Download and Position Visual Timecode

Intro

In Liquid Cinema a number of authoring events like Forced Perspectives and Projection Switches in Liquid Cinema need to be frame accurate during playback in order to work. In order to ensure that all events in Liquid Cinema are 100% accurate, it is necessary to lay down a visual timecode layer in your master video. This visual data ensures that any player on any device, codec or platform is able to determine the current frame being projected with 100% accuracy.

There are two easy steps involved in inserting Visual Timecode into your 360 video project:

1. Download the appropriate Visual Time Code that matches the frame rate of your project.

2. Import and position the Visual Timecode Layer on top of your 360 video composition in your video or fx programme.

Step 1: Download the Visual Time Code Layer

Click one of the links below to download the Visual Timecode Layer that matches the projection mode, resolution and frame rate of your 360 video composition.

MONOSCOPIC

4096 x 2048	2896 x 1448	3172 x 1586
23.976 FPS 24 FPS 25 FPS 29.97 FPS 30 FPS	59.94 FPS 60 FPS	50 FPS

4096 x 2048

2896 x 1448

3172 x 1586

STEREOSCOPIC

2048 x 2048	2240 x 2240	2896 x 2896	3072 x 3072
59.94 FPS 60 FPS	50 FPS	29.97 FPS 30 FPS	23.976 FPS 24 FPS 25 FPS

2048 x 2048

2240 x 2240

2896 x 2896

3072 x 3072

The downloaded layer is a MOV file containing a png animation of a binary timecode made up of white and black blocks over a transparent background.

Visual Timecode

Make sure your visual timecode resolution and framerate matches your 360 video composition. Do not stretch or transform the visual timecode.

Once you have applied the visual timecode layer to your master you can use it to output videos with different resolutions. The visual timecode will scale accordingly and remain readable by the players.

Step 2: Position the Visual Timecode Layer

1. After importing, the Visual Timecode Layer into your 360 video composition, set the layer as the top video layer over everything else in your composition.

When the layer is properly aligned the first leftmost timecode block should be 9 pixels from the left edge and the top of the block should be touching the top edge of the composition. The placement has to be pixel perfect for the players to be able to read the visual timecode.

This is what the timecode looks like over the video (full frame).*

*Actual Visual Timecode colours might differ

Visual Timecode Duration

Make sure that your Visual Timecode Layer goes all the way to the end of your composition. If the duration of your project is longer than the duration of the Visual Timecode you downloaded on this site Contact Us.

My 360 video composition has a different framerate or is not in a 3840×1920 resolution. What do I do now?

Contact Us and let us know what you need.
Do I need Visual Timecode during authoring?

The Liquid Cinema Authoring Tool is frame accurate. You do not need to insert Visual Time Code in your video to be able to author and preview it in a frame accurate manner in the authoring tool.

However, if you want to play back your project in a frame accurate manner on the end user platforms, you will achieve the best results if your master video is stripped with Visual Time Code.
Do I need to have Visual Timecode in flat video?

You do not need to insert Visual Timecode into flat film videos unless you need some events to be 100% frame accurate. Most events like fades, subtitles, titles are quite forgiving if the slip a couple of frames.

But if you are using a graphic that needs to be placed in relationship to your flat video with 100% accuracy to achieve a visual effect it is advised to stripe your flat film with Visual Timecode as well.
What happens if I don’t insert Visual Timecode in my video

You don’t need to insert Visual Timecode in order to playback your Liquid Cinema projects in a frame-accurate manner. If Liquid Cinema’s players do not detect a visual timecode the players will use a fallback method to make sure that critical frame accurate events like Forced Perspectives and Projection Switches are executed in a frame-accurate manner. This method, however, does introduce a visual artifact in the form of a short freeze frame that the discerning eye can detect.
Will the Visual Timecode be visible on regular video players?

Yes, it will. If you upload a video with Visual Timecode to YouTube, Vimeo or Facebook, you will see tiny visual artifacts in the zenith. In that case, it would be advisable to output a version of your video without Visual Timecode.