End-to-end playbooks that walk a full venue (a sport, a worship service, a hybrid event, a switcher integration) from blank project to on-air.
Recipes compose the rest of the help rather than duplicating it. Each recipe pulls from Play and update graphics for Data Controller setup, Set up your production for the signal chain, and Control your show for the cue/take cycle, with cross-references so a system builder follows the whole journey in order. Open this section when you're standing up a venue rather than learning a single feature.
- ATEM integration — use this when an ATEM is your show switcher and VideoPro is feeding it graphics with key + fill, tally, and command exchange.
- vMix recipe — use this when vMix is the production hub and VideoPro provides the graphics layer.
- If a recipe references a Data Controller you haven't met yet (Sportzcast, ProPresenter, StatCrew, Zoom), see Play and update graphics for the catalog page with the full configuration reference.
- If a recipe needs a Program Out you haven't set up (SDI key + fill, NDI, virtual webcam, RTMP), see Set up your production.
- When a recipe works in print but not in your venue, see Troubleshooting. The articles there are the right tool for symptom-first recovery; the recipes here serve as known-good end-to-end references to compare your setup against.
End-to-end recipes for connecting VideoPro to a hardware or software video switcher.
Use this chapter when VideoPro is the graphics source feeding a Blackmagic ATEM, vMix, or similar switcher, and you want a working recipe instead of piecing the wiring together yourself. Each article covers one switcher: how to route VideoPro's Program Out into it, and what to configure on the switcher side so the graphics arrive cleanly.
- Preparing your Blackmagic ATEM switcher to communicate with VideoPro — use this when an ATEM is the downstream switcher.
- Add graphics to vMix productions — use this when vMix is the downstream switcher.
- Solution Recipes — section overview
- Set up graphics output — the underlying output mechanics each recipe builds on.
Connect VideoPro to a Blackmagic Design ATEM switcher and route graphics into it via one of four workflows. VideoPro talks to the ATEM through Blackmagic's switcher SDK directly; ATEM Software Control is only needed at install time for its drivers, and for a few diagnostics.
- Install ATEM Switchers (also called ATEM Control Software) from Blackmagic Design's support page. The installer drops the driver components VideoPro uses to discover and command the switcher. You do not need to run ATEM Software Control during the show; you only need it installed.
- Cable the ATEM to the VideoPro machine. The integration accepts any of:
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- USB — connect the ATEM's USB Control port to the VideoPro machine. The same cable that carries ATEM Software Control's connection is what VideoPro uses.
- Network — connect the ATEM's ATEM Control port to the same LAN as the VideoPro machine. The ATEM and the VideoPro machine must be on the same subnet; if you connect them direct with a crossover or short patch, assign both NICs static IPs in the same subnet (not the same address).
- Decide which workflow you will use — see Pick a workflow below. The cabling above the switcher (Program Out, key/fill lines, ATEM-to-VideoPro return feed) is workflow-specific.
Open Settings > Blackmagic Design ATEM.... The ATEM Settings dialog opens. The ATEM Workflow dropdown picks how VideoPro talks to the switcher. Four workflows are supported:
| ATEM Workflow | What it does |
|---|---|
| Downstream Keying | VideoPro periodically sends still images to the ATEM, which overlays them onto the ATEM's final output. Graphics live in the ATEM's media pool and the ATEM is the final compositor. Best when the ATEM is your show's master. |
| Upstream Chromakeying | VideoPro sends video to the ATEM via HDMI or SDI, and the ATEM runs upstream keying on that input. VideoPro delivers a fill feed; the ATEM keys it. Use this when the ATEM has spare HDMI/SDI inputs and you want the ATEM to do the keying. |
| Media Capture | The ATEM's Program output appears inside VideoPro as a media input source. In this workflow, VideoPro is the final compositor — the ATEM's mix becomes a layer underneath VideoPro's graphics. |
| Key and Fill | VideoPro sends SDI Key and Fill to the ATEM for downstream keying. The actual keyer-to-fill assignment lives inside ATEM Software Control; configure it there, then point VideoPro at the matching ATEM input here. |
In the same ATEM Settings dialog, set Connection Method:
| Connection Method | When to use |
|---|---|
| Auto Connect | Recommended. VideoPro tries USB, then any saved IP, then mDNS discovery on the local network. Picks up most cabling automatically. |
| Network - Manual IP Address | Use when you have multiple ATEMs on the network, when discovery is unreliable, or when the ATEM lives behind a router/VLAN where mDNS won't cross. Enter the ATEM's IP in Manual IP Address — not the VideoPro machine's IP. |
| USB Only | Forces the integration to the ATEM's USB Control port and skips network discovery. |
| Disabled | Turn the integration off without closing the dialog. |
Connection is established the moment you change the dropdown; there is no separate Connect or OK button. The status line under the combo updates as VideoPro discovers the device. Look for one of:
- ATEM connected via USB
- ATEM connected to network (
) - Not connected. No ATEM devices found. — VideoPro reached the SDK but found no switcher. Re-check cabling and Connection Method.
- Not connected. ATEM drivers are missing. — the ATEM Switchers installer hasn't been run on this machine, or the install is incomplete. Re-install ATEM Switchers from Blackmagic Design.
