User`s guide

Chapter 3: Preparing to Use DekoMOS
Pinnacle Systems DekoMOS User’s Guide 83
Creating Static Design Elements for your Templates
Following are recommended guidelines for creating design elements for your graphic templates
and importing images into Deko. These elements are commonly created in a Paint application,
such as Photoshop, and imported into Deko. These might include banners, frames, logos,
headshots, full-frame backgrounds and other items used to convey a show's distinct look.
Aspect Ratio
To ensure appropriate aspect ratio while in other square pixel graphic applications, such as Paint,
always work in 720 X 540 for NTSC and 768 X 576 for PAL.
Note: If texture images originate from AP Graphics Bank, they were probably downloaded as 768 X 576. If
they are for use in an NTSC environment, a conversion can be done in Adobe Photoshop.
Textures
To ensure Deko's best handling of an imported image as a texture, always position textures center
screen. Save texture images as Targa files (.tga). This stores an alpha channel for keyable
elements.
Scaling
To ensure that sizing and scaling of images in the template are consistent, always save in full
resolution with the same center line and eye line.
Find scaling options in the File Open dialog box. Refer to your Deko User’s Guide for file import
instructions appropriate for your Deko model and version.
Preparing Clips to Use with Templates
Moving video, commonly called clips, can come from a variety of sources. Clips can either be
DV25 format or .avi files with the Pinnacle Systems DV25 codec. This codec is necessary for
playout of .avi files on a Deko. You may download the codec from the Pinnacle Systems Support
Web site. Fill and key are separate files and are associated in Deko.
Because a DekoMOS template preview within the client application is a static image, clips cannot
be previewed. However, you can create a bitmap to represent a clip in a template preview.
To create a representation of a clip for template preview:
1. When you create the clips for your templates, create a bitmap of a single frame (one that you
want to be the representative frame).
2. Save this bitmap with the same name as the clip. For example, if the clip file is named
background.dv, save its bitmap representation as background.bmp. Save the bitmap file in the
“Elements_Fixed” folder (on the central graphics storage system, usually the DekoMOS
Gateway system).
The thumbnails in the DekoMOS Browser do not show the clip, but the Preview displays the
representative frame.