The Source Compositor view is the Studio workspace for arranging your source video and one or more telemetry templates together before previewing or exporting a video.
Open the Source Compositor view
- Open a clip and template in the Template Editor.
- Confirm that the original source video is linked. If you loaded saved telemetry, use "Select Source Video" to choose the matching original clip.
- Select "Composite Mode" or press M.
The Source Compositor opens with the source video behind the current template. Select "Template Editor Mode" or press M to return to the Template Editor.
If "Composite Mode" is unavailable, the Studio may still be loading the source video, the original source video file may be missing, or you've chosen a 360 video as the source video.
Source Compositor layout
| Area | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Top toolbar | Returns to Template Editor, opens shared history and shortcut actions, resets Studio, or starts the Source Composite export. |
| Left control panel | Sets the output canvas, positions the source and template overlays, chooses the export range, and holds video quality controls. |
| Canvas | Previews the source video and telemetry templates together. Select and drag the source or an unlocked template directly on the canvas. |
| Bottom bar | Shows Studio status, preview zoom, playback, and the Source Composite in point, out point, and playhead. |
Top toolbar buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Template Editor Mode" | Returns to the Template Editor without clearing the Source Composite arrangement. |
| "Template" | Opens shared actions for undo, redo, saving the template stack, and keyboard shortcuts. |
| "Reset" | Clears the loaded source and open workspaces and returns Studio to startup. Studio asks you to resolve unsaved work before resetting. |
| "Export" | Starts the Source Composite video export with the selected range, canvas, and video settings. |
"New" and "Resize" remain visible but are unavailable in the Source Compositor. Return to "Template Editor Mode" to create a template or resize its canvas.
Inside the "Template" menu:
- "Save As New" saves the current template stack as a reusable custom template.
- "Undo" reverses the last Source Compositor change.
- "Redo" restores the most recently undone Source Compositor change.
- "Show Keyboard Shortcuts" opens the Studio shortcut reference.
- "Save" and "Save Frame" are unavailable in this view.
If template file tools are enabled for your beta access, "Export Template" and "Import Template" also remain available for the active template. If Studio shows a browser compatibility warning, "More Info" explains the limitation and the recommended browser options.
Canvas buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Custom Size" or "Edit Custom Size" | Opens the width and height controls for a canvas size that isn't listed in "Canvas". |
| "Hide Bounds" or "Show Bounds" | Hides or shows the selection outlines around the source video and template overlays. |
| "Save As Template" | Saves the current template stack as a reusable custom template. The saved template does not include the source video. |
Source buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Lock Source" or "Unlock Source" | Prevents or allows changes to the source video's position, scale, rotation, and fit. |
| "Cover" | Fills the canvas with the source video. Some video may extend past the canvas edges. |
| "Contain" | Fits the complete source video inside the canvas. Empty canvas space can remain. |
| "0", "90", "180", and "270" | Rotates the source video to the selected orientation. |
Use the "X", "Y", and "Scale" controls for precise placement. "Align source" provides centering actions for the complete canvas or for points and rectangles you choose on the canvas.
Template buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Lock Template" or "Unlock Template" | Prevents or allows changes to the selected template overlay's position and scale. |
| "Duplicate" | Creates another copy of the selected template overlay. |
| "Add Template" | Opens the template picker so you can add another overlay. |
| "Edit Template" | Opens the selected overlay in a linked Template Editor tab. Changes made there remain connected to this Source Composite workspace. |
| "Remove Template" | Removes a selected added template from the Source Composite. It does not delete the saved template from your account. |
Choose an overlay from "Template", then use its "X", "Y", "Scale", and "Align template" controls for precise placement.
Range and video settings
- "Rebuild data graphics from range" makes range-based and cumulative graphics use only the selected in-to-out segment.
- "Compatibility" reports whether the browser can read the source, encode the selected settings, save the result, and continue while the tab is visible.
- "Codec" and "Target Mbps" set the main video encoding choices.
- "Advanced encoding options" reveals the profile, rate control, encoding priority, hardware preference, keyframe interval, and source timecode controls.
- "Resize sampling" controls how scaled video and overlays appear in preview and export.
- The "Reset" button at the bottom of the control panel restores the source and template positions, scales, and source rotation. It doesn't return Studio to startup.
For help choosing the video settings, see Video Codecs and Quality Settings.
Canvas right-click actions
Right-click the source video to open "Lock Source" or "Unlock Source", "Center Source", "Center Horizontally", "Center Vertically", "Fit Cover", "Fit Contain", "Add Template", and "Paste".
Right-click a template overlay to open:
- "Lock" or "Unlock", "Copy", "Paste", and "Duplicate".
- "Send forward", "Send backward", "Send to back", and "Bring to front".
- "Center Selection", "Center Horizontally", and "Center Vertically".
- "Align left", "Align horizontal centers", "Align right", "Align top", "Align vertical centers", and "Align bottom" when multiple overlays are selected.
- "Distribute horizontally" and "Distribute vertically" when 3 or more unlocked overlays are selected.
- "Remove" for an added template overlay.
If several templates overlap under the pointer, the "Select template" list lets you choose the intended overlay.
Timeline buttons and handles
- "Play composite preview" and "Pause composite preview" start or stop playback.
- Drag the "In point" and "Out point" handles to set the export range.
- Drag the "Playhead" to preview a specific moment.
- "Zoom" changes only the size of the on-screen preview.
See How to Use Preview Playback and the Timeline for keyboard controls and range behavior. When you're ready to render, follow How to Export a Source Composite Video.