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Installing BrightAuthor

You must first download the BrightAuthor installation package, then install it on your computer.

To download BrightAuthor:

1. Go to Brightsign.
2. Click on Support Center. (top-right menu choice)
3. Click on See all in the submenu.
4. Click on Download at the bottom of the page.
5. Under the BrightAuthor section, download BrightAuthor Version 5.0.2.0 
6. Click on Download.

To install BrightAuthor:

1. Go to the Download folder on your computer.
2. Double-click on BrightAuthorSetup-5.0.2.0.exe, which you downloaded in the procedure above.

   Note: If nothing happens or you get a Windows protection pop-up when double-clicking on the installer see Disabling reputation-based protection.

3. Click on Install.
4. Click on Accept.
5. Accept the User Account Control security message.
6. Click on Exit once the cogwheel button indicates Complete.
7. Go to the Windows menu to find the new application or use the shortcut on your Desktop.

The BrightAuthor application can now be accessed from your computer.

Disabling reputation-based protection

If nothing happens or you get a Windows protection pop-up when double-clicking on the BrightAuthor installer, you may need to disable reputation-based protection on your computer.

To disable reputation-based protection:

1. Press Windows-I keys on your keyboard to open the settings.
2. In the Search box, find Windows Security 
3. Click on App & Browser control
4. Click on Reputation-based protection settings.
5. Turn off Check apps and files.
6. Go out of the menu to activate the change.
7. Start the installation procedure again.

IMPORTANT: If you disabled reputation-based protection, you must re-activate Check apps and files after you install BrightAuthor.

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Installing the driver for publishing to your display screen

When your display screen is activated, IT Services will provide you with a display template document and log-in credentials for your sign (IP address, username, and password). You will need these credentials to install the driver for publishing to your display screen.

To install the driver:

1. Open BrightAuthor and click on the Publish tab.
2. Click on + sign to Add a BrightSign location

   

   2. Select your display screen (this will be configured by IT Services).

   3. Enter your sign’s log-in credentials:

• • IP Address field
  • Username
  • Password

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Publishing an image or video

Images must be in 16:9 format or 1920 X 1080. More information on video formatting is available on the BrightSign support site.

NOTE: If there is an end date for publishing the image, it is recommended to include the unpublished date in the file name.

To publish an image or video in BrightAuthor:

1. Save the image to your display screen's shared folder.
2. Move any images you wish to remove to your old images or archive folder.
   
   
3. Open BrightAuthor.
   
   
4. If you see the following error message, press OK.
   Note: You can permanently remove this error message by navigating to Edit > Preferences > Networking, and ensuring the "Enable Bonjour" box is not checked.
   

   

5. Go to the EDIT tab

   

6. Click on File > Open Presentation
   
   
7. Navigate to your shared folder, select the .bpf file, and press Open. This .bpf file is your last saved playlist.
   

   

8. Press on the refresh button from the media library section. Ensure it is pointing to the correct shared folder.

   

9. Drag and drop the newest slide from the media library section into Zone 1: Playlist.

   

10. Optional: Right-click on the new file and press EDIT to change the:
    • Time on screen to anywhere between 6 to 10 seconds, depending on how text-heavy your image is.
    • Transition to: Image wipe from top

    

    Note: Keep the Transition Duration (seconds) set to 1.

11. Press OK

    

12. Go to the Publish tab, Local Network. Ensure the folder is pointing to your shared folder.
    
    
13. Click on your display screen's name.
    Note: If this is your first time publishing to the display screen, ensure you have already installed the driver.
    
    
14. If you have removed a file/image from the public display folder, you will see a placeholder image. (Example below.) Click on this image and press Delete to remove it from your playlist.
15. Press OK.
16. Press Publish.

    

17. Press OK. 

    

18. Close the BrightAuthor application. Press YES when asked to replace the existing autoschedul.xml

    

Verifying

To verify that your slide is running on your display screen:

1. Open BrightAuthor.
2. Click the Manage tab
3. Click the Refresh button
4. Verify the image shows a snapshot of one of your slides.

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Removing an image from a display

To remove an image from a display:

1. Open BrightAuthor.
2. Go to the Edit tab and make sure Playlist is selected right under the tab.
3. ClickFile > Open Presentation
4. Navigate to your shared folder, select the .bpf file, and press Open. This .bpf file is your last saved playlist.
   
5. In the playlist, select the image you wish to remove and press Delete on your keyboard.
   
6. Republish by starting at Step 12 of the Publishing an image or video procedure. .

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Training and support

For training, technical and basic assistance using BrightAuthor, contact the IT Service Desk.

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Best practices for file and password credential storage

File storage

BrightAuthor cannot access files that are stored on SharePoint; please use shared drives to store your:

• Display document
• Images and videos to be displayed on your sign

Ensure the shared drive is accessible to any members of your team who will need editing access.

It is recommended to set up an "Old images" or "Archive" subfolder within this folder for convenient file archiving.

If there is an end date for publishing the image, it is recommended to include the unpublished date in the file name (e.g., "Halloween bakesale_November 1.jpg".

Note: For data security and risk management, do not store files on an individual computer.

 

Password credential storage

Your display screen's log in credentials must be stored in a secure manner and shared only with those who have editing privileges for the display screen. A hacker could use these credentials to publish inappropriate images to your display screen. 

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