Installation and Operation Manual ATEM Live Production Switchers June 2020 English, 日本語, Français, Deutsch, Español, 中文, 한국어, Русский, Italiano, Português and Türkçe.
English Welcome Thank you for purchasing an ATEM switcher for your live production work! If you’re new to live production switchers, then you’re about to become involved in the most exciting part of the television industry and that’s live production! There is nothing like live production and it’s so easy to become addicted to the adrenaline rush of editing in real time while the live event unfolds before your eyes.
Contents Getting Started 6 Switcher Settings 44 Introducing ATEM 6 Using the Software Control Panel 45 What is an M/E Switcher? 6 Processing Palettes 49 What is an A/B Direct Switcher? 8 Media Players Tab 51 Understanding the ATEM Switcher 9 Using the Audio Mixer 51 Switcher Settings 17 Connecting to a Network 23 Headphones Settings on ATEM Constellation 8K 54 Changing the Switcher Network Settings 24 Shaping your Audio Mix using Advanced Fairlight Controls 55 Und
Operating your ATEM Switcher 114 Changing Network Settings 169 Internal Video Sources 114 Camera Control Panel Layout 170 Performing Transitions 116 Controlling Cameras 175 Keying using ATEM Switchers 133 Using Tally 183 Understanding Keying 133 Sending Tally Signals via a GPI and Tally Interface 183 Luma Key 134 Linear Key 134 Pre multiplied Key 135 Chroma Key 138 Pattern Key 144 DVE Key 146 Using Audio 186 Connecting other Audio Sources 186 Using Embedded S
Getting Started Introducing ATEM ATEM Production Studio Switchers are professional broadcast grade digital production switchers capable of switching and processing a variety of video sources in live video production and broadcast environments.
The M/E style of operation has been developed over decades to help eliminate errors when switching live events and is a broadcast standard. It’s extremely easy to see what’s going on at any time so you don’t get confused and make mistakes. The M/E style of operation lets you check the sources you are about to switch on air, as well as try effects before using them on air. You can see buttons for each keyer and transition, so you instantly know what’s going on and what’s about to happen.
You can even press multiple buttons on the hardware control panel to tie multiple keys and the background at the same time. There are also dedicated downstream key tie buttons to tie downstream keyers to the transition. Downstream keys also have dedicated cut and mix buttons and so are very flexible.
Understanding the ATEM Switcher The ATEM switcher provides all the video processing as well as all video input and output connectors, connection for control panels and power connections. You use the switcher by connecting and using various types of control panels. This allows the switcher to be located remotely, such as in machine rooms where it’s closer to the connected video devices, while the control panel can be placed in a location from where it is easier to run production.
ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K supports SD, HD and Ultra HD video and is capable of switching 20 external inputs from its SDI and HDMI connectors. Input 1 is selectable between the HDMI Input 1 and SDI Input 1 connector. The front panel keypad allows on-the-fly selection of the 6 auxiliary output sources and the large LCD gives instant confirmation of your aux output content.
A convenient way to check that your ATEM is powered on and working correctly is to plug an HDMI television or SDI monitor into the multi view output on the right side of the rear panel. You should see 8 video boxes at the bottom, and two larger boxes at the top, all bound by white borders. Each box will have a label.
If everything is working fine, you should see the lights on the Ethernet port start to flicker, and the advanced panel should come alive with buttons illuminated. The LCD will show the source names for sources switched to the program and preview outputs, plus other settings. If you don’t see this appear, then check that the switcher and the hardware panel are powered correctly and/or power connectors are firmly plugged in.
4 Now restart your computer to enable the new software drivers. Follow install prompts Plugins and Applications that are Installed The ATEM Switchers software installs the following components which are used by ATEM Switchers: ATEM Software Control Blackmagic ATEM Setup Blackmagic ATEM Setup is used to configure network settings including IP address, plus lets you update your ATEM switcher’s internal software.
On Mac, all the files needed to run your ATEM switcher will be installed into a folder called Blackmagic ATEM Switchers in the Applications folder. In the Blackmagic ATEM Switchers folder, you will see ATEM Software Control and Blackmagic ATEM Setup.
Once the computer has restarted, all the ATEM software applications will be installed and can be accessed from Start > Programs > Blackmagic Design. In the ATEM Switchers folder, you will see ATEM Software Control and Blackmagic ATEM Setup.
When running ATEM Software Control for the first time after installation, you will be prompted by a setup dialog box to set the language for the software, plus choose between ‘program/ preview’ or ‘A/B direct’ transition control. You can learn more about these transition controls earlier in the ‘Getting Started’ section, under ‘What is an M/E Switcher?’ and ‘What is an A/B Direct Switcher?’. After you have made your selection, click ‘continue’.
Manually setting the IP address for your Mac. Manually setting the IP address for your Windows computer. Switcher Settings Now you have the software control working, you’ll need to apply your switcher settings. Click on the gear icon on the lower left side of the interface to open the settings window of the ATEM Software Control. Set the switcher video standard You can set the video standard to suit the region in which you are broadcasting, such as 2160p29.97, 1080i59.94, 720p59.94 or 525i59.
Set Video Standard If you’re working with standard definition video equipment in the widescreen anamorphic 16:9 video format, select 525i59.94 16:9 for anamorphic NTSC or 625i50 16:9 for anamorphic PAL. Make sure all your cameras and any connected HDMI devices are also set to the same video standard, or they won’t be visible on the switcher video inputs.
Set and Label Video Input Settings Different models of ATEM switchers allow some inputs to share connections on the rear panel. For example on the ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K model, input 1 can be switched between HDMI and SDI. While you’re setting inputs, you might also want to change the input labels. These labels appear on the multi view and the hardware panel.
ATEM Constellation 8K has flexible multi view layout options for 4, 7, 10, 13 or 16 views. These modes let you configure views from up to 16 sources per multi view, which is useful for viewing a large number of sources such as cameras and Hyper Decks at the same time. Because ATEM Constellation 8K has 4 multi views in HD and Ultra HD mode and each multi view displays up to 16 views, you can show up to 64 views at the same time! Customize the multi view for ATEM Constellation 8K.
Select the Control Panel You can use ATEM Software Control’s M/E 1 Control Panel with any ATEM switcher. The panel is compact enough to fit on smaller displays including on notebooks. If you have an ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher and a 1920 x 1080 or larger computer display, you can use the full size M/E 2 Control Panel to see the full set of buttons at once. Simply maximise the control panel to full screen, or resize the window until both panels are revealed.
ATEM switchers feature a ‘ref in’ connection to offer low latency synchronization of feeds between compatible equipment. If you are using an external reference source such as Blackmagic Sync Generator or Blackmagic HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR, connect the reference signal from your sync source to the ‘ref in’ BNC connector.
Connecting to a Network If you want to connect your ATEM switcher to a larger Ethernet network, then you will most likely need to change the network settings on your ATEM switcher. Most people simply plug their computer and control panel direct to the switcher, however in some situations it can be very powerful to connect via your network! Your ATEM ships from the factory with settings to allow hardware control panels to simply be connected directly with an Ethernet cable.
Changing the Switcher Network Settings The switcher network settings are changed using the Blackmagic ATEM Setup via USB. Please follow the steps below: 1 Connect the switcher via USB, to the computer running the setup utility software. 2 Launch Blackmagic ATEM Setup and select your switcher or hardware panel. 3 The switcher’s current IP address, subnet mask and gateway settings will be displayed in ‘configure’ window.
Setting the Switcher IP Location To set the network location of the switcher on the hardware panel, so the panel can find the switcher and communicate, follow these steps: Changing the IP location on an ATEM advanced panel 1 When there is no communication with the switcher, the LCD will say ‘connecting’ and notify you of the IP address it is searching for. If the panel can’t find the switcher, the connection will time out and a notification will ask you to check the IP address.
Changing the Hardware Panel Network Settings Because the hardware panel is also on the network and communicating with the switcher, it also has network settings so it can connect to the network. These settings are different to the switcher IP address, which is just where the panel is looking to find the switcher.
4 If you have elected to use a fixed IP address, you now need to set this IP address by adjusting the corresponding soft control knobs for each field of the IP address. You can also use the numeric keypad. Changing this IP address may cause the panel to lose communication. 5 If the subnet mask and gateway address need to be set, then press the right arrow button in the system control buttons to progress through each setting menu, and use the knobs or the numeric keypad to edit.
3 The next step is to check that talkback is working properly. On ATEM Constellation 8K you have the option to communicate with both production and engineering teams. Both have a unique talkback button on the front panel. Press and hold the talkback buttons to communicate. If you want to lock the mic open so it stays on indefinitely, double press to enable ‘lock to talk’ mode. Double press again to return to ‘press to talk’ mode.
Updating the Software How to update the ATEM Software From time to time Blackmagic Design will release new software for your ATEM switcher and hardware panel, with new features, bug fixes, and increased compatibility with third party software and video devices. To update your ATEM switcher with new software, you need to use Blackmagic ATEM Setup to connect to the ATEM switcher and hardware panels.
