Slideshow with Manual Advancement

What would be your suggested way to include a slideshow in Mimolive in which we would like the director to manually advance the slides when appropriate? We’d like to also be able to toggle from the slide to/from a picture in picture, sometimes having both on screen as well. The slideshow Source seems to be automatic and I’m struggling with getting the needed flexibility from the 2D presenter option.

For really specific requirements like that I’d recommend using Syphon and the external app of your choice.

Thank you! I’m reading the documentation on Syphon from Boinx, and this looks like it has potential, but I can’t future out how to get the external app in as you mentioned. How would I connect the PowerPoint file into this? I’m looking at this Syphon Server - mimoLive - 5 and the steps to do this are unclear to me. Thank you!

In this case, Mimo would be the Syphon client, and it would be grabbing Powerpoint as a source.

I use Syphon for a lot of stuff – but Mimo can make it easy on you… just add a window capture source and try it that way.

So, in Mimolive, would I add a Syphon Receiver to the Sources and then select Custom and try to get the PowerPoint in that way? The other fields are Application and Server Name. How would I know what to put in there to bring in the PowerPoint? Thanks - sorry - I am not seeing any relevant documentation on this for Mimo.

For you, Syphon may not be needed. Try just inserting a “Window Capture” source.

Hi, Troy. This basically worked, but one key point relevant to the solution we’re trying to achieve:
We would like to operate the PowerPoint from the main MimoLive “console” rather than having to operate in a separate window, so that we’re not having to watch too many things at once and can have keyboard control of both the PowerPoint and Mimo console at all times for quick reaction. (We’re wanting to advance slides for the speaker, but also flip between slide view, view of the presenter and view of both within the Presenter 2D layer.) Any thoughts on this? Much appreciation. We have to do a large number of speakers with their PowerPoints and think our managing the slides will be a better workflow than having to train and explain to many very busy presenters for this project (and with various versions of PowerPoint or keynote) how to present so we can record them on Mimo. (involves two Mimo calls.)
-Elissa

Unfortunately, Mimo doesn’t have much to offer in the way of external application control (like the ability to control powerpoint from the memo interface.) They, understandably, don’t get involved in that.

Most solutions will involve either compromise, or customization. As an example:

Compromise: Work with both apps and layout a control screen that makes it workable.

Customization: control powerpoint with global hotkeys, or some external device (iPad, etc.) I’m sure there is something out there that can advance PPT slides. Alternately run the PPT in Keynote and use Apple’s remote control features. Or, go a further step and create a custom memo layer in Quartz composer that can control powerpoint slides (Not one for the novice.)

You could also have a second computer that sends the Powerpoint as NDI video to your mimo system. Then just tapping the spacebar on that system will advance the slide and the director can otherwise stay in mimo all the time.

Lots of food for thought! We’re having a team meeting at 4 and will divvy up testing the different approaches. Thanks for your time and expertise.

There are so many possibilities. @Troy noticed lots of.

Another idea:

Within mimoLive you could use pip or pip window Layer to overlay. Transitions between variants are nice. With cycleThroughVariants the director is able to click one button to get to the next variant. Since V5.10.1b2 cycleThroughVariantsBackwards is available. With the “do not shrink”-option, slides can be pushed into full screen…

Finally it’s your personal taste.

JoPhi,
Yep - I am using a PIP layer (under Presenter 2D) which works very nicely and allows me to toggle between that, the slide and both on screen. The remaining issue is just trying to get control of the PowerPoint slide advancement from within Mimolive. Basically, it seems that one window or the other (PPT app or Mimolive) is dominant at any given time, and it’s hard to switch smoothly between. I tried using a Bluetooth remote control to control the PowerPoint and I tried scripting using Mac Automator to have a hotkey to advance slides, but I’m still running into the issue of one “window” having to be dominant and therefore it not being smooth (requiring a few clicks to get one window reactivated) or easy on the host. Can you elaborate more on how you’d use CycleThroughVariants for this purpose? Are you thinking each slide would be a variant? Where can I find CycleThroughVariants? (I was only able to locate some conversations requesting this but not the actual feature.) Thank you!

You can use something like Keyboard Maestro or an Apple Script to bring PowerPoint in foreground, advance to the next slide and send PowerPoint again in the background.

Yes, exactly. Drop on every variant of your pip-layer an image of a slide.

Then, there are two possibilities:

  • use webControl to add a cycle-button, or
  • use an Automation-Layer (to have key-shortcuts)

Automation-Layer (both on automatic)
-Variant 1 (cycle forward)
-Variant 2 (cycle backwards)

command forward:
httpRequest(http://localhost:8989<pip-layer-API-endpoint>/cycleThroughVariants)

command backwards: (since mimoLive 5.10.1b2)
httpRequest(http://localhost:8989<pip-layer-API-endpoint>/cycleThroughVariantsBackwards)

It’s amazing and very flexible. From 2 to - even - 100 slides a nice, solid and dynamic possibility. :slight_smile: - As long as you do not delete the whole pip layer, you do not have to modify your Automation-Layer.

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Johannes,
This looks great - and like it might have enough specifics that I can execute it. Will be testing this tomorrow and will let you know how it goes!
-Elissa

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I’ve been able to create the variants for each of a sample set of slides in the 2D Presenter layer and this is working! The only thing a bit wonky is that I can’t just advance slides in the “B” view (slide only), which is what I’d like to do at times. Each time I advance the slide, I get the animation on of the PIP of the presenter as well as the slide. This animation reduces the size of the slide as well as adding the PIP. Do you or anyone have an idea for permitting pure advancement of the slides when wanted?

@MiniMattersEL , Y the presenter layer? The presenter layer is not able to switch a cropped image to fullscreen. Maybe it never will. So, try this:

Create your own presenter, made of pip-windows:
It works like this:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1103h_yCJLkowBrn2KhE5dqsUPWKwly7a/view?usp=sharing

It need not to be so colorful (or with that fat borders; I’m keen on… :smiley: ), but it seems to be that I liked it. If you need more fullscreen inside, just do the same slide more often into the variants (but with different positions).

BTW, If forward/backward should work exactly simultaneously, you have to use 2 automation-layers. One for switching the first, and one for switching the second layer. Combine it with a Layer Set to activate both script-layers exactly simultaneously.

Or you could also do a “sleep(3)” command between the two other commands, so a total new effect appears. Or for backwards-switching you could change the position of both commands to have a more natural look while switching backwards.

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Johannes,
Wow - thank you for being so generous with your time and help. I was using just the PIP and not the PIP Window, as you did. And I like the fat borders! And also I like your idea about having a variety in the positioning of slides. That may also make the presentations more interesting to watch. We are so appreciative of your help and ideas! If I could give more than one Like I would!

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You’re very welcome. As soon as you get realy in touch with it, you can create something like this in 4 minutes. :heart::heart:

@JoPhi Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I was not aware of the cycleThroughVariants commands. Have they been introduced recently?

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