Check out this full tutorial for a complete overview of Play by Metrica Sports. Make sure you activate subtitles in your own language:
Alternatively, you can follow the written tutorial below to create a playlist with visualizations:
Create a New Workspace
Once you've logged in, you start by creating a New Workspace:
The fastest way to work in Play is to analyze short clips individually.
You have 2 ways to start your presentation:
A. Do you already have short clips videos? Start here by creating a playlist.
B. If you have a full game to start, please scroll down.
A. Create a Playlist
If you want to work on several short clips, you need to create a playlist first. You can name the folder and the playlist itself, for example, folder named Leverkusen x Bayern and Playlist named Goals:
When you click on the 3 dotted symbol of the Playlist, you choose "Add Video File As A Clip" and import the videos you want to work on. Once the check is over you can start the analysis work:
Now scroll down on this article to learn how to "Edit your playlist".
B. Import a full game
If you wish to work on a full match or a longer clip, you create a Local Video Project with the Plus button:
You can write a full description of the project and then click OK:
Now that the project is created, you need to import the video you want to analyze in the Camera Button:
Once the check is over, you can enter the Video Project by clicking on its name.
You can go back to the Video Manager by clicking "Back" anytime.
Save clips from a full game
If you wish to save clips as you watch the game, you can do that with the R button or the S button:
You can choose any moment you want to watch in the timeline, then you click the R button to start recording - or the red button down here - and click again to save it to your playlist. If you don't select a playlist to save it to, a menu will pop up and ask you which playlist you want to save it to:
The S button will record a pre-determined amount of time, in these two boxes you can choose how long. In this case, when I press the S button it will record 10 seconds before and 0 seconds after this exact moment of the video, a 10-second video cut in total:
You can play and pause the game with the space bar or the play button and change the speed of viewing using shortcuts J if you want to scroll back, L if you want to scroll forward and K to reset the speed. These shortcuts will make you work much faster along the time.
Edit your playlist
Once you have your desired clips in the Playlist, you can visualize and edit several options. You can hide or show a clip with the Eye Icon on the left side, you can drag and drop the clip and change its position on the playlist, you can Copy or Cut the clip and Paste it into another playlist of your choice, and you can also delete it in the 3 dotted symbol in the right corner of the playlist:
You can change the duration of your clip by adjusting the left and right bars on your Video Cut timeline:
Add visualizations to your playlists
To start your analysis process, you click on the Annotations Module button (Cmd+5 or Ctrl+5) to open the editing timeline of your clip. This is where you will add all your visualizations:
In the + button you can add your desired visuals to your work. Let's start by adding a Spotlight in the Player Visualizations menu. We click the + button and choose Spotlight:
When you add a visualization, the software automatically detects the players in the image and creates a Bar in the timeline where your visual will be recorded and can be edited at anytime:
Once you click on the player, an Info Box pops up, so you can edit the look of your visual to your preference. You can move this Box anywhere you want for a clearer view of the visualization:
Depending on your plan, you can track the visual to the player manually, automatically or with ATD (Automated Tracking Data).
Automatic Player Tracking
If your plan has Automatic Player Tracking, you can click on this button to track the visual you just created to the movement of the player. This will make the visual follow the player everywhere it moves until you press Stop. You will do this same process for any other visual you might choose.
Automatic Field Tracking
Some of these visuals are not available because they require the Field to be tracked. To do that, you press Automatic Field Tracking so that you can have extra visuals like speeds, distances and the ability to have 3D effects:
Now when you click on the Link, for example, you'll notice you can turn on the 3D effect and add distances between the players:
Now with the Field tracked, you'll be able to use visuals like Trace, which shows the player's trajectory from the start of the visual, or the Future Trail, which shows the player's final destination:
By tracking the field, you are also able to pin shapes to the field. When you click on the + button and choose Drawings, you have several options to choose from. This drawings allows you to highlight any area on the pitch:
Any visual from the Drawings options doesn't require tracking, all you need to do is extend the bar in the timeline and the Drawing you chose will remain on that area of the pitch for as long as you want. If you wish to create a similar shape to highlight another area, you can just copy and paste the visual and then drag it to the area you want.
You can add Images and Text and display them on the pitch using the same technique of extending the bar on the timeline to show it for as long as you want.
Add Pauses
You can add Pauses to your presentations, you click the + button, choose Pause & Drawings and this Pause Icon will appear in the timeline where you are paused. To add visuals to your pause you must click on the Pause Icon and not the + button.
In this menu you can choose the length of the pause and add any Drawings you wish. The length of the Pause will only be reflected when you export the video. One interesting Drawing is the Dragger, where you can highlight the ideal positioning of a player by dragging his body to the place you want him to be.
Manual Player Tracking
If your plan doesn't have the Automatic Player Tracking option, you will manually follow the visuals you want to add to the players (Keyframing). You start by clicking the + button, choosing the visual you wish and clicking on the player you want to highlight.
Now you can follow the visual to the player by pressing the space bar consecutively to move time and adjusting the Tracking Box to the movement of the player. The visual bar on the timeline will extend itself and record your edits in real time, so you never have to save any action at all. Check out this article for more information
Manual Field Tracking
If you have the Manual Field Tracking option, you start by choosing the sport you want to work on. Choose at least 4 reference points in the Field to allow the software to scan the Field.
Once the blue overlay matches the Field, click Process. Now you'll have the ability to add speeds, distances and use 3D effects on your visuals in the same way you track players, by pressing the space bar to move time, and adjusting the Tracking Box to record the visual.
Present or export your playlist
In the 3 dotted symbol you can do several other actions, the most meaningful being Export Playlist as Video, so you can export your work as a video file, or you can Play in Presentation Mode, so you can show your work directly from the software:
- Learn how to code/tag your games
- Tips on how to present a Playlist in Presentation Mode.
- Export Clips and Playlists as video files.
- Dominate Play with these guidelines.