Updating the Switcher Software 1 Connect the switcher via the USB port. If you already have your switcher connected to your computer via Ethernet, you can update via the Ethernet connection. When upgrading software via USB, make sure the switcher is the only ATEM device connected via USB to the computer running the setup utility software. If more than one ATEM device is connected, the switcher may not be recognized. 2 Launch Blackmagic ATEM Setup.
Connecting Video Outputs Video Outputs There are multiple video outputs on your ATEM switcher which can be used to connect to a wide range of video equipment. ATEM Constellation 8K supports HD, Ultra HD and 8K. ATEM Production Studio 4K and Broadcast Studio 4K models include Ultra HD, HD and SD via SDI. HDMI is also supported on ATEM Production Studio 4K models. Descriptions of each output connection are listed in this section.
Auxiliary SDI Outputs ATEM switchers have auxiliary SDI connections that output the same video format in use. The number of auxiliary outputs vary between models: ͽ ATEM Production Studio 4K has 1 auxiliary output ͽ ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K has 3 auxiliary outputs ͽ ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K has 6 auxiliary outputs ͽ ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K has 6 auxiliary outputs Auxiliary outputs can use any internal and external video sources.
Using the ATEM Constellation 8K Front Panel ATEM Constellation 8K includes a fully functioning front panel that lets you operate the switcher from the front panel. While you can easily use the front panel for live switching, its intended purpose is for initially testing your production setup before going to air. For example, the control panel lets you quickly test keyers, switch sources and generally confirm everything is working fine before settling into the main production.
That’s all there is to it! If you would like to change the transition type, then you can do this in the LCD menus or the four dedicated transition selection buttons on the front panel. You can choose from Mix, Dip, Wipe and DVE transitions with the touch of a button. To change the transition type: 1 Press the menu button to display the menus. 2 Scroll with the knob through the menus to the ‘transition’ menu. 3 Press the set button and you will see the transition menu page will be selected.
You will see color bars appear on the program output and notice that the ‘bars’ button on the front panel is illuminated red. If you have a source on the front panel selected on preview, you will still see that button illuminated green. You can press cut or auto to transition between the color bars and the preview source.
For example if you want cuts when you select sources, then select the cut button. It will be illuminated and now when you select sources you will see a cut. If you want to do transitions now, then press the auto button. It will illuminate and now when you select sources, you will see that each transition will use your currently selected transition. Use the same process as shown in the previous examples to select the type of transition you want in the LCD menus.
If this input is on air, the master audio output will be reduced because this input is being lowered in level. To go back to the master audio level: 1 Press the set button on the right side of the control panel and it will go back to master immediately. If you don’t press ‘set’, the front panel will automatically switch itself back to master after a few moments. 2 Now adjusting the knob will be adjusting the master audio output and the LCD has master displayed.
Press the fade to black or FTB button to perform a fade to black on the whole program output, including any graphics or keyers that may be in use Using the Lock Button The lock button prevents accidental switching and changes to settings for transitions and media players. When the front panel is locked, the ‘lock’ button glows a dim red and if a button is pressed it is ignored and the ‘lock’ button flashes bright red.
Press the menu button to enter the LCD menu. Use the knob to navigate through the settings and make adjustments, for example selecting the audio for input 4 and adjusting the audio level Using Talkback ATEM Constellation 8K features push to talk ‘prod talk’ and ‘eng talk’ buttons so you can converse with production and engineering teams. Plug an intercom headset equipped with a microphone into the 5 pin XLR socket on the front panel.
Using ATEM Software Control The ATEM Software Control is included with your ATEM switcher, and allows you to control your switcher in a similar way to a full hardware control panel. However instead of menu buttons, it uses a range of palettes on the right side that shows you all processing features of your production switcher and allows settings to be easily made. You can also use the ATEM Software Control to configure your switcher settings as well as upload graphics and manage the media pool.
Button Mapping In the mapping preferences, you can assign inputs to specific buttons on the preview and program rows. The camera drop down menu lets you select a ‘Blackmagic SDI’ camera for each input, or you can select ‘none’ if you don’t have a camera connected to the input. ATEM software and hardware control panels support button mapping so you can assign your most important sources, especially cameras, to the most accessible buttons in the program and preview rows.
Mouse or Trackpad Operation The virtual buttons, sliders and fader bar on the Software Control Panel are operated using your computer mouse or a trackpad if you’re using a laptop. To activate a button, click once with the left mouse button. To activate a slider, click and hold down the left mouse button while dragging. Similarly, to control the fader bar, click and hold down the left mouse button on the fader bar handle and drag up or down.
For example, your ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K could have the maximum 64 still graphics and 2 clips loaded that will be used on your live production and then you can assign each of the media players to various stills as you work. As you take a graphic off air, you can change the media player graphic to the next graphic you want, and then you can put that media player back on air with the new graphic. ATEM Constellation 8K holds clips up to 100 frames long and has one media player in 8K mode.
All ATEM production and broadcast studio switchers, except for ATEM Production Studio 4K, mix audio from the switcher’s built in media players. ATEM Production Studio 4K does not mix audio from the media players because this model supports still frames only in the media pool and does not support motion clips. If you prefer to use an external audio mixer, it’s easy to disable the audio for all inputs and you only need to leave the external audio active in the audio mixer interface.
In the settings window, you can also set the switcher video standard. This is the master video standard that the whole switcher operates at, and it’s very important you set this to the same video standard as your video inputs. More details on setting the video standards are included later in this manual. The switcher settings also let you customize your multi view.
ATEM Mix Effects Program Bus Source Select Buttons The program bus source select buttons are used to hot switch background sources to the program output. The source currently on air is indicated by a button that is illuminated red. Preview Bus Source Select Buttons The preview bus source select buttons are used to select a background source on the preview output, this source is sent to the program bus when the next transition occurs.
Transition Control and Upstream Keyers CUT The CUT button performs an immediate transition of the program and preview outputs, overriding the selected transition style. Transition Control AUTO/RATE The AUTO button will perform the selected transition at the rate specified in the ‘rate’ display.
Next Transition The BKGD, KEY 1, KEY 2, KEY 3, KEY 4 buttons are used to select the elements which will transition on air or off air with the next transition. The number of available keyers depends on your switcher model. All keys can be faded on and off when the main transition occurs, or you can select just keys to transition individually, so the main transition control can be used to fade keys on and off.
Downstream Key and Fade to Black Processing Palettes The software control panel features tabs for the processing palette, media player, and capture options. The following processing palettes are available. These change based on the model you’re connected to, and are an easy way to see what processing is available in the switcher. Different ATEM models will have different features, so the palettes can change. The palettes also show the order of the processing in the switcher.
Palettes Tab The Palettes tab contains the following processing controls. Color Generator 1 and 2 The ATEM switcher has two color matte generators which can be configured from the color generator palette using a color picker or by setting hue, saturation, and luminance levels. SuperSource ATEM switchers with more than 1 M/E include a feature referred to as SuperSource (Picture in Picture or PIP) that will allow you to arrange multiple sources on the monitor at one time.
Media Players Tab The Media Players tab contains controls for your ATEM Switcher’s media players and connected HyperDecks. Media Players Your ATEM switcher has media players which play back the clips and stills that are stored in the media pool memory built into the switcher. The drop down list is used to select the still or clip that will be played or made available on the media player input to the switcher.
The audio mixer displays tally lights for any audio sources that are currently on air or when AFV is selected, as well as audio level, audio balance and buttons for selecting which audio should be used. Tally Any source whose audio is on air is lit with a red tally light in the software. External audio is on air by default so the EXT tally light is usually lit red. In the example on this page, Cam4 and Cam7 are lit because their audio is set to be always on.
If you are operating a 2 M/E or 4 M/E ATEM switcher, and notice the solo and monitor settings are grayed out, you have program audio selected for the audio out setting in the settings window. The audio meter for Cam1 is shown in gray to indicate that its audio will not be used as neither of its ON or AFV buttons are enabled. Cam2 has AFV selected but its audio is not currently being used as the camera is not on air as is indicated by its dull yellow tally light.
Master Audio Level Output The master fader on the right side of the audio mixer is used to set the gain on the audio level on the SDI and HDMI program outputs and has its own audio level meter. Select the AFV button on the master audio output fader to enable the AFV fade to black feature. This lets you fade your master audio when you click on the Fade to Black button. Audio Mixer Monitor The monitor volume knob and buttons appear below the master fader and control the monitoring audio output behavior.
Headphones settings on ATEM Constellation 8K let you mix the levels of each monitoring output. For example, you may want to increase or decrease the level of the talkback audio against the program audio. Master Adjust the master level slider to set the program audio level in the headset and if you don’t want to listen to program audio, then slide this control fully to the left.
After you have normalized all your input levels, you can now begin optimizing and shaping the qualities in each audio input using the 6 band parametric equalizer and dynamics controls.’ Using the 6 Band Parametric Equalizer Each input and the master output, has a 6 band parametric equalizer which can be used to control specific frequencies.
