Blackmagic Ultimatte12 User Manual Ultimatte Software Control Layout

Settings and controls are displayed in sections. Although the interface can look intimidating at first glance with all the different buttons and settings, it won’t take long before you will be moving between settings instinctively as you build your composite.

When you first look at the interface you can see a main menu at the top with a menu information bar underneath. Below that, the panels are separated into sections labeled ‘groups’, ‘functions’ and ‘monitor output’. As you choose the menu and then move through the functions and groups, the sections will populate with relevant settings letting you navigate quickly between them.

Use the menu buttons along the top of the screen to select the different input sources you want to adjust, plus select the matte for making adjustments to the primary matte, and generally configure your Ultimatte.

Information, File Control and Auto Key

This section of the interface lets you save and access preset files, set an auto composite and configure certain settings for your Ultimatte.

Click on folder icon to manage preset and archive files, you can use the dialogue box to save, load, import and export presets. Refer to the ‘presets’ and ‘archives’ section for more information.

Use the auto key button to set an auto composite. For more information on setting an auto composite, refer to the ‘setting the auto composite’ section for more information.

To view status information and various configuration settings for your Ultimatte, click on the information icon.

The available information and configuration settings are described below:

About	Displays detailed status information about your Ultimatte including the model name, software version, video format and network settings. If you are using a Smart Remote 4, additional information is included, such as: Remote version Flash version Temperature Fan speed Blackmagic Design contact information should you need support.
Configuration	Provides an overview of connected input sources and will tell you whether they are locked or not.
Control Board Settings	Lets you customize the brightness of the Smart Remote 4’s LEDs and set the internal fan speed.
Options	Turns the mouse pointer on or off if you have a mouse connected to Smart Remote 4.
Monitor Cascade	Enables the monitor cascade feature.

Groups

This section of the interface contains the majority of the settings menus. For example, if you wanted to adjust the foreground ‘flare’ controls:

Click on the ‘foreground’ main menu button to open the foreground settings.
Click on the ‘Flare 1’ button in the groups section to select the flare controls.

The flare controls will now be visible on each side of the panel and you can adjust them using the control knobs.

Functions

The functions section provides specific settings that can be selected, enabled or disabled. For example, the matte reset button is located in this section if you need to restore particular settings to their default state.

Status Bar

You can see all the Ultimatte units being controlled by Ultimatte Software Control by glancing at the status bar. Up to eight units can be controlled, and each unit icon will illuminate green when identified on your network. When a unit is selected for control, the icon will illuminate blue.

Ultimatte Main Unit Indicators	The eight small box indicators on the left side show you which main units are connected on the network, and which unit is currently being controlled. If tally is connected via the GPIO input, the boxes will illuminate red when a unit is on air.
Reference Source Input	Displays the current reference source connected to your Ultimatte. The reference signal can be from the foreground source connected to the foreground input, or via the reference input. If a reference source is absent, ‘none’ will be displayed.
Backing Color	The default backing color is green and will be reflected by this indicator. When the backing color is changed, the indicator will also change to show the backing color being used.
Preset	When you have loaded a preset file using the information and file control section, the preset name will be displayed. If no preset is loaded, ‘ultimatte defaults’ will be displayed. In addition, the status bar also notifies you with messages. For example, if a specific control is currently locked and you need to enable another setting to access it, the status bar will notify you.

Monitor Out

The buttons in this section of the interface will select one of six images to be displayed on a video monitor connected to your Ultimatte’s monitor output.

The default selections are listed below.

Program	Final composited image.
Foreground Input	Source image connected to the foreground input.
Background Input	Source image connected to the background input.
Combined Matte	Internal Matte + Garbage Matte + Holdout Matte.
Internal Matte	The internal matte created by Ultimatte.
Fill Out	Foreground image with spill removed, colorizers added, and the screen color suppressed to black.

Setting Controls

On each side of the interface, you can see a row of setting control knobs. These control knobs will change based on which menu, group and function you have selected.

To adjust a setting, click on a control knob and move your mouse left or right. You can also click in the box below the settings knob and enter a number using your keyboard.

Double click a settings knob to return it to its default position.