Your First Project

Last updated 7 July 2026

This walkthrough takes you from an empty project to playing media on a physical output. It covers the minimum steps for a single-screen installation.

Before you start

  • Backstage is installed and licensed on your server
  • At least one GPU output is connected to a display or projector
  • You have a video or image file ready to play

Steps

1. Create a Scene

Your scene describes the physical layout of your installation.

  1. Open the Scene View window.

  2. Right-click in the scene and add a Display (for LED walls or flat screens) or a Surface (for projection targets).

  3. Set the dimensions to match your physical screen.

  4. If you added a projection Surface, right-click and add a Projector to represent the physical projector aimed at it. (A Display drives its screen directly and needs no projector.)

2. Set up an Output

  1. Open the Outputs window.

  2. A GPU Output is already listed for each physical display port your graphics hardware provides (for example GPU 1, GPU 2).

  3. The Resolution and refresh rate is automatically detected from the GPU .

  4. Add an Audio Output if your installation includes sound.

  5. Select the Audio device and channels you want to use

  6. Apply the changes.

  7. This automatically creates a default audio mixer.

3. Import your media

  1. Open the Assets window.

  2. Expand the category of content you want to import f.e. Video.

  3. Click Add [+] and select your video file.

  4. For audio, add your audio file the same way.

See Supported Media Types for the full list of supported formats.

4. Create a Sequence

  1. Open the Sequencer window.

  2. Click the + button to create a new Sequence.

  3. Add a Video Channel and set its target to the Display or Surface you created in step 1.

  4. Add an Audio Channel and set its target to your audio mixer.

  5. Drag your video and audio assets onto their respective tracks.

5. Route your Output

  1. Open the Video Routing window.

  2. Connect your Display or Surface to the GPU Output you want to use.

6. Play

Press Play in the Sequencer. Your media should appear on the connected screen.

Common Mistakes

  • Nothing appears on the output — the Display or Surface is not routed to a GPU Output. Open the Video Routing window and check the routing matrix.

  • Audio plays but no video — the Video Channel target is not set to your Display or Surface. Select the channel in the Sequencer and check its destination.

Tips

  • Drag a video directly onto a Surface in the Scene View to create a Sequence and assign the asset in one step.

  • Use a Control:LoadBang node in the Node Editor to start playback automatically when the project loads.

What is Backstage? — core concepts explained

How Backstage Thinks — how Backstage separates scene, content, and outputs

Common Workflows — task guides by topic once you know the basics