Handles Each band handle is positioned along the line curve displayed in the graph. You can click and drag each handle to choose the frequency you wish to adjust for that band and the gain you want to set. When moving a handle with your mouse, both the frequency and gain settings are affected simultaneously, which gives you a fast way to make quick adjustments to each band across the entire range of frequencies. NOTE To make changes using a handle, ensure the band is enabled.
TIP Compare the audio with changes against the original unaltered audio by clicking on the bypass button at the very top of the equalizer window. This lets you turn the equalizer on or off. Band Filters There are six different types of band filters you can choose from. These filters include bell, high shelf, low shelf, notch, high pass and low pass. These filters let you control specific zones within the frequency range.
Combined with equalizer controls, these features are extremely powerful, giving you the ability to precisely shape and define the audio to generally optimize the sound of the master output. This section describes the expander, gate, compressor and limiter controls.
Gating is like an exaggerated expander, reducing the level or even silencing parts of a signal that fall below a certain level in order to reduce or eliminate noise in quiet parts of a recording. For example, a range of 15 to 20 dB can reduce breathing in a vocal track but leaves just enough to sound natural. Gating is extremely effective, but it’s also very powerful so requires careful attention.
Control Minimum Default Maximum -50dB -35dB 0dB Ratio 1.0:1 2.0:1 10:1 Attack 0.7ms 1.4ms 30ms Hold 0.0ms 0.0ms 4s Release 50ms 93ms 4s Threshold -50dB -12dB 0dB Attack 0.7ms 0.7ms 30ms Hold 0.0ms 0.0ms 4s Release 50ms 93ms 4s Compressor Compressor Controls Threshold Limiter Limiter Controls * Master Dynamics expander/gate controls are unused in Master Dynamics. ** Master Dynamics expander/gate threshold default is -35dB.
Once all the Fairlight controls are set, you can then increase or decrease the faders on the audio mixer to set them at their best levels for the live mix and make adjustments where necessary during the production. You can also go back to any of the settings and make further adjustments if needed, but it’s best to follow the same order as described above to get the best results from each function.
When dropping a still, clip or audio file into a slot, a progress indicator will show the loading status. You can drop multiple files into the media pool, even if the first images have not yet completed loading, as they will continue to load one after the other. If a clip or still is dropped into a window which already has content loaded, the existing content will be replaced. The ATEM media pool supports PNG, TGA, BMP, GIF, JPEG and TIFF still image formats. Audio files must be WAV, MP3 or AIFF.
Changing Switcher Settings Clicking on the switcher settings ‘gear’ icon will open the settings window where you can change general switcher settings, Multi View, label, HyperDeck and remote settings. These settings are divided into tabs. General Settings Setting the Switcher Video Standard The video setting is used to select the operating video standard of the ATEM switcher and this must be set to the same video standard as the video sources you are plugging into the ATEM switcher.
ATEM currently supports the following video standards: ATEM Constellation 8K ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K ATEM Production Studio 4K Models – – 525i59.94 NTSC 4:3 – – 625i50 PAL 4:3 – – 252i59.94 NTSC 16:9 – – 625i50 PAL 16:9 720p50 720p50 720p50 720p59.94 720p59.94 720p59.94 1080i50 1080i50 1080i50 1080i59.94 1080i59.94 1080i59.94 1080p23.98 1080p23.98 1080p23.98 1080p24 1080p24 1080p24 1080p25 1080p25 1080p25 1080p29.97 1080p29.97 1080p29.
The multi view output on ATEM Constellation 8K supports four 4K Ultra HD or HD outputs or one 8K output up to 4320p59.94 so you can monitor at higher quality when you connect an 8K monitor or television. ATEM 4M/E Broadcast Studio 4K supports up to 2160p59.94. If you set your ATEM to 2160p50 or 2160p59.94 video, the multi view will be automatically displayed using 2160p25 or 2160p29.97 respectively so you can use a wider range of Ultra HD televisions.
Set 3G SDI Output Level If you’re outputting HD video to equipment with 3G-SDI inputs, you may need to toggle between level A and B 3G-SDI output standards to maintain compatibility with equipment that can only accept level A or B 3G-SDI video. Level B is the default setting that works with most equipment, but you can switch to Level A by clicking the ‘level A’ radio button.
TRS Inputs If you are plugging in an audio source via RCA using an RCA to TRS adapter, then you can change the input level on the TRS input from TRS to RCA. This boosts the signal at the input to compensate for the lower output levels from equipment using RCA connectors, for example HiFi audio equipment. Split Audio On ATEM Constellation 8K you can split a mono input signal into two separate mono channels. This is helpful for mixing a mono input into both channels on the stereo master output.
Multi View Settings The multi view settings allow you to set the multi view orientation. The 8 smaller windows are fully routable so you can monitor any switcher source. By default, external inputs 1 - 8 are routed to multi view source windows 1 to 8, but click the menus to select what sources are viewed on each window! ATEM Constellation 8K has one 8K multi view, or four multi view outputs in HD or Ultra HD. The 8K multi view lets you choose configurations of 4, 7, 10, 13 or 16 views.
Multi View layout options for ATEM Constellation 8K. Labels Settings The video input settings are used to select the inputs and change labels. Depending on your ATEM switcher model, some video inputs can select between different video sources, such as HDMI or SDI. You can identify switchable connections on the rear of the switcher because all inputs are numbered and any inputs that can switch will have the same input number on their label.
Inputs can have customized labels and these labels appear on ATEM advanced panels and on the multi view. Long and short labels need to be entered. A short 4 character name is used to identify the video input on the source names display of the software control panel. The longer names support up to 20 characters and are displayed in various dropdown source selection boxes on the software control panel, the multi view windows on screen labels and on the advanced panel.
Set the RS-422 remote port to disabled, VISCA and GVG Controlling Auxiliary Outputs Auxiliary outputs are separate SDI outputs on some ATEM switcher models that can have various inputs and internal sources routed to them. They are very similar to router outputs and all video inputs, color generators, media players, program, preview and even color bars can be output. Most ATEM models provide for 1 - 6 auxiliary outputs.
Saving and Restoring Switcher Settings ATEM Software Control lets you save and restore either specific settings, or all of the switcher settings you have created. This powerful feature is incredibly time saving on live productions where regular settings are used. For example, you can immediately restore saved camera settings, lower third graphics and detailed key setups from a laptop or USB drive. Saving settings menu.
Restoring your Settings 1 Go to the menu bar in ATEM Software Control and select File>Restore. 2 A window will ask for the file you want to open. Select your save file and click Open. 3 You’ll now see a window containing active checkboxes for your saved settings on each block of your ATEM switcher. Leave Select All enabled to restore all your saved settings, or select only the checkboxes for the settings you want to restore. 4 Click Restore.
Using Camera Control Clicking on the ‘camera’ button in ATEM Software Control opens the camera control feature that lets you control Blackmagic Studio Cameras, Micro Studio Cameras, URSA Mini or URSA Broadcast from your ATEM switcher. Blackmagic camera settings such as iris, gain, focus, detail and zoom control are easily adjusted using compatible lenses, plus you can color balance cameras and create unique looks using the DaVinci Resolve primary color corrector that’s built into the camera.
Connecting via Optical Fiber 1 Connect the Blackmagic Camera’s optical out/in to the optical out/in on an ATEM Studio Converter or Talkback Converter 4K. You’ll need to have SMPTE compatible optical fiber SFP modules installed in your Studio Camera and ATEM converter to connect via optical fiber. 2 Connect a suitable SDI out from your ATEM converter to any SDI input on your ATEM switcher.
Camera Settings The camera settings button near the bottom left of the master wheel lets you turn on the color bars feature in Blackmagic Studio Cameras, Micro Studio Cameras and URSA mini, plus adjust detail settings for each camera’s picture signal. Each camera controller displays the channel status so you know which camera is on air. Use the color wheels to adjust each YRGB channel’s lift, gamma and gain settings.
Iris/Pedestal Control The iris/pedestal control is located within the cross hairs of each camera controller. The control illuminates red when its camera is on air. To open or close the iris, drag the control up or down. Holding the shift key allows only iris adjustments. To darken or lift the pedestal, drag the control left or right. Holding the command key on a Mac, or the Control key on Windows, allows only pedestal adjustments.
Click on the auto focus button or drag the manual focus adjustment left or right to focus a compatible lens. Manual Focus Adjustment When you want to adjust the focus on your camera manually, you can use the focus adjustment located at the bottom of each camera controller. Drag the wheel control left or right to manually adjust focus while viewing the video feed from the camera to ensure your image is nice and sharp. Camera Gain The camera gain setting allows you to turn on additional gain in the camera.
DaVinci Resolve Primary Color Corrector If you have a color correction background, then you can change your camera control from a switcher style CCU interface to a user interface that’s more like a primary color corrector on a post production color grading system. Blackmagic cameras feature a DaVinci Resolve primary color corrector built in. If you have used DaVinci Resolve, then creatively, grading in the Blackmagic camera will be identical so you can use your color grading experience for live production.
