Forum Discussion

ReneeKowalchik-'s avatar
ReneeKowalchik-
Community Member
1 month ago

Gray "Video" box when editing SL

Help! Something has changed in a recent update that is making my video appear as a gray box within the editing stage in Storyline. The video plays fine, but as soon as I pause the timeline to add audio or shapes to highlight parts of the video, the gray box is back. It is impossible to overlay shapes or line up audio when I can no longer see the video on the slide. How do I fix this?!?

 

advice
e-learning development
storyline 360

3 Replies

  • JMManalili's avatar
    JMManalili
    Staff
    1 month ago

    Hi ReneeKowalchik-​,

    I understand how difficult this makes editing, especially when you need to see the paused video frame to position shapes and line up audio.

    I tested this on my end, but I wasn’t able to reproduce the video turning into a gray box after pausing the timeline. A few details could help us narrow down what’s happening.

    • Which version of Storyline 360 are you using? You can find the full build number under Help > About Storyline.
    • Does this happen with multiple videos and projects, or only this one?
    • If you insert the same video into a new blank project, does the video still turn into a gray box when you pause the timeline?

     

    Could you share a sample .story file that includes an affected slide? A short screen recording showing playback, pausing, and then positioning a shape would also help us test the same steps.

    If you’d prefer to share your project privately, feel free to open a support case. Our team can take a closer look at the behavior.

  • ReneeKowalchik-'s avatar
    ReneeKowalchik-
    Community Member
    30 days ago

    After some testing on my end, it seems like the issue occurs when the video has been edited by Clipchamp, the Microsoft video editor. I created a test file - I uploaded an older video that was edited in a different software (I'm not sure which, possibly Adobe Premier Pro) into the first slide. That one appears as expected. I then edited that video with Clipchamp (all I did was clip it shorter) and saved the edited video. I uploaded it to the second slide and the gray box issue happens. It plays fine, it previews fine, I just can't see it when it is paused/stopped on the editing stage. Both files are mp4.

    To answer the questions from the post:

    I have the most current version of SL installed (3.127.38181.0)

    It happens with multiple projects, but not all of my projects. When I open older projects, the videos display as expected. These videos were edited in other applications, mostly Adobe Premier Pro. When I open more recent projects, specifically those with videos edited in Clipchamp, the Gray Box issue occurs. This was NOT an issue when the project was created in May - the Clipchamp edited videos displayed as expected on the stage. Only now when I open those projects they no longer display as expected.

    And the new "test" project file I created shows the first slide with the video displaying as expected, and the second slide with the same video edited in Clipchamp displaying as a Gray Box.

    I do not want to post a project publicly due to employer privacy concerns, so I have submitted a support case with this information to get more help.