Hello, I’m Axel, and Loki and I are back to look at the various options for customizing
the HitFilm interface. Version 14 of the software includes some improvements in this regard,
which we are sure you will find useful. No project file is needed, and the techniques
will be identical in HitFilm Express 14 and HitFilm Pro 14, so boot up your version of
the software if you want to follow along, and let’s get started.
The HitFilm interface is made up of multiple sections called containers, and you can drag
the dividers between them to change their size. Each container holds one or more Panels,
with tabs. Click any tab to show that panel. Drag any tab to rearrange their order, or
to move that panel to a different container. Each panel has a hamburger menu, with controls
to close the panel, float the panel into a window separate from the main interface, or
access Help. And each container also has a hamburger, where you can float the entire
container, or open new panels into it. So if you ever accidentally close a panel…
Oh no, where is my controls panel, I’m panicking, I’m losing my mind, however, can I live
without it… it’s not a big deal, just open the menu for whichever container you
want it in, and add it back. Any panels that aren’t currently visible can be added to
the interface using the container menus. We can also manage our panels from the Window
menu. Some panels are not listed in the menu, because they are permanent; they are always
visible, and cannot be hidden. When you add a panel from this menu, it opens at the right
side of the interface, and you can drag the tab to add it to whichever container you want.
Or, if you want to keep it in its own container, you can reposition the entire container using
the drop zones. Drag near any edge of the interface, and this line that appears indicates
where the panel will be added. Drag into the center of any existing container, and you
will see four dropzones, marking each edge of the container. Drop the tab on one, and
the container is split, adding a new container on the chosen side.
The window menu also provides access to the two main screens: Back to Home, to visit the
Home screen, or Back to Edit to return to your project, but knowing the key commands
CTRL+1 for home and CTRL+2 for edit, is often a more convenient way to switch between those
screens. Also in the Window menu, there is a sub-menu
of Workspaces. Each Workspace is a preset interface layout, optimized for a specific
task. You can perform any task in any workspace you want, but changing the interface based
on what you are doing can be very helpful. For example, the Editing workspace focuses
on the panels needed for editing: using almost all of the available screen space for the
trimmer, viewer and timeline panels. The Compositing workspace, on the other hand, removes the
trimmer to make more room for effects and controls, which you are more likely to use
while compositing. So based on what task you are preparing for, you can quickly adjust
the interface to that task, by selecting the appropriate workspace.
You can also create your own workspaces, so once you get the interface customized just
the way you like it for editing, select Save Workspace. Give it a name, and it is added
to the list of workspaces for you to use at any time. Then you can rearrange the interface
how you like it for compositing or creating effects, or any other task, and save those
as well. After that, switching between your workspace is much faster than customizing
all the panels each time you are changing tasks. And you can delete any of your custom
workspaces from this menu as well, in case you forget to add a space, or otherwise misspell
something and want to delete it before anyone notices. That would be embarrassing. The built-in
workspaces cannot be deleted. That covers the methods for directly manipulating
the interface, I think, but there are a few more interface options at File > Options > Interface.
Who would’ve guessed it? These options differ slightly between the Windows and Mac versions
of the software. The first option on Windows is Enable High DPI Scaling. If you use a HighDPI
display, and want HitFilm to obey your settings for desktop scaling, enable this option. Turn
it off if you want HitFilm to ignore your scaling. Show Quick Actions in Menubar toggles
the icons for Open, Save, Undo and Redo. The keyboard shortcuts for those commands are
very common, so you might not ever use those icons, and feel that you could do without
them. The Hide Full-Screen Preview option applies to setups with multiple displays.
If you have one of your displays set to show a fullscreen preview, enabling this option
means that when you switch from HitFilm to another application, the fullscreen preview
is hidden, leaving that display available for use with other programs. And finally,
on Mac systems, you will have an option to Use the native menu bar. The default layout
matches the Windows software, but switching to the native menu bar might be more comfortable
for some Mac users who prefer the traditional Mac top menu system. But it does also mean
that the software will not exactly match our video tutorials, which might be a factor you
want to consider
as well. Thanks for watching, and I hope you found
this information helpful. If you are new to HitFilm, and want to learn more about using
the editing tools, the video linked onscreen now is a good next step. Please subscribe
if you want to benefit from our future videos as soon as they are released, and I’ll see
you next time.