Double-click within the color ring Resets the color adjustment without resetting the master wheel adjustment for that control. Click the reset control at the upper-right of a color ring Resets both the color balance control and its corresponding master wheel. Master Wheels Use the master wheels below the color wheels to adjust each YRGB channels’ lift, gamma and gain controls. Adjust the master wheels by dragging the wheel control left or right.
Lum Mix Setting The color corrector built into Blackmagic cameras is based on the DaVinci Resolve primary color corrector. DaVinci has been building color correctors since the early 1980’s and most Hollywood films are color graded on DaVinci Resolve than any other method. This means that your color corrector built into the camera has some unique and creatively powerful features. The YRGB processing is one of those features. When color grading, you can choose to use RGB processing, or YRGB processing.
Making Color Correction Adjustments The DaVinci Resolve Micro panel is primarily designed for use with DaVinci Resolve software, but you can also use it to make adjustments in the color corrector panel of ATEM Software Control in the following way: The Trackballs The three trackballs control the lift, gamma and gain color wheels in the color corrector panel. The ring surrounding each trackball adjusts the corresponding master wheels beneath the color wheels.
HyperDeck Control Introducing HyperDeck Control If you are running ATEM Switchers software 6.8 or newer, you can connect up to 4 Blackmagic HyperDeck Studio disk recorders to your switcher and control them using the HyperDecks palette in ATEM Software Control, or from the system control buttons on an ATEM advanced panel.
Plugging the 8K quad link SDI output of a Hyperdeck Extreme 8K HDR into the SDI input of an ATEM Constellation 8K. Now all you have to do is tell your ATEM software or ATEM hardware panel which input and IP address each HyperDeck is using. You can do this in the HyperDeck tab in ATEM Software Control switcher settings, or using the system control soft buttons on an ATEM advanced panel.
Auto Roll You can set a HyperDeck disk recorder to automatically roll video when it is switched to the program output. For example, you can cue a HyperDeck to the point you want your source to begin, then roll the source by pressing its input button on the mix effects program row. As HyperDecks must buffer a couple of frames before commencing playback, the actual cut will be delayed a preset number of frames to ensure a clean transition. This is just like setting a preroll on a videotape machine.
Ready HyperDeck is set to remote and a disk is inserted. It is ready for playback and recording if space is available. Record HyperDeck is currently recording. No Disk HyperDeck has no disk inserted. Local HyperDeck is not set to ‘remote’ and cannot currently be controlled by your ATEM switcher. When you select a HyperDeck, you’ll see information about the currently selected clip such as the name and length, as well as time elapsed and time remaining. Below this you’ll see the control buttons.
If you want to manually trigger the playback, for example holding on a still frame then rolling, disable the respective HyperDeck’s auto roll checkbox in the ’HyperDeck’ tab in ATEM software’s ‘settings’ menu. Recording To record to a HyperDeck with a formatted disk inserted, press the ‘record’ button in the HyperDeck palette transport controls. The ‘time remaining’ indicator in the HyperDeck palette will let you know the approximate recording time remaining in the SSD.
Once you have selected a HyperDeck, rotate the knob under the ‘input’ indicator to select which input that HyperDeck is connected to on your switcher. For example, if HyperDeck 1 is connected to SDI In 4 on your switcher, rotate the knob under the ‘input’ indicator to select ‘camera 4.’ Press the ‘input’ knob to confirm your selection. Repeat this process for any additional HyperDecks you have connected to your switcher by assigning inputs to HyperDeck slots 1, 2, 3 and 4, if required.
Auto Roll You can toggle your HyperDeck’s auto roll function from the second screen of the HyperDeck settings menu. While in the HyperDeck settings menu, use the ‘left’ or ‘right’ arrow buttons in the system control panel to navigate to this screen. While in this menu, press the LCD soft button above the ‘auto roll’ indicator to turn the auto roll feature on. The indicator text will illuminate blue when auto roll is on.
The text in the center of the HyperDeck control menu will change to reflect the HyperDeck and clip that you have selected. Use the third and fourth pages of the ‘media players’ LCD menu for more HyperDeck controls, including play, stop, loop playback and forward and reverse skip for moving between clips. TIP To play all clips, hold down the shift button and press the ‘play’ soft button. In the fourth menu page, press the ‘record’ button to record the program output of your switcher to your HyperDeck.
Controlling HyperDecks with ATEM 2 M/E and 4 M/E Advanced Panels ATEM 2 M/E and 4 M/E Advanced panels feature up to three banks of dedicated transport controls so you can operate up to three HyperDecks directly from the panel buttons. To set up your HyperDecks with ATEM 2 M/E or 4 M/E Advanced Panel, press the ‘settings’ control panel button and press the ‘panel’ soft control knob. Using the right arrow button, navigate to the 4th page for transport controls.
Using ATEM Hardware Panels ATEM hardware panels are ‘hands on’ control panels for ATEM switchers that plug into your switcher using an Ethernet connection. The keyboard has similar functions to the software panel and the main buttons are laid out in a similar ME style, so it’s easy to move between the hardware and software interfaces. If fast and critical live switching is being done, then the ATEM hardware panel is an incredibly fast and robust control solution.
ATEM 4 M/E Advanced Panel The ATEM 4 M/E Advanced panel can control ATEM switchers with up to four mix effects panels, such as ATEM Constellation 8K. Using the Control Panel Mix Effects The program bus, preview bus and source names display are used together to switch sources on the program and preview outputs. ATEM Mix Effects Source Name Displays The source name displays use labels to represent the switcher’s external inputs or internal sources.
Preview Bus The preview bus is used to select a source on the preview output. This source is sent to program when the next transition occurs. The selected source is indicated by a button that is illuminated green. A blinking green button indicates that a shifted source is on preview. Pressing the SHIFT button will display the shifted source. SHIFT The SHIFT button provides a global shift and is used to shift the program, preview and select busses along with the label.
The AUTO button illuminates red for the duration of the transition and the fader bar indicator illuminates with sequential LEDs to indicate the progress of the transition. If the software control panel is active, the virtual fader bar also updates to provide visual feedback on the progress of the transition. Fader Bar and Fader Bar Indicator The fader bar is used as an alternative to the AUTO button and allows the operator to manually control the transition.
ON AIR The ON AIR indicator buttons above each keyer are labelled ON and indicate which of the upstream keys are currently on air. These can also be used to immediately cut a key on or off air. MACRO The macro button is used to enable the macro feature which changes the source select row of buttons to macro buttons corresponding to macro slots.
M/E Buttons As some ATEM switchers have multiple M/Es you can select which one you want to control using the M/E buttons. When an M/E is selected, the LCD menu will change to show the settings that correspond to that M/E panel. Fade to Black The FTB button will fade the program output to black at the rate specified in the FTB rate LCD menu setting.
System Control Joystick and Numeric Keypad The number pad is used to enter numerical data. For example, the number pad can be used to enter a numerical value for transition duration. When entering data using the number pad, the soft buttons below each parameter are used to apply the entered data to that parameter. The Joystick is a 3-axis joystick that is used to size and position keys, DVEs and other elements. You can also use the joystick to control VISCA PTZ remote cameras.
When connecting more than one remote head, they will normally be daisy chained together via the RS‑422 outputs/inputs between each head. Connect a remote camera head to your ATEM switcher via the RS-422 port labelled ‘remote’ on the rear panel PTZ Setup for Remote Heads All PTZ setup options are set using the ‘settings’ LCD menu. Press the arrow buttons to move to the last page of switcher settings and set the remote port to VISCA. Set the baud rate to match the rate used by your PTZ camera.
Select the camera you want to control and use the joystick to pan, tilt and zoom TIP Camera control defaults to SDI for general camera control via SDI, so when using VISCA control, make sure you press the VISCA soft button to access VISCA PTZ cameras. PTZ Control via SDI You can also control PTZ camera heads via SDI.
Once you have changed the setting, the change is made instantly and you don’t have to worry about saving. Press the ‘home’ button to return to the home menu. If you want to change the brightness of the buttons, press the ‘settings’ button to open the general switcher settings LCD menu, then press the ‘panel’ soft button to reveal the panel settings. Rotate the settings knob under each setting until you see the desired brightness level.
CUT Button When a cut transition is performed using the CUT button, any upstream keys that were selected in the next transition and any downstream keys that were tied to the transition control will also change state. For example, a downstream key tied to the transition control will cut ON if off air, or cut OFF if on air. Similarly, any upstream keys selected in the next transition will be cut on if they were off air, or cut off if they were on air.
To perform an auto transition 1 On the preview bus, select the video source that you want on the program output. 2 Select the transition type using the transition type buttons in the transition control block. 3 On the LCD menu use the control knobs to set the transition rate and adjust any other parameter for the transition as needed. 4 Press the AUTO button in the transition control block to initiate the transition.
To perform a mix transition on an ATEM advanced panel 1 On the preview bus, select the video source that you want on the program output. 2 Press the MIX button to select the mix transition type. The LCD menu will automatically display the transition settings. 3 In the transition settings, use the corresponding LCD control knob to adjust the mix rate. You can also enter a rate duration using the number pad.
