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OpenLP Tips
Written by Jim Lyles
(updated Apr. 5, 2016)

Home set-up:

  • Install two programs to ensure videos will play within OpenLP:
    • Combined-Community-Codec-Pack-2015-10-18.exe
    • vlc-2.2.1-win32.exe
  • Best: have two monitors, or if using a laptop, one extra monitor.
  • The “output” from OpenLP will be on screen #2.
  • The resolution for screen #2 should be set to 1024 x 768.
  • If you only have one monitor:
    • In “Settings/Configure OpenLP…” select “General” and under Monitors select “Override display position:” and enter 1024 for “Width” and 768 for “Height.”
    • Later, after uploading your work on the church A/V computer, you will need to go back into “Settings/Configure OpenLP…”, select “General”, click on “Select monitor for output display:” and then choose “Screen 2”.

Copyright laws:

  • You can NOT just go on the internet and randomly grab images, videos, etc.  You can only use items that are specifically listed as being available for free download and use.  There are few websites that give this sort of permission, and even on those you have to be careful that they have the right to grant that permission (since they may not have legally obtained the items either).
  • You can use any of the images and videos that we already have, or that you specifically create for the church.  And there are some websites (listed below) from which images can be legally used.

Directory structure:

  • The top-level directory is “OpenLP”.  It contains the actual program: “OpenLPPortable.exe”.
  • It also contains two directories of interest:
    • HPC Files—all current presentations, images, videos, audio files, and PowerPoint/Impress presentations.
    • HPC Archives—past presentations, events, videos, etc., that are unlikely to be used again.
  • Under HPC Files you have the following:
    • Events—this contains the actual services that we set up (the .osz files).
    • Images—picture files that we can legally use.
    • Music—downloaded music files we can legally use.
    • Music CDs—music files we can legally use that were extracted from music CDs we own.
    • Music Video DVDs—video files we can legally use that were extracted from DVDs that we own.
    • Presentations—PowerPoint and Impress slide shows.
    • Sounds—downloaded sound files we can legally use.
    • Videos—video files that either we created or we legally downloaded.

OpenLP general tips:

  • The “View/Mode” setting is important:
    • You can use “Default” or “Setup” mode (if you like) when you are planning/creating a service, working on themes, entering new song words, etc.
    • You can use “Default” or “Live” mode when running the system at church.
  • “Default” view mode menus/screens:
    • “Media Manager” on the left: allows you to select, enter, import, and modify Songs, Presentations, Images, Media, and Custom Slides.
    • “Preview” screen, top left-center: displays the words & slides for any “Media Manager” item you double-click. Below the screen you can see how the item will actually appear.
    • “Live” screen, top right-center: displays the words & slides for any Service Manager item you double-click.  Below the screen you can see how the item will actually appear.
    • “Service Manager” screen, top right: lists the items that are in the current service you are planning/creating.  These items can be moved up/down, deleted, etc.
    • “Theme Manager” screen, bottom right: shows all the available themes, and allows you to create, edit, copy, and import themes.

Songs—use “Fill My Cup (#350)” as an example:

  • If the song is from our main hymn book, the song number is included with the title.
  • Notice the verse order; it allows you to show the chorus multiple times without having to enter it more than once.
  • Always enter the author(s), and whether it is “Words”, “Translation”, “Music”, etc.  The “Topic” is found in the hymn book at the top of the page containing the hymn.  Enter the book and hymn # for the song.
  • If there is copyright information listed under a song in the hymnbook, then include that information.
  • If we have an audio file for the song, you can link it to the song.  (It will not automatically play, but is available if Julia isn’t there.)  We only have audio files for a few of our songs. However, we can lawfully use the hymn music found that the following website:
    • http://www.smallchurchmusic.com
    • Please save the music you download in the directory named after this website under the ”OpenLP\HPC Files\Music” directory.
  • The text for songs in our hymnbook can be found at these websites.  However, only the first one has all the correct words and punctuation:

Custom Slides—use “Call to Worship” as an example:

  • Used for standard parts of the service such as the Call to Worship, Prayer of Confession, etc.
  • Each week the words are changed for that week’s service; we don’t try to save all the slides from past services.
  • Most custom slides use the “Message” theme.  (The “Communion” custom slide uses the “Communion” theme.)
    (Edit the custom slide and then select “Edit All” for the rest of these tips.)
  • Notice the formatting. You can change the color, underline, and bold some of the text.  Just highlight a chunk of text and then right-click to see your choices.
  • Our general conventions:
    • The title is black, uppercase, underlined, and superscript (small); but not bold.
    • Text that the leader reads is blue in color.
    • Text that the congregation reads is black and bold.
    • When text the congregation is reading carries over into another slide, put “(continues)” at the bottom of the slide, with italics and subscript, but not bold.

Themes:

  • Use only legal background pictures when creating themes.  If you add a new picture, place it in the appropriate location in the “OpenLP/HPC Files/Images” directory, and then create the theme using the new picture.
  • The following websites allow pictures to be downloaded and used with no copyright restrictions.  If you use pictures from any of these sites, put them in the directory named after the site, located under the “OpenLP/HPC Files/Images” directory. They are listed in order from most useful to least useful (in my opinion):
  • The following website allow pictures to be downloaded and used.  However, you do have to add “© LUMO project (Big Book Media), www.LumoProject.com, All rights reserved” at the bottom of the picture somewhere:
  • Make sure the picture is cropped to a 4:3 aspect ratio; otherwise the theme will have black bands top & bottom or left & right.
  • We generally use a different theme for each song, but that is not required.
  • For song themes, use the “Lucida Sans Unicode” font and make it at least 46pt size.  Usually you’ll want a 2pt outline to make sure the text stands out against the background.
  • For custom slide themes (such as “Message”) use the “Lucida Sans Unicode” font and make it 36pt size.  You generally won’t need to outline the text.

Videos:

  • Most videos will play under OpenLP if you have installed “vlc” (back in Step 1-a).
  • If a video doesn’t work in OpenLP, try importing it into Windows Movie Maker and saving it in the .wmv format.  That will usually work.