Output to a projector
SynapseRack’s main window is a control screen. What you put on the projector is a separate window that takes only the picture of the master output out of it.
There are three exits.
| Exit | When it suits |
|---|---|
| The output window (bundled) | The easiest by far. Getting to a projector with SynapseRack alone |
| Detaching a window (F10) | When you want another monitoring screen at hand on a second monitor |
| Spout / Syphon / NDI | When handing it to other software such as Resolume, MadMapper or OBS |
Whichever you use, what appears is only the master output with every layer composited. The menu bar and the node editor do not appear.
First, decide the resolution
Open Setting → GlobalSettings in the menu bar and choose Output on the left.
Enter numbers in Width / Height under Resolution and press Apply below to confirm. The
default is 1920 × 1080.
This resolution is saved in the project. The other items in the Settings dialog (language, OSC, MIDI and so on) are per-PC settings, but the output resolution alone is saved together with the
.synapse, so reopening the project brings the same resolution back.
Pressing Apply rebuilds the master output and every layer at the new resolution together. The Preview’s aspect ratio follows on the spot.
Method 1: Bring up the output window (bundled)
Output → Create Output Window in the menu bar.
A dedicated window that shows only the master output comes up separately. Its contents are a single picture, with no frame and no controls. The aspect ratio is preserved, so the picture does not distort even when the shape of the window does not match the output resolution.
Drag this window onto the projector’s screen and then make it fullscreen.
| OS | How to go fullscreen |
|---|---|
| Windows | Alt + Enter with the output window selected |
| macOS | The green button at the left of the title bar (the standard fullscreen) |
Going fullscreen fills that display’s resolution. The initial size is 1920 × 1080, and you can also resize it by hand.
The output window keeps drawing while you are operating the main window. The output window is built with a setting that does not stop it when it goes behind, so the picture on the projector keeps flowing while you build nodes or work in the MediaBrowser in the main window.
The output window merely receives the master output from the main app and displays it. The hand-off uses Spout (Windows) / Syphon (macOS). In other words, what you see in the output window is the same thing other software can receive under “handing it to other software” below.
Method 2: Detach a window and put it on a second screen (F10)
SynapseRack’s windows can be taken outside the main window as OS windows.
- Click the window you want to take out
- Press F10
The target is “the window you clicked last”. There is no visible mark, so the reliable way is to click that window once just before pressing F10.
The window becomes an OS window and can be moved freely across monitors. To bring it back, close that window (it returns to its original position inside the main window).
Detach the Preview window and put it on a second screen and you can check the master output large, right in front of you.
There is no feature for making a detached window fullscreen. If you are using it as the actual output surface, use the output window from Method 1. The Preview leaves margins and a frame around the video, so it does not suit going directly to a projector.
Keeping it in front
A detached window can be set to “always on top”.
| OS | Action |
|---|---|
| Windows | Right-click the title bar (or Alt + Space) → Always on Top |
| macOS | The 📌 button at the right of the title bar |
Detaching is saved in the project
Which windows you had detached, where each one was placed and at what size, and whether it was
always on top, are saved together with the .synapse.
Open the same project again and it is restored detached in the same arrangement.
Opening a different project first returns all detached windows to the main window. Only the detach information held by the project you loaded is then reproduced. Windows from the previous session never linger.
Method 3: Hand it to other software (Spout / Syphon / NDI)
For as long as it is running, SynapseRack broadcasts its master output within the same PC.
| OS | Standard | Send name |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Spout | SynapseRackMain |
| macOS | Syphon | SynapseRackMain |
Select SynapseRackMain on the receiving side in Resolume Arena, MadMapper, OBS and the like, and
the master output arrives as it is.
When you want to do the warping and masking for projection mapping in other software, this route is
the reliable one.
This send name cannot be changed. There is no on/off either. It is always out there, so all you do is select it on the receiving side.
When you want to send a picture from partway through the graph rather than the master output, use nodes.
| Node | Where it sends |
|---|---|
| SpoutSender | Spout (Windows) / Syphon (macOS) |
| NDISender | NDI (it goes over the network, so it reaches other PCs too) |
Connect a MasterOutput node and you can also send the master output itself back out from these nodes (when you want it under a different name, or want to process it first).
A test pattern for lining things up
Pressing Setting → TestPattern in the menu bar overlays a test pattern on the master output. Press it again to remove it.
Since what it overlays is the master output, it goes out to the projector as well. Use it when adjusting focus, keystone correction and overscan.
Related
- Preview — the window for checking the master output at hand
- Output to OBS — the procedure for handing it to streaming software
- Receiving and sending Spout — the receiving side, from other software
- Output nodes — the reference for SpoutSender / NDISender / MasterOutput
