Loop Action is a new feature in Studio Artist 4. Running loop action causes the current preset to continuously run in a loop until the loop cycle is stopped by pressing the spacebar. You can select new presets while running loop action and the loop will automatically switch to live processing with the new selected preset at the beginning of the next loop cycle.

Loop action has a wide variety of uses, including live visual performance, live video processing, live video synthesis, live preview of dynamic time particle behavior, etc.

Loop action can be initiated by using the Action : Run Loop Action menu shown above. There’s also a menu keyboard shortcut (shift r) that can be used to start loop action.  Or you can hold down the shift key and click the Action button in the main operation toolbar as shown below. If you just run the current action then the associated operation only runs once. So an image processing preset would run once, or a paint preset would paint the number of paint strokes specified by it’s internal parameters and then stop. Running loop action means the operation will immediately start running again when it finishes. So an image processing preset would keep running over and over again until you stopped loop action by pressing the spacebar.

Now processing a source image over and over again with the same image processing effect is not going to be visually very exciting since the same effected output image will be placed into the canvas at the end of each loop cycle and the loop action will not appear to be doing anything. But if the source image is a live video feed or automatically indexing sequential frames in a movie file then the loop action will be live processing the video feed or the movie file.

Recursive processing of the canvas in loop action is very different than loop processing of a static source image. By recursive we mean the the output of a loop processing cycle is then used as the input for the next processing cycle. Using presets configured to work this way while running loop action opens up a whole new world of live video synthesis visual effects.

Working with Different Presets in Loop Action You can work with multiple presets while running loop action without breaking the loop action cycle. If you select a new preset while running loop action that new selected preset will take over the loop processing at the beginning of the next loop action cycle. If the preset is a paint preset then the switch to the new preset will take place at the beginning of the next paint stroke. You are not restricted to stay within a specific operation mode when switching presets while running loop action, so you could switch from a paint preset to an image processing preset and the real time loop action processing will adjust accordingly.

The preset favorites toolbar is a useful tool when switching between different presets while running loop action. In a live visual performance situation you could configure custom favorites categories containing different presets that work together to build a particular visual effect. You could then switch between them while running loop action by just clicking the appropriate preset icons at the appropriate times to modify the loop processing and associated visual effect taking place.

For example, you could start off by running a looping preset that builds up paint and then switch to a different image processing preset that dissipates the visual image as a part of a creative design process to build a dynamic visual effect.

Command keys can be used to load favorites presets in the toolbar as an alternative to clicking on a preset icon in the toolbar. Command F1-F6 will load the first 6 preset icons in the current bank. Command option F1-F6 act as bank shifts. A bank is a set of 6 presets. The F1 bank would be presets 1 through 6, the F2 bank would be presets 7 through 12, etc. These command keys can be especially useful when working with live visual performance using loop action since the Favorites Toolbar might be hidden from view when using full screen display mode during a video projected live performance.

Live Editing Presets in Loop Action

Loop action can be very useful for live editing of a paint synthesizer preset. For example, consider a paint preset that uses time particles. Editing the paint synthesizer parameters in the two time particle control panels will influence the dynamic movement properties of the time particles.  But conceptualizing those parameter edits can be very hard. However, if the paint preset is running live in loop action then you can observe the dynamic time particle movement behavior change in real time as you edit the associated parameter controls.

Loop action can also be useful for editing static image processing effects. You can startup loop action and then watch the live processing effect change as you interactively adjust it’s associated parameter option in the Editor palette.

Source Settings for Loop Action There are a number of different File : Source Settings menu options that are useful when working with loop action.

Turning on the Movie Loop Action Advance menu flag means that a loaded source movie will frame advance one frame at the beginning of each loop action cycle. If the Movie Loop Play menu flag is turned on then the source movie will loop when frame advancing with loop action cycles.

Turning on the Live Video Loop Action Advance menu flag means that a live video frame capture will take place in the source area at the beginning of each loop action cycle.

Movie Stream Output and Loop Action

Movie streams are a useful Studio Artist feature that can be used in conjunction with loop action processing. You can configure the movie stream output using the appropriate File Movie Stream :Flags menu flags so that a single frame will be recording into an open movie stream at the end of each loop action cycle ( Enable Write on Op End ). Or you can automatically stream frames based on an AutoWrite timer ( Enable AutoWrite options).

