Cinematica Support
Please review this page before contacting us for support.
LATEST VERSION

Version 3.6
Released January 12, 2021
Please make sure you are running the latest version of the software. Requires macOS 10.14 or newer.
FFMPEG TOOLS

Version 4.1.3
Released April 1, 2019
This free open-source software lets Cinematica import and use many additional video file formats.
Source code is available here.
VLC VIDEO PLAYER

Version 2.2.8
Released December 6, 2017
This free open-source video player allows playback of many additional video file formats.
Source code is available here.
Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install the FFmpeg tools?

1. Download the FFmpeg tools using the link above.
2. Double-click the zip file to uncompress the file. This results in two files: FFmpeg and FFprobe.
3. Put these files wherever you want. Then, in Cinematica Preferences (under Importing), tell it where these files are.

How do I add video files to Cinematica?

There are two ways to add video files to Cinematica:

1) Drag the files to the list area in the top center of the main window.
2) Choose: File > Add Files to Library.

How do I move videos to a new hard drive so that Cinematica can still find them?

Choose "Relink Files..." from the File menu. A sheet will be displayed showing the missing/relocated files. Double-click on one of these and find its new location. Other files that have been moved but are in the same relative location as the first file will automatically be matched.

Why isn't Cinematica importing my video?

Please make sure that the file extension of your video is in the list in Preferences -> File Types.

Make sure that both FFmpeg and FFprobe are installed. In the Cinematica Preferences, you can tell the application where these tools are located on your system.

How can I import files directly into a named playlist in a Cinematica Library?

Import the files. They will appear in the "All Videos" list. They will also appear in the "Last Import" list. After importing is complete, go to the "Last Import" list and select all the videos there. They will be the batch you just imported. Drag them to the playlist of your choice.

Note that the 'Last Import" collection may need to be turned on in the Library Settings.

What do the yellow, purple, green, and red dots mean?

A. The order of processing is:

Grey - No data about the file, other than its name.

Yellow - Only the basic data (such as frame rate and resolution) has been read (no thumbnails or storyboards).

Purple - Some image data has been imported.

Green - Fully imported with all image data.

Red - Missing file.

How do I add a custom icon to a collection?

Drag a 16x16 pixel .png file to the collection in the left-hand column. If you have a Retina screen, you can drag both a 16x16 and 32x32 .png at the same time.

Will Cinematica alter my video files?

Cinematica does not alter your files at all. "Importing" refers to reading the video file to determine its format, and also to capturing some still images to create a thumbnail and storyboard for the video. It works the same way as "importing" music files into iTunes.

Does Cinematica work with Quicktime?

If the Quicktime movie player can open the movie, then Cinematica should be able to read it. You may need to add the correct extension to the Cinematica preferences.

Is the library stored and managed in a database format (SQLite, etc.)?

It is in a database format, but based on archived Cocoa objects, not SQL.

Will Cinematica let me organize my YouTube videos?

YouTube videos are generally watched streaming over the internet. If you want to put YouTube videos into Cinematica, you will need to download them first. There are several Third Party tools to accomplish this, or you can use Safari. Please see this link for more information:

How to download YouTube videos.

Can Cinematica catalogue my DVD collection?

DVDs are encrypted and there is no way to import them into Cinematica at this time.