Using Production Studio for Zoom Sessions

Production Studio in Zoom Sessions events allows hosts to customize what an attendee sees. Hosts can customize layouts, add borders to videos, adjust the video aspect ratio, and customize all in-session branding features.

Notes:

• If your account allows Webinar - Always present video in 1080p to Attendees, this setting will automatically be enabled for Production Studio.
• Production Studio is available in both the Zoom web portal and Zoom Events. Hosts can configure Production Studio for webinar sessions that are scheduled on the Zoom Events platform and for Zoom Webinars on the Zoom web portal. Users who have Zoom Events and Zoom Sessions licenses can use this feature.

Learn more about managing the Sessions tab in Zoom Sessions.

This article covers:

• Best practices for Production Studio in Zoom Sessions
• Limitations for using Active Speaker in Production Studio
• How to access Production Studio in Zoom Sessions
  • Understand Production Studio in Zoom Sessions
• How to customize a scene in Production Studio
  • Use additional actions from the scene list
• How to use scenes in a webinar session in Zoom Sessions
  • Access Production Studio in a webinar session
  • Use Production Studio in a webinar session
  • Close Production Studio in a webinar session
• How to manage Production Studio recordings
• How to manage producer takeover
  • Manage manual producer takeover
  • Manage automatic producer takeover

Prerequisites for customizing scenes in Zoom Sessions Production Studio

Host

• Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education account
• Zoom Sessions Unlimited license or Zoom Sessions Pay Per Attendee license
  Note: Pay Per Attendee (PPA) licensed users can use this feature only in their Zoom Sessions and Zoom Events. PPA does not allow users to use this feature on the Zoom web portal—they can only use it on the Zoom Events portal.
• Zoom desktop app
  
  • Windows: 5.15.10 or higher
  • macOS: 5.15.10 or higher
• Recommended hardware:
  Note: If your device’s hardware doesn’t meet Production Studio’s minimum hardware requirement, attendees may see lower-resolution videos.
  
  • Windows:
    
    • Intel CPU: Eight-core i7 support or higher
    • Hardware memory of at least 8 GB
  • macOS:
    
    • Apple CPU: M1 Pro/M2 or higher
    • Hardware memory of at least 8 GB

Attendee

• Zoom desktop app
  
  • Windows: 5.13.0 or higher
  • macOS: 5.13.0 or higher
  • Linux: 5.13.0 or higher
• Zoom mobile app
  
  • Android: 5.13.0 or higher
  • iOS: 5.13.0 or higher

Notes:

• Attendees must have the minimum version to see the produced view. If attendees join this webinar with an older client version, they will only see the speaker or gallery view and the session wallpaper (if added) once the scene starts.
• Panelists or attendees can join on any platform.
• For access to the latest Zoom Events and Webinar features, we strongly recommend hosts and attendees to update to the latest version of the Zoom desktop client/mobile application.

Best practices for Production Studio in Zoom Sessions

• Prepare your materials:
  • Wallpaper
  • Virtual background
  • Event color schemes
• Prepare how the show will run by knowing:
  • Who the speakers are and when they will speak
  • What topics will be discussed
  • What slides need to be created
  • The order of the slides and how the slides will be handed off
• Prepare the crew:
  • Assign the main characters
  • Assign speakers that should be in the scenes
• Enable the Zoom web portal setting, Record production studio customized view from the webinar, which is required to capture the Production Studio customized (produced) view on the cloud. Learn more about applying individual settings to your cloud recordings.

Limitations for using Active Speaker in Production Studio

Active Speaker as a video source means that the video tile will change who is displayed, depending on who is talking. Using Active Speaker as a source for video in Production Studio has the following limitations:

• Under Scene Speaker, Active Speaker can be selected when there is a single video tile in the scene.
  Note: Active Speaker is not available as an option if you have 2 or more video tiles in the scene, as it will result in duplicate videos.
• If the producer is also going to be a speaker, they must ensure they are set up to be seen by viewers. The producer can do either of the following actions:
  
  • The producer can change their Zoom client settings so that they can see themselves as the active speaker. This setting applies to all their meetings and webinars.
    1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
    2. Click your profile picture then click Settings.
    3. Click the Video tab .
    4. Select the See myself as the active speaker while speaking checkbox. 
       This will place your video as the primary active speaker on your own screen when you speak. 
  • The producer can ensure to set themselves as a speaker source and not rely on active speaker switching.