Depending on what kind of processing you are doing while running loop action and how computationally intensive it is you may find that the frame rate for a live video processing cycle is slower than what you would optimally desire. But if the end goal is to create a movie stream of the live processing that will be played back later you can overcome the initial slow live processing cycle times. This is because the finished movie stream playback rate is really independent of the actual loop action cycle time that was occurring when you initially recorded the movie stream of your live processing.

For example, assume whatever you are running in loop action is taking a second to run when processing a live captured video image in loop action. The playback rate of your recording movie stream will be determined by the FPS (frames per second) setting you specified in the File : Movie Codec Settings dialog. So even though each frame is taking a second to generate when you are creating the movie stream you can set it up so that it will playback at any frame rate you desire (say 30 frames per second).

Full Screen Display

The Window : Show FullScreen menu toggles full screen display on or off. There is a command 0 menu hotkey for this menu command for ease of access when working.

There are some FullScreen Preference options that can be configured to customize what happens when Studio Artist drops into FullScreen display view. How you configure these options for live visual performance will depend on your particular computer and display(s) setup. Typically you would want to hide control palettes and toolbars when projecting the working canvas during a visual performance. But if you have a second display monitor for your floating control palettes you might not want them to hide when dropping into full screen display mode. If you are using something like an Edirol video mixer you might want to force a black background as opposed to the normal gray Studio Artist background. And you may want the cursor to vanish (or not). All of these different options can be chosen from the Full Screen Display and Cursor preferences.

Favorites Preset Toolbar

The Favorites Preset Toolbar provides an easy way to access sets of custom presets. You can mix and match preset types in a favorites category, so you could for example include paint, image processing, and MSG presets in one favorites category. Working with the favorites preset icons provides a quick and easy way to change presets on the fly when working in a live visual performance situation.

The arrow icon popup at the left side of the Favorites Toolbar can be used to change the current favorites category. The individual icons to the right of the arrow icon popup are the specific presets in the current favorites category. Clicking on one of these icons will load that particular preset.

Command keys can be used to load favorites presets in the toolbar as an alternative to clicking on a preset icon in the toolbar. Command F1-F6 will load the first 6 preset icons in the current bank. Command option F1-F6 act as bank shifts.  A bank is a set of 6 presets. The F1 bank would be presets 1 through 6, the F2 bank would be presets 7 through 12, etc. These command keys can be especially useful when working with live visual performance using loop action since the Favorites Toolbar might be hidden from view when using full screen display mode during a video projected live performance.

PASeq Action Steps

A Paint Action Sequence can also be used as a flexible container to store various operation presets for quick access on the fly in a live performance situation in a controlled fashion. Record the various presets you are interested in accessing as individual action steps. Take the time to individually give them custom names so its clear what each one is and what it does.

Under the main Action : paint Action Sequence menu are 2 menu commands with associated menu hotkeys that will Move Forward (or Backward) to the next PASeq action step and load the interface with the contents of the action step.

Loop Action

Loop Action is a new feature in version 4. When loop action is turned on using the Action : Run Loop Action menu command the current Studio Artist operation is run repeatably until loop action is stopped by pressing the space bar. You can import new presets when loop action is running and they will seamlessly be executed when the loop cycles. Using the favorites Preset Toolbar is a great way to quickly move between different presets when in loop action.

You can interactively adjust parameters in the Editor on the fly while running loop action to change the visual appearance and behavior of the looping action. So you could change parameters in the paint synthesizer to change the  visual appearance of live painting, or adjust MSG parameters interactively to change the appearance of a MSG visual effect.

You can also setup recursive loops by feeding the canvas as the source for the particular image operation or MSG preset you may be running. This is a way to generate live visual feedback effects.

Dual Mode

Dual Mode is a new interactive paint operation in version 4. Dual Mode allows you to build presets that will run a second processing effect in real time while you paint. This includes interactive painting as well as manual hand painting. The second processing operation could be any of the image processing effects, the texture synthesizer, a MSG preset, or an interactive warp effect. Dual Mode can be configured to simulate things like painting on a wet canvas. But it can also be used as a wild visual performance tool.

