New in Release 5: Add background opens the media library on top of the canvas, and you can give several scenes the same background at once. Organisations move to Release 5 on their release weekend, from 9 October.
Not on Release 5 yet? Until your organisation moves over, use Adding & editing backgrounds (before Release 5).
Every scene can have a background: an image or video that fills the screen behind your assets. Start with the background; it makes placing everything else easier.
Add a background
Select the scene.
In the property panel, click Add background. The media library opens on Backgrounds.
Choose a file from Backgrounds, My media or Company. From My media and Company you can pick images and videos.
The file fills the screen, centred.
You can also drag a file: drop an image or video from My media or Company near the edge of a screen, or drop a file from Backgrounds anywhere on a screen. This doesn't work while a Screen Overlay or Screen Backdrop is selected.
Backgrounds can only be added and removed in the Base Setup.
One background for several scenes
New in Release 5: select the scenes in the left rail with Shift or Ctrl (⌘ on Mac) + click, then click Add background to all in the property panel. The scenes must be on the same screen, and the screensaver scene can't be included. The new background replaces any background those scenes already had.
Select, move and resize a background
Select: double-click an empty part of the screen, or click the background in the Background section of the property panel.
Move: drag it.
Resize: drag a corner handle. The proportions stay the same; hold Shift to change them freely.
In Other Setups of the story, moving and resizing a background only changes that setup.
Background playback
For a video background, choose whether it starts automatically, loops and how loud it plays. Turn on Auto Switch to move on to the next scene when the video ends (see Auto Switch and looping stories). With Auto Switch on, the video plays once and Loop is switched off.
Remove a background
Select the background and press Delete or Backspace. You can also right-click it and choose Delete, click the trash icon next to it in the property panel, or choose Remove background in Scene options.
The background library
Super Users and Administrators can add files to the background library, under Backgrounds in the main menu, so everyone can use them (see Uploading media & backgrounds).
When a scene has no background
If the screen has a Screen Backdrop (new in Release 5), its content shows behind scenes that don't have their own background (see Screen Overlay and Screen Backdrop).
Tips
Prepare backgrounds at the exact resolution of your screens.
Keep images within 4,000 × 2,000 px; larger files slow playback without looking sharper. See Asset creation guidelines.
For a looping background video on a screensaver scene, turn Loop on.