- ATEM support is disabled. — Connection Method is set to Disabled.
Each workflow exposes its own panel of options under the workflow selector. Set them after you pick the workflow:
When VideoPro pushes stills into the ATEM's media pool, you choose the range of pool slots VideoPro is allowed to use:
- First Assignable ATEM Still — the first pool slot VideoPro will write to.
- Last Assignable ATEM Still — the last pool slot in the range.
Anything outside this range is left alone, so you can reserve stills for content that was loaded by hand in ATEM Software Control.
- ATEM input — pick which physical ATEM input is carrying VideoPro's feed.
- Key — pick the key style: Luma, Chroma - Blue, or Chroma - Green.
- Automate — when set, VideoPro commands the ATEM keyer on and off as graphics take and clear, so you don't have to drive the key from ATEM Software Control or the panel.
No extra options. The ATEM Program feed shows up as a media input you can place on a graphic layer the same way you would any other live source. See Use live video sources for how to add it to a project.
Configure the keyer assignment inside ATEM Software Control — that is where the ATEM accepts Key and Fill source pairs. Inside VideoPro, only the Connection Method and the SDI Key + Fill output need to match what you configured in ATEM Software Control.
Under Transitions, click Configure Piggybacking... to open the ATEM 'Piggyback' Transitions dialog. Piggybacking ties an ATEM transition (mix, dip, wipe, sting, DVE) to a VideoPro transition: when the ATEM operator fires that transition on the switcher, VideoPro simultaneously plays the title you assigned, timed and styled with it.
For each ATEM transition you want to piggyback:
- Choose the VideoPro title to overlay in the Choose the title graphic to overlay this ATEM transition effect dropdown.
- Tick Reverse if you want the title's transition direction reversed.
Click Enable to commit. Use Disable on this dialog to turn piggybacking off without losing your assignments.
- Watch the status line in the ATEM Settings dialog read ATEM connected via USB or ATEM connected to network (
) . - Play a title and confirm the ATEM is doing what the workflow promises:
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- Downstream Keying — the title appears on the ATEM's Program output (not just inside VideoPro); the still you can see in ATEM Software Control's Media pool matches the title that's on air.
- Upstream Chromakeying — the ATEM keys VideoPro's feed cleanly on the input you assigned; if you set Automate, the ATEM keyer turns on as the title takes.
- Media Capture — the ATEM's Program feed appears as a placeable input inside VideoPro; what you see on the VideoPro input matches the ATEM's mix.
- Key and Fill — the ATEM's downstream keyer composites VideoPro's key + fill correctly; tweak the keyer in ATEM Software Control if the edges aren't right.
- If you use piggyback transitions, fire the ATEM transition you assigned and confirm the matching VideoPro title plays in step.
- Drivers missing — install ATEM Switchers from Blackmagic Design. The VideoPro dialog will surface a Visit www.blackmagicdesign.com/support/ link when it detects this.
- No ATEM devices found — confirm the ATEM is powered on, confirm the cable is in ATEM Control (not the program return port), and try toggling between Auto Connect and USB Only / Network - Manual IP Address.
- Network discovery fails on a flat LAN — switch to Network - Manual IP Address and enter the ATEM's static IP. Ask your network admin which subnet the ATEM lives on if you don't already know.
- Piggyback transitions don't trigger — open the Piggyback dialog and confirm you clicked Enable; the dialog persists assignments even when piggybacking is disabled.
- Output graphics with SDI — the SDI Program Out side of Key and Fill.
- Use live video sources — placing the ATEM as a source for Media Capture.
- vMix recipe — the equivalent end-to-end recipe for a vMix-based hub.
Most VideoPro products let you output graphics to vMix via NDI. You can also animate graphics in and out and control your design's variables from within the vMix interface. This article describes how to set up VideoPro graphics in vMix.
Note: This recipe relies on NDI on both sides — VideoPro as an NDI sender (Program Out > NDI) and vMix as an NDI receiver. Both machines must reach each other on the same network (or be the same machine), and any firewall between them must allow NDI's discovery and stream ports. If you can't run NDI in your venue, the VideoPro side won't appear in vMix's source list.
- Open VideoPro and create a channel of layers that you want to include in your vMix production. For details, see Project List panel.
- In VideoPro, set your output to NDI from the Program Out menu.
- Open vMix and click the Add Input button. The Input Select window opens.
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- Click NDI / Desktop Capture and select your VideoPro NDI source.
Your VideoPro NDI source is now set up and ready to go.
- In vMix, right-click your VideoPro NDI source and choose Title Editor.
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Each variable in your graphic is listed on the left side of the Title Editor window.
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- Click a variable and overwrite the default value in the Title Editor to change the variable.
Tips
- To change text variables, overwrite the default text.
- To change image variables, enter the URL of a local image file.
- To change color variables, enter the hex value, preceded by the
#symbol. For example, the hex value for blue is#0000FF.
- In vMix, right-click your VideoPro NDI source and choose Commands.
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The context menu includes Animate In, Animate Out, and Animate In/Out commands for up to five graphics in your VideoPro Project List.
- Choose AnimateIn from the context menu to push a graphic in your Project List live with animation.
- Choose AnimateOut from the context menu to end a graphic.