording to Tape with UltraStudio and DeckLink

Once you have captured your clips, dragged them in to the timeline, edited them and applied and rendered any effects, you will want to record the completed project to tape.

Double click your sequence, to open it into the timeline window.
Choose file > output > digital cut to open the ‘digital cut tool’.
Set ‘output mode’ to real time and bit depth to 10-bit. Check ‘entire sequence’ to record your whole sequence, and check the ‘remote’ deck control option.
Choose ‘insert edit’ or ‘assemble edit’ for precise edits onto a timecode striped tape. Alternatively choose ‘crash record’ for a simple way to record. If ‘insert edit’ is the only option, go to the settings tab in your project, double click on ‘deck preferences’ and enable ‘allow assemble edit & crash record for digital cut’.
If a deck name appears in italics or ‘no deck’ is displayed, click the menu and select ‘check decks’ until the deck is listed without italics and deck control is re-established.
Press the ‘play digital cut’ button (red triangle icon) to record your sequence to tape.

The ‘digital cut tool’ is used for recording to tape.

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