Showout

Getting started

Install

Download the AppImage from the download page, then:

chmod +x Showout-*.AppImage
./Showout-*.AppImage

If it reports No suitable fusermount binary found, install FUSE 3:

sudo apt install fuse3   # Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dnf install fuse3   # Fedora

Or run it without FUSE. It starts slower because it unpacks first:

./Showout-*.AppImage --appimage-extract-and-run

Requirements

  • Linux x86_64
  • Vulkan-capable GPU with current drivers
  • GStreamer and its plugins are bundled. Host plugins are not needed.

Verify the download

sha256sum Showout-*.AppImage

Compare the output against the SHA-256 shown on the download page.

Activate

  1. Buy a license. Polar's order email links to its customer portal, which shows your key.
  2. Open the license panel in Showout, paste the key, and activate.

Until activation the app runs in unlimited watermark trial mode.

Move to a new machine

A license activates on up to 3 machines at a time. Deactivate from the license panel on the old machine, then activate on the new one. If the old machine is gone, free its slot in the Polar customer portal.

Lost license key

Sign in to the Polar customer portal with your purchase email to see it, or email support@showout.io.

Guides

Showout Quick User Guide

What to try before your first show. For supported platforms and hardware, see the download page.

1. Load media

  • Open Help / Quick Start and press LOAD SAMPLE to check that the bundled sample plays.
  • Expand the Sources dock, select MEDIA, and choose a folder of clips or still images.
  • Or drag a file into the app window. It goes to the selected layer.
  • Still images: PNG, JPG and static WebP.
  • The AppImage bundles GStreamer, so no codec packages are needed.

2. Build a performance deck

  • The matrix has four layer rows and eight clip columns per scene.
  • Select a target layer, then use Bank to Layer N, or drag a Sources item into a cell.
  • PLAY launches a cell using its layer's launch timing.
  • Each layer has BEAT and BAR toggles. Only one can be on. Click it again to turn it off. With both off, clips launch at once.
  • A column's launch button starts every filled cell in that column.
  • View N shows a scene without launching anything, and marks it VIEWING. GO SCENE N launches it.
  • Rename, copy, clear, MIDI assignment and launch timing are on the same strip.

3. Control playback

Each layer card has:

  • Play, Pause and Restart. To stop on the first frame, pause, then restart.
  • A scrub slider.
  • BEAT and BAR toggles for launch timing.
  • Loop, to repeat the clip when it ends.

Seeking is fastest with HAP or short-GOP H.264 / H.265. Long-GOP camera and streaming files seek slower, because the decoder starts at the previous keyframe. See Media formats and HAP.

4. Mix layers

  • Each layer row has opacity, solo and bypass.
  • Assign each layer to crossfader bus XF A, XF B or THRU.
  • The crossfader moves between A and B. THRU layers are not affected by it.
  • Layer effects change one layer. Overall effects change the final output.

5. Open projector output

  • Choose the display in Output → Display.
  • Press F to open the output window.
  • While it is open, the in-app Output Monitor stops its preview. The projector shows the live output.
  • If the display disconnects, Showout marks the output lost. It does not switch to another display.
  • Stop the output before restoring a template or relinking missing media.

6. Align projection

  • Set the canvas size in Advanced / Setup.
  • Turn on the calibration overlay to show a grid and crosshair on the projector while you line it up.
  • Each layer has position, scale, rotation, fit mode and placement presets.
  • Corner pin and mesh warp fit a layer to its surface. See Projection mapping on Linux.

7. Save and restore shows

  • Templates save layer settings, clip banks, scenes, MIDI mappings, warps, the canvas and media paths. Use File → Open Template…, Save Template and Save Template As….
  • Media files are not stored in the template.
  • If media is missing on another machine, use LOCATE FOLDER, or RELINK on a single cell.

8. Licensing and trial mode

  • The Public Trial always watermarks Program Output. It has no License section and never contacts a license service.
  • Commercial builds watermark Program Output until a license is activated. Everything else works.
  • In a commercial build, enter your key in the License section.
  • License checks run in the background and do not interrupt the output.
  • If you activate while offline, Showout tries again later. Full output starts once activation succeeds.

9. Performance and diagnostics

  • Performance → Performance Monitor… shows timing measurements for this machine. SHOW FRAME PHASES breaks each frame down.
  • Crash reports stay on your machine. Showout does not upload them.
  • EXPORT REPORT saves a copy for support with paths, hostnames, IP addresses, email addresses, URIs and live input names removed. See Support.

10. Updates

  • Showout can tell you a newer release exists and open the download or release notes page. It never installs updates itself.
  • Each download has a SHA-256 checksum so you can verify the file.

11. Show-safety tips

  • Test the exact projector and cable chain before a paid show.
  • Keep media on the show machine's own drive. Network and USB paths can disappear or stall.
  • Use prepared media: HAP, HAP Q, or short-GOP H.264 / H.265.
  • Run a short rehearsal with the Performance Monitor before a new venue or a GPU driver update.
  • Keep a known-good template and a few still-image cells as fallbacks.