The interface

SwitchX runs in two windows: the main control window and the Output window. This page walks through every pane, button, and menu in the main window. (Dialogs that belong to individual clip elements are covered under Clip elements.)

Window layout

The main window is split top‑to‑bottom:

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Menu bar:  Media   View   Run                            │
├──────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Asset        │  Clip Node Canvas                          │
│ Library      │  (cards you wire together)                 │
│ (sidebar)    │                                            │
├──────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Control Panel                                            │
│  ┌────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌───────┐  ┌────────┐     │
│  │ A Deck │  │ A/B Crossfader│  │ Panic │  │ B Deck │     │
│  └────────┘  └──────────────┘  └───────┘  └────────┘     │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The dividers between panes are draggable — resize the canvas, the decks, and the previews to taste.

Asset Library (left sidebar)

A running list of every media file you've loaded (via Add Files, Add Folder, or drag & drop). It's your clip library — a holding area separate from the canvas.

• Drag an item onto the canvas to add it as a card.
• Items show a thumbnail and name.

Clip Node Canvas

The large workspace in the centre. Every media element is a card here, and you connect cards together to build your media flow. This is the heart of SwitchX — it has its own page: Node editor.

When the canvas is empty it shows a Get Started placeholder with an Add Element ▾ button.

Control Panel

The bottom strip, holding four groups left‑to‑right.

A Deck and B Deck

The two live channels. Each deck box contains:

Control	What it does
(None selected) label	Name of the element currently loaded on this deck.
Preview	Live thumbnail of this deck's output.
Progress slider	Scrub position for video/slideshow elements. Drag to seek.
Time	current / total time readout.
Speed	Per‑deck playback speed in percent (100% = normal).
Play / Pause	Start or pause this deck.

To load an element onto a deck, click the A or B button on its card (or use a hotkey).

A/B Crossfader

The mixing controls between the decks:

• ◄ A / B ► labels and the crossfader slider — drag to blend Deck A into Deck B on the program output.
• Transition dropdown — the style used when blending (Crossfade, Cut, Wipes, Slides, Dips, 3D Cube, and more).
• Time (s) — duration for an automatic transition (0.1–10 s).
• AUTO — glide smoothly to the opposite deck over the set time.
• CUT — switch instantly to the opposite deck.

Full details on every mode are in Crossfader.

Panic

Three live‑safety toggles, each pressable again to release:

Button	Effect	Key
BLACKOUT	Cuts the program output to black and stops deck audio.	B
PAUSE	Freezes the program output on the current frame.	P
STAY TUNED	Shows a "Stay Tuned" holding screen.	—

Only one panic state is active at a time.

Menu bar

Media menu

Item	What it does
Add Element ▸	Submenu to create any source type (see below).
Add Files…	Pick media files to add to the Asset Library.
Add Folder…	Add every supported file in a folder to the Asset Library.
Save Session… (Ctrl+S)	Save the whole show to a session file.
Load Session… (Ctrl+O)	Open a saved session.
Export Project…	Bundle the session and its media into a portable project archive.
Import Project…	Extract and open a project archive.
Clear All	Remove every card from the canvas.

Add Element submenu — each opens the matching element. They are: Media File, Slideshow, Camera, Screen Capture, Window / Tab, Canvas, Shader, HTML Overlay, Text, NDI Source, and Phone Camera (WebRTC). See Clip elements. (NDI and Phone Camera are greyed out if your build doesn't include them.)

View menu

Item	What it does
Output Window	Show / raise the program Output window.
Preview Output	Open a second mirror window of the program mix (uses a second monitor when available).
Edit Hotkeys… (Ctrl+Shift+K)	Assign and manage keyboard triggers. See Hotkeys.
NDI Program Output	Toggle sending the program mix as an NDI source. See Extra features.
Virtual Camera Output	Toggle exposing the program mix as a webcam other apps can use.
Freeze Frame Capture… (Ctrl+Shift+F)	Grab the current frame from the program or any deck layer — save it, add it as an image element, and/or hold it as a still.
Recording Panel…	Open the recording panel to start/stop each stream. See Recording.
Drop Marker (Ctrl+M)	Timestamp a labelled marker in the active recording.
Connect to OBS…	Connect to OBS Studio over obs‑websocket (port 4455).
Link Clip to OBS Scene…	Make triggering a clip also switch OBS to a chosen scene.
OBS Scenes	Switch the connected OBS scene directly (enabled once connected).
Stay on Top	Keep the Output window above all other windows.

Run menu

Item	What it does
Start Remote Control Server…	Start the built‑in web server so you can drive the mix from a phone or laptop browser. See Remote control.

Output window

A separate window titled SwitchX - Output Monitor that shows only the final program mix — no controls, no overlays. Put it on your projector or capture it with OBS. Make it full screen for a clean feed, and use View → Stay on Top to keep it above other windows.