If the producers do not follow the above steps/options, the last active speaker will still be visible to attendees when the producer is the active speaker. Their voice will be heard, but their video will not be seen.

These limitations only apply if the producer is also a speaker, and the scene has Active Speaker as a source.

How to access Production Studio in Zoom Sessions

Note: When a host's/producer's device does not meet the specified hardware requirements for Production Studio, they will receive a warning message that has information about hardware requirements. This message will appear on the Zoom Events platform and the Zoom web portal.

1. Create a Zoom Sessions event or edit an upcoming event to access event setup.
2. In the event creation flow navigation menu, click Event Content, then click Session.
3. Click the In-session Branding tab.
4. Under Production Studio, click Open Production Studio.

Understand Production Studio in Zoom Sessions

The following elements will appear after you access Production Studio in the Zoom Sessions event setup:

• At the top of the page, you can click the help icon for the following actions:
  
  • Learn more about Production Studio
  • View hardware requirements 
  • Return to onboarding 
• In the left panel, the scene list is displayed. You can add and manage scenes in the scene list.
• In the middle panel, you can preview the scene with a real-time preview of custom scenes in the webinar.
• In the right panel, you can view the custom scene, where you can define the scene name, video aspect ratio, border style, and wallpaper.

How to customize a scene in Production Studio

1. Access Production Studio in Zoom Sessions.
2. In the top-left corner, click Add Scene.
   Your scene will appear in the left panel's scene list.
3. In the right panel, customize the following information:
   
   • Scene Name: Enter a scene name.
     Note: Attendees will not see the scene name. The scene name is only visible to the event organizer.
   • Select a layout: Click the dropdown menu to select All Layouts, Shared Content, Video Tiles, or Media. You can also use the back arrow and forward arrow  to view different layouts.
     • When Media is selected, you can create a scene that only displays an image so that you have a space to show images to attendees without starting a screen share.
       
       1. Under Image, click + Add Image.
       2. Use the content library tool to select an existing image or upload a new image.
          Note: The recommended image dimensions are 1920x1080 pixels. The maximum image size is 15 MB.
          The image will appear as the full-screen image for the scene.
       3. (Optional) Under Image, hover your mouse over the uploaded image and click the pencil icon to edit the image.
       4. (Optional) Under Image, hover your mouse over the uploaded image and click the delete icon to delete the image.
   • Aspect Ratio: Click the Aspect Ratio tab to select the aspect ratio you want to use for your layout.
     
     • Under Landscape / Square, select the landscape or square aspect ratio for your layout.
     • Under Portrait, select the portrait aspect ratio for your layout.
     • Under Spacing, use the slider to select how much spacing you want for your layout.
   • Border Style: Click the Border Style tab to set the color of video borders.
     1. Under Color, select the color you want to apply to the element by using the following methods:
        • Click a circle to use a color from the color palette.
        • Click the custom color button, then add your custom color:
          • Use the slider to select a color.
          • Enter a HEX number.
          • Enter RGB numbers.
     2. Under Border Width, use the slider to set the video border width.
   • Webinar Wallpaper: Select a wallpaper for this scene. Your wallpaper will be displayed behind video tiles and shared content. Use only JPG/JPEG/PNG files with the recommended image dimensions of 1920x1080 pixels. The maximum image size is 10MB.
     Note: This feature is only available for client versions 5.13.0 and above. If participants join this webinar with an older client version, they will only see the black background or session wallpaper (if added) once the scene starts.
     • Add wallpaper for your scene:
       1. Click + Add Wallpaper to select the wallpaper for this scene or set it as the default wallpaper for all scenes. If you have a default wallpaper, you can edit a specific scene to change its wallpaper. 
          A pop-up window will appear.
       2. In the pop-up window, click + Upload Wallpaper.
       3. Select the photo you want to use or upload a new image in the content library. Then, click Select an Image.
          In the pop-up window, the wallpaper will be displayed.
       4. Select the wallpaper that you uploaded.
       5. (Optional) In the bottom-right corner, click Set as Default for all scenes. If a verification dialog appears, click Save.
          Once you save, the Default label will appear on the wallpaper, and it will apply to all existing and future scenes.
       6. Click Done.
          Under Webinar Wallpaper, the selected wallpaper will appear.
       7. (Optional) On the wallpaper image, click the pencil icon  to select another wallpaper or upload new wallpaper.
     • Under Top Safe Area, use the slider to define top padding to avoid content obscuring key elements in the background wallpaper. 
   • Scene Speaker: Choose which person will fill each video tile. 
   • Presenter (appears if the Shared Content layout is selected): Choose who is sharing content in this scene.
4. Click Save.

