ReadMe file & Quick Start Guide for Clip Czar Version 2.0
======= Installation 

Use WinZip or similar utility to open the zip file and then simply choose Setup from within Winzip.  Or you can extract the files to a temporary directory, and then from Window's Start Menu do Start|Run|Browse to that directory and click on Setup.exe. 

Most folks don't like wading through bulky documentation or getting lost in complex help files. So we have instead tried to make the Clip Czar intuitive as possible, have included pertinent instructions directly on the current screen. and have included a mercifully brief "Quick Start" guide below.   There is also a Troubleshooting guide at the end of this file.

The TRIAL version is freely distributable provided it is not altered in any way, or any charge made for it.  The copyright agreement requires that the Registered version be purchased for use beyond 30 days, and this Registered version is licensed like a book, only 1 person at a time may use each purchased copy.   If you are using the Trial version, it will continue to function normally after the 30 days have expired but a Registration reminder screen will appear.

Contact e-mail addresses for installation problems, etc. are listed on the home page at:
http://www.zipcon.com/~highroad/index.html

======= Uninstall

If you should ever wish to completely remove Clip Czar from your computer, first Exit from Clip Czar if it is running.  Then with the Windows Start Menu do: Start|Settings|Control Panel and double-click on "Add/Remove Programs".  Click on Clip Czar, then click on the Remove button.

======= Requirements

The requirements for Clip Czar are essentially the same as for the Microsoft's Windows Media Player, which MUST be installed for Clip Czar to work.  See our website for instructions on how to download a free copy of Microsoft's Player, as well as for troubleshooting, registration and  contact information: http://www.zipcon.com/~highroad/index.html

======= Quick Start

Clip Czar plays your music and/or video clips from playlists you create with Clip Czar, as well as managing your clips and playlists.  When the program starts, click on the "New  PlayList" button to create a playlist from the clips on your drives (even if you are only playing one clip), or you can instead choose to "Load" a previously saved playlist.  In either case, after a second or so the Player window will appear.   An "Edit Playlist" option is also provided to allow you to work with previously saved Playlists - you can add, delete or move clips, and you can also Erase a playlist from your drive.  Clip Czar supports all popular multimedia file types such as MP3, WAV, WMA, MIDI, MPG, AVI, MOV. WMV.

About the Toggles:  On the Player window you will have the option of setting the Shuffle (Random) Play, Repeat,  Slo-Mo (slow motion) and Sleep Timer toggles on.  If you have selected 3 or more clips, you can click "Shuffle" on to hear them in random order.  If the Slo-Mo button is toggled on, the video clips will play at a slower speed, but the audio should still be intelligible.  The Sleep Timer gives you the option of having your computer automatically shutdown and (if supported by your bios) power off when the Playlist finishes, or after your choice of  number of minutes (just click on "Sleep" to see all your options).  When any of the toggles is on, it has green text in italics; when off the text is in red  with standard font.  

When you are ready to proceed, click the "Go!" button, and the clips will start playing after a few seconds. The usual "VCR" buttons will become active,  plus mute, volume, and a 10-second clip preview button.  If you are not sure what a control is for, place the mouse cursor over it for a second and a "fly over" description will appear.  You will notice that the "Go!" button will be replaced by a "Mark" button when the clips start playing. You use this button to Mark clips for later processing (delete, copy, move or add to playlist).  Hint: if  you are playing a video clip that is so large that it covers the Mark button, you can use the alt-M key combination instead.  Note: this Mark button will NOT appear if you have Loaded a previously Saved Playlist, it is only enabled when you have created a New Playlist.  You can click the Close button at any time to exit the program.  If you created a New Playlist of more than one clip and have not Marked any clips for action, you will be asked if you want to Save the Playlist (registered version only) - if you do, DON'T enter an extension as Clip Czar will automatically add the ".asx" extension for you.

If you Marked any clips during playback, the Clip Manager window will appear.  Here you can select clips to delete, copy or move, or else add to a new or existing playlist.  First, confirm which clips to act on by moving them to the right-hand box - only clips in the right-hand "Action Box" will be acted upon.  Hint: if you wish to act on all the clips you Marked, the easiest way to select them is to click on the "Select All" button and then the right-arrow button.  Next, select which action you wish to perform.  Finally, click the "Go!" button, and if you selected either Copy or Move action you will now be asked to select your target directory.  After the action completes, you will be returned to the Clip Manager window so you can select any remaining clips for a different action.  After actions for all marked clips have been completed, you will be returned to the opening window to create a new playlist (or load an existing playlist if you have the registered version).

As described above, there are 3 different ways of adding clips to a playlist.  If you create a New Playlist and mark no clips, you will be prompted at the end of play if you wish to save the Playlist under a name of your choice.  If you DO mark clips during play, you will be able to add any or all of those marked clips to a new or existing playlist.  Finally, the Edit Playlist option on the main screen will allow you to add any clips from any directory to an existing Playlist.

======= Troubleshooting

If it seems Clip Czar will not run properly,  please perform the following steps:

1. Check to see if the Windows Media Player will work by itself.  If  the Windows Media Player will not work, then Clip Czar will not work.  Also, you must have at least version 6.1 of  WMP, although we recommend upgrading to the current version (it's free, and there is a link for it on our homepage).

2. Close as many open applications as you can, especially if you have less that 64M RAM.

3.  If none of that works, then Restart your computer.  It is possible another open program did not shut down properly and therefore not enough RAM memory is free.

If none of these steps solve the problem, send us an email.  Check our home page for contact addresses:  http://www.zipcon.com/~highroad/index.html

Copyright  2000 HighRoad Software Consultants
