Settings
Open Settings with the gear button in the top bar or Ctrl + ,. Sections are listed on the left.
Changes take effect straight away and are saved automatically. Close the window with Done, Esc or the ×. Options marked Soon are planned for a later version and can't be switched on yet.
Appearance
How the console looks. None of these change what the congregation sees, except Reduce motion.
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Theme | Console colours. Dark, Light, Midnight and Auto (follows your computer's light or dark mode) are shown first. More themes adds High Contrast, Dusk, Sepia, Nord, Solarized Dark, Solarized Light, Gruvbox, Dracula, Royal Purple, Amber and Ecclesial Blue. | Dark |
| Font size | Console text and icon size: S, M or L | M |
| Show CCLI badges | Shows each song's CCLI number in the Songs list | On |
| Reduce motion | Turns off console animations, and makes every projection transition an instant cut | Off |
| Language | The console's language. Changes immediately, no restart needed. | Your computer's language, if available |
Available languages: English, Español, Português (Brasil), Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Nederlands, Русский, Українська, Polski, Română, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 한국어, 日本語, Bahasa Indonesia, Filipino, Kiswahili, हिन्दी, Tiếng Việt and العربية.
Translations are AI- and community-assisted, with English as the source. Any text that isn't translated yet shows in English. In Arabic the text reads right to left, but the console layout isn't mirrored yet.
Projection
Output
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Output display | The screen the main projection goes to | Your first screen that isn't the main one |
| Projection mode | Fullscreen, or Windowed for a movable window | Fullscreen with two screens, Windowed with one |
| Show projection in Alt-Tab | Gives the projection window a taskbar button and an Alt-Tab entry | On |
| Single display: full-size projection behind the console | With one screen, shows the projection full size behind all other windows instead of as a small corner preview | Off |
Transitions
| Option | Choices | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Primary output style | Cut, Crossfade, Fade through black | Crossfade |
| Primary output duration | Instant, Fast (150 ms), Normal (280 ms), Slow (500 ms), Very slow (1000 ms) | Normal |
| NDI output style and duration | As above, for the NDI stream. Only shown when Dual output mode is on. | Crossfade, Normal |
Multiple Outputs
Add and manage extra screens such as a stage monitor or lobby TV. Each has a name, a Mirror or Stage mode, a display and an on/off switch. See Outputs and Stage Display.
Defaults
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Show logo by default | Shows the logo on the projection when Crater starts | Off |
| Clear output when idle | Soon |
Fonts
Import .ttf and .otf fonts for your themes with Import font…, and remove them with the trash button. See Designing Themes.
Scripture
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Default version | The translation the Scripture tab opens with | KJV |
| Show verse numbers | Shows the verse number in each reference in the Scripture list | On |
| Highlight current verse | Shows a multi-verse passage one verse at a time, with the rest dimmed | Off |
| Show book:chapter in footer | Adds a reference line at the bottom of scripture slides | Off |
| Show Strong's tab | Shows the Strong's tab and Strong's results in global search | On |
Song
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Show author | Shows the author under songs in the schedule | On |
| Show CCLI number | Shows the CCLI number under songs in the schedule | On |
| Default theme | The theme for songs that don't have their own | Classic Dark |
| Auto-advance slides | Moves to the next slide automatically | Off |
| Advance after | 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 seconds | 20 seconds |
| Loop at end | Goes back to the first slide after the last one | Off |
Auto-advance works for anything live with more than one slide. It pauses while Clear is on.
Search
Command palette
Default action by type sets what Enter does on a global search result: Stage to Preview, Reveal in tab or Go Live.
| Kind | Default |
|---|---|
| Scripture, Songs, Media | Stage to Preview |
| Strong's | Reveal in tab |
| Themes | Always Reveal in tab |
Songs, Scripture and Strong's
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Songs: Show matched lyric | Shows the matching line of lyrics under each song while searching | On |
| Songs: Highlight matches | Colours the matching words in song results | On |
| Scripture: Highlight matches | Colours the matching words in verse results | On |
| Strong's: Highlight matches | Colours the matching words in dictionary results | On |
Media
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Default fit | How pictures and videos fill the screen when their own fit is Default: Contain, Cover or Stretch | Contain |
Individual items can override this. See Media.
Remote Control
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Cast to TV browser | Shows the live projection in any web browser on your network. See Casting to a TV browser. | Off each time Crater starts |
The Connection options (Enable remote control, Port and Require password) are a preview of phone remote control, which is coming in a later version. They can't be switched on yet.
NDI
This section shows whether the NDI runtime was found and, while streaming, whether a receiver has Crater on preview (PVW) or program (PGM). See NDI Streaming.
Broadcast
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Enable NDI output | Starts or stops the stream | Off |
| Stream name | The name receivers see | Crater Live (resets each launch) |
| Pixel format | BGRA (full colour), BGRX (opaque) or UYVY (low bandwidth) | BGRA |
| Resolution | Native (1080p) or 720p | Native |
| Hide pictures and video | Sends a blank frame while a picture or video is live | Off |
| Include audio | Soon |
Pixel format and resolution take effect the next time the stream starts.
Rendering
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Dual output mode | Lets the stream use its own themes and transition | Off |
| Headless renderer | Captures frames straight from the graphics card, which is smoother and uses less CPU | On |
| On-demand rendering (low CPU) | Only sends a frame when the picture changes, up to 30 per second | Off |
Updates
Shows your version and whether a newer one is available.
- Check now checks straight away.
- When an update is available you'll see What's new, plus Download, Release page and Skip this version.
- After downloading: Install and restart on Windows, or Open the disk image on a Mac.
- Check for updates automatically looks once a day, shortly after Crater opens. It never downloads or installs anything by itself. On by default.
See Updating Crater.
Diagnostics
Send logs to developer sends Crater's recent log to the developer when something has gone wrong. Add a note in What went wrong? to explain what happened.
The log lists file names and paths from your media library and a record of recent activity in the app. It doesn't contain passwords. Nothing is sent unless you click the button.