Capture a Live Stream (camera, screen , ...)
Millumin allows you to capture many video stream to use them during your show. In this tutorial we will see which one you can retrieve, and how to do so.
When Millumin detects a stream, this one appear in the library, in the "Inputs" folder :
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Let's see what we can do with what we find in this "Inputs" folder :
FaceTime HD Camera
Most of the Macintosh now have an integrated webcam. Any webcam connected to your Macintosh will be detected as well.
If I use it in my dashboard, I'll be able to play with my webcam :
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Here, I retrieve my webcam stream, reproject it in my workspace.
You manipulate your camera settings in the properties panel on the right :
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- Format : allows you to change the resolution of your camera.
- Force RGBA : depending on your driver, the colour could be not correctly decoded. This option solve the problem.
- Keep hot : when you don't use the camera, this one will turn off. But turning it on again could take some time. The parameter ask the camera to be always be in standby.
Screen Capture
This interesting tool allows you to capture the window of another application.
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In this example, I capture the window of Firefox. To do it, you have to activate the "offscreen" option.
Please, give attention to the framerate option : it defines the rate "Screen Capture" is updated. If the rate is too slow, the updating could blink. But if it's too high you'll have resources issue.
Lastly, on macOS Catalina and higher, Millumin will ask you to authorize screen capture. If you ever clicked NO, you can re-authorize Millumin in macOS System Prefrences / Security & Privacy / Privacy / Screen Recording.
Slideshow
It allows you to display all the content of a folder.
More info
here.
Camera
Now, let's see how to retrieve the stream of a real camera. For this, you'll need to use a video capture card. You can find the list of all the compatible cards
here.
In this tutorial, we will not discuss the differences between all those different cards.
As example we will use the Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini Recorder.
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In this picture you can see a GoPro connected through HDMI to the Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini Recorder, connected through Thunderbolt to the macintosh and Millumin.
Now, you'll can find in the library a new media : the UltraStudio Mini Recorder
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As usual, you can use this media in your dashboard to get the video stream of your camera.
The Mini Recorder can handle many different video formats :
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By default, Millumin try to select the correct one. But if you want, you can change them in the properties panel.
Syphon
You may encounter a situation where you have to retrieve your video stream from another software, like TouchDesigner if you need real time animated content. To do so, Millumin supports the
Syphon technology. It allows a software to create a video stream that can be accessible by any other software that handle Syphon.
When a Syphon stream is detected by Millumin, it appears in the Library :
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You can use it as a media :
On the left, TouchDesigner generate a video stream, and on the right, Millumin get it and reproject it.
Note that some software allow you to transfer your Syphon through the network with TCP thanks to TCPSyphon. Millumin can also handle this kind of stream.
NDI
This is a new protocol created by
NewTek that does pretty much the same thing than Syphon, but through the network. The main advantages of NDI is that it is speeder than Syphon, and it is recommended by Panavision and Adobe. It should become a standard in the future.
You use it exactly the same way than Syphon. You find it in the library :
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And use it as a media in your dashboard. Here is an example with VDMX :
After Effects / Photoshop / Unity / Cinema4D
Millumin comes with plugins that can be activated from its Preferences/Addons.
To learn more, please follow these tutorials :
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for After Effects
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for Photoshop
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for Unity
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for Cinema4D
Millumin Help
