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Common questions about splitting a display into zones, working with layouts and templates, and how images fit inside a zone. For full walkthroughs, see the Compositions guides.

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Can I create multiple partitions on a display to run different content?

Yes. Pickcel lets you split a single display into multiple partitions, called zones, and each zone can show its own content. Within a zone you can display an image, a video, or an app such as YouTube, RSS feeds, tickers, text, clocks, weather, web URLs, slides, maps, and many others. This lets one screen run several pieces of content side by side.

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Can I have multiple zones in a single display? How many videos can I add?

You can create up to 8 zones on a single display, and add a separate video to each zone. All the videos play at the same time. By default, the audio from Zone 1 plays while the videos in the other zones run muted.
Pickcel composition editor showing a layout split into 8 zones, the maximum allowed on a single display

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Can I add multiple videos in my composition?

We don’t recommend spreading multiple videos across different zones, as playback behavior can be unpredictable depending on the device you’re using. The recommended approach is to place all your videos in a single zone and play them in sequence. If you do need videos in more than one zone, they all play muted except the one that comes into focus first.
Avoid stacking one video on top of another in overlapping zones. This isn’t supported and can cause unexpected behavior on screen.

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Can I edit a layout I’ve created?

Yes, you can edit any custom layout you’ve created. Click the three dots next to the layout and choose Edit.
Pickcel composition list with the three-dots menu open showing the Edit option for a custom layout
Standard (built-in) layouts can’t be edited directly. If you want to change one, duplicate it first and edit the copy.

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Can I have multiple compositions for multiple displays?

Yes. You can create multiple compositions and assign different ones to different displays. You can start from the default layout templates in the Pickcel console, pick a ready-made Template based on your industry, or build your own custom layout. See Create a composition to get started.

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Can I crop an image or keep its aspect ratio inside a zone?

When you add an image to a zone, you can choose how it fits using three options:
  • Fit to zone: the image fills the entire zone.
  • Maintain aspect ratio: the image keeps its original proportions.
  • Crop: manually select the area of the image to display in the zone.
A few things to keep in mind:
  • Supported on Pickcel software v3.4 and above.
  • Aspect ratio can’t be applied to the same image added more than once, for example, if you set Fit to zone on one copy of an image, you can’t set Maintain aspect ratio on another copy of the same image.
  • Cropping doesn’t work well on low-resolution images and videos.
Player-specific video limitations
  • Samsung Tizen: only one video plays at a time, so in a multi-zone composition a video added to more than one zone will play in a single zone while the others stay blank. Video aspect ratio doesn’t work across multiple zones; use Fit to zone instead.
  • Android (v3.4+): video aspect ratio doesn’t work across multiple zones; use Fit to zone instead.
For other player differences, see the player comparison chart.

Create a Composition

Build a multi-zone layout and add content to each zone.

Zones

Learn how zones split a screen into independent content areas.

Layouts

Use default templates or design your own custom layout.

Edit a Composition

Update an existing composition’s zones and content.