Main window¶

The Orc-GUI main window contains:

A menu bar (File / View / Help)
A central processing graph editor where you build your pipeline using stages and connections
A status bar that shows short messages about what the application is doing

New Project…¶

Creates a new, empty project.

When you choose File → New Project…, Orc-GUI asks you to select a project type:

NTSC Composite
NTSC YC
PAL Composite
PAL YC

A new project starts with an empty graph (no stages are added automatically). You add stages yourself in the graph editor.

Quick Project…¶

Creates a ready-to-run starter project from an existing capture.

When you choose File → Quick Project…, Orc-GUI asks you to select a video file:

.tbc (composite)
.tbcc / .tbcy (YC; requires both files as a pair)

Orc-GUI then looks for the associated metadata database alongside the file:

<base>.tbc.db

If the metadata file is missing, the quick project cannot be created.

What Quick Project sets up for you:

Detects whether the capture is PAL or NTSC from the metadata
Adds the appropriate source stage for the detected system and input type
Adds an FFmpeg video sink stage
Creates a connection from the source stage to the sink stage
If found, automatically attaches optional files next to the capture:
<base>.pcm
<base>.efm

After creating a quick project, you should usually:

Open Stage Parameters on the sink stage and select an FFmpeg preset/output settings
Use File → Save Project As… to save the new project (quick projects start “unsaved”)

Open Project…¶

Opens an existing .orcprj project file.

Save Project¶

Saves the current project.

If the project has never been saved before, Orc-GUI will prompt you to use Save Project As….

Save Project As…¶

Saves the current project under a new filename.

Edit Project…¶

Edits project-level details (such as name/description). This is enabled only when a project is loaded.

Quit¶

Exits the application.

Show Preview¶

Opens the Preview window (if a project is loaded). This is where you can view decoded output for the currently selected stage.

Show Preview on Selection¶

A toggle.

When enabled, Orc-GUI automatically shows the Preview window when you select a stage in the graph editor.

Arrange DAG to Grid¶

Automatically lays out the graph in a tidy left-to-right grid based on stage order.

Use this when your graph becomes messy after adding or moving stages.

About Orc GUI…¶

Shows version/about information.

Graph Editor Basics¶

The graph editor is the central workspace where you build your processing pipeline using:

Stages (boxes)
Connections (lines between stage ports)

Adding Stages¶

To add a stage:

Right-click on empty space in the graph editor
Choose Add (shown as “Add Node” in the menu)
Pick a stage from one of the categories:
Source
Transform
Sink
Analysis Sink

Orc-GUI filters the available stages to match your project’s video system (PAL/NTSC). For source stages it also filters by input type (Composite vs YC).

The new stage is placed where you clicked.

Creating Connections¶

To connect stages:

Drag from an output port on one stage to a compatible input port on another stage

Connections represent the flow of data through your pipeline.

Selecting Stages and Connections¶

Click a stage to select it
Click a connection line to select the connection

To select multiple items, use standard multi-select gestures (depending on platform):

Hold Shift or Ctrl/Cmd while clicking additional stages
Drag a selection rectangle on empty space to select a group

Moving Stages¶

Click and drag a stage to reposition it
With multiple stages selected, dragging one typically moves the selection together

If the layout becomes hard to read, use View → Arrange DAG to Grid.

Renaming a Stage¶

Right-click a stage
Choose Rename Stage…

This changes the label shown on the stage.

Editing Stage Parameters¶

Right-click a stage
Choose Edit Parameters…

Use this to set file paths, decoding options, thresholds, output settings, and other stage-specific behaviour.

Running Stage Tools (Analysis)¶

Some stages offer tools such as analysis and visualisation.

To access them:

Right-click a stage
Open Stage Tools
Choose an available tool

If no tools apply to the selected stage, the menu will show that none are available.

Inspecting or Triggering a Stage¶

Some stages can be inspected or triggered directly.

Right-click a stage
Use Inspect Stage… or Trigger Stage (if enabled)

If an action is unavailable, it is disabled and may show a tooltip explaining why.

Zoom In/Out¶

Use the mouse wheel over the graph editor to zoom

Zoom is intentionally limited (approximately 70% to 100%) to keep stage rendering readable.

Panning¶

Panning behaviour depends on platform and the underlying graph widget.

Common gestures include:

Dragging the background with the middle mouse button
Trackpad pan gestures

Deleting Stages and Connections¶

Deleting Connections¶

To delete a connection:

Select the connection line
Press Delete

Deleting Stages¶

To delete a stage:

Select the stage
Press Delete

Important behaviour:

Orc-GUI blocks deletion of stages that still have connections
If you try, you will be prompted to disconnect all connections first

Alternative:

Right-click a stage and choose Delete Stage (only enabled when the stage can be removed)