Press the ‘dip’ button in the transition control block, then set the dip source and transition rate using the LCD menu Dip transition parameters Rate The dip transition rate in seconds and frames. Dip Source The dip source is any video signal in the switcher that will be used as the intermediate picture for the dip transition, usually a color generator or media player.
Press a source button in the source select row to select a source for the wipe border. Hold the shift button down to select a shifted source, such as a color generator or media player. Press a source button in the source select row to select a source for the wipe border, such as a camera or media player. Hold the shift button down to select a shifted source, such as color bars or a color generator. TIP The border source used in a wipe transition can be any source in the switcher.
Reverse Direction Reverse changes the progression of closed patterns such as circles, diamonds and boxes so that the pattern closes in from the edges of the screen toward the center. When selected the text will illuminate orange. Flip Flop When FlipFlop mode is toggled on, the transition changes between normal to reverse every time the transition is executed. Width Width of the border. Softness The edges of the wipe pattern can be adjusted between sharp and fuzzy by adjusting the softness parameter.
DVE key parameters Enable key Enables/disables the DVE key. The DVE key is enabled when the button is illuminated. PreMult Select the DVE key as a pre-multiplied key. Clip The clip level adjusts the threshold at which the key cuts its hole. Decreasing the clip level reveals more of the background. If the background video is completely black then the clip value is too low. Gain The gain adjustment electronically modifies the angle between on and off thereby softening the edges of the key.
3 Press the right arrow in the system control buttons to adjust the key settings. Enable the key and select the fill and key source. If you need to make adjustments to the key, for example adjusting clip and gain settings, press the right arrow in the system control buttons to access the key parameters. TIP Typically, for a graphic transition, the source would normally be a graphic loaded in a media player.
Graphic wipe screen width requirements 4320p If the switcher is operating at 4320p then the graphic should be no wider than 1920 pixels. 2160p If the switcher is operating at 2160p then the graphic should be no wider than 960 pixels. 1080i If the switcher is operating at 1080i then the graphic should be no wider than 480 pixels. 720p If the switcher is operating at 720p than the graphic should be no wider than 320 pixels.
Saving user profiles on ATEM Advanced Panel ATEM Advanced Panels allow you to save up to ten profiles. This means you can save all your preferred panel settings and macros and then reload them the next time you are using the panel, perfect for when a panel will be used by more that one user. To save a user profile: 1 Once you have set up the panel with all your preferred settings, press on the soft ‘profiles’ button above the LCD screen to open the user profiles settings.
All the panel settings for that user profile will now load. If a user profile is no longer needed, you can also clear it via the profiles menu. To clear a user profile: 1 Press on the soft ‘profiles’ button above the LCD screen and press the right arrow control panel button to select the second page. 2 Using the soft control knob, navigate to the user profile you want to overwrite. If the user profile is currently in use, the text above the profile number will be orange. 3 Press the soft ‘clear’ button.
Operating your ATEM Switcher Internal Video Sources In addition to the SDI and HDMI inputs, the switcher also has 8 internal sources that can be used in a production. The internal source names are represented on the software control panel using both long and short names. On the advanced panel, a long name is used to represent the internal sources and the labels represent what the sources are, so they are easy to understand.
To select media players 3 and 4 on the front panel of ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, double press ‘mp1’ to select media player 3, or double press ‘mp2’ for media player 4. Apply the same double press method using the ‘mp 1 key’ and ‘mp 2 key’ buttons to select media player 3 key and media player 4 key. The buttons will flash to indicate you have the additional media players selected. The media player sources are used to play stills and clips from the media pool.
Performing Transitions One of the primary functions of a broadcast switcher is performing transitions from one video source to another. The combinations of transition effects and styles provide endless creative options that can enhance your production in just the right way for the right moment. You can perform transitions using ATEM Software Control or an ATEM Advanced Panel. This section shows you how to perform the various transitions available on your switcher.
CUT Button When a cut transition is performed using the CUT button, any upstream keys that were selected in the next transition and any downstream keys that were tied to the transition control will also change state. For example, a downstream key tied to the transition control will cut ON if off air, or cut OFF if on air. Similarly, any upstream keys selected in the next transition will be cut on if they were off air, or cut off if they were on air.
Auto Transitions An auto transition allows you to automatically transition between program and preview sources at a predetermined rate. Any upstream keys that were selected in the next transition and any downstream keys that were tied to the transition control will also change state. Auto transitions are performed using the auto button in the transition control block. Mix, dip, wipe, DVE and stinger transitions can all be performed as an AUTO transition.
To perform an auto transition on the software control panel using a keyboard: 1 Ensure that is off. 2 Press the number key on the keyboard corresponding to the video source that you want on the program output. The source will be selected on preview and the program output will remain unchanged. 3 Select the transition type using the transition style buttons in the transition control block.
faster transitions by simply selecting the transition type and pressing the AUTO button. The previously used transition rate is remembered for that transition type until it is changed. A production switcher provides multiple methods of transitioning from one shot to another. Generally, you use a simple cut transition to move from one background source to another. Mix, dip, wipe and DVE transitions allow you to transition between two background sources by gradually phasing out one and phasing in another.
Mix Transition Parameters Rate The mix transition rate in seconds : frames. Press the ‘mix’ button and set the transition rate using the LCD menu and control knob Dip Transitions A DIP is similar to a mix in that it is a gradual transition that transitions from one source to another. However, a dip transition gradually mixes through a third source, the dip source.
Dip Source Menu To perform a dip transition on an ATEM advanced panel: 1 On the preview bus, select the video source that you want on the program output. 2 Press the DIP button to select the dip transition type. The LCD menu will automatically display the transition settings. 3 Under the LCD use the control knob to adjust the dip rate. You can also enter a rate duration using the number pad. 4 Use the corresponding control knob to select the dip source.
Wipe Transitions A wipe is a transition from one source to another and is achieved by replacing the current source by another source with a pattern that forms a shape. For example an expanding circle or diamond. Program output for a wipe transition. To perform a wipe transition on the software control panel: 1 On the preview bus, select the video source that you want on the program output. 2 Select the WIPE transition style in the transition control block.
4 Use the arrow buttons to the left of the LCD button to navigate all the available wipe properties including position, symmetry and border source. 5 Perform the transition as an auto transition or manual transition from the transition control block. Wipe transition parameters Rate The length of the wipe transition in seconds and frames. Symmetry Symmetry can be used to control the aspect ratio of the pattern. For example, adjusting the symmetry will allow you to change a circle into an ellipse.
Performing a Stinger Transition To perform a stinger transition on the software control panel: 1 Select the STING transition style button in the transition control block. 2 In the media player palette, select the media you plan to use for the transition. 3 In the transition palette, select the stinger transition type. 4 Select the media player source that has the clip you plan to use. 5 Adjust the clip duration, trigger point, mix rate and pre roll parameters if required.
Clip The clip level adjusts the threshold at which the key cuts its hole into the clip that is playing back through the media player. Decreasing the clip level reveals more of the background. If the background video is completely black then the clip value is too low. Gain The gain adjustment electronically modifies the value which allows the softening of the edges of the key in the clip that is playing back on the media player.
Hardware panel stinger transition parameters Source The media player which will be used to play the clip for the animated transition. Clip Duration Clip duration refers to the length of the animation. The duration should normally match the length of the animation. It can also be used to trim out the end of the clip. Trigger Point Trigger point is the time at which the switcher will start the background mix transition, which will occur under the animation.
4 Perform the transition as an auto transition or manual transition from the transition control block. DVE Transition Settings To perform a DVE transition on an ATEM advanced panel: 1 On the preview bus, select the video source that you want on the program output. 2 Press the DVE transition type button to select the DVE transition. The DVE settings will appear on the LCD menu.
DVE transition parameters DVE Rate The duration of the DVE transition in seconds and frames. Rotate the DVE rate knob to adjust the DVE transition rate. The new rate is immediately displayed in the transition rate window in the transition control block. Normal The normal direction applies the DVE effect on program, revealing the preview channel. Reverse Reverse changes the direction so that the DVE effect is applied on the preview channel.
Performing a Graphic Transition To perform a graphic transition on the software control panel: 1 Select the DVE transition style button in the transition control block. If the DVE is being used in an upstream key, the DVE transition style button will be unavailable for selection until the key is taken off air and off next transition. Refer to sharing DVE resources in the next section for more information. 2 Expand the transition palette and select the DVE transition type.
TIP Typically, for a graphic transition, the source would normally be a graphic loaded in a media player. By default, when you select a media player for the fill source, the key source will automatically select the media player key channel and set pre multiplied key to ‘on’. This means a graphic with a key matte embedded in the alpha channel will automatically be selected by the switcher.
Graphic wipe screen width requirements 4320p If the switcher is operating at 4320p then the graphic should be no wider than 1920 pixels. 2160p If the switcher is operating at 2160p then the graphic should be no wider than 960 pixels. 1080i If the switcher is operating at 1080i then the graphic should be no wider than 480 pixels. 720p If the switcher is operating at 720p than the graphic should be no wider than 320 pixels.