Notes:

• Use the In-Session Branding tab (at the session level) to customize your panelists' appearances and define their name tag style, text, and the virtual backgrounds they automatically have upon joining.
• Use the In-Session Branding tab (at the session level) to customize the session's overall wallpaper. Attendees who use later client versions will only see the wallpaper of the scene.

Use additional actions from the scene list

Duplicate a scene

1. Access Production Studio in Zoom Sessions.
2. In the left panel's scene list, find the scene you want to manage.
3. To the right of the scene you want to manage, click the Duplicate Scene icon  to duplicate the scene.
   Your duplicate scene will appear in the scene list.

Delete a scene

1. Access Production Studio in Zoom Sessions.
2. In the left panel's scene list, find the scene you want to manage.
3. To the right of the scene you want to manage, click the Remove Scene icon  to delete the scene.
4. If a confirmation window appears, click Remove.
   Note: The scene will be removed from the session. This action cannot be undone.

How to use Production Studio in a webinar session in Zoom Sessions

Access Production Studio in a webinar session

1. Start a webinar session in Zoom Sessions.
2. In the top-right corner of the video window, click the View button , then click Production Studio.
   Production Studio window will appear, where you can preview, reorder, or disable individual scenes.

Understand Production Studio in a webinar session

The following elements will appear after you access Production Studio in a webinar session:

• The Scenes list displays the session scenes that were created in Production Studio. The speaker and gallery views are available at the top of the scene list.
• The Preview window displays the selected scene from the Scenes list.
• The Live Webinar Feed window is displayed next to the preview window. This will display your session's live webinar feed and will display your scene when it's live.
• Under Sources, participants are displayed; you can drag and drop the participants from this section into the previewed scene to replace the speaker. 

Use Production Studio in a webinar session

1. Access Production Studio in a webinar session.
2. (Optional) In the left panel's Scenes list, hover your mouse over a scene that you want to disable, click the ellipsis , then click Disable. 
   When disabled, the scene is not automatically selected as the next scene when you are going through the scenes; the scene will be skipped.
   
   • To enable the scene, hover your mouse over a disabled scene, click the ellipsis , then click Enable. 
3. In the left panel's Scenes list, select the scene that you want to preview in the Preview window.
4. In the Preview window, modify speakers in the following ways:
   • Add speakers to scenes without speakers:
     1. In the Preview window, click + Add Speaker.
        A pop-up window will appear.
     2. In the pop-up window, choose the speaker you want to add to the scene, then click Save.
   • Replace a speaker using participants under Sources:
     1. Under Sources, drag and drop a participant into a scene to replace a speaker.
   • Replace a speaker using the ellipsis icon :
     1. In the Preview window, hover your mouse over the speaker's box.
     2. Click the ellipsis , then click Replace.
        A pop-up window will appear.
     3. In the pop-up window, choose the speaker you want to add to the scene, then click Replace.
   • Remove a speaker:
     1. In the Preview window, hover your mouse over the speaker's box.
     2. Click the ellipsis , then click Remove.
5. (Optional) Before you send the scene live, click Notify Speaker to notify the speaker to prepare for the scene.
6. Click Send Live to make the scene visible to attendees.

In Production Studio, your scene will appear with the On Air label in the Live Webinar Feed.

Close Production Studio in a webinar session

Note: It is not necessary to close Production Studio before you end the show. The best practice is to end the webinar for attendees before you stop Production Studio.

