- Using Settings
- Using Automatic Settings
- Auto Detect Settings
- Using Destinations
- Working with Droplets
- Working with Actions
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Working with Droplets
When settings grow up and graduate, they become Droplets. Compressor uses Droplets to pack settings into an application suitcase so they can stand alone in the Finder and run entirely outside Compressor.
You can create Droplets from any Apple or custom setting in the Settings window and then drag QuickTime-compatible media onto them to start encoding. Droplets can be quite handy, especially for repetitive encoding tasks in which settings do not change from job to job.
Creating Droplets
You can create Droplets in Compressor in one of two ways. The method you choose mainly depends on where you’re working and what you’re currently doing.
If you’re currently working with a setting in the Settings window that would make a good Droplet, select it and then click the “Save Selection as Droplet” button.
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The settings in the Apple Devices group are good candidates for promotion to Droplets because in most cases they’re applied to jobs with no customization; that is, the parameters are already tuned for Apple devices, and the automatic options allow for variances from source to source.
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Drag QuickTime-compatible media onto the Droplet to begin the encoding process; you can drop a single file or multiple files concurrently.
The Droplet connects to the Compressor transcoder (background service) and opens the Droplet window, which displays all the options and parameters.
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An alternative way to produce a Droplet is to choose File > Create Droplet and define the application parameters in the Save dialog that opens.
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Managing Multiple Settings in Droplets
When creating a Droplet, you can include single or multiple settings. Alternatively, you can add settings and templates to a completed Droplet in its main window.
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In the Save dialog that opens, define the Name, Save Location, and Output Media Destination and then click Save to create the Droplet.
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You can also add jobs directly to an open Droplet by clicking an existing job’s Plus (+) button in the Jobs table.
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Modifying Droplets
Droplets dynamically save any modifications you make to them while their windows are open. The Undo and Redo commands in the Edit menu are not available when working with Droplets, so be cautious when changing the Jobs table or the Destination settings. You can duplicate a Droplet at the Finder level and make any changes to the copy to ensure that the original version remains unchanged.
To close an open Droplet, choose Droplet > Quit Droplet.