Creating Thumbnails for Timeline Markers in Dalet Flex

This article explains how to set up your system to auto generate thumbnails for Timeline custom markers.  It also explains how to create an Extract Thumbnail action for use in workflows.

Introduction

To make it easier to identify markers, Dalet Flex supports generating and storing thumbnails for markers and displaying them in FlexMAM in:

• Custom Markers Tab in the Preview Panel
• Custom Markers Tab in the Manage Page
• Table View in the Markers Results

Dalet Flex automatically generates thumbnails for Timeline markers configured to support thumbnails. You can also create a Extract Thumbnail action for use in workflows and for generating thumbnails for  pre-existing markers in the system before this functionality became available.

NOTE: Thumbnails are only displayed in FlexMAM.

Configuration Prerequisites

To view the thumbnails in FlexMAM, you must:

• Create a Timeline marker that supports thumbnails
• Add the Thumbnail column to Table/Marker display templates
• Ensure the System REST Thumbnail action is enabled

Creating a Timeline marker that supports thumbnails

1. In Metadata Designer, for a media asset variant, click on the icon and create a Timeline of type metadata.
2. Select a Metadata Schema
3. Select the Thumbnail checkbox. Only Timelines with this checkbox selected will have thumbnails auto generated for them.
   
   
4. Click Create to finish.

Adding the Thumbnail column to Table/Marker display templates

1. In FlexMAM, open the Settings dialog and select the Row View tab and the Markers asset type.
2. In the Whats Available > General drop-down list select Thumbnail and click the icon to move this field to your template.
   
   
3. Click Save to finish.
4. Open the Settings dialog and select the Marker View tab
5. In the Whats Available > General drop-down list select Thumbnail and click the icon to move this field to your template.
   
   
6. Click Save to finish.

Ensure the System REST Thumbnail action is enabled

The System REST Thumbnail Action has been created to support displaying thumbnails for markers. This action is delivered as part of the default delivery of Dalet Flex.

The System REST Thumbnail Action is mandatory for auto-generation of thumbnails for the Timeline markers. Please check it is Enabled.

Thumbnail files are stored in the Keyframe Account Folder configured for your account.

IMPORTANT NOTE

If the System REST Thumbnail Action is not available on your site, do one of the following to support auto-generation of thumbnails.

• Create an Extract action with plugin Extract Thumbnail with the name System REST Thumbnail Action and the name will be used as the unique identifier to execute this job.

OR

1. In Flex CORE, create an Extract action with plugin Extract Thumbnail with any name.
2. At Admin > System Properties, add the system property api.post.extractthumbnail.actionid and set the value to the id of the Extract action you created. In this case, the Action Id in the property will be used to find the Action and auto generate thumbnails for Timeline markers.

NOTE: If there is a System REST Thumbnail Action AND the system property is also configured, the action id in the system property is used and not the System REST Thumbnail Action.

Viewing Thumbnails in FlexMAM

A thumbnail is generated for the TC IN of any Marker type configured to support thumbnails type created in FlexMAM. The thumbnail is updated whenever the TC IN of a marker is modified in FlexMAM. 

Once you have added the Thumbnail field to a dedicated column in a Table/Marker View template, the thumbnail is displayed.

Creating an Extract Thumbnail action

The JEF Extract Thumbnail plugin has been created to support extracting thumbnails for existing markers or as part of a workflow configuration.

1. In the Extract plugin type, select the Extract Thumbnail plugin.
   
   
2. In the Configuration tab, select the System REST Transcode Resource, (Flex Stream Processor).
3. In the action, you can set timecodes that thumbnails should be extracted for. You can also use any expression that resolves to the value of a timecode and the action evaluates the timecode at runtime.
   
   
   
4. To extract thumbnails for existing markers, create an Extract Thumbnail action with Extract all thumbnails set to true and execute the action on specific assets or use in a relevant workflow. In this case you do not have to set the timecodes.
5. Add settings for the Output Profile configuration for the thumbnail files as required.

NOTE: When you manually run an Extract Thumbnail action, you must provide job/workflow variables where:

key = BG_thumbnail_filenames

value =  filename. For multiple thumbnails use comma separated strings.