Creating video evidence

There are several ways of documenting incidents and events in XProtect Smart Client, for example by exporting recordings and creating single still images from the video stream.

For information about evidence locks and how to export them, see Evidence locks.

Export video, audio, and still images

To share video evidence, you can export video in different formats and any associated audio. You can also export still images and other types of data that, depending on how your XProtect VMS system is configured, may be available.

To mask an area during export, see Mask areas in recordings during export.

  1. On the Playback tab, in the timeline, click the Time Selection Mode button to select the start and end time (see Time navigation controls (explained)) of the sequence you want to export.
  2. For each view item you want to export, select the check box associated with the view item.
  3. To the right of the timeline, click Export > Export to open the Export window.
  4. To include additional view items, click Add item button to select them.
  5. In the Export name field, enter a name for the export. The system automatically creates a name with the current date and time. You can change the name.
  6. Specify a path, a media burner, or both, for the destination of the export.
  7. Click the relevant tab to select one or more of the following formats to export to:
    • XProtect format - use the XProtect database format, with the option to include the XProtect Smart Client – Player along with the export. If you choose this option, other media players will not work
    • Media player format - use a format that most media players can play. This requires that a media player is installed on the computer where the export is to be viewed
    • Still images - export a still image file for each frame for the selected period
  8. If you want the receiver to be able to verify that the exported evidence has not been tampered with, select the following check boxes:
    • XProtect format

    • Include digital signature

      This will enable the Verify Signatures button in the XProtect Smart Client – Player.

  9. Click Start Export to export your evidence.

For information about the settings for the format you selected, see Export window settings.

Mask areas in recordings during export

When you export video, you can add privacy masks to cover selected areas. When someone watches the video, the areas with privacy masks appear as solid blocks.

The privacy masks that you add here only apply to the current export and for the selected video. The export may already include privacy masks that have been defined by your system administrator for certain cameras. For more information, see Privacy masking (explained).

Steps:

  1. In the Export window, click the Privacy mask button. A window appears.
  2. For each area that you want to mask, click the button, and then drag the pointer over the area that you want to mask.

  3. To unmask a part of a privacy mask, click the button, and then drag the pointer over the area that you want to unmask. Repeat this step for each part to unmask.

    To temporarily hide masks, click and hold the Hide mask button

  4. Click OK to return to the Export window.

The preview image contains an invisible grid with cells. If the area you select includes any portion of a cell, the system masks the entire cell. The result can be that the system masks slightly more of the image than you intended.

Export window settings

Depending on your user rights, type of server, and what has been set up on the server, certain export settings may be restricted and unavailable.

The format and settings you choose are stored and displayed next time you export.

Name

Description
Export name

The program automatically fills this in with the local date and time, but you can rename it.

Item

Lists the items selected for export, for example video sequences.

For each item, you can change the timespan by clicking the start time or the end time. After selecting a new date and time, click Go To. You can also change the timespan by dragging the handles underneath the preview area.

Click an item to see a preview of the export clip in the preview area. To preview multiple items simultaneously, press and hold down the SHIFT or CTRL buttons while clicking the relevant items.

You can delete an item from the Item list by clicking the red x next to it. The red x appears when you hover over the item with your mouse. If you want to split the item into two, click the Split icon in the preview area.
Add item

Use the Add item button to select other items that you want to include in the export. Use the Remove All button to clear the list in the Item window.
Export destination

Path - when you specify a path, the folders you specify do not have to be existing ones. If they do not already exist, they are created automatically.

A path may already be suggested in this field.

Media burner - you can specify a burner that you want to send the export to. In this way, you create the export and make sure it is written directly to an optical media in one go.
Privacy mask

Click to add privacy masks to the video. The privacy masks cover the selected area with a solid, black area.

The privacy masks that you add here only apply to the current export and for the selected video. The export may already include video with privacy masks configured by your system administrator. For more information, see Privacy masking (explained).

XProtect format settings

To view exports that are created in XProtect version 2020 R1 or later, you must use Smart Client version 2020 R1 or later.

Name

Description

Include XProtect Smart Client – Player

Include the XProtect Smart Client – Player application with the exported data. The XProtect format can only be viewed with the XProtect Smart Client – Player.

Prevent re-export

Select this check box to prevent your recipients from re-exporting the video in any format.

Encrypt with password

Select this check box to encrypt the export using the encryption standard AES-256. When you click Start Export, the system asks you for a password that must contain at least eight characters.

Include digital signature

Select this check box to include a digital signature to your exported database. Depending on your surveillance system settings, the video or audio might already contain a signature. If this is the case, these signatures will be verified during export and if successfully verified, added to the export. If verification fails, the export for the device will also fail. When opening the exported files, the recipients can verify the signature in XProtect Smart Client – Player. See also Verify digital signatures.

