DurationTimer

DurationTimer shows the time left of whatever is on program in a title input, so presenters and the crew can see how long a clip has left. Under a minute it turns orange, and in the last seconds it turns red. When the program input has no duration, such as a camera or a still image, it counts up instead.

Set up the title

The script writes into a title (GT) input called DurationTimer. Set that title up once:

1. Right-click the title in vMix and open Title Editor, then Settings.
2. Set Duration to 23:00:00.
3. Set Display Format to mm:ss.
4. Turn on Reverse.
5. Turn on Display 00:00:00 when Stopped.

These settings are what make the count-up work for inputs without a duration, see below.

Set up the script

1. Add the script to the vMix that shows the timer, see adding a script.
2. Change the settings below if you need to, and start the script.

If there is no input called DurationTimer, the script prepares one for you, and prints what it did:

• If the vMix already has a GT title, the script renames the first one it finds to DurationTimer. Rename the title yourself first, if that one is used for something else.
• If there is none, it adds a new title from vMix's Text Middle Centre Outline GT preset, moves it to position 1 and sets its zoom to 5. That preset is looked for in vMix's default install folder, C:\Program Files (x86)\vMix\titles\GT Text\.

Settings

How it works

Twice a second the script looks at the program input.

• It has a duration. The remaining time is written into the title as text, and the colour follows the time left: green above YELLOW_TIME, orange below it, and red below RED_TIME. The text is the seconds alone under a minute, then m:ss, and h:mm:ss from an hour on.
• It has no duration (live inputs, images, colours). The text is white, and the title's own timer runs and counts up. It starts again from zero whenever the program input changes. This is why the title needs the Reverse and Display 00:00:00 when Stopped settings.

Good to know

• Only the program input is timed, not the preview.
• The timer is a normal title, so you can put it on an overlay, a multiview, or any output.
• The remaining time comes from the input's duration and position, so a paused video stays at the same time left, and a looping video counts down again each time.

Log messages

• DurationTimer | Could not find a GT input named 'DurationTimer'.: the title was not found, and the script is about to rename or create one.
• Renamed the first found GT '...' into 'DurationTimer'.: an existing title was renamed.
• Created a new GT input named 'DurationTimer'.: a new title was added.
• DurationTimer | Unexpected error: ...: a read or a function call failed, and the script retries.