Video Items

These items display video from a camera or video input device.

Because most cameras or video input devices allow only one video channel to be opened at a time, only one video item actually 'owns' the video channel. EvoCam allows a video channel to be used in several windows (or even several times in the same window) through the use of video item 'aliases'. When you duplicate a video item (either by copying/pasting it or by dragging it to another window) you are simply creating an alias to the original video item. If you delete the original video item, or the window containing the original video item is discarded, EvoCam will automatically reassign ownership of the video channel to one of the item's aliases. Also, if you open a settings file containing an original video item whose video channel is already in use by another video item, it will automatically be converted into an alias to that video item.

Video item aliases redisplay video already captured by the original video item. For this reason, a video item alias may appear pixelated if its display size is larger than its original video item's source size.

Working with video items:

¥ To create a video item, click the 'New Item' button in the 'Items' tab and choose 'Video' from the popup menu, or choose 'New Video' from the Items menu. The next available camera or video input device will be selected automatically. If there are no more cameras or video input devices available, an alias to the first real video item will be created.

¥ To adjust video input settings such as brightness and contrast, or to choose another video source, double-click the video item, or select the video item and click the 'Video Input' button.

¥ To resize the video item, move the cursor over the video item's lower-right corner and drag the grow box which appears.

¥ To rotate the video item, move the cursor over the video item's lower-right corner, hold down the Command key, and drag the rotate box which appears. To rotate the video item in 15° steps, hold down the Shift key while rotating the video item.

¥ To skew the video item, move the cursor over the video item's lower-right corner, hold down the Option key, and drag the skew box which appears in the direction you want to skew the video item. To skew the video item in steps, hold down the Shift key while skewing the video item.

¥ To specify the size at which video is captured, click the 'Set' button next to the source size. To always use the same source size as the item's display size, use the 'Use optimal source size' checkbox.

¥ To automatically size the video item to fill the canvas, choose 'Use Canvas Size' from the 'Items' menu.

¥ To flip the video image horizontally, use the 'Flip Horizontally' checkbox.

¥ To flip the video image vertically, use the 'Flip Vertically' checkbox.


¥ To specify the translucency of the video item, use the 'Fade' slider.

Working with video item aliases:

¥ To create a video item alias, duplicate an existing video item.

¥ To find the original video item for an alias, select the item and choose 'Alias -> Find Original' from the 'Items' menu. The original item will be selected and its window will be made frontmost if necessary.

¥ To make an alias the original video item, select the item and choose 'Alias -> Make Original' from the 'Items' menu. Ownership of the video channel will be transferred to the selected item, and the original item will become an alias to the selected item.