Build the card. Keep your pictures.
Drop in pictures and video, see them play on a true-proportion screen, and download a folder that is ready to copy.
- Runs in your browser: nothing is uploaded
- Free, no account
- Ready-to-copy IMD_SIGNAGE folder
Your screen
Pictures are made at exactly 1080 × 1920 pixels, the screen's own resolution, so nothing is stretched.
Add pictures and videos
Slides in playing order
Your slides will list here. Drag to reorder (or use the arrows), rename them, give one picture its own time, and press the pencil to choose fill or fit.
Readable at a glance?
- People look for 2 to 5 seconds: one message per slide, at most three short lines. Try the 3-second glance above.
- Large text: the smallest text at least 60 pixels tall, on a 1080 × 1920 slide or the 10.1 inch's 800 × 1280.
- Strong contrast: light text on dark, or dark on light.
- Keep words and logos about 50 pixels from the edges (Safe area shows the line).
- 4 to 8 slides is plenty. Check them when times, menus or hours change.
Playback
Pick two different times.
The PIN can only contain digits.
No settings file: the card changes only the slides, and the screen keeps its own settings (rotation, PIN, timing between slides).
This card carries a settings file (settings.json). It replaces the settings saved in the screen, so it also says how the screen is turned. If we gave your screen its own PIN, enter it above, or the screen goes back to the player's default PIN.
Download and copy to the card
Saved . Now copy it to the card:
- UnzipOpen the downloaded
imd-signage-card.zipand extract it. - Copy the folderCopy the
IMD_SIGNAGEfolder to the top level of a microSD card or USB stick (FAT32 or exFAT, as they come). - Insert and waitPut the card in the screen and leave it about a minute while the screen copies the show into its own memory. Then the card can come out or stay.
To change the show later, replace the files in the folder and insert the card again; only changed files are copied. While a card with content is in the screen, the card is what plays.
Update over Wi-Fi (optional)
The IMD Signage Player can also fetch the show from your own web space: host the files on any HTTPS address, and the screen checks a playlist file there and downloads changes. If a download fails, the current show keeps playing.
The address must start with https://
- Download the sync package and upload everything inside its
imd-signage-syncfolder to that address,playlist.jsonincluded. - Turn sync on once per screen with a settings card: it carries
"sync_url": "". Copy itsIMD_SIGNAGEfolder to an empty card, insert it for a minute, then take it out. - To change the show, make a new sync package and replace the uploaded files. Each package has a new version, so the screens pick it up at their next check.
A card with content in the screen always wins: sync pauses while it is inserted. Every address must be https://.
Read in a glance. Two to five seconds.
Elevator riders and lobby guests look for a few seconds. These four habits make a slide work on a 15.6 to 23.8 inch screen.
One message
One idea per slide, at most three short lines.
Big text
The smallest text at least 60 pixels tall, on a 1080 × 1920 slide or the 10.1 inch's 800 × 1280.
Strong contrast
Light text on dark, or dark on light. Avoid text over busy photos.
Away from the edges
Leave about 50 pixels clear around words and logos.
Card builder FAQ
Is anything uploaded?
No. The page fits and saves your pictures with your own browser and writes the ZIP on your computer. Nothing is sent to us or anywhere else, and closing the page clears it.
Which files can I use?
Pictures in JPG, PNG or WebP and videos in MP4, M4V or WebM. H.264 MP4 at the screen resolution is the safe choice for video. iPhone photos (HEIC), GIF, PDF and PowerPoint are not played: export them as JPG or PNG first.
What does _10s at the end of a file name mean?
It is how long that picture shows, in seconds. The card builder writes it into every picture name, so the screen plays each slide for exactly the time you set here. Videos always play to their end.
Will the screen keep its settings?
Yes, as long as the card carries only slides. Turn on a playback setting here (crossfade length, sound, on and off times, PIN) and the card gets a settings file that replaces the settings saved in the screen, so the page also writes the screen rotation into it.
How long does the card have to stay in?
About a minute, longer for large videos. The screen copies the show into its own memory, then plays on with the card removed. Take it out too early and it goes back to the previous show; put it back and wait a little longer.
Can I update the screens without a card?
Yes. Open "Update over Wi-Fi" in step 05: host the sync package on any HTTPS web space and give each screen the settings card once. The screens check for a new version at the interval you choose, and a failed download is designed to leave the current show playing.
A picture shows up sideways. What now?
Pictures made here are already upright for the orientation you picked. If the whole screen is sideways after a settings card, choose another rotation in step 04 and copy the card again, or email [email protected].
Need the screens too?
With our free player loaded, our Android displays play your card from microSD or USB with no internet, start by themselves when the power comes on, and keep playing with the card removed.