Keying using ATEM Switchers Keyers are a powerful production tool that allow the arrangement of visual elements from different sources on the same video image. To do this, multiple layers of video or graphics are stacked on top of the background video. Altering the transparency of various parts of these layers allows the background layer to be visible. This process is called keying.
Luma Key A luma key or self key consists of one video source containing the video image that will be stacked on top of the background. All of the black areas defined by the luminance in the video signal will be made transparent so that the background can be revealed underneath. Since only one image is used to define the areas to be cut out, a luma key uses the same signal for fill and key.
Pre multiplied Key A modern graphics system or character generator that offers fill and key outputs will most likely provide what is known as a pre-multiplied or shaped key. A pre-multiplied key is a special combination of the fill and key signal where the fill signal has been pre-multiplied with the key signal over a black background. Photoshop generated images that contain an alpha channel are pre-multiplied.
Select sections of the Palette you wish to reset from the reset menu To set up a luma/linear key on upstream keyer 1 on the software control panel: 1 Expand the upstream key 1 M/E 1 palette and select luma tab. 2 Select the fill source and key source. If performing a luma key, select the same source for both fill and key. Adjust the key parameters to refine the key. For a description of luma key parameters, refer to the table below.
Invert Key Inverts the key signal. Flying Key Enables/disables DVE effects. Performing a Downstream Luma/Linear Key To set up a luma/linear key on downstream keyer 1 on the software control panel: 1 Select the downstream key 1 palette. 2 Use the drop down controls labeled fill source and key source to specify the fill and key sources. If performing a luma key, select the same source for both fill and key. 3 Adjust the key parameters to refine the key.
3 Use the control knobs under the LCD menu to select the fill source and key source. You can also use the corresponding source select buttons to select the fill and key source. 4 Once you have chosen the fill source and key source, use the ‘left’ and ‘right’ control buttons to scroll through additional menu screens containing key parameters such as mask, gain, clip, pre multiplied key settings and more.
Chroma Key Settings To set up a chroma key on upstream keyer 1 on an ATEM advanced panel: 1 Press the ‘key 1’ button to enable keyer 1 on the preview output. This automatically selects the keyers menu on the system control LCD, but you can also press the ‘keyers’ button to enter the menu directly. 2 Select the ‘chroma’ key type using the corresponding ‘key type’ control knob. 3 Select your fill source by turning the corresponding LCD control knob.
Lift Lift should normally be set to zero for a well set up chroma key scene. Lift allows very low saturation values of the keyed color to be excluded from the key. Colored light spilling onto a neutral colored object in the foreground will sometimes cause small areas to key to the background source. Lift allows you to fill these small holes in the key signal. Narrow The acceptance angle of colors around the selected hue should generally be as broad as possible to achieve natural looking chroma Keys.
The chroma sample setting lets you position a cursor over the screen area you want to sample TIP You can also view the M/E 1 preview output on your switcher’s front control panel LCD by pressing one of the auxiliary output buttons, then pressing the ME 1 PVW button. 4 Click and drag on the box cursor to move it to the position you want to sample. To set up a chroma key on upstream keyer 1 on an ATEM Advanced Panel: 1 Press the ‘key 1’ button to enable keyer 1 on the preview output.
Use the preview button to check what your key will look like in the M/E 1 PVW output Fine Tuning your Key using Key Adjustments Once you have achieved a good chroma sample that removes most of your green screen while generally retaining foreground elements, it is time to fine tune your key with the ‘key adjustments’ controls. If you are using an ATEM advanced panel, press the right arrow to navigate to the ‘chroma adjustments’ menu.
Chroma Correction using Color Spill and Flare Suppression Light bouncing off a green screen can create a green edge to foreground elements as well as a general tint to the foreground, or fill image. This is called color spill and flare. The ‘chroma correction’ settings let you improve the areas of the foreground that are affected by color spill and flare. You can correct these areas in the key using the ‘chroma correction’ settings.
Pattern Key A pattern key is used to display a geometric cut out of one image on top of another image. In a pattern key the key or cut signal is generated using the switcher’s internal pattern generator. The internal pattern generator can create 18 shapes that can be sized and positioned to produce the desired key signal. Combining a background with a fill and pattern key Background A full screen image. Fill Another full screen image you wish to overlay on top of the background.
Performing an Upstream Pattern Key To set up a pattern key on upstream keyer 1 on the software control panel: 1 Expand the upstream key 1 M/E 1 palette and select pattern from the key types bar. 2 Select the fill source. 3 Select the key pattern. 4 Adjust the key parameters to refine the key. For a description of pattern key parameters, refer to the table below.
Size Increases and decreases the size of the selected pattern. Symmetry Some patterns may have their symmetry or aspect ratio adjusted. Circle patterns may be adjusted to become horizontal or vertical ellipses. Twist the joystick knob to adjust its symmetry. Softness Changes the softness of the edge of the key signal. Invert Pattern This button inverts which the region filled with the fill source.
DVE Key Settings Performing an Upstream DVE Key To set up a DVE key on upstream keyer 1 on the software control panel: 1 Expand the upstream key 1 M/E 1 palette and select DVE from the key types bar. 2 Select the fill source. You can even select the ME 2 program or preview output as the DVE fill source which gives you a tremendous amount of control and creative options. 3 Adjust the key parameters to refine the key. For a description of DVE key parameters, refer to the table below.
TIP When using the number pad to enter numeric values for settings, hold the ‘reset’ button down for several seconds to enable negative values. Hold down again to return to standard values. DVE parameters X Size Adjusts the horizontal size of the DVE. Y Size Adjusts the vertical size of the DVE. Rotation Spin the box around its center point with the Rotation adjustment knob. Rot Rst Resets the rotation of the DVE. DVE Rst Resets the DVE to screen.
Hue Changes the border color. The hue value is a location on the color wheel. Sat Changes the intensity of the border color. Luma Change the brightness of the border color. Light Angle Adjusts the direction of the light source on the DVE or picture in picture. Both the border and drop shadow, if available, are affected by changes to this setting. In Width Adjusts the inside width of the border. In Soft Adjusts inside softness.
Next transition buttons Take the upstream keyers on or off the program output using the next transition buttons as follows: 1 Select the elements you wish to transition using the BKGD, KEY 1, KEY 2, KEY 3 and KEY 4 next transition buttons. 2 Verify the preview output, which will show you exactly what your program output will look like after you perform the transition. 3 Press CUT, AUTO, or use the fader bar to perform the transition.
Example 4: In this example, key 1 and key 2 are on-air. The next transition has the background and key 2 selected, therefore the next transition will transition the background and change the state of key 2 turning it OFF so that it is not visible on the program output. Control panel next transition buttons before transition. Program output before transition. Program output after transition. There are multiple ways to transition a key to the program output.
Using Adobe Photoshop with ATEM Installing the ATEM software on your computer also installs a Photoshop plug-in that lets you download Photoshop graphics direct to the ATEM media pool.
When working with Photoshop documents for ATEM, you should not put any content on the background layer, but add all content to the layers above. The background layer should always be plain full frame black and you should use a pre-multiplied key setting in the ATEM keyers for keying graphics from Photoshop. To help you get started, we’ve included a guide and some graphic template files in the Example Graphics folder which was installed on your computer along with the ATEM Switchers software.
The ATEM Production Studio 4K models feature illuminated buttons on the front panel together with a built in LCD screen. Assigning an aux output is as easy as selecting an aux button from the right hand row and pressing one of the source buttons on the left. The LCD screen will then display that output.
Available Auxiliary Sources There are a range of sources available, and these include: Black Black source generated internally in the switcher. Inputs These are all the sources connected to the HDMI and SDI inputs. In ATEM Software Control, you will see the video inputs of the switcher listed in the ‘auxiliary 1’ drop down menu. These will be listed as the current labels you have set in the settings window of the switcher. Color Bars Color bar source generated internally in the switcher.
Setting up SuperSource You can set up SuperSource using either the joystick on your ATEM panel or using the ATEM Software Control Panel (GUI). Viewing SuperSource To set up SuperSource, first you need to be able to view it on your monitor. Do this by either assigning SuperSource from the Settings tab in the GUI to a multi view window or by placing SuperSource on the preview output of your monitor if using an ATEM panel.
When using the Control Panel, you can use the Enable button to switch a particular box on or off. Choose the source you wish to place in the box from the Source Select bus. Press the dedicated Destination button followed by the desired source. Then choose the Position and the Size either via the window or the joystick. If you decide that you want to use Crop, select the Crop Menu button and select the crop button. Each box can be cropped individually and the parameters are Top, Bottom, Left and Right.
JAdjusting Borders Borders are created the same way for both the GUI and the ATEM panel. Simply click on the button marked Borders. This will allow access to all the border parameters as previously discussed in this manual under “Adding DVE borders”. Please note that if you are using the Art in Foreground mode then the borders are not available as they would not be visible and that any or all border settings are applied to all boxes.
