Questions & Answers

Please also see the Technical Information and Troubleshooting sections for more information.

  • Q: How do I create a picture-in-picture overlay or a split-screen view?

    • A: The Template Menu has several options for creating this type of project.

      Alternatively, you can use the Main screen to add the input video or image files to your project. The first one will automatically be assigned to the full screen position, and the subsequent media files will be set to different picture-in-picture positions on top of it. If you double-click the display object, the Display Object Properties box will appear and provide you with a list of available Styles to use, as well as allow you to manually configure the size and position. For any display objects that do not take up the entire screen size, you can also click & drag them in the preview window to move them around.

      After you have added multiple input files to your project and made them visible in the preview window, the Synchronization Tool can be used to synchronize input files that started recording at different times. It also has an "Offset Within Project" option to accomodate media sources that don't start playback until later into the project.

  • Q: How do I dynamically switch between cameras?

    • A:
      • 1) Bring all video inputs into your project and follow the instructions for creating and synchronizing a picture-in-picture or split-screen view, and then configure the Display Objects in your project to represent your desired initial view layout.
      • 2) Select the Display Object that you want to switch to a different camera, click the "Setup" button to open its Display Object Properties box, and then click the "Add" button near the top right to create a new timeline segment. When prompted, enter the time index within the project when you want this change to take place.
      • 3) Now that the new timeline segment is created, simply change the Input selection to the other camera's input file. Any changes made when this timeline segment is selected will be applied at the start of this segment, and will continue into any following segments until they make changes of their own.
      • 4) Repeat Step 3 as desired to swithc to other cameras at times of your choosing.

      Additional segments can be created with other input file selections or other changes. Timeline segments can also be displayed, created, and edited by using the Timeline View.

  • Q: How do I add text titles and captions?

    • A: Create a new Text Display Object, and configure it to your liking (set the text, font, size, position, etc.). At this point, it will simply be displayed for your entire project. To show, hide, or otherwise change it at specific times, you will need to use the timeline functionality...

      First, we will set the time at which this text object will first appear: Open its Display Object Properties box by double-clicking it or selecting it in the Display Objects list and clicking "Setup". Find where it says "Time:" at the top left of this box and click on that text label. This will bring up a menu that lets you enter the time in the project at which this text object will first appear. It should now only appear in the project once the video has reached this object's starting time.

      Now we just need to tell it when to disappear: In the object's properties box, click on the "Add" button that's to the right. Enter the time in the project when you want this text object to disappear. After that, simply change the "Active" setting to make it disappear for the remainder of the project. What you have done is create a timeline segment for the text object, which allows you to configure it differently at different times in the project. In this case, you've just configured it to no longer be active once this new timeline segment begins.

      You could also use the Timeline View, find your text object there, and right-click on it... Use the "Edit" function to set the starting time for it to appear, then use the "Add" function to create a new segment when you want it to disappear. You would then still need to use its Display Object Properties box to change the "Active" setting while the ending timeline segment is selected.

      In either case, if you don't want your text to simply disappear, then instead of changing the "Active" setting, you could opt to change the text or other parameters. That will take effect at the starting time of the segment that is selected when you make the changes. You can then add additional segments if you wish to make more changes.

  • Q: How do I set picture or audio adjustment options?

    • A: Once you have the input media file added to your project, select it in the Input Files list on the Main screen, and then either double-click it or click the Config button. This will open the Input File Configuration screen.

      There are additional options, such as transparency effects and audio adjustments, available on the Display Object Properties box for display objects associated with this input file.

  • Q: How do I adjust for a camera mounted upside-down?

    • A: Once you have the input media file added to your project, select it in the Input Files list on the Main screen, and then either double-click it or click the Config button. This will open the Input File Configuration screen, where you can either set the Flip Image option to "Both", or set the Rotation option to 180 degrees. A rotation setting of exactly 180 degrees will invoke the mirroring/flipping feature, which will render faster and with better quality than other rotation angles.

  • Q: How do I set the length of the project?

    • A: The project will normally end when all input files have stopped playing. To make it end at a specific time, simply click on the project length display on the Main screen, or edit the Project Settings. The Create Video File screen also has an option to render only a specified segment of the project.

  • Q: How do I add a data overlay?

  • Q: How do I use multiple data files?

