The new version of ProPresenter contains more than 100 new features. That’s a lot of new features and we struggle with advanced math, so we asked visual worship pioneer Stephen Proctor to give us the 10 new things he likes most about ProPresenter 4.
10. Document-Based Files
No more database files or hidden library locations! Now, all presentations are saved individually as their own document files. These individual files make it much easier to import, export, and manage your presentations.
9. Stage Display
Does the band need just the lyrics and not those cool backgrounds? Does the announcement guy always go over his time? Now you can send vital information—current lyrics, the next slide, a clock, a countdown timer, and announcement text—from the booth to the people on stage monitor in one easy-to-read display. Plus, it’s very easy to customize. (Note: This feature requires USB to DVI device available from www.renewedvision.com.)
8. Messages and Timers
ProPresenter 4 takes “nursery calls” to a whole new level. You can now display multiple main-screen messages and countdowns, as well as create “tokens.” Tokens allow you to make templates for your on-the-fly announcements for the sake of consistency.
7. Advanced Timeline/Song Automation
ProPresenter 3 introduced “Song Automation,” with which you can “record” your presentation and sync it to an audio track. ProPresenter 4 takes this one step further by allowing you to edit what you’ve recorded in a timeline using a simple but precise drag and drop process. If you were off by a hair when you recorded your original presentation, this new feature means you don’t have to go back and redo the entire recording process.
6. Advanced Module
The Advanced Module introduced in ProPresenter 3 allows you to pull a few sweet ninja moves (not for the faint of heart) such as triggering backgrounds via ProVideoPlayer and controlling your content in multi-screen environments. In ProPresenter 4, the Advanced Module allows control of more types of media, including the new Props layer and DVD playback. Sweep the leg, Johnny!
5. Library Synchronization
Say you create a presentation on one computer but then find yourself on a different computer the next week. Alas, no updated presentation (#VJfail!). If you have multiple computers running ProPresenter, it’s difficult to keep all of the local libraries in sync. Now in ProPresenter 4, you can keep all of your libraries updated (even over a network) with Library Synchronization.
4. Advanced Slide Layout
In the past, the foreground layer contained only one of two things: lyrics/text or a stand-alone video. Using ProPresenter 4’s new display engine, you can place multiple objects (text, videos, pictures, live feed, shapes, etc.) on one slide’s foreground layer. And not to be overlooked are the advanced typography capabilities. Personally, I love the “kerning” option because as I once heard, “It’s the space between the letters that makes the font.”
3. Templates
Various situations call for different slide layouts and font selections. With Templates, you can quickly apply your favorite settings to an entire presentation (or playlist), even while running your presentation. This comes in handy for me when I’m on the road, working with multiple artists and presenting in a different church venue every day.
2. Video Attributes
This feature is a VJ’s answered prayer. What only ProVideoPlayer users enjoyed in the past is now available to everyone via ProPresenter 4. For every background, you can change and save attributes such as play-rate (speed), saturation, brightness, contrast, orientation, scaling, and in/out points. You can even save multiple versions of the same clip, giving you more mileage out of your stock content. Here’s why you need this feature: even though that loop you love looks cool, it needs to slow the heck down!
1. Props
Renewed Vision is building a reputation for taking high-end solutions and packaging them intuitively into ProPresenter, and “Props” is just the latest example. The Props feature gives you the ability to globally apply an additional visual layer on top of your entire presentation. Traditional uses of Props include lower third graphics, logos, and video of the sign language lady in the corner. But the sky’s the limit with Props—precise projection mapping for Environmental Projection®, a blurred edge or border, or as Brad Zimmerman (of ChurchMediaDesign.tv) demoed recently, the current iTunes artwork floating in the corner. (Note: Additional software such as Photoshop is required in order to create custom graphics.)
There are a few other new features in ProPresenter 4 worth noting, particularly if you’re accustomed to more traditional presentation software. ProPresenter 4 includes a new Scripture Engine, PowerPoint importing (including three different options), Clocks (for services or productions that are scheduled down to the minute), Web (full-screen Internet browsing), Contiguous View (a volunteer-friendly layout), List View (a linear layout), and multiple libraries. Oh, and while ProPresenter has historically been a Mac-only title, the Windows version of ProPresenter 4 is set to be released sometime this summer.
As you can see, there’s a lot to like about ProPresenter 4. But don’t take my word for it—see it for yourself at www.renewedvision.com.
Stephen Proctor is a VJ and a co-founder of Grateful Inconvenience, Inc. (www.gi-inc.org), a creative design and production company that focuses on live environmental design, film production, and visual media. Follow him on Twitter: @worshipVJ.