Using Macros What is a Macro? A macro is an easy way to automate a sequence of switcher actions so you can repeat the sequence at the press, or click, of a button. For example, you can record a sequence of transitions between several video sources, including key effects, audio mixer adjustments, camera control settings and more. Record all your actions to a macro button, then when you press that button all your recorded actions will be instantly performed.
Recording Macros Macros need to be recorded comprehensively, in clearly defined sequences from start to finish without error. This is because your macro will record every setting, press of a button and switcher action you perform. When you run a macro, all the switcher actions you recorded in that macro will be repeated precisely. It’s worth highlighting that a macro will only record the settings you change.
Now that your macro is recording, you can start performing your switcher actions. While recording, the create macro button will change to a ‘record’ button. When you have completed your switcher actions, click on the ‘record’ button to stop recording. 6 Click on the bars button in the program panel on the switcher page. This sets bars to your switcher’s program output. 7 Select color 1 on the preview panel. 8 Open the transitions palette and set it to mix.
Congratulations! If your macro was successful, you should see your ATEM switcher perform a mix from color bars to color 1 using a 3 second transition, pause for 2 seconds, then perform another 3 second mix transition to black, all by clicking one button in the macros window! Your ATEM switcher will also display an orange border around your software control panel to indicate a macro is playing.
The image shows how a macro button appears in the macros window after it has been recorded. To run a macro, click on the ‘run’ button to enter the run page. Now you can load and/or run the macro by clicking on the macro button. Building Large Macros Macros can even include triggering other macros as part of recording a macro. This lets you easily build larger macros from multiple smaller macros, i.e., recording macros with limited actions, then compiling them into a large macro.
Macros Window Create Page Create macro button: Click this button to open the create macro popup window. From here you can name a new macro to be recorded, write a description of your macro in the notes section, and click record to start recording your macro. Arrow buttons and page Icons: To access or record more than 20 macros, simply click on the right arrow at the bottom corner of the macros window to open a new page of macros. To move to the previous page of macros, click on the left arrow.
Recording Macros using ATEM Advanced Panel You can record and run macros using an ATEM Advanced Panel independently of ATEM Software Control. All actions on the ATEM Software Control switcher page can be performed using your hardware panel. If you need to arrange graphics in the media pool, or adjust camera settings, simply access those settings using ATEM Software Control. The buttons used to record and run macros on the ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel are located in the system control buttons.
6 Press the wipe button in transition control to ensure the macro records the wipe transition selection. 7 In the ‘wipe’ LCD menu, set the rate to 2:00 seconds. 8 Press the ‘auto’ button in transition control to perform the wipe transition from color bars to color 1. 9 Press the ‘macro’ button to return to the macro screen.
Using ATEM Camera Control Panel Traditionally, camera control units, or CCUs, have been designed for mounting inside a desk with independent units for each camera. ATEM Camera Control Panel is a portable solution that can be placed on a desk or solid surface with 4 CCUs built in so you can control up four Blackmagic Design cameras at once. However, you aren’t locked into controlling one single camera for each CCU because you can select which camera you want to control.
Connecting the Panel to your Switcher To connect ATEM Camera Control Panel to your switcher, all you need to do is add the panel into your ATEM Ethernet connection chain. For example, if you are using an external ATEM hardware panel, such as the ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel, remove its Ethernet cable from your computer or network and connect it to one of the camera control panel’s Ethernet ports instead. The ATEM hardware panel will then be the middle unit in the chain.
The connection process is fast because all the network settings for each ATEM unit have a different default IP address when shipped from the factory. This means when you connect them all to each other, their network settings are automatically configured and will work straight away.
4 Now press the arrow button to move to the subnet mask and gateway settings and make the necessary changes. 5 Once all the subnet mask and gateway number fields are set, press the ‘save changes’ soft button to confirm your settings. With your camera control panel’s IP address set, the network can now communicate with your panel. The next step is to assign the switcher’s IP address on the camera control panel.
LCD Menu Settings Pressing the ‘home’ soft button returns you to main home screen. From the home screen, you can access all your camera control panel’s settings including the network settings, auxiliary for camera control, master black enable and disable settings and the brightness settings for adjusting the lights on the various panel controls. You can also identify the software version installed on your camera control panel and the ATEM switcher your panel is connected to.
You can also disable the banks by holding down the bank soft button until the ‘bank off’ setting appears on the LCD. Turning the banks off lets you change the CCUs to other cameras when needed, with a defined set of cameras ready on each bank you can access at any time. To enable banks, simply press the bank button again.
Rotate the auxiliary select knob to assign a dedicated auxiliary output for camera control Master Black Setting the master black setting to on or off enables or disables the master black control, also known as the pedestal control. This is helpful if you want to lock the pedestal so it cannot be accidentally adjusted during production. The pedestal is controlled by turning the ring wheel on the joystick control knob clockwise or counter clockwise.
Color Balance Controls The red, green and blue color balance knobs in the panel’s mid section are for adjusting the color balance of the lift, gamma and gain levels. The white controls are for adjusting the RGB values for the gain, or highlights and the black controls are for adjusting RGB values of the lift, or the shadows. The black/flare button lets you adjust the RGB values for the gamma, or mid tones, by holding down the button and adjusting the lift RGB knobs.
The lower section of the CCU is where most of the camera control occurs during live production Other buttons and knobs in this section of the CCU are for adjusting the sensitivity of the joystick control, setting the coarse level, locking and unlocking the CCU and more. Details on all the features are provided in the following section. Controlling Cameras This section describes all the features on each CCU and a general overview on how to approach camera control.
TIP The large camera number next to the CCU’s joystick control will also change when you assign a camera. This large identifying number is easy to see and will illuminate red when its camera is live on the program output. Scene Files The numbered buttons along the top of each CCU let you quickly store and recall up to 5 scene file presets.
Recall All When this feature is enabled, you can recall a stored scene file on all cameras simultaneously when you press the corresponding scene file button on a single CCU. For example, you may have a specific setup for each camera that is optimized for a set in your live production. This will likely be a large number of settings that you will want to recall later when you return to that set. The following is an example of how you can recall complex settings for multiple cameras simultaneously.
Relative Control and Absolute Control The camera control panel has two control modes that determine how the panel maintains synchronization between the physical controls and their settings. The two control modes are relative control and absolute control.
White Balance You can adjust the white balance of each camera by holding down the white balance button, marked ‘W/B’ and pressing the shutter up and down arrow buttons to warm or cool the image. The shutter setting indicator displays white balance values so you can monitor the color temperature in degrees Kelvin. Check the white balance setting at any time by holding down the white balance button and observing the shutter setting indicator.
D EXT/EXT This feature will be enabled in a future update. Camera Number Each CCU has its own large camera number that shows you which camera is being controlled. This large display is illuminated green when in a neutral state and red when its camera is switched to the program output. Gain and Pedestal Level Control The joystick control lets you make fine adjustments to the gain/iris and pedestal/master black levels.
Iris and Master Black Indicators The indicators for the iris and master black joystick control displays the gain value, shown as the f-stop exposure level for the camera lens and the level of the master black setting. Preview When making changes with the camera controls, you can monitor your changes before switching to air by pressing the CCU’s preview button.
Iris and Master Black Active Once your levels are set and you want to lock them so they are not accidentally changed, press the ‘iris/MB active’ button. This enables a lock on the gain and master black so that any accidental movements of the joystick will not affect your settings. The ‘Iris/MB active’ button label will illuminate red when the lock is active. To disable the lock, press the button again.
Using Tally Sending Tally Signals via a GPI and Tally Interface Your ATEM switcher can send tally signals to monitors and cameras to make it clear which source is on the program output, i.e. which source is on air. Tally is commonly used to light the red light on top of a camera or monitor so the talent knows they are on air. Tally can also illuminate a border on a monitor such as a Blackmagic SmartView Duo or SmartView HD. The border allows production staff to know which camera is on air.
Program Output Tally signal Switcher Input 4 Tally 4 Switcher Input 5 Tally 5 Switcher Input 6 Tally 6 Switcher Input 7 Tally 7 Switcher Input 8 Tally 8 Switcher Input 9 Tally 9 Switcher Input 10 Tally 10 Switcher Input 11 Tally 11 Switcher Input 12 Tally 12 Switcher Input 13 Tally 13 Switcher Input 14 Tally 14 Switcher Input 15 Tally 15 Switcher Input 16 Tally 16 Changing the Network and Tally Settings Blackmagic ATEM Setup is used to configure the network settings in the GPI an
5 Type in the IP address of your ATEM switcher in the “Switcher Address” field. Your ATEM switcher defaults to a fixed IP address of 192.168.10.240 when shipped and this is the number you should type in this field unless you have changed it. 6 “Set tally outputs” should be set to “Switcher Inputs 1-8” unless you are configuring a second unit to provide tally outputs for switcher inputs 9-16 of an ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher. 7 Click “Apply”.
Using Audio Connecting other Audio Sources All ATEM production switchers feature standard balanced XLR or TRS audio inputs and outputs. TRS connectors are also known as 1/4 inch jacks. XLR and TRS inputs are balanced, designed to reduce interference and noise, especially when long cable lengths are required. If your ATEM switcher has unbalanced RCA audio inputs, you can connect your external audio source directly.