Dual Mode presets allow for a unique method of interactive control using Wacom pen proximity. The Wacom tablet can sense when a pen is when proximity (hovering above but not touching the tablet). There is a new Path Start Generator in the Paint Synthesizer called Pen Position Live Track that can be used with loop action or dual mode in live performance situations. This path start generator will track the current pen location (pen down or hovering) and provides a way to dynamically control the positioning of automatic painting with the pen. If you pull the pen away from the tablet and out of proximity then the path start generator will stick at the last in proximity pen position.

You can also use pen orientation and tilt modulators in the paint synthesizer to dynamically modulate paint parameters while the pen is hovering in proximity.

Live Interaction TG Modulation

There are also several new Temporal Generator (TG) options available for MSG processor parameter modulation that sense pen positioning and proximity. The Pen Horz and Vert Position TG modulators sense the % horizontal and vertical position of the pen on the canvas (0 to 100 %) and modulate the associated MSG parameter accordingly. The Pen Proximity TG modulator returns 0 or 100% based on whether the pen is out or in proximity. Keep in mind that 0 to 100% modulation will sweep the parameter being modulated from the TG min to max setting, which are also user adjustable in the Parameter editor located on the right side of the MSG Advanced Editor.

There are also interactive TG modulators associated with pen pressure, tilt, tilt orientation, or rotation. Pen pressure modulation will only work when the pen tip is down on the tablet, but the other pen modulators can be used when the pen is hovering above the tablet in proximity.

All of these different pen proximity and position modulators can be used in many different artistic ways in Dual Mode or loop action presets that will give you a lot of control over the visual appearance of dual mode painting.

Paint Synth Live Pen Tracking 

There are 2 different Pen Position Live Track path start generator options in the paint synthesizer.  

These are designed to provide you more live performance options and would typically be used with the paint synthesizer in loop action mode. You can start a paint preset running in loop action, and when you bring the wacom pen into tablet proximity the path start location will track the pen as it hovers above the tablet.  

This lets you interactively define where action painting is occurring, and opens up new possibilities for the use of action painting as an interactive live performance tool.

The Pen Position Live Track MP path start generator allows you to specify multiple path start locations using the pen while hovering in proximity. If the shit modifier key is pressed when the pen comes into proximity then a new live track point is added to the path start generator. If the shift modifier key is not pressed then the next multi tracking point will track the pen location. This feature allows you to interactively specify multiple path start locations and move them around in real time while action painting is running.

There are also 2 new Pen Track options for paint synthesizer Time Particles.

The Pen Track On-All option will cause all of the time particles to be attracted to the pen when it is floating above the tablet in proximity during loop action painting with time particles. By setting the Attract Force negative you can repulse the particles from the current pen position.

The On-MP Pen Track option works like the Live Track MP path start option described above. Every time the pen comes into proximity the next time particle in the queue will individually track the current hovering pen position until it leaves proximity.

Live Video Capture and Processing

Version 4 has a number of live video capture features. Live video can be captured from a built in iSight camera if your computer contains one. Or you can use any firewire or usb camera or web cam that comes with a Quicktime driver.

You can set the canvas current layer to a live video frame capture by running the Canvas : Default Color : Live Video Capture menu command.

There are several different menu commands and options for capturing live video to the source area. They are located in the File : Source Settings menu as shown below.

Running the Live Video Capture Now menu command will immediately capture a live video frame to the source area.

Setting the Live Video Preview Manual Capture menu flag will start a live video preview in the source area. When you click on the preview image in the source area then a frame from the live video stream will be captured and the live video preview will stop. If you click on the source image again then the live video preview will start up again.

You can also capture live video at the start of each loop action cycle.  To do this turn on the Live Video Loop Action Advance menu flag. Each time a new loop action cycle starts a live video frame will be captured to the source area. If you are running DualMode Paint presets a live video frame is captured each dual mode cycle when this menu flag is on. If you are running a PASeq animation then a live video fame will be captured for each frame cycle of the PASeq animation.

Using the loop action live video capture while running an image processing effect in loop action is the way to process live video with the image processing effect. The actual frame rate of the processed output is a function of how computationally intense the image processing effect you are running is.

However, you can setup an open movie stream that records a frame for each loop action cycle by turning on the Enable Write on Op End Movie Stream menu flag. The generated movie will playback at whatever fps rate you had specified in your movie preferences. So your generated movie file of the live video processing can play back at full 30 fps rates if you want it to even if the actual processing time for a video processing cycle is slower.

