Autoplay the next video: chaining clips automatically on Windows
You have a sequence of clips to run: clip A, then clip B, then clip C, one after the other. And you want them to chain on their own, without triggering each one by hand during the show. That is exactly what linked cues in Stage3 are for: you set the chain up once, you launch the first clip, and the rest plays with no intervention. Here is how to build it and what happens at each handover.
The problem: triggering every clip by hand
When a sequence is split into several clips, the naive approach is to launch each clip yourself, one after the other. Live, that stops being workable fast:
- It is slow. You watch for the end of every clip so you can hit the key at exactly the right moment, instead of following the rest of the show.
- It is risky. One second of distraction, one missed shortcut, and you are showing the audience a black screen or the wrong item.
- It ties someone up. You need a person, fingers on the keyboard, doing nothing but relaunching clips that could chain on their own.
What you need: set the order once, trigger the first clip, and let the sequence run itself to the end.
Setting it up with Stage3
Stage3 is a Windows app for live video and audio playback, fully local. To chain clips it uses linked cues: you tell an item to hand over to the next one the moment it finishes.
- 1. Put your clips in the intended order in the playlist: A, then B, then C. You can move an item with Ctrl + arrow keys if needed.
- 2. Select the first item and press L. It is now linked to the item that follows it.
- 3. Select the second item and press L again to link it to the third. Repeat until the whole chain A then B then C is in place.
- 4. Start the sequence by triggering only the first clip, with Enter (CUT) or Space.
From there, everything runs without you: when a linked item finishes, the next one starts automatically, then the one after, down to the last clip in the chain. You do not touch the keyboard for the whole sequence.
Loop mode works alongside links without fighting them. A media loop repeats the current item for as long as it is active, and the chaining takes over afterwards; to restart the whole sequence from the top, playlist loop handles it. One last detail worth knowing: the last item in the playlist cannot be linked, since there is nothing after it, so the chain ends cleanly on the final clip.
Where it earns its keep
- A video split into parts. A piece cut into chapters or separate clips plays back as one block, as if it were a single file, with no relaunch between parts.
- An automated segment inside a show. One specific moment of the program, made of several clips, runs on its own while you handle the rest of the desk.
- Unattended playback. A series of clips left running at a booth or in an exhibition chains itself from the first clip to the last.
Common questions
How do I chain several clips back to back?
Select the first item and press L to link it to the next one. Do the same on the second to link it to the third, and so on. You end up with a chain, A then B then C, where each item triggers the next the moment it finishes. There is no length limit: you can link as many items as your playlist holds.
Do I only trigger the first clip?
Yes. Once the chain is set, you launch only the first item, with Enter or Space. When it finishes, the next one starts on its own, then the one after, all the way down the chain. You touch nothing for the whole sequence.
Are fades respected at the handover?
Yes. If a linked item has a Fade Out, the fade completes before the next item starts. The handover waits for the end of the fade, so you never get a hard cut or an unwanted overlap between two clips.
Can the last item be linked?
No. The last item in the playlist cannot be linked, since there is nothing after it to hand over to. The chain therefore ends naturally on the last clip played.
Can a linked chain loop?
Loop mode and links coexist without getting in each other's way. A media loop repeats the current item before handing over to the chain; to make the whole sequence start over from the top, playlist loop takes care of it. Pick the loop mode for the effect you want, the chaining takes it into account.
Read next
- Build a video playlist for a live show: order, annotate and set the whole cue list before show day.
- Loop a video 24/7 on Windows: when the sequence has to run endlessly with nobody around to restart it.
Set the sequence up once, launch it with one key
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