1. Use Production Studio in a webinar session.
2. After sending your scene live to attendees, click View , then click Production Studio.
3. In the top-right corner of the Production Studio window, click the X button to exit Production Studio.
   A verification dialog will appear.
4. In the verification dialog, click Close & Stop.
   Once the Production Studio window is closed, both the started scene and the content you share will be stopped.

How to manage Production Studio recordings

Producers can access their Production Studio recordings on the Zoom web portal. The recordings will capture different views, based on the type of recording:

• Cloud recordings will capture the produced view. There will be a separate file with Production Studio content. It will contain black frames if Production Studio is stopped for any period of time. These black frames ensure that the timestamps of the Production Studio file and other video files are the same.
  • The playback of the cloud-recording video is an overlay on top of the active speaker or gallery view. For example, when using the Zoom player for recordings, you can see (in the active speaker or gallery view) where the black frames are in the recording's single file.
• For local recordings, only the producer will capture the produced view. Other panelists will capture a regular recording (global wallpaper and spotlights). Local recording is a single file that contains what the local computer captured. For example, if the producer who started recording may have not yet started Production Studio, the local recording will capture the view that it sees. Then, the producer runs Production Studio for a while and that’s captured. If the producer stops Production Studio at any time, there are no black frames in the local recording because it is a single file.

  • If a panelist does a local recording, they will not capture the scenes. They will capture the view that they have, which does not include wallpaper, and uses spotlights to represent who is in the scene.

  • Only the producer will capture the produced view in local recordings.

• The webinar livestream will capture the produced view.

How to manage producer takeover

Producer takeover allows a co-host to run Production Studio and start sending a scene when the co-host needs to take over for the host. All co-hosts can access Production Studio in the webinar session. Any co-host or host can open Production Studio at any time.

If anyone has started sending scenes live, the other users with the console open will become aware they are not the primary producer. The Live Webinar Feed pane will display the current producer.

Manage manual producer takeover

Send a scene as the active producer

1. Use Production Studio in a Zoom Sessions webinar session.
2. Under the Preview pane of a scene, click Send Live .
   A confirmation window will appear.
3. In the confirmation window, click Send.
   The sent scene will appear as ON AIR in the Live Webinar Feed pane. All attendees in the webinar will be focused on this scene. Panelists' shared content can be visible to all until their scenes begin. Switching views will be disabled for panelists.

Send a scene live as the non-active producer

To send a scene live while another person is the active producer:

1. Use Production Studio in a Zoom Sessions webinar session.
2. Under the Preview pane of a scene, click Send Live .
   A confirmation window will appear, displaying the following information:
   • The active producer is currently running Production Studio and sending live.
   • If you proceed, you will take over and start sending live.
   • The video for attendees may pause briefly when the switch is happening. 
3. In the confirmation window, click Take over and send live.
   A second confirmation window will appear, informing you that the video for attendees may pause briefly when the switch is happening. 
4. In the second confirmation window, click Take over and send live.

Other Production Studio users will receive a message to indicate which user is live and has taken over the producer capabilities. The host/previous producer, if they are still present in the session, will see their Production Studio window change from sending live, to standby.

Note: When the second producer sends a scene live, they will take over and rerun Production Studio.

Manage automatic producer takeover

If the current, active producer drops from Production Studio, the (new) producer will receive a message and be informed of this. From the message, they can click a button to access Production Studio.
Note: The first active (previous) producer may not have been the host (since co-hosts can start Production Studio). So, when a co-host drops, it will not switch host roles.

1. Start or join the Zoom Sessions webinar session as the host or co-host.
   When the current producer drops from Production Studio, a dialog box will appear.
2. In the dialog box, acknowledge that Production Studio doesn't have a current producer and click Open Production Studio.
3. Manage scenes and send scenes live as the new producer.

If a user already has Production Studio open, a dialog will appear, informing them that they must send the scene live. The scene the last producer was on will automatically be loaded; so, the new producer only needs to send the scene live.

1. Use Production Studio in a Zoom Sessions webinar session.
   When the current producer drops from Production Studio, a dialog box will appear.
2. In the dialog box, acknowledge that Production Studio doesn't have a current producer and click Got it.
3. Manage scenes and send scenes live as the new producer.