jPrompter v.1.0 Copyright © 2013 by Harold Melton, KV5R.COM. All Right Reserved. Permission is hereby granted to freely use (both privately and commercially), duplicate as needed, and modify as needed, provided that (1) this notice shall remain intact [within the jPrompter file], and (2) this program, and any/all derivatives therefrom, may not be sold, posted on-line (either operationally or for download), or distributed without prior written permission. This program is provided AS-IS, with no support, and no warranty of any kind. Download and use of this program indicates your complete acceptance of this Agreement. This program requires the jQuery Javascript library, and the jQuery Mouse-wheel Extension, which are not included herewith, and are not covered under this agreement.
jPrompter is a software-based teleprompter that uses any modern web browser, supporting HTML-5, CSS-3, and Javascript. Older browsers will not work properly, if at all. Google Chrome is recommended for running this program. It has also been tested in FireFox and IE9. It will work in v.9 of Internet Explorer, but IE requires a backwards font (it cannot properly reverse normal fonts via CSS), and when reversed, right-justification may not work, so use the Center option.
jPrompter requires the use of jQuery. It's most recent version should be downloaded, in minimized form, from jQuery.com, and the file placed in a sub-folder of this one. Then, you will need to edit this program and put the jQuery filename in the first <script> tag, just below the CSS in the head section. You will also need the jQuery Mouse-wheel Extension (jquery.mousewheel.min.js), by Brandon Aaron (Google the location).
To use with a mirror, it will reverse any font, if using Chrome or FireFox. If using Internet Explorer, you'll need to install a backwards font, which you can get from: http://www.fontspace.com/wa2ise/backwards . Also, IE will not run jQuery if the page if run as a file—you must run it through a web server, such as an IIS or Apache localhost. Either way, you'll also need to invert your monitor, either physically, or with your video driver settings. Most video driver control panels have the ability to rotate (but not flip) the image.
The speed of reading is set with a combination of font size, line spacing, line width, and scrolling speed, all of which may be changed during scrolling.
The first start-up defaults are 42-point font, 150% line spacing, 200 pixels left and right padding, and a scroll speed of 70. All start-up defaults may be changed by editing this HTML file in any plain-text editor. The file is well-commented. The given defaults are about right for a laptop teleprompter with a 1280x800 screen. The font size and L/R Padding should be set according to the distance the reader is from the prompter, so that eye movement is not noticeable in the video. The pointers and eye-line default to the vertical center of the screen, and should be positioned in-line with the center of the camera lens.
Most settings are saved in HTML5 "localStorage" and will remain so stored until the browser cache is cleared. The prompter script is also saved in localStorage, but don't depend on it—keep your script stored in a text file, using Notepad or any plain-text editor.
Hovering the mouse over the five numeric input fields and rolling the mouse wheel will change them, on the fly, even while prompting. You can also click in the field, change it manually, and hit Tab or Enter, and the prompter will continue with the new setting. The settings are saved, semi-permanently, in the browser's localStorage cache. While prompting, rolling the mouse wheel over the scrolling text will jump the scroll forward or backward by 20 pixels per wheel pulse.
You can edit directly in the prompter. To apply attributes to the text, simply drag-select the text, then click the Bold, Italic, or Inverse buttons. Professional prompters use inverse text (i.e., black on white) to indicate unspoken instructions (i.e., START ROLL 3, etc.).
To remove text formatting, select the formatted text, then either click the B, I, or Inverse buttons to remove that attribute, or click Un to remove all formatting from the selected text. You can also directly edit the HTML script in the HTML editing box.
To run full-screen, just hit F11, and the same to exit full-screen (your browser may vary, but it's usually F11).
There is no way to save or load files in Javascript. To save your script, open the HTML edit box, select-all (Ctrl-A), the copy (Ctrl-C), and paste it into a text editor, such as Notepad. In the reverse, you can load the prompter with a new script by either writing directly in the prompter, or pasting in text from a text editor. The prompter will save your script in localStorage, but again, do not depend on it! Keep your scripts stored in text files.
As with any teleprompter, read your script several times, adjusting both the script and the settings as needed, before shooting the video. A well-set, well-read script will save many hours of video editing.
Happy jPrompting! —KV5R