Flix Preferences

To access Flix's Preferences, navigate to File > Preferences on Windows and Flix 8.0 > Settings on macOS.

Note:  These preferences can be enforced at the Studio and Show levels, see Settings & Preferences

General

Setting Description

Show Splash Screen

Enables or disables Flix's splash screen at start-up.

Enable Autosave Enables or disables autosaving of sequence revisions.
Automatically Hide Autosaves Toggle on to hide autosaves for all users.
Autosave Frequency Set Flix's autosave to 5, 10 or 30 minute intervals.

Allow Save Comments

Enables or disables the option to save comments for revisions.

Maximum Banner Notifications Choose how many notifications stack until the oldest is dismissed automatically. Default is 3.
Default Flix Panel Duration Change the default duration of panels. Default is 12 frames.
Upload Full Log Bundle After Imports Whether Flix should upload a full log bundle of client, TU, and server logs after a sequence revision import, or just the import summary file. Default is enabled.

Reset Preferences

Resets all preferences to their default values.

Third-Party Apps

Sketching Tools

Setting Description

Sketching Tool

Specifies the external application used to edit panels, Adobe Photoshop or Storyboard Pro.

Storyboard Pro

Setting Description

Executable

Specifies the file path to the version of Storyboard Pro you want to use.

Note:  The Executable directory setting for both Windows and Mac is available at the studio or show level, for cases where multiple users might be on different operating systems.

Store Source File Whether to store the Storyboard Pro Source File. Default is enabled.
Export Path Set the path for your exported Flix sequence.

Adobe Photoshop

Setting Description

Executable

Specifies the file path to the version of Storyboard Pro you want to use.

Note:  The Executable directory setting for both Windows and Mac is available at the studio or show level, for cases where multiple users might be on different operating systems.

Store Source File Whether to store the Storyboard Pro Source File. Default is enabled.

Panel Open Behavior

Specifies how to open panels in Photoshop:

Open as Separate PSD - opens the selected panels in Photoshop as separate .psd files.

Open in Layer Comps - opens the selected panels in Photoshop as layer comps in a single file.

Open in Timeline - opens the selected panels in Photoshop in the Timeline, as frames in a single file.

Always Open Source File When enabled, opening a panel in Photoshop opens the Source File, if one exists. Flix opens the .psd file with all information including hidden layers and empty groups.

Send Annotation as Layer

When enabled, annotated panels open in Photoshop with their annotations shown on an additional layer.

Editorial Tools

Setting Description

Editorial Tool

Specifies the external application used for editorial roundtripping, Avid Media Composer or Adobe Premiere.

Adobe Premiere

Setting Description

Use Flix Timing

Toggle ON to send every panel as a clip retaining its duration set within Flix. This is useful to retain the timing established by a recorded pitch, saving you time and avoiding redoing work. See Preserve Sequence Timings from Flix for more information.

Warning:  Use Flix Timings must be enabled if you want to send camera move keyframes from Storyboard Pro to Avid. If you disable this control, you can only send .mov files to Avid and the Panels with Camera Move control is disabled.

Send / Receive Camera Moves As

Set how you send camera moves with panels. Choose between Images with Keyframes or Rendered Animations.

When Use Flix Timing is disabled, panels with camera moves will be sent as Rendered Animations.

Mark In

When Enable Mark In is ON, sets the frame on which to set the Mark In point. The default is 120 (5s in for a 24 fps show).

Mark Out

When Enable Mark Out is ON, sets the frame on which to set the Mark Out point. The default is 360 (15s in for a 24fps show). When Use Flix Timing is enabled, Mark Out is automatically set based on each panel's duration.

Warning:  Setting your Mark Out point to a value lower than the Mark In point may create an unreadable .aaf file.

New Clip Color

Sets the color of new clips in your sequence.

Enable Audio

Controls whether audio is available in Avid Media Composer or not.

Send / Receive Shots When enabled, shots will be included when publishing from and exporting to editorial
Send / Receive Shots As How shots are sent to and received from editorial. Choose between Markers and New Track.
Shot Name Sent / Received As Define whether the Marker name or Marker comment should be taken as the Shot name.

Marker Type

Choose whether Flix sends Timeline or Clip markers to Premiere.

Timeline markers apply to a particular timestamp in the sequence and appear on the timeline.

Clip markers apply to a whole clip within a sequence and appear at the beginning of the clip.

Note:  The Marker Type you choose means that Flix only reads that type. For example, if you have Clip selected and Editorial add Timeline markers in Premiere, they are ignored by Flix.

Avid Media Composer

Setting Description

Use Flix Timing

Toggle ON to send every panel as a clip retaining its duration set within Flix. This is useful to retain the timing established by a recorded pitch, saving you time and avoiding redoing work. See Preserve Sequence Timings from Flix for more information.

Warning:  Use Flix Timings must be enabled if you want to send camera move keyframes from Storyboard Pro to Avid. If you disable this control, you can only send .mov files to Avid and the Panels with Camera Move control is disabled.

Send / Receive Camera Moves As

Set how you send camera moves with panels. Choose between Images with Keyframes, Rendered Animations, or New Track.

When Use Flix Timing is disabled, panels with camera moves will be sent as Rendered Animations.

Mark In

When Enable Mark In is ON, sets the frame on which to set the Mark In point. The default is 120 (5s in for a 24 fps show).

