What are Zoom Windows?
Zoom Windows is a feature that allows users to select rectangular sections of any image or video (a Cell) displayed in the Viewing Grid. The selected rectangular sections are then displayed in a new Cell on the Viewing Grid.
Users can create any number of Zoom Windows in a single cell.
On standard videos and images, Zoom Windows will result in the selected segment being displayed as a separate Cell with a zoomed-in view of the selected Zoom Window.
On Fisheye cameras Zoom Windows will result in a dewarped view of the selected area.
In instances where there are multiple cameras on a single Layout, Zoom Windows can be dragged across camera views.
Using Zoom Windows
- Press the Zoom Window Icon on any Cell to activate the Zoom Windows feature.
- Draw a Zoom Window by left-clicking and dragging.
- To resize a Zoom Window users can select an edge of the Zoom Window.
- To disable Zoom Windows users should close the resulting Cell from a Zoom Window.
Questions
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Comments
8 comments
Can you get rid of the zoom rectangles after you're done setting up a layout?
Hi Mat,
No, you can't and it is a design decision so it remains clear which areas were selected.
That's about like a carpenter leaving the pencil marks of a finished piece of furniture. But what's clear about not having a on/off toggle is that its designed to increase license sales, because it makes that feature almost useless. And quite frankly turns a great piece of software from a highly recommend, to a nope.
Hey Mat Hekm -
Not really understanding the issue you're facing with the feature the way it's currently implemented. So let me try to explain Zoom Windows feature in a bit more detail - and how we think about it.
Zoom Windows allow operators to create zoomed in views of cameras on the layout. When you have multiple Zoom windows on a high-res video stream the idea behind leaving the zoom windows on the Desktop Client (zoom windows have no impact on the Server itself) is to allow operators to locate / adjust the zoom window as necessary. Zoom windows can also be dragged across cameras - e.g. following a person of interest as they move across multiple camera views.
So the main use case for Zoom Windows, given they have no impact on recording, is as an "active magnifying glass". While they can potentially be used to create "virtual views" of cameras, which could be archived separately, they aren't designed for adjusting camera views permanently. That's better done through the camera interface itself, as adjusting in camera would have an impact on storage duration, etc.
What's the use case you're looking for? Can you tell us more about how you're trying to use it and what's frustrating you? Perhaps there is a different approach to solve the same issue.
Unless it's a fisheye lens right? Look, with this I can set up one cam instead of two (or more), and still get both the wide shot and the zoomed in shot on a live monitor so as to be able to notice movement or whatnot in a vital area as needed. But not only do the colored rectangles ruin the wide shot from the main cam, they stick out in the grid as a whole. I'm just now learning this software, and found the extra zoom windows insanely cool. And with a program so amazingly versatile, to me it was blatantly obvious that the rectangles and colors would be hideable. In fact I tweaked around with it and search for a how to for a couple days before I commented here. Speaking of blatantly obvious, is there a way to increase the font size?
For fisheye cameras we have a better solution.
Open relevant Fisheye camera, press the dewarp logo (looks a bit like a globe) on top of the camera. The camera will show a 90 degrees view which you can pan, tilt, and zoom to your liking. If you want more zoom windows, just open the camera again in the grid and repeat. When finished, save the layout and the next time it will open as it was closed.
Hey Mat Hekm -
Fisheye Lens - just make sure to enable it camera settings and then it'll have that icon Norman-Nx-Support mentions above.
One thing to remember in regards to UX that may help you overcome your objections above - You can load the same camera multiple times in a single layout. This way you can set up one unobstructed view (a large one) and one with Zoom windows (perhaps smaller so as to allow you to view motion while also still being able to adjust zoom windows if needed, with zoom windows the size you like. This is one of the main reasons we keep the zoom windows the way they are.
With regards to increasing font size...I'm with you. You can create custom font sizes using Live Text Overlay but you can't modify the size of the font on the info tab on each camera. Bugs the hell outta me too, but not one of our most requested features, so not high on the priority list, if ya know what I mean.
Hi Mat Hekm
Did the answers of Tony Luce and myself resolve your concerns?
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