Session 27: Graphics project management

Overview

The purpose of this document is to detail the provision and acquisition of all information, documentation and physical assets that form the on-air brand, required to implement graphics projects for automation or live programmes. This requirement will become necessary for either:

1. Training periods, leading to graphics implementation
2. The creation of a new graphics project
3. The migration of existing channel graphics to Swift
4. Engaging RT Creative to author templates as a service
5. Support cases for specific templates

In order to proceed with a migration, rebrand or refresh, template authors require the kit-of-parts that form a particular channel or programme brand.

Expectations are the acquisition of the following types of information, documentation and assets in the following ways:

Style guides

Normally supplied in PDF form, but also obtained online. This document is provided by internal design departments or external agencies. This document outlines the brand guidelines of specific channels or programmes in terms of:

• Logo usage: For example, exclusion zones and variations
• Branded Imagery usage: For example, backgrounds, straps and colours
• Typography: For example, font weights, family members and usage
• Promotional devices: For example, menus, squeezbacks, IPP’s and bugs

Examples

These assets are mostly provided by design departments and are required to exemplify:

• Current transmission graphics and styles
• Animations, durations and variations
• Positional and scale guidance
• Other details such as multiple graphics on screen and layer ordering
• Examples are often provided in these formats:
  • Movie clips that are compressed but of full resolution, at the appropriate framerate:
    • .mov; .mxf; .mpg; .mp4; .avi etc
  • Stills that are full resolution:
    • .jpg; .png; .tif; .psd; .pdf etc

Scheduling documents

These documents are normally provided by presentation, engineering or scheduling teams and are required for functional reasons, mostly with regard to the dynamic update of graphical properties for automation and control purposes. These documents are often:

• Emailed or printed documents .pdf; .doc; .docx; xlsx; xlsx etc
• Shared online Google docs; Google sheets etc

Data and data sources

For graphics projects that require external data sources, it is preferable to acquire test, example or live sources during the template authoring process, because queries and sourcing are written exclusively into templates on an individual basis. The following provisions are recommended:

• Databases: MYSQL database copies, dumps or example files
• RSS feeds: Live source urls
• Files: Test, example or genuine files for .xml; xls; xlsx; .txt; .json

Physical assets

These graphics assets are produced by graphics departments. The tools that produce them are the standard content creation tools such as Adobe CC tools, Autodesk or other content creation applications.

Archives

We would normally expect to acquire these assets in one or more of the following ways:

• Available on portable drive: Removable USB
• Available on ftp of client: Access provided by client
• Available on ftp of RT Software: Access provided by RT
• Available on ftp of partner: Grass Valley
• Acquired as media to download: weTransfer etc

Structure

We would normally expect to receive assets on a channel by channel basis. For example:

• ChannelName
  • ChannelNameLogos
    • ChannelNameBug1.png
    • ChannelNameBug2.png
  • ChannelNameFonts
    • Gill Sans regular.ttf
    • Gill Sans Bold.otf
  • ChannelNameExamples
    • ChannelNameMenusTx.mpg
    • ChannelNameCrossChan.mov
  • ChannelNameMenus
    • ChannelNameMenu1
      • Menu1_0001.png
      • Menu1_0002.png
      • Menu1_0003.png, etc
      • Menu1.mov, etc
  • ChannelNameMenu2
    • • Menu2_0001.png
      • Menu2_0002.png
      • Menu2_0003.png, etc
  • ChannelNameIPP’s
    • ChannelNameIPP1
      • IPP1.psd
  • ChannelNameIPP2
    • • IPP2.psd

Recommended formats for supply of moving imagery

Typical of the formats that these assets are supplied in are as follows:

• .tga sequences With or without alpha
• .png sequences With or without alpha

For wrapped clip formats, RT will provide further details regarding codec, resolution, target bitrate, gop lengths, audio and compression options:

• .mov; .mxf; .avi etc
• All ffmpeg compliant

Also, the following files that are not directly imported - but are very useful

• .aep files Adobe After Effects project files with embedded assets

Recommended formats for supply of still imagery

Typical of the formats that these assets are supplied in are as follows:

• .tga files With or without alpha
• .png files With or without transparency
• .tif files With or without alpha
• .jpg files

Also, the following files that are not directly imported - but are very useful

• .psd files
• .ai files
• .eps files
• .pdf files

Recommended formats for supply of 3d geometric data

Typical of the formats that these assets are supplied in are as follows:

• .fbx files (Industry standard)
• .obj files (Softimage)

Also, the following files that are not directly imported - but are very useful

• .max files; .3ds files (3dstudioMax)
• .c4d files (Cinema 4d)
• .mb files (Maya)
• .lwo files (Lightwave)
• .ply files; .stl files; .off files (Houdini)
• .dwg files; .dxf files (CAD)

Recommended formats for supply of fonts

• .ttf files True type
• .otf files Open type

RT Creative

RT Creative are the in-house, specialist services provider for RT Software, who design, author and implement branded graphics templates for automation, live news, programmes and events across all broadcast sectors.