Using Embedded SDI and HDMI Audio Sources All ATEM switchers include a built-in audio mixer that lets you use the embedded HDMI and SDI audio from your cameras, media servers and other inputs without the need for an external audio mixer. Once you’ve connected your SDI and HDMI cameras to the switcher for vision mixing, there are no other connections to make as the audio mixer uses the embedded audio in the video signal.
Using MADI with ATEM Constellation 8K ATEM Constellation 8K supports digital audio with the MADI protocol, also known as Multichannel Audio Digital Interface. MADI is popular with most professional audio manufacturers, broadcasters and high end recording facilities. MADI ports on ATEM Constellation 8K have robust BNC connectors and transmit audio data over 75 ohm coaxial cables up to 100 meters long.
In HD and Ultra HD mode, MADI Out 1 sends these sources: Channels 1-30 Channels 1 and 2 of SDI inputs 1-30. Channel 31 External mic. Channel 32 TRS analog audio input. MADI Out 2 In 8K mode, MADI Out 2 sends these sources: Channels 1-10 Channels 3 and 4 of SDI inputs 1-10. Channel 11 Media player audio. Channel 12 External mic. Channel 13 TRS analog audio input. Channel 14 PGM audio. In HD and Ultra HD mode, MADI Out 2 sends these sources: Channels 1-30 Channels 3 and 4 of SDI inputs 1-30.
Using a Third Party Audio Mixer Control Surface Using an Audio Mixer Control Surface In the fast-paced world of live TV production, using a mouse to make adjustments can sometimes feel too slow! If you need to mix more than one audio source at a time on your ATEM switcher then here’s an idea that can really help. Connecting a hardware audio mixer control surface to your ATEM switcher provides you with the ability to use both hands and adjust multiple audio levels at the same time.
4 Launch ATEM Software Control and it will automatically look for your control surface using the first port on the first MIDI device that it finds. Click on the Audio tab in ATEM Software Control to display the ATEM audio mixer. Try sliding the gain faders up and down on your hardware control surface and verify that the audio mixer faders show a corresponding increase and decrease in the software on your computer screen.
Adapter Cables for Talkback and Camera Control Talkback Pin Connections The ‘talkback’ connector on the back panel of ATEM Constellation 8K is for routing engineering talkback and production talkback. You can make an adapter cable with an RJ45 connector using this pinout diagram.
Developer Information Blackmagic SDI Camera Control Protocol Version 1.3 If you are a software developer you can use the SDI Camera Control Protocol to construct devices that integrate with our products.
Command id (uint8) The command id is an 8 bit unsigned integer which indicates the message type being sent. Receiving devices should ignore any commands that they do not understand. Commands 0 through 127 are reserved for commands that apply to multiple types of devices. Commands 128 through 255 are device specific. Reserved (uint8) This byte is reserved for alignment and expansion purposes. It should be set to zero. Command data (uint8[]) The command data may contain between 0 and 60 bytes of data.
Data types 129 through 255 are available for device specific purposes. Operation type (uint8) The operation type specifies what action to perform on the specified parameter. Currently defined values are: 0: assign value The supplied values are assigned to the specified parameter. Each element will be clamped according to its valid range. A void parameter may only be 'assigned' an empty list of boolean type. This operation will trigger the action associated with that parameter.
Group ID 1.0 Parameter Video mode 1.1 Gain (up to Camera 4.9) 1.2 Manual White Balance 1.3 Type int8 Index Minimum Maximum Interpretation [0] = frame rate – – 24, 25, 30, 50, 60 [1] = M-rate – – 0 = regular, 1 = M-rate – 0=NTSC, 1=PAL, 2=720, 3=1080, 4=2K DCI, 5=2K 16:9, 6=UHD, 7=3k Anamorphic, 8=4k DCI, 9=4k 16:9, 10=4.6k 2.4:1, 11=4.
Group ID Parameter Type Index Minimum Maximum Interpretation 2.0 Mic level fixed16 – 0 1 0.0 = minimum, 1.0 = maximum 2.1 Headphone level fixed16 – 0 1 0.0 = minimum, 1.0 = maximum 2.2 Headphone program mix fixed16 – 0 1 0.0 = minimum, 1.0 = maximum 2.3 Speaker level fixed16 – 0 1 0.0 = minimum, 1.0 = maximum – 0 2 0 = internal mic, 1 = line level input, 2 = low mic level input, 3 = high mic level input [0] ch0 0 1 0.0 = minimum, 1.0 = maximum [1] ch1 0 1 0.
Group Tally Reference ID Parameter Type Minimum Maximum Interpretation 5.0 Tally brightness fixed16 – 0 1 Sets the tally front and tally rear brightness to the same level. 0.0 = minimum, 1.0 = maximum 5.1 Front tally brightness fixed16 – 0 1 Sets the tally front brightness.0.0 = minimum, 1.0 = maximum 5.2 Rear tally brightness fixed16 – 0 1 Sets the tally rear brightness. 0.0 = minimum, 1.0 = maximum Tally rear brightness cannot be turned off 6.
Group ID Parameter Type Index Minimum Maximum Interpretation [0] = basic codec – – 1 = DNxHD, 2 = ProRes, 3 = Blackmagic RAW – ProRes: 0 = HQ, 1 = 422, 2 = LT, 3 = Proxy, 4 = 444, 5 = 444XQ – – Blackmagic RAW: 0 = Q0, 1 = Q5, 2 = 3:1, 3 = 5:1, 4 = 8:1, 5 = 12:1 – – 0 = Preview, 1 = Play, 2 = Record – -ve = multiple speeds backwards, 0 = pause, +ve = multiple speeds forwards – 10.0 Codec int8 enum [1] = codec variant [0] = mode Media [1] = speed 10.1 11.
Example Protocol Packets Operation Packet Length Byte 0 1 2 3 5 6 7 9 10 11 0 0 0 12 13 14 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 command reserved category parameter type operation data length command 8 destination header 4 trigger instantaneous auto focus on camera 4 8 4 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 turn on OIS on all cameras 12 255 5 0 0 0 6 0 0 set exposure to 10 ms on camera 4 (10 ms = 10000 us = 0x00002710) 12 4 8 0 0 1 5 3 0 0x10 0x27 0x00 0x00 add 15% to zebra leve
Blackmagic Embedded Tally Control Protocol Version 1.0 (30/04/14) This section is for third party developers or users who may wish to add support for the Blackmagic Embedded Tally Control Protocol to their products or system. It describes the protocol for sending tally information embedded in the non-active picture region of a digital video stream.
struct tally uint8 bit 0: bit 1: bit 2-3: bit 4-7: monitor device program tally status (0=off, 1=on) monitor device preview tally status (0=off, 1=on) reserved (0b00) protocol version (0b0000) uint8[0] bit 0: bit 1: bit 2-3: bit 4: bit 5: bit 6-7: slave device 1 program tally status (0=off, 1=on) slave device 1 device preview tally status (0=off, 1=on) reserved (0b00) slave device 2 program tally status (0=off, 1=on) slave device 2 preview tally status (0=off, 1=on) reserved (0b00) u
Visca Commands for PTZ control via SDI Pan-tiltDrive CAM_Memory Up 8x 01 06 01 VV WW 03 01 FF Down 8x 01 06 01 VV WW 03 02 FF Left 8x 01 06 01 VV WW 01 03 FF Right 8x 01 06 01 VV WW 02 03 FF UpLeft 8x 01 06 01 VV WW 01 01 FF VV: Pan speed 01 to 18 UpRight 8x 01 06 01 VV WW 02 01 FF WW: Tilt speed 01 to 17 DownLeft 8x 01 06 01 VV WW 01 02 FF DownRight 8x 01 06 01 VV WW 02 02 FF Stop 8x 01 06 01 VV WW 03 03 FF ZZZZ: Tilt position FE70 to 04B0 (image flip: OFF) (center 0000) AbsolutePos
Help Getting Help The fastest way to obtain help is to go to the Blackmagic Design online support pages and check the latest support material available for your ATEM switcher. Blackmagic Design online support pages The latest manual, software and support notes can be found at the Blackmagic Design support center at www.blackmagicdesign.com/support.
Regulatory Notices Disposal of Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Within the European Union. The symbol on the product indicates that this equipment must not be disposed of with other waste materials. In order to dispose of your waste equipment, it must be handed over to a designated collection point for recycling.
Safety Information For protection against electric shock, the equipment must be connected to a mains socket outlet with a protective earth connection. In case of doubt contact a qualified electrician. To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not expose this equipment to dripping or splashing. Product is suitable for use in tropical locations with an ambient temperature of up to 40°C. Ensure that adequate ventilation is provided around the product and that it is not restricted.
Warranty 12 Month Limited Warranty Blackmagic Design warrants that this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 12 months from the date of purchase. If a product proves to be defective during this warranty period, Blackmagic Design, at its option, either will repair the defective product without charge for parts and labor, or will provide a replacement in exchange for the defective product.