Movie Streams provide an alternative to the Action generate movie command menus for generating movie files. They are a little more difficult to use than the batch processing oriented Action menu commands, but also give you more flexibility over how individual movie frames are generated. An Image Stream is essentially the same as a movie stream, except the individual frames of the generated movie are output as individual numbered frame images into a folder. You can think of a Steam as an open movie file that frame images can be written to either manually or at specific times you specify.

To open a new movie or image stream use the appropriate File : Stream menu as shown above. The other stream menu options will be grayed out until you have a stream open. The Write Frame menu lets you manually write the current canvas view as a new frame in the open stream. The Flags menu options let you turn on automatic frame writing for different situations.

AutoWrite is an option that when turned on will automatically write frames based on a timer. You can set how often frames are written out when AutoWrite is enabled in the Movie Preferences. The screen snap of the movie preference dialog below shows that AutoWrite is setup to write frames at 15 frames per second when AutoWrite is enabled.

Enable Always AutoWrite will start writing frames immediately as soon as it’s turned on and will continue to do so whether you are doing anything in Studio Artist or not until it is turned off.

Enable Gated AutoWrite will only write out frames when you are doing something (like painting manually or automatically, or after a processing operation like an image operation is complete). The Gated AutoWrite option is useful because otherwise you may generate movie files with extended periods of inactivity.

Enable Write on Op End will automatically write out a frame whenever an operation (manual or automatic) in Studio Artist is completed. So if you had draw a paint stroke for example, you would get one frame written out when the stroke was finished drawing. The difference between this and AutoWrite is that AutoWrite could write out frame continuously as you did the drawing so the resulting movie would see the stroke being drawn as opposed to just popping into a new frame fully drawn.

Enable Write on PASeq Cycle will automatically write out a frame at the end of a complete Paint Action Sequence (PASeq) cycle (when the PASeq has finished all of it’s steps).

Enable Write on Gallery Show Cycle will automatically write out a frame at the end of a complete Gallery Show performance cycle. For more information on the new gallery show feature check out this tip.

When you are finished writing frames into your open movie stream you need to close it before you can view the generated Quicktime Movie File. Depending on your Movie Preference settings the finished movie file may open in the Quicktime Player for viewing when the open movie stream is closed if that preference option is turned on,

Generated Movie Timing

The actual playback rate of the generated Movie Stream is whatever you have specified in the File : Movie Codec Settings dialog. So if you have the Movie Codec Settings configured to generate a 10 fps movie then the generated movie stream will play back at 10 frames a second.

Be aware that the AutoWrite FPS preference setting is the timing for how often frames are written out in real time. Not the playback rate for the generated movie file. So if you AutoWrite frames at 20 frames a second and have setup the Movie Codec Settings to generate a movie that plays back at 10 frame per second, then the screen drawing you captured in the movie stream will appear to playback at half speed.

Loop Action

Loop Action is a new feature in version 4. When loop action is turned on using the Action : Run Loop Action menu command the current Studio Artist operation is run repeatably until loop action is stopped by pressing the space bar. You can import new presets when loop action is running and they will seamlessly be executed when the loop cycles. Using the favorites Preset Toolbar is a great way to quickly move between different presets when in loop action.

If you have an open movie stream and the Stream: Enable Write on Op End menu flag turned on then at the end of each loop in a loop action cycle a frame image will be written out into the open movie stream. There are also menu options under File : Source Settings that can be turned on to enable the source movie to frame advance while loop action is running.

The combination of loop action and movie streams provides a great way to use Studio Artist like a live video synthesizer where you can dynamically edit parameters in real time and see the effect on the continuously generated screen imagery while recording this generated imagery into a  movie file.  Using AutoWrite will record frames in real time. Using Enable on Op End will record frames after they are fully generated, and may be more effective if the operations you are running are slow.

This is because the final timing of the generated movie stream is a function of the FPS setting in the File : Movie Codec Settings dialog. The AutoWrite rate is just the rate the frames are written out at, it does not specify a playback rate for the generated movie file. The perceived rate of motion events occurring in a movie stream is a function of the interaction between the AutoWrite frame dump rate and the FPS playback rate of the generated movie file.