If you do not include a digital signature, neither the signature from the server or the export will be included, and the export will succeed even if the video or audio has been tampered with.

Digital signatures can be excluded during the export process in two different situations:

The export process will complete, but when you verify the signatures, you will see that the digital signatures for the recording server were removed or partially OK.

Comments

Click to open the Add Comments to Export window, where you can add comments to individual cameras or to the project as a whole.

Exporting storyboards (explained)

The storyboard function helps you paste together video sequences from one camera or from multiple cameras into one cohesive flow. You can use the sequence of events, the storyboard, as proof of evidence in internal investigations or the court of law.

You can skip all sequences that are not relevant and avoid wasting time looking through long sequences of video that you do not need. Also, you avoid wasting storage space on stored sequences that do not contain relevant video.

When you select the video sequences that make up the storyboard, you can work from the Playback tab in time selection mode. See also Export storyboards. Here you can use the Export > Add to export list function to store multiple sequences in a list without opening the Export window. When you have built the entire list, you can then export the collection of sequences, the storyboard, in one go. You can also export items directly from the Export window. See also Export video, audio, and still images.

Export storyboards

You can create a storyboard by pasting together video sequences into one cohesive flow and then export it.

  1. On the Playback tab, in the timeline, click the Time Selection Mode button.
  2. Select the start time and the end time for the storyboard. See Time navigation controls (explained).
  3. For each item that you want to export, click Export > Add to export list. This adds each item to the list of exports without opening the Export window. Repeat until you have added all items that you need for your storyboard.
  4. Click Export > Export to open the Export window. All selected items are displayed in the Item list, ready for export.
  5. In the Export name field, enter a name for the export. The program automatically creates a name with the current date and time. You can change the name.
  6. Specify a path for the destination of the export.
  7. Click the relevant tab to select a format to export to.
  8. Specify the necessary settings for the format that you have chosen. See also Export window settings. XProtect Smart Client estimates the size of the export and displays this information at the bottom of the window.
  9. Click Start Export to export your evidence.

View exported video

The exports you create in XProtect Smart Client are stored in a default folder on your local computer, unless you have specified a different folder. You can view an export immediately after creating it, or later.

  1. To view the exported video immediately after creating it:
    1. Create the export as described in Export a video clip, audio, XProtect data or a still image (see Export video, audio, and still images).

    2. Click the Details button in the upper right corner when the export is complete. A dialog box appears with a link to the output folder.
    3. Click the link to open the output folder.
  2. If you have exported video at a previous point in time:
    1. Go to the folder where you store export files. The default location is C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Milestone\Video Export. You can check the folder location in the Export window. This works only if you always use the same export destination.
    2. Depending on the output format, open the relevant folder and double-click the video file or still image. If the format is XProtect format, double-click the Smart Client – Player file with the .exe extension.

Printing or creating surveillance reports

Depending on your needs, you can either print surveillance reports on the fly based on still images from surveillance cameras, or you can create surveillance reports that you save to your computer.

For information about alarm reports, see Print alarm reports and .

Print report from single cameras

You can print single still images and related information from live cameras or from recorded video. Notes that you add are also printed.

  1. To print a recorded still image, go to the Playback tab.
  2. To print a live still image, go to the Live tab.
  3. Open the view that contains the camera you are interested in.

  4. Hover over the view item. The camera toolbar appears.

  5. Click the Printer icon. A window appears.

  6. Add notes if required.
  7. Click Print. The Windows Print dialog appears.
  8. If necessary, change the print settings and print. Otherwise, just click Print.

You can also print information about alarms (see Alarms (explained)) if your organization uses the alarm handling features.

Create reports from search results

Based on search results, you can create a surveillance report that contains information about the events or incidents, for example still images, event time, information about the cameras, and notes. The report is saved as a PDF file.

Steps:

  1. Go to the Search tab and run a search.
  2. For each search result that you want to include in the report, hover over it and select the blue check box .
  3. In the blue action bar, click . A window appears.
  4. Change the default report name into something meaningful. In the report, the name is displayed as the page header.
  5. To change the folder that the report is saved to, in the Report destination section, click and select a different folder.
  6. To add a note, enter text in the Note field.

  7. Click Create. A progress bar informs you when the report is generated.

  8. To open the report, click Details, and then click Open. To open the destination folder, click the link.

To change the layout of the report, open the Settings dialog, click Advanced, and then select a different value in the PDF report format list.

Copy images to clipboard

You can copy single still images from selected cameras. Copied images can then be pasted (as bitmap images) into other applications, such as word processors, e-mail clients, etc. You can only copy a single image from one camera at a time.

  • On the camera toolbar, click the Copy to Clipboard icon to copy an image