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Configuring StreamUP Test Card ​

by Andi ​
Version: 0.0.1

Turns a blank source into a labelled test card. SMPTE-style colour bars, an alignment grid, a flat colour, or your own image, with a preset label on top so you know what you're looking at.

Built for dummy inputs. Add four Colour Sources, drop this filter on each, and label them CAMERA 1, CAMERA 2, CAMERA 3, CAMERA 4 so you can build and rehearse an overlay on a machine that hasn't got the real capture cards plugged in yet.

Requires the obs-shaderfilter plugin (v2.6.0 or newer).

There's also a native version of this as a StreamUP OBS plugin filter. See StreamUP Test Card. The native one takes real typed text in any font. Reach for that if you want free-typed labels or auto-labelling from the source name. This shader version runs anywhere obs-shaderfilter runs and builds its label from a preset word plus a number.

Installation ​

  1. Download streamup-test-card.shader
  2. Drop it into your obs-shaderfilter shaders folder (or anywhere you like, you point at it manually)
  3. Add a Colour Source to your scene (or use any full-frame source)
  4. Right-click it, Filters, add a Shader Filter under Effect Filters
  5. Hit Browse next to "Shader Text File" and pick the .shader file
  6. The card takes over the whole source. Everything below is tuning it

Why the Label Works This Way ​

A shader can't read the source name or accept free-typed text at runtime. OBS only hands shaders numbers, colours and toggles, never strings. So the label is built from a preset Word (CAMERA, SOURCE, INPUT, FEED, and so on) plus an optional Number. Set it once per instance and you're done. If you want real typed text or auto-labelling, use the native plugin version linked above.

Information ​

Two info widgets at the top. Usage and a text note. Nothing to set.

Background ​

The first choice, and it changes the rest of the panel. Pick the look you want and only the relevant controls show up underneath.

  • Background the style. Colour Bars, Grid, Solid, or Image
  • Solid / Grid / Backdrop Colour fill colour for the Solid style, the backdrop the grid lines are drawn onto, and the letterbox fallback behind the Image style

Colour Bars ​

SMPTE-style seven-bar chart. White, yellow, cyan, green, magenta, red, blue, left to right.

  • Bars Brightness the level. 0.75 is the broadcast-standard 75% bars. 1.0 is full-intensity

Grid ​

An alignment grid with a crosshair through the centre. Good for lining up overlays, checking safe areas, or framing against something with structure.

  • Grid Line Colour colour of the lines and crosshair
  • Grid Spacing (px) gap between lines in pixels
  • Grid Line Width (px) thickness of the lines
  • Crosshair Width (px) thickness of the centre cross. Set to 0 to hide the crosshair

Solid ​

One flat colour, set with the Solid / Grid / Backdrop Colour picker.

Image ​

Your own PNG or JPG. Load it into the shader's image slot in obs-shaderfilter.

  • Fit Mode how it maps to the frame. Stretch fills the frame and ignores aspect. Fit shows the whole image and letterboxes it. Fill covers the frame and crops the overflow
  • Image Aspect width-to-height ratio of the image. Fit and Fill use it so the picture isn't squished. Stretch ignores it

Label ​

The text on the card, built from a word and a number.

  • Word the word placed before the number. Pick None to show only the number
  • Show Number append a number after the word. This is the one you change per source: 1, 2, 3, 4
  • Number the number shown after the word (0 to 999)
  • Text Size (px) cap height of the label in pixels
  • Text Colour colour of the characters
  • Text Offset X (px) move the label horizontally from centre. Positive is right
  • Text Offset Y (px) move the label vertically from centre. Positive is down

To hide the text entirely, set Word to None and turn Show Number off.

Label Plate ​

A filled panel behind the text so it stays readable over busy colour bars. On by default.

  • Enable Label Plate turns it on or off
  • Plate Colour the panel colour. The alpha controls how see-through it is
  • Plate Padding (px) gap between the text and the edge of the plate
  • Plate Corner Radius (px) rounds the corners

Frame Border ​

A border round the edge of the card. Off by default.

  • Enable Frame Border turns it on
  • Border Colour and Border Width (px) are exactly what they sound like

Good to Know ​

  • It replaces whatever you put it on. The card fully covers the source, so a plain Colour Source is the easiest thing to drop it on
  • Set the number per instance. For a rack of dummy cameras, keep Word on CAMERA and change only the Number on each: 1, 2, 3, 4
  • Native version for typed text. The StreamUP Test Card plugin takes anything you type in any font, and can auto-label from the source name. This shader is the one to use when you want it running purely on obs-shaderfilter
  • File watching is on by default in obs-shaderfilter. Edit the .shader file and OBS updates live

A Few Ideas ​

  • Dummy cameras for building a multi-cam layout before the real captures are plugged in. Four Colour Sources, this filter on each, labelled CAMERA 1 to 4
  • Placeholder feeds while you design an overlay on a machine that hasn't got the hardware
  • An alignment grid for lining up lower-thirds, logos and safe areas
  • Colour bars for checking a capture chain or setting up a monitor

Changelog ​

v0.0.1 ​

  • First release. Four background styles: SMPTE-style colour bars, a grid and crosshair alignment chart, a flat colour, or your own image with Stretch / Fit / Fill mapping. Label built from a preset word plus a number using a baked font, with an optional plate behind it and an optional frame border