Conference Video Layout Management
Can I customize the conference video layout to suit my preferences?
During a conference you can change its which is the arrangement of participants' video windows on the screen.
If you change your video layout during the meeting, the view of other participants (both native and browser-based) will not change.
If a video layout cannot be controlled in your application, it means you activated the moderator's layout. Additionally, the moderator might have restricted the ability to change the layout for participants.
An easy way directly in the video layout within the conference window
To change the order of video windows:
Click and hold down the left mouse button on the window you want to move to a different location.
Drag the selected pane to another place on the screen.
Release the mouse button to switch the participants' panes.
To select a priority window, which will be displayed as the largest in the layout:
Just click on the selected video window (slot) in the video layout.
You can change the position of large windows in the same way. Just drag them to the selected location.
Advanced video layout settings in a separate menu
To fine-tune the video layout settings, click the button on the top conference control panel.
Here you can:
Go to detailed .
Activate checkbox so that the window of the participant who is currently speaking becomes prioritized in the video layout.
Check to hide participants who are not transmitting their video.
After clicking , a menu will open:
In this menu, you can select one of the three video layouts and configure , which determines how the will behave when auto-zoom is activated.
Display in a single layout window with other participants being hidden
Move to a separate application window
Display in an enlarged layout window.
How to set the video layout for other conference participants
If you are the , go to . To do this, simply press the button:
The required window will then open.
Please note that you can have multiple video layouts of the same type (e.g., for all participants). To activate one of the layouts from the list, click the button in the row with the selected layout. Here, you will also see which layout is already being streamed to the conference (it will be marked with the icon).
The real-time meeting management window will open. If no video layouts have been created so far, you will need to select the category of users for whom the layout will be set up:
For all. The layout you create will be sent to all users in the conference without exception.
For SIP/H.323 devices and WebRTC. If this option is selected, the layout will be sent exclusively to selected types of devices, which can be useful, for example, when streaming a conference to an external audience.
Individual video layout. You select an individual conference participant for whom you create the layout.
In the same window, you can view detailed by clicking the button on the top panel next to the conference name and selecting .
Regardless of the option you choose, the window with video layout settings will open.
You will be able to configure the following parameters:
- — here, you can add another layout to simultaneously send different layouts to several individual users or device types. For example, you can create two layouts — one for an individual user and another for everyone else.
- — here, you can choose how video windows will be distributed across the layout. If you hover the mouse over any layout type option, you will see its description.
- — allows you to select the number of participant windows in your video layout.
- — whether the name will be displayed, and if so, where (above or below the user window).
The button opens a range of additional options: , , , , and .
User windows — by clicking on each of these windows, you can choose its type: fixed participant (reserved for a certain user), randomly-selected participant, active speaker, reserved for shared content, automatic rotation (alternation) of participants at a certain frequency.
Read more about the types of video windows in layouts and their usage specifics in the .
If you are not currently participating in an active conference, the link to access its real-time meeting management may still be available when selecting it in the (or in your ), but only under one of the following conditions:
You are the operator added to the list of invited conference participants.
You are the conference owner.
Can meeting participants decline the locked video layout?
Yes, they can, if you select in the additional settings when configuring the video layout using the real-time meeting management tool.
In this case, conference participants will receive a notification about the new layout created by the moderator and accept or decline this layout:
Even if the video layout from the moderator was declined, the user will still be able to enable it. The corresponding button will be available in the section of the conference control panel.
Shuffling video slots
You can also configure automatic shuffling (rotation) of participants in the video layout. This feature can be useful, for example, if you need to review the video sent by each conference participant.
To configure the alternation, go to . You need to click the button located above the list of previously created video layouts (meaning you must have at least one layout for the button to appear):
By clicking the button, you will open the pop-up window where you can:
Choose the order in which the slots will be shuffled: from the smaller slot number to the larger, or vice versa
Select the type of shuffling: whether the slots will be randomly replaced with others from the list or shifted by one in a certain order
Set the interval for shuffling participants (in seconds).
After selecting all the necessary parameters, click .
Multi-window mode
During a conference, you can enable the multi-window mode. It will be useful if you work with multiple monitors: you manage your conference in the main window, while the video area switches to an additional window. There are two options to enable the multi-window mode:
In the conference control panel, click the button and select .
The method described above can also be used to enable multi-window mode in the conference widget.
When you take all the steps described above, the conference video layout will be displayed in a separate application window.
You can disable multi-window mode by clicking in the main application window.
Vertical window orientation in video layouts
Vertical orientation of participants' windows is supported for point-to-point calls and conferences with layouts that include windows of equal size and an enlarged window.
If windows in the conference layout are of the same size, and more than 50 percent of users are streaming video from a camera with a vertical orientation, this orientation will be applied to all windows (including those ones with a horizontal orientation).