videoProcessing Lab Manual

Welcome to the scrappy classroom where every Processing sketch is an excuse to bend light, sound, and network packets until they dance. This repo corrals a bunch of video-centric experiments so you can study how they tick, remix them for your own projects, or just vibe with the glitch.

Why this collection exists

Each folder holds a Processing sketch that targets a specific idea: ASCII camera feeds, OSC-controlled playback, UDP streaming, VHS simulation, and more. The code might be rough around the edges (some sketches are straight-up works in progress), but that's exactly why it's useful as a teaching tool. You get to see the decisions, the mistakes, and the hacks all laid bare.

Gear up: environment and libraries

1. Install Processing 3.5.x or Processing 4.x. These sketches were authored in the classic PDE and expect the Java mode runtime.
2. Add the following libraries through the Processing Contribution Manager unless noted otherwise:
   • Video – core webcam/movie playback for most sketches.
   • Minim – audio input for Poly_p5.
   • oscP5 and netP5 – OSC networking in vidControl and vidPlay.
   • OpenCV for Processing (by Greg Borenstein) – computer-vision helpers in bg_subMOV2.
   • The remaining imports rely on the Java standard library (java.net, java.io, javax.imageio) and ship with Processing; no extra installation needed.
3. Hardware checklist:
   • A webcam that Processing can see.
   • A microphone or line-in source if you want to drive the audio-reactive sketches.
   • Speakers or headphones if you're vibing with Minim.
4. Media assets: drop any required .mov, .mp4, or .jpg files into the sketch’s data folder (create it when missing). The table below calls out the filenames each sketch is expecting right now.

Running the sketches

1. Launch Processing and open the folder of the sketch you want (File → Open... and pick the .pde).
2. Confirm the library imports at the top of the sketch match the libraries you have installed.
3. Make sure any referenced media files exist inside a data subfolder next to the .pde.
4. Hit the Run button. If the console screams about missing files or libraries, fix those first—debugging is part of the lesson.

Sketch roster at a glance

Folder	Theme	Key Libraries	Media + Setup Notes
AsciiVideo_MiM	Live webcam feed rendered as ASCII glyphs with a timer that tries to auto-save frames.	processing.video	Uses the bundled Moospaced-48 font files. Webcam required. The auto-save logic currently resets every frame—great bug-hunting fodder.
Poly_p5	Audio-reactive polygon swarm that rotates and morphs with input amplitude.	ddf.minim	Needs a microphone/line-in. Press S to save a frame when the visuals slap.
bg_subMOV	Background subtraction on the webcam to drive the playback speed of Untitled_1.mov.	processing.video	Place Untitled_1.mov in data/. Movement near the camera maps to movie speed (including reverse).
bg_subMOV2	OpenCV-powered background subtraction composited on top of a looping movie.	processing.video, OpenCV for Processing	Drop Untitled_1.mov into data/. Keys U/D/E/C flip background learning, morphology, and contour overlays while a tinted motion mask rides over the footage.
compositeVideoSim	Port of Jonathan Campbell’s composite-video simulator for analog VHS grime.	(core Processing only)	Set filename/fileext to a real image in data/ before running. Heavy on image processing, so be patient.
image_streaming	UDP-based video streaming between Processing sketches (sender + two receiver flavors).	processing.video	Run VideoSender and either receiver. Watch the HUD for live packet assembly stats, drop counts, and idle time while you tune ports/IPs (default localhost:9100).
sketch_190517a	Randomized movie playlist with (commented) serial hooks for external triggers.	processing.video	Populate data/ with numbered clips like 0.mov…9.mov. The playlist loops when each movie ends.
vidControl	Webcam motion detector that reports a normalized /motion float about how rowdy the scene is.	processing.video, oscP5, netP5	Streams 0–1 motion values at ~4 fps to 127.0.0.1:12000. Pair with vidPlay’s HUD to calibrate thresholds.
vidPlay	OSC-controlled movie playback that responds to the vibe levels from vidControl.	processing.video, oscP5, netP5	Supply the referenced video file (currently ROBOTECH_REMASTERED_VOL_1_? copy.m4v) in data/. It now listens for the /motion float and displays speed + raw value in the bottom HUD.
videoFilters	Keyboard-driven webcam filters for mirroring, sepia, posterization, and threshold effects.	processing.video	Use keys v, m, s, f, y to switch looks. Any other key resets to the raw feed.
videoRNDM	Prototype for scheduling surprise video clips based on elapsed time.	processing.video	Ships with a default clip ID (00.mov), auto-schedules new triggers, and swaps to fresh movies as the timer advances. Drop your numbered clips in data/.

Media file expectations

Sketch	Current filename(s) referenced in code	What to do
bg_subMOV, bg_subMOV2	Untitled_1.mov	Replace with your own clip but keep the filename or update the code. Drop it inside each sketch’s data/ folder.
vidPlay	ROBOTECH_REMASTERED_VOL_1_? copy.m4v	Rename your target file to something sane and edit the new Movie call to match.
sketch_190517a	0.mov … 9.mov (driven by movTOTAL)	Provide numbered clips or tweak the selector logic.
videoRNDM	stringNum + ".mov" (starts at 00.mov)	Provide zero-padded clips (e.g. 00.mov, 01.mov). The sketch randomizes the next filename each time a trigger fires.
compositeVideoSim	Image file defined by filename/fileext	Drop an image into the sketch folder and update the variables.

How to contribute or extend

• Clone the repo, branch locally (or live dangerously on main), and add your own sketch folders with their own README.
• Document what you learn. The imperfections in these sketches are features when you explain why they behave that way.
• If you fix a bug, call it out loudly so future readers know what changed and why.

Now go make the pixels scream.