Songs on screen: slide split, text size, form and quick fixes

The most common question at the projector is: “Why is this verse so small?” You set the split, text position, slide before and header right on the song — in Show or in the Songs view (with Slides selected), on the bar above the slides. You change the text size in Show.

Shortcuts are written for Mac: on Windows and Linux, press Ctrl instead of ⌘ and Alt instead of ⌥ (⇧ is Shift).

Slide split

• Sections — a whole verse or chorus on one slide (the default),
• 4 lines — at most 4 lines per slide; a longer verse carries on to the next slide,
• 2 lines — at most 2 lines per slide, in the modern worship and livestream style.

With 4 lines, the app doesn't leave a lone last line: a 5-line verse becomes 3 + 2, not 4 + 1. If you change the split during the song, the same words stay on screen.

Text position

Top, Upper, Middle, Bottom. “Upper” works well in rooms where people's heads block the bottom of the screen.

Text size

In Show, in the header of the PROJECTOR preview: A− and A+ (the − and + keys), in 5% steps. 100% means the whole song uses the size at which its longest slide fits — so the letters don't jump around from slide to slide. Click the percentage to go back to 100%. The same works for Scripture readings.

One song or all of them?

The app remembers each of these settings for that particular song, on this computer. A small dot marks the default setting. If you want something to apply everywhere, pick it on the song and click the button that then appears: Make default (next to the split or next to the position). Songs without their own setting will follow it.

You'll also find the defaults for all songs in Settings → Slides:

• Split into slides and Text position,
• Letter size: Standard, Larger, Largest — for a big room or a weak projector,
• Stronger contrast (bright room).

Slide before the song and header

For a song you can also choose — only for that song, on this computer:

• Slide before: None, Blank or Title (title, songbook and number, author),
• Header: None, Title, Section or Title + section — a bar on every slide.

The settings for the whole church are in the theme, on the Layout tab: How slides look: themes and layout.

Song form during the service

Above the slides you'll see the form bar, e.g. V1 C V2 C B C ×2. The current part is highlighted. Click a part to show its first slide. Is the band singing the chorus one more time? Press R.

You change the form in the song editor (see below), or just for one service — in the Services view (⌘6): the pencil icon next to the song (Edit item) → Form → For this service.

A quick fix in a song

A typo in the middle of the service? Songs (⌘3) → pick the song → Edit:

• the Title, Author and Key fields,
• Lyrics and chords — a chord goes in square brackets before the syllable, e.g. [G]Amazing. After pasting plain text, click Detect verses and chords,
• on the right, a preview of the slides, split exactly as on the projector,
• the Form section: Change form, with moving, repeats and Templates (Chorus after every verse, + chorus ×2 at the end).

⌘S saves, Esc cancels. If the song is on screen right now, saving updates the slides in place and the projector stays on.

To save a song you need an internet connection and the Songs: Edit permission. A song from a songbook changes for your church only.

In the Songs view

• Search by number or title (⌘K or /). The number comes first: 121 finds song 121.
• Songbook tabs at the top, and next to them collections from an import (e.g. "Youth songbook"; not in the Linux version, 0.9.57); Songbooks shows the covers (songbooks are added in the browser).
• Tags and playlists filter the list. + saves the current filter as a playlist.
• The Slides / Text switch shows the slides or the raw text.
• Double-click a song to send it to the presenter. During a presentation, this cues it as next.

What's next

• How slides look: themes and layout
• The Bible on screen