The Library preview
Most types of Library asset support previewing in the Library Browser. The capability is indicated by a preview button on the asset icon, and the presence of a Preview command on its context menu. Remember too that most asset types can be previewed on the icon itself with an Alt-click on the play button.
Clicking the preview button in the center of the asset icon loads the item into the Player panel for viewing. In some cases, for example when you choose Edit scenes, a pop-up player window appears.
3D viewing mode switcher
When stereoscopic 3D content is being shown, the 3D viewing mode switcher will appear. On opening the Player, the default mode from the preview settings in the Control Panel is used for photos, videos, and projects. The icon for the current mode is displayed beside a dropdown arrow used for switching modes. The available modes are:
Left eye, Right eye: The preview for stereoscopic content can be set to show only its left or right eye view. This helps keep things simple at times when a stereoscopic preview is unnecessary. Editing in these views is carried out as for a 2D movie.
Side by side: This mode displays the frames for both eyes horizontally adjacent to each other, with the left eye on the left and the right eye on right. When editing, no stereoscopic equipment is needed.
Differential: Differential mode is good for detecting the ‘depth’ of an image more easily, and especially for revealing areas of ‘zero depth’. Differential mode show a 50% gray for areas where identical information is being presented to both eyes; a color difference is shown if the areas are not identical. If 2D material is added to a stereoscopic 3D timeline in differential mode, since the same content is shown to both eyes, the image will be a uniform gray.
Checkerboard: Checkerboard mode breaks the image up into a 16 x 9 checkerboard pattern. The ‘white’ squares of the checkerboard contain the view from one eye, the ‘black’ squares the other. Checkerboard mode provides a quick check on the ways the left and right frames differ across the whole image.
3D TV (Side by Side): Use this mode to preview stereoscopic content on a 3D TV display or with a 3D projector by connecting it as a second monitor. This obviates the need for a special graphics card or additional hardware. Configure the second display to operate in its native resolution, and to extend your desktop, not just mirror it. Make sure the input format is side- by-side.
In the Control Panel Preview settings, choose Second Monitor from the “Show external preview on” dropdown menu. Set up Studio with a 16x9 stereoscopic timeline. Finally, on the Player, click the Full Screen button. Please see
Export and Preview settings in the Control Panel, and
Timeline settings for help with these configurations.
Anaglyph: An Anaglyph stereoscopic preview is suitable for viewing with red-cyan stereoscopic glasses, with no additional hardware support required. Pinnacle Studio’s anaglyphic display works well even for images with a lot of red, thanks to a method very similar to the ‘optimized anaglyphs’ technique.
3D Vision: This stereoscopic mode is available with many NVidia graphics cards after the 3D Vision feature has been
enabled in your NVidia configuration utility. The type of 3D display
offered depends on the hardware available. At the basic ‘Discover’ level, the 3D Vision display is anaglyphic.