What to check before visuals go on a wall

A short checklist for real-time and looped visuals on large screens. None of it is glamorous, and all of it has saved a show.

Brightness and contrast

Screens that look right in a studio can wash out under venue lighting. Check at the real brightness, in the real light, from the real distance.

Frame rate under load

Run the piece for an hour at full resolution and watch the frame rate, not just the first minute. Heat and memory problems show up late.

A plan for the network dropping

If the visuals pull live data, decide what the screen shows when the connection goes. A calm fallback loop beats an error message.

A way back

Keep the last working version one click away on the machine that runs the show.