Zencastr Produce is a paid feature that enhances and mixes together the separate audio (and video) files for you and your guests into a combined file.
This guide shows how to run a postproduction for recordings done in the Record Audio and Video’ mode.
In this article:
Before You Produce Your Podcast
Postproduction can be run for up to 6 participants at a time.
Postproduction can be started after the host stops the recording and participants’ files are uploaded.
1. Opening Produce
To open Produce:
From your Dashboard, on the Rooms tab click the Produce button next to any room name.
OR
From a Recording page, click the Create Your Podcast button.On the Produce page, click the Recordings tab.
Under Recordings, make sure the right room name and recording number is selected.
1. Adjusting Settings
To adjust postproduction settings, click the individual tabs in the right sidebar. If you prefer to use the default settings, skip ahead to the “Running the Postproduction” section.
Adjusting Participants
On the Participants tab:
Select/unselect participants for the postproduction.
Change the order the participants will appear in the video mix.
Click on an individual participant’s name to adjust the opacity, position, scale, and border of their video.
Adjusting Audio Settings
On the Audio tab:
Leave the default audio enhancements as they are.
ORClick Advanced Audio Settings to enable or disable individual audio enhancements.
If you have a paid plan, you can also select the final mix file format as MP3 or WAV and select separate tracks here.
Under Smart Filters, if you have a paid plan, you can configure the remove filler words and remove long pauses filters.
Adjusting Video Layout
On the Video tab:
Leave the default video settings as they are.
ORUnder Aspect Ratio, select the desired aspect ratio.
It is recommended to do this before adjusting your video layout as how participants appear in the layout will depend on the selected aspect ratio.
Under Layout, select the desired layout.
Under Layout Settings, adjust the size and positioning of the participants or image for the selected layout.
Under Background Settings, upload an image, GIF, or video to add a custom background.
Under Video Enhancements, enable or disable face centering.
Adjusting Video Watermark
On the Watermark tab:
Leave the default Zencastr watermark as it is.
ORUnder Watermark, adjust the position, scale, and transparency of the Zencastr watermark.
If you have a legacy Hobbyist or Creator+ plan, there are limits to the adjustments you can make to the Zencastr watermark and you can’t remove it.
If you have a paid plan, there are no limits to the adjustments you can make to the Zencastr watermark and you can remove it altogether or upload your own watermark/logo.
3. Running the Postproduction
To run the postproduction:
Click the Next button at the top right of the Produce page.
On the Produce insert, review what output you are getting and the credits cost.
Leave the resolution for the full-length video as the default 1080p, or select 720p or 4k.
Review the credits cost in the Summary section.
Click the Produce button to start the postproduction.
Result: The postproduction will begin to run. When it completes, the necessary amount of credits will be deducted from your credits balance.
4. Getting and Downloading Postproduction Files
Once the postproduction is running you can either close the Produce Page or stay on it. The postproduction will run in the background and you will receive an email when it completes.
To download your files from the Recording Page:
Click the Download button in the “Your Postproduction Is Complete” email and you are taken to the login page.
Log in and you are taken to your Recording Page.
On the Podcast Mixes track, click Download Audio Podcast and Download Video Podcast.
Result: The individual files will download to your computer.
To download your files from the Produce Page:
From your Dashboard, on the Rooms tab, click the Produce button next to the room.
ORFrom a Recording Page, click the Create Your Podcast button.
On the Produce Page, click the Recordings tab.
Under Recordings, make sure the correct room name and recording number are selected.
Click the Postproductions tab.
Click on the Postproduction number.
Click the Download button.
Result: All your postproduction files will be zipped and then a zip file will download to your computer.
Note: If you have a paid plan, the postproduction transcript is included in the zip file that is downloadable from the Produce Page. The postproduction transcript can’t be downloaded from the Recording Page.
Related Questions
How long does it take for the postproduction to finish?
Postproductions normally finish in under an hour. The exact amount of time can vary depending on the recording length and the number of participants selected.
I have an issue with a postproduction I ran. What can I do?
I don’t need the video mix, can I turn this off?
At this time, it is not possible to turn off the video mix. However, you will get separate audio and video files so that you can use only the mix(es) you need. Also, postproduction credits are deducted based on the overall recording time and not based on the number of files included in the postproduction.
How can I learn more about other Produce settings?
Check out our Produce With Zencastr video podcast for short tutorials on specific features of Produce.