There is one server computer, one shared folder on the network, and everybody's workstations. Slate on your workstation talks to both.
Your work is saved in the database on the server PC. Big files and shared files sit in the shared folder. If the server is off, the sign-in window says so. If the shared folder is not connected, Slate warns you and keeps working on your PC only.
Two programs, one sign-in
Slate comes as two programs. They use the same account and the same password.
Program
Who uses it
What is inside
Slate Studio badge VFX in the header
Artists, leads, supervisors, coordinators, production
Home, VFX Dashboard, CAP Rename, Stock Viewer, and for some roles Timeline Viewer, Build & Ingest, Scheduling and Bidding. Settings and Workspace Info.
Slate Operations badge OPS in the header
Everyone, for their own attendance, leave and IT tickets. HR, IT and the office for their work. Installed on every PC.
Home with your punch, Attendance, Leave, IT Support, and for some roles Joining & Leaving, Hardware, Licences, Deployment, Users & Roles, Admin Panel.
Your PC has both programsArtist, lead, coordinator and supervisor PCs get both Slate Studio and Slate Operations. HR, IT and office PCs get only Slate Operations. Slate Studio does not have Attendance, Leave or IT Support: open Slate Operations to punch in, ask for leave or report a problem to IT. If it is missing from your PC, ask IT.
What you see depends on your role
Your role decides which screens are in the list on the left. A screen your role does not use is not there at all. It is not greyed out. So if a colleague talks about a button you cannot find, you are probably both right. A change to your role shows the next time you sign in.
Slate Studio, an artist sees
HomeYour shots, your figures, quick links.
CAP RenameRename files in batches, with undo.
Stock ViewerThe studio's stock library.
VFX DashboardYour shots and their status.
Settings · Workspace InfoYour preferences. Facts for IT.
Slate Operations, everyone sees
HomeYour punch: In since 09:04.
AttendancePunch in and out, see your month.
LeaveYour balance and your requests.
IT SupportYour tickets and IT's replies.
Settings · Workspace Info
The other handbooks
This book is for everyone. If you have another job in Slate, your own handbook covers it. This book does not repeat them.
Handbook
For
Covers
Slate IT Handbook
IT
Installing, the server PC, backups, Recover Slate, the IT desk, hardware, licences
Slate HR Handbook
HR
Users & Roles, the leave queue, holidays, year end, attendance corrections, joining and leaving
Review verdicts, the first leave approval, your team's attendance
Every day: signing in
Turn on your PCSlate opens by itself when Windows starts. It shows the sign-in window.
Type your User nameFor example priya.sharma. Slate remembers it next time and puts you straight in the Password box.
Type your PasswordDots hide it. The eye shows it. Caps Lock is on warns you before you type it wrong.
Press Sign inOr press Enter. Your name shows at the top right when you are in.
Read the message under the Sign in button before you try again. It says what is wrong in plain words. Esc does not close Slate here; the cross at the top does.
Your first sign-in with a new password
When your account is new, or an administrator has reset your password, Slate asks you to choose your own straight after you sign in.
Choose your passwordThe window has this title. It does not ask for the old one.
New password, twiceType it in New password and in New password again. At least 8 characters.
Save passwordCancel takes you back to the sign-in window. You cannot go in without choosing one.
Changing your password
Click your nameTop right of the window. The account menu opens.
Change password…Type your Current password, then the new one twice.
Save password"Password changed. Use it the next time you sign in." Use it in both Slate Studio and Slate Operations.
Nobody can read your passwordSlate keeps only a one-way lock of it. Not even an administrator can see it. If you forget it, ask your administrator to reset it; you then choose a new one at your next sign-in. Spaces at the start or end are ignored.
Signing out and closing
If a screen has changes you have not saved, or a rename is still running, Slate asks before it closes or signs you out. Closing Slate or signing out never punches you out of attendance. Starting Slate again while it is already open brings the open window to the front.
The top of the window
The badge says VFX in Slate Studio and OPS in Slate Operations. On a narrow screen the badge hides and the search box becomes an icon.
Keys
What they do
Ctrl+K or Ctrl+P
Search or jump: screens, actions and shots
Ctrl+1 … Ctrl+9
Open the 1st to 9th screen in your list on the left
F5 or Ctrl+R
Refresh the screen you are on
F1
Help for the screen you are on
Ctrl+Shift+S
Settings
Ctrl+Shift+D
Diagnostics: which database and shared folder this PC reached
F11
Full screen
Updates
When Slate shows an updateChoose Update now or When I close Slate. A required update counts down 5 minutes — save your work. Update now closes Slate, installs the update and opens Slate again. A required update replaces an ordinary offer you left open. Slate installs an update only after it has fully closed.
Home: your day at a glance
Home is the first screen after you sign in. It reads everything again every minute, and when you press F5.
Tiles appear only for screens you have. Click a shot to open it on the VFX Dashboard with that shot selected. See all my shots opens the dashboard on My shots.
Part of Home
What it tells you
MY RECENT SHOTS
The five most recently changed shots that name you, as the shot's artist or any department's artist, in active projects. Nothing assigned to you right now. means exactly that. If you think you have work, ask the coordinator to check the shot is assigned to your account.
My open shots
Your shots not yet approved, done or omitted.
My shots in review
Your shots waiting for a review.
Active projects
Projects not finished or archived.
A figure shows -
It could not be read just now. The others still work.
Home in Slate Operations
In Slate Operations, Home carries your punch: In since 09:04 (2 h 10 min), with PUNCH IN or PUNCH OUT, and a Fix a punch link that opens Attendance. Its left panel is Leave: now and next: your leave that is running or coming, soonest first.
The bell
The bell beside Help collects your notifications: shots given to you, a verdict that changes your shot ("SH010 is now RETAKE."), new scans, decisions on your leave and replies to your tickets. The number is what you have not read. Double-click a notification to open what it is about: the shot, or your ticket.
The shot pipeline, as an artist sees it
Production brings the plates in and gives you the shot. You do the work and send it for review. A supervisor gives the verdict.
Each department on a shot has its own status. You can change only the department you are named on, and only to YTS, READY, WIP or SENT FOR REVIEW.
Where your shot lives on disk
Every shot has the same folders. This is the studio's standard template; a project can use another one, so look at your project's folders if they differ.
Review proxies (small MP4 copies for smooth playback) sit in a proxy folder next to the frames, for example 01_Scan\v001\EXR\proxy. Do not delete them; Slate makes them again when they are older than the render.
Opening your shot in Nuke
Right-click your shotOn the VFX Dashboard. Or open the shot panel and press More.
Open in → NukeXAlso Natron, BorisFX Silhouette, Blender, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, or RV (review).
Use the Slate menuIn Nuke's toolbar: Load Scan (Alt+1) brings the plate in as a Read node. Alt+2, Alt+3 and Alt+4 load the Prep, Deage and Slapcomp output.
Save New Comp VersionSaves the next version (v004 after v003) in the shot's 07_Comp › Script folder. Prep and Deage have their own.
Which Nuke opensSettings → Open Nuke as: NukeX (the default), Nuke or Nuke Studio. Open folder in the same menu opens the Scan, a department or the Output folder in Explorer.
The VFX Dashboard
Every shot, its status and who has it. As an artist you see the shots you are named on, and you change one thing: your own department's status.
Reel and Shot Name stay on the left when you scroll sideways. A red target date is overdue; amber is due within a week. Point at a cell to read the full text.
Status colours
Colour
Words you will see
Meaning
Grey
YTS, OMIT
Yet to start. Or omitted: cut from the show, not counted as outstanding.
Green
READY, APPROVED
Ready to start: everything you need is in place. Or approved: finished.
Amber
WIP
Work in progress.
Blue
SENT FOR REVIEW
Waiting for a verdict.
Red
RETAKE
The review asked for changes. Read the feedback.
Empty
No status
Nothing set yet.
The counters along the top count the shots on screen by status. Click one to show only those shots; click it again to show them all.
Setting your status
Find your tinted cellYour department on your shot. Its tip says "You can set this status."
Pick the new statusDouble-click the cell. You can choose YTS, READY, WIP or SENT FOR REVIEW.
It saves at once"SH010 Comp set to WIP. Saved." with Undo for a few seconds. There is no Save button for you.
What you cannot changeAPPROVED, RETAKE and OMIT are set by a supervisor or coordinator. You cannot change another department, the artist, scope of work, target, priority, version or days. If you try, Slate says why: for example "'APPROVED' is a review verdict." or "You are not assigned to Roto on SH010."
Narrowing the list
Control
What it does
Scope
For artists: My shots (all departments). Roles that see every shot also get All shots, My shots and each department.
Search (Ctrl+F)
Looks in every column: shot, reel, status, artists, scope of work, type, target, version, priority, description.
Status
One status across the project.
List | Board
The same shots as a table, or as cards with one column per status.
N filters on · Clear
Something is narrowing the grid. Clear shows everything again.
No shots assigned to you means production has not named you on a shot of this project yet. Shots appear as soon as they do.
The shot panel
Double-click a shot, or press Enter, to open it beside the grid.
Preview plays the latest render in Quick Look. Space does the same from the grid.
Departments lists each department's Artist, Status, Bid, Actual and Target. Your row is bold. Change your status there and press Save my status; Revert puts it back.
Feedback has three tabs: Client, Director and Internal. A dot after the name (Client •) means a note you have not read yet. Notes sent from RV land under Internal.
Versions lists each version sent, where to and its notes. Supervisors and coordinators record versions and verdicts there.
Right-click a shot and choose View history to see every saved change, who made it and when, newest first.
Red banner: "Can't reach the studio database"The dashboard is read-only until the server is back. Nothing you see is lost. Press Try again. You cannot set statuses while the banner shows.
Review: RV and the Timeline Viewer
You look at your work in RV. Supervisors give verdicts in RV or on the dashboard, and the verdict changes the shot's status.
Review in RV
Right-click the shotChoose Review in RV…. Or press Review in RV in the shot panel.
Tick what to look atThe plate is ticked. Tick a render too to compare them in one RV session.
Open in RVWith two ticked the button says Open 2 in RV. They load as a playlist.
If nothing is on disk yet, Slate says "Nothing to review for SH010 yet". If RV does not start, the message says to tell IT.
Artists and the Slate menu in RVThe Slate menu inside RV is for verdicts. If you use it as an artist, Slate refuses with "a supervisor or coordinator sets review verdicts in Slate". To say your work is ready, set your cell to SENT FOR REVIEW on the dashboard.
The bell tells you the verdictWhen a supervisor's verdict changes your shot, in Slate or from RV, your bell says so: for example "SH010 (Comp) is now RETAKE." Open the shot and read the Feedback tabs.
The Review queue
On the dashboard, Reports → Review queue lists versions sent for review and still waiting for a verdict, oldest first. As an artist you see your own shots only. Select one and press Open in player, or double-click it, to watch it. Approve and Retake are not shown to artists.
The Timeline Viewer (leads, supervisors, editors, production)
Not every role has it. It shows the edit as the dashboard knows it: plates in reel order, with each department's render as a layer on top.
On screen
What it does
Refresh from Dashboard
Reads the project the dashboard is set to. Shots without a scan are greyed out.
All reels, Search shots…, tick boxes
Choose which shots are in the lineup. Tick all / Untick all.
Layer and Play lineup
Choose a department and play shot after shot. A shot without that render shows its plate.
Make proxy / Make review proxies
Make small MP4 copies so heavy EXR shots play smoothly.
Open in RV
Plays the ticked shots in RV, in edit order, at the chosen layer. Use proxies in RV plays the proxies instead of the frames.
Export EDL
Writes EDLs for editorial (Resolve, Premiere, Avid) into the project's editorial\lineups folder.
Stock Viewer
The studio's library of footage, elements and textures: anything reused across jobs. You can look, search, play and copy. Leads and supervisors add to it.
Categories on the left, the gallery in the middle, the preview and the facts on the right. The count says how many assets there are, or "Showing 12 of 350 assets" when something narrows the list.
Finding something
Search looks at names, tags, categories, folder names and what was read from the file: resolution (4K, 1920), frame rate (24fps), codec and kind (movie, image sequence). Each word must match the start of a word: HD finds HD clips, not UHD ones. Esc clears it.
Look narrows to Dark, Bright, Warm, Cold, Green Screen or Blue Screen pictures. Sort orders the whole library.
Favourites are yours alone: click the star on a card, press Favourite, or press Ctrl+D. Studio picks are shared with everybody and chosen by the people who can ingest stock.
Looking at an asset
Key or button
What it does
Enter or double-click
Play. Play when selected plays as you click through.
Space
Quick Look: the asset large. Page Up / Page Down for the previous and next, Space to play, Esc to close.
, and .
Step one frame back or forward. K pauses, L plays, M mutes, F full screen.
Picture icon under the player
Saves the frame on screen at full size to Pictures\Slate_Snaps. Right-click it to choose another folder.
Copy path / Show in Explorer
Use the file in your shot. The file itself stays where it is.
Clips play with sound. A card that says File not found points at a file that is no longer there. Could not read means Slate could not open the file. Camera raw (.r3d, .ari) has no preview; press Open with its own program.
Want something added?Only people whose role has Ingest stock can add to the library, tag assets or delete them. By default that is leads, supervisors and production heads, not artists. Dropping a folder on the gallery says "Only people with the Ingest stock ability can ingest stock." Ask your lead.
CAP Rename
Rename many files at once. Slate builds a full preview first. Read the preview before you press the button.
Any conflict stops the whole rename until you fix it. The Status column says why: two files landing on one name, a file of that name already in the folder, a name Windows refuses, or a path that is too long.
Find and replace
Add the filesAdd files…, Add folder…, or drop them on the list.
Type Find and Replace withFor example _v003 and _v004. Keep extension is on, so .exr is left alone.
Read the previewShow conflicts lists only problems. Remove selected takes a file out.
Rename filesSlate asks once more: Rename 2 files. Then it renames them.
Number as a sequence
Every file becomes Base name + a number, in the order of the list. Fill in Base name (for example shot_010_v01_), Start frame (1001 unless you change it), Step (1) and Padding (4 digits). Set the order with Sort by name, Sort by date modified, or the up and down arrows (Custom order). If the numbers outgrow the padding, Slate offers Use 5 digits.
All or nothing, and UndoIf one file cannot be renamed, for example because it is open in Nuke or RV, no file is renamed and the Status column says which and why. Undo last rename puts the old names back exactly, even swapped or shifted names. You see and undo only your own renames; Slate keeps your newest 50. If the files were moved or renamed again since, Undo refuses and changes nothing.
Sanitize cleans names but keeps letters in any language, and keeps the dot before a frame number (plate.1001.exr stays as it is).
Settings and Workspace Info
Both are at the bottom of the list on the left, under SYSTEM. Settings has one bar at the top: Save changes, Discard and Reset to defaults. Unsaved changes shows until you save.
Your preferences
Setting
Choices
What it does
Remember last folders
On / off
Opens the folders you last used when Slate starts.
Theme
Dark, Light
Dark is the default. Menus change at once; the rest when Slate next starts.
UI scale
Auto, or a number
Bigger or smaller text. 0.90 to 1.10 fixes text that overlaps.
Open Nuke as
NukeX, Nuke, Nuke Studio
Which Nuke opens when you open a shot in Nuke.
Pictures and video are always shown on black, in both themes, so you judge colour the way you would in RV or Nuke.
Studio policy (read only)
The studio's rules for attendance and leave. Only HR and admins change them; you see a summary like this:
Studio policy
Late after: 10:45
Standard day: 9 hours
Forgotten punch-out closes at: 19:30
Weekly off: Sunday
Leave earned: 2 days a month
Carried into next year, at most: 12 days
Sandwich rule: on
Comp-off: offor its rules, if your studio uses it
These are Slate's starting values. Your studio may have changed them; the summary on your screen is the truth.
Runtime status and Maintenance
Runtime status says whether this PC reached the studio database and the studio folder, for example "Connected to the studio database." or "Working locally - changes are not shared with other workstations." Open my log folder opens Slate's log files on this PC, for IT.
Workspace Info: the first thing IT asks for
The screen also lists where Slate is installed, the settings folder and any add-on screens. The Database line is the one worth a glance.
Open Workspace InfoVersion, install folder, who is signed in, database, shared folder and whether it is reachable.
Copy details"Copied. Paste it into your IT ticket." No password is ever shown.
Paste it in your ticketIt saves a round trip. Many faults are a PC that never took an update.
Database: this machine's local copy (LOCAL MODE)If Workspace Info says this, your PC cannot reach the studio database. Everything seems to work, but nobody else sees your changes. Raise a ticket.
Attendance
In Slate Operations, which is on your PC beside Slate Studio. Punch in