Jam Cam User Manual

Jam Cam is an app that works with video effects in real time.
The video effects are triggered by “pads” in the same manner as a
musical sampler works with samples.

The source video material can be a pre-recorded video or the camera.
Adding to this; external audio can be used, and can affect the video effects.

Performance

When you open up a template, you will find that there are pads in the bottom, and on top of that a live video effect area, with some icons.

Each pad contains a Video Synth, explained more in detail below. By pressing it you activate it. Some are toggling on and off and some are active while you hold down the finger.

The color of the pad is differentiating between modes. The color scheme is customizable between templates.

The Video Synths are acting like layers, affecting each other one after another. Coming from bottom right, and moving through to the left.

In this screenshot the order is as follows. Mirror Scroll – Tunnel – Mirror – Mosh – Feedback Blender and so on. Strobe being last in the chain and effecting all previous active Video Synths.

Last in the chain is always the Master FX (MFX).

Top left icons

Close Template will ask you to save if you have made any changes. If it is a predefined template it will be added to your projects page.

Edit Render Size is for you to change render size and aspect ratio. Be aware that the effect processing is live, if you are experiencing lag or battery

Edit Master FX is to edit a post processing chain of FX that is always active. Useful to add the overall look of the video.

Bottom icons

Reorder Pads changes the pad section to reorder mode, where long press and drag can reorder the pads.

The Edit Video Synth is to edit the last tapped Video Synth.

Record Button starts live recording.

Play/Stop toggles any playback of video or audio that is added to the template.

Fullscreen hides the UI and only shows the output video.

Top right icons

Change Camera Position switches between front and back camera when camera is active.

Add Audio changes audio settings, more on this later.

Change Video Source is to change the video input between camera, imported video or blank input.

Audio

External audio can come from Apple Music or the microphone, if it is an imported video clip, this background audio can be used and mixed with the external music as well.

Jam Cam also supports connecting USB class compliant audio interfaces, connected via the lightning cable. Thus recording the input from a drum machine directly into Jam Cam is possible.

When importing music, you can choose to import an audio file from the Files app that’s been, for example, transferred from your computer – or import a track from Apple Music that you’ve bought via iTunes Store.

FX Gain accentuates how much of the audio signal that affects the connected video effects.

Video Synths

Video Synths are the core concept of how Jam Cam works. To edit one, simply press the dial-icon to the left of the record button.

A Video Synth consists of a chain of video effects, which you can add using the button Add FX.

Each effect can be rearranged by long pressing and dragging them. And you edit its parameter by tapping on them.

Use the input field to change name of the Video Synth, or press press Envelope to edit the Video Synths trigger settings.

Tap the Pad button with the video synth name to preview how it toggles on and off.

At the leftmost place in the FX-list there is a clear button that completely resets the Video Synth.

Edit Envelope

Attack and Release controls the time of fade in and out of the Video Synths trigger signal. This signal is then connected to each effects Master Parameter – more on that later.

The Gate button toggles the trigger mode. Gate is basically making the effect active during the time you hold down the pad, and Toggle is toggling it on and off sequentially.

Use Map to MIDI trigger to a MIDI trig, and change the pad type between gate and toggle.

MIDI Triggers

To connect to MIDI, simply press the Map To MIDI – and it will start listening for MIDI notes, automatically connecting to the first one it receives.

MIDI can come from bluetooth MIDI or connecting via lightning cable (eg. via a lightning to USB adapter). When connected you can choose MIDI-mode, which can be Synthesizer or Drum Machine.

Synthesizer-mode listens for note on/off messages, Drum Machine only listens for note on, then automatically switches off after 60ms. This is because drum machines usually send very short intervals between on/off or only sends on signals. Test this toggle if you are having issues with toggling the video synth via MIDI.

Gate/Toggle plays no role when connected to MIDI. Attack and release are

The Effects

When you press Add FX you can pick effects to add to your chain from a list. To go through each effect here would be a tedious work, so I encourage you to try them out, pressing it will preview the effect. Some are not really visible until you add them, though. Press ADD to add the effect.

Some effects that stand out, or are hard to understand might be worth a mention.

Blender

This is doing some magic by adding the Video Synths original input texture, and blending that with the current texture at the placement of the Blender fx. Thus you can deform the image greatly by some effects, and then last in that chain add the Blender to pull the input texture back in the mix using preferred blend mode.

Vintage

This is using video overlays to blend with the video. Be careful to add too many though as it is somewhat draining for the CPU.

False Color

At first glance this might not behave as you think, since the colors selected are not recoloring the image in the way you think, this is because the MIX property is blending the colors with a nice blending setting that causes the colors to vary in the middle.

If you go all the way to 1.0 you will see how they align with the selected color.

Effect Settings

The first row has a button to delete the selected effect. The big button with the effect name and icon toggles the effect on and off, can be good to preview the effect. Last there is the Mask setting, which opens settings for masking the effect.

Next follows the settings parameters that vary from effect to effect. First though, is always a MIX parameter, this is the effects Master Parameter and it is autoconnected to Trigger, meaning it will be adjusted with toggling the Video Synth on and off. It can be connected to Audio, but the Trigger on/off will still affect the signal.

Most parameters can be mapped to a signal by pressing the circle to the right of the slider. It can then be connected to either Audio or Trigger, together with an easing that adjusts the value.

If the parameter is connected to an external source, it shows two yellow circles in the slider, these control the min and max that this value can move between.

That’s all.

If you have any other questions. Reach out to contact@vfxapp.io

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