Mark Out

When Enable Mark Out is ON, sets the frame on which to set the Mark Out point. The default is 360 (15s in for a 24fps show). When Use Flix Timing is enabled, Mark Out is automatically set based on each panel's duration.

Warning:  Setting your Mark Out point to a value lower than the Mark In point may create an unreadable .aaf file.

New Clip Color

Sets the color of new clips in your sequence.

Source Media Duration The maximum number of frames available for editing still media in Media Composer. Ensure the Mark In and Mark Out fall within this range.

Color Range

Sets either Full or Legal range color for publishes to Avid.

Note:  The default color range is set to Full.

Codec

Specifies the type of Avid video codec used for exporting to Media Composer:

DNxHD 36 (DNxHD LB)

DNxHD 45 (DNxHD LB)

DNxHD 115 (DNxHD SQ)

DNxHD 120 (DNxHD SQ)

DNxHD 145 (DNxHD SQ)

Note:  Higher data bit rates generally produce higher quality images, but the files exported require more storage space and take longer to transfer.

Enable Audio

Controls whether audio is available in Avid Media Composer or not.

Send / Receive Shots When enabled, shots will be included when publishing from and exporting to editorial
Send / Receive Shots As How shots are sent to and received from editorial. Choose between Markers and New Track.
Shot Name Sent / Received As Define whether the Marker name or Marker comment should be taken as the Shot name.

Publish and Export

Publish

Note:  The chips, located at the bottom of the preferences panel show what information type you can include in the filename format. Click each field to reveal which information type is allowed. Invalid info types are grayed out. See Setting Naming Conventions for more information.

Setting Description

Directory

Specify where Flix will deliver your editorial publishes on Windows. Environment variables can be used to construct these paths (e.g. S{HOME}). Click on the chips available below to construct paths using project metadata (e.g. [show_tracking_code])

Editorial Sequence Name

Name of the sequence as shown in Editorial.

Editorial Clip Name

Name of the clip as shown in Editorial.

Export

Note:  The chips, located at the bottom of the preferences panel show what information type you can include in the filename format. Click each field to reveal which information type is allowed. Invalid info types are grayed out. See Setting Naming Conventions for more information.

Setting Description

Directory

Specify where Flix will deliver your editorial publishes on Windows. Environment variables can be used to construct these paths (e.g. S{HOME}). Click on the chips available below to construct paths using project metadata (e.g. [show_tracking_code]). Select whether to set the Same as the Publish Directory.

Sequence Name

Name of the sequence as shown when exported. Select whether to set as Same as the Publish Editorial Sequence Name.

Panel/Clip Name

Name of the Panel/clip. Select whether to set as Same as the Publish Editorial Clip Name.

QuickTime Export

Setting Description

Include Dialogue

Toggle ON to export dialogue as subtitles when exporting from Flix to QuickTime.

Note:  Ensure your video player has subtitles or closed captions enabled to display the exported dialogue.

Audio

Setting Description

Input Device

Specifies the audio input device to use when recording audio.

Output Device

Specifies the audio output device to use when playing audio.

Panel Browser

Setting Description

Swap Panel ID with Index

Swaps the position of each panel's unique ID number with the Panel Index (a panel's position in the sequence).

Animated Panels

Sets the default preview behavior for animated panels:

Preview all frames - Animated panels show all available frames in the panel viewer.

Preview first frame - Animated panels only show the first frame in the panel viewer and the Trim Animation control the Properties is disabled.

Note:  You can override this preference on individual panels by clicking the icon in the top left to select Preview all frames or Preview first frame. Changing this preference does not affect individual panels that you have set manually.

Display Hidden Panel Placeholders Select whether to display hidden panel placeholders - default is enabled.

Shot Settings

Setting Description
Automatically Delete Panels when Deleting a Shot Select whether to automatically delete the panels that make up a shot when you delete the shot.
Shot Name Format

The name of the shot.

Note:  The chips, located underneath this preference, show what information type you can include in the filename format. Click each field to reveal which information type is allowed. Invalid info types are grayed out. See Setting Naming Conventions for more information.

Minimum Length

Sets the minimum character length for your shots.

Increment

Sets the value of increments between shots. For example, if the shot number format is set to increments of 10, your first shot is labeled 0010, your second is 0020, 0030 etc.

Notifications

You can select which of your assigned shows trigger notifications when updates are published to and from Editorial.

Setting Description

Publish to Editorial

Check the box per show to receive email notifications when panels are published to Editorial for the show.

Toggle the checkmark in the box next to Publish to Editorial to activate or deactivate all notifications.

Publish from Editorial

Check the box per show to receive email notifications when panels are published from Editorial for the show.

Toggle the checkmark in the box next to Publish from Editorial to activate or deactivate all notifications.

Advanced

Setting Description

Temp Directory

Specifies where Flix stores temporary files.

Asset Cache Directory

Specifies where Flix caches your assets temporarily to improve responsiveness.

Clear Local Asset Cache

Click to remove the temporary files stored in the local asset cache directory.

Disable Panel Reuse

In the normal course of operation, Flix's intelligent versioning system automatically attempts to reuse an existing panel revision instead of creating a new panel ID or new panel revision.

For troubleshooting and test purposes, you may want to disable versioning by enabling this preference. When enabled, Flix always creates a new panel ID or new panel revision instead of reusing an existing panel revision.