Navigate and inspect the Program viewer with tools and zoom, define a work area, choose live/cache playback, read scopes, and turn on safe-area guides.
Where: Native Video Editor → Program viewer and transport.
Key ideas
- The playhead is shared: Viewer, transport, Properties, timeline values, scopes, and 3D controls all evaluate the same active composition frame.
- Caching trades preparation for steadier playback: Live renders on demand; Cache start and Cache range prepare frames ahead or across the work area. Cache state and limits are reported beside the transport.
- Scopes measure the composited frame: Luma histogram, RGB parade, luma waveform, and Rec.709 vectorscope analyze displayed pixels. Hold freezes the current measurement; playback samples at a bounded live rate.
Steps
- Use Select for layers, Hand for panning, Rectangle/Pen for masks, or Track for drawing a footage-analysis region.
- Choose Fit & center or a zoom value. Hold Space and drag to pan without permanently changing the active tool.
- Use start/end, previous/next frame, Play/Pause, and the timecode to navigate. Toggle Loop when the chosen range should repeat.
- Press B and N or use the transport to set work-area In/Out, then enable Play work area when only that range should loop.
- Open the cache control and choose Live, Cache start, or Cache range. Wait for the status to show enough prepared frames before judging difficult motion.
- Open Scopes and select Luma histogram, RGB parade, Luma waveform, or Vectorscope. Use Hold when comparing a fixed frame.
- Open Guides and toggle Title/action safe, Center-cut safe (4:3), Frame center, Proportional grid (thirds), or Grid; use Hide all guides to clear the overlay.
- Maximize the viewer for inspection, then restore it before detailed timeline/property work.
- Review the final exported file at normal speed and with audio; cached canvas playback is an authoring preview.
Guide shortcuts
- ' — Title / action safe
- Option/Alt+' — Proportional grid (thirds)
- Cmd/Ctrl+' — Grid
- Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+X — maximize/restore viewer
Scope readouts
- Luma and waveform use SDR Rec.709 Y′
- Vectorscope uses SDR Rec.709 CbCr
- Footer reports sampled pixels and Live/Hold state
- Scopes display the compositor output over black and require the frame renderer
Tips
- Use safe guides for delivery-critical text, not as hard crop boundaries.
- A scope explains signal distribution; it does not decide whether the creative grade is good.
Limitations and important notes
- Scopes are unavailable where the host cannot supply rendered frames.
- Playback cache is bounded by memory/runtime limits and may need rebuilding after edits.
- Still frames and scopes cannot validate motion cadence or audio sync.
Troubleshooting
Playback stutters during an effects-heavy section.
Set a work area around it, choose Cache range, wait for preparation, and replay. For acceptance, inspect an export.
Scopes do not open.
This host lacks the required frame renderer or the viewer has not produced a composited frame yet.