  • Q: How do I display time of day?

    • A: Click the "Add" button under the "Display Objects" section, set the "Input File" selection at the top to the desired input, click on the "Timer" display type, set the "Field" selection at the top to the time data channel, and then click on the "Timer - Hours" display style.

      This will add the time display to your project. Depending on the data file type, this could either display the real time of day, or a relative time, or something else. The timezone may also vary, depending on the input file data.

  • Q: How do I reload an input file?

    • A: In order to update RaceRender with changes made to a file that it is currently using, you can double-click on the file in the Input Files list, then click "Change File Selection", select the same file, and then click "OK" to return to the main screen. This will cause it to reload the file from disk, especially in the case of datalogger files.

  • Q: Can RaceRender be used for regular video editing? (Sequential Video Editing)

    • A: Yes, although RaceRender was designed for the purpose of processing concurrent video, audio, and data sources, it also has the capability to work as a sequential video editor. Video clips can be connected together, rearranged, and trimmed by using the Input File Join functionality on the Main screen.

  • Q: Which input file formats work best with RaceRender?

    • A: MPEG-4 / H.264 format is generally recommended, and it should be QuickTime®-compatible. Please see the List of Supported Input Formats for a complete list. Keep in mind that although several high-definition video formats are supported, they have significantly higher system hardware requirements than regular DVD-quality video (480p).

      Note: There have been some performance issues observed in many multimedia applications, including RaceRender, when using video files that were encoded abnormally and/or with very high bitrates. Although RaceRender has shown that it can often handle this, there is still a performance impact, so you may find it beneficial to re-encode such media files in a more conventional manner before using them with RaceRender or other video software.

      AVI note: If you are using Audio Video Interleave (AVI) files, it is recommended that you use files encoded with well-known video codecs, such as Xvid or DivX, and PCM or ADPCM encoding for the audio. Windows users will need to have the codecs installed on the system, and for them to be compatible with VfW (Video for Windows), DirectShow, and/or Media Foundation. Although AVI was once a very widely used and compatible format, it is now very old and has become difficult and inefficient to fully support, due to several different format variations and improperly supported codecs in use.

  • Q: Is QuickTime Required? Should I Install It? (Windows version)

    • QuickTime is not required for RaceRender to run, but it can be very useful for supporting various media types, especially on Windows 7 and prior. Having Apple's QuickTime Player installed on your system will make its media decoding library available to RaceRender and other QuickTime-enabled applications.

      Decoding MPEG-4, H.264, and certain other media types requires QuickTime to be installed on versions of Windows prior to Windows 7, and may still be needed in some cases on Windows 7. QuickTime may also be needed for certain image or other media types.

  • Q: Will RaceRender work with other versions of Microsoft Windows?

    • A: Probably, if it's a Windows Server version that's equivalent to one of the currently supported Windows versions listed in the System Requirements, and has the .NET framework installed. Older versions of Windows, back to Windows XP SP3 may also work (if .NET 4.0 is installed), however those are no longer officially supported, and any compatibility is provided as-is and may change at any time.

  • Q: Will RaceRender work on a Netbook / Palmtop / Tablet?

    • A: It will probably run if it uses a supported operating system, but if it does not meet full the System Requirements, then it may lack sufficient screen space and/or have other issues. Some newer netbooks provide a 720p or better screen that should work with RaceRender. However, the 1024x600 screen size of many other netbook models may not be tall enough for all views in RaceRender. This can be somewhat improved by setting your Windows Task Bar to "Auto Hide" mode and/or moving it to the side of the screen, rather than at the bottom or top. There may also be third-party solutions that allow you to simulate a larger screen.

  • Q: What do those loading statuses on the startup screen mean?

    • A: The sequence and their meanings are as follows:

      • Powering Up - Generating system font list
      • Ignition On - Verifying data
      • Crossing Fingers - Preparing to start main program
      • Starter - Starting program core   (it's normal for this step to take the longest)
      • Clunk! - Creating initial environment
      • Pop! - Loading saved settings
      • Bang! - Checking for program updates
      • Calling Tow Truck - Recovery of previous session that crashed   (when applicable)
      • Proceeding to Grid - Loading project template menu   (when applicable)
      • Gathering Data - Loading project file   (when applicable)
      • Approaching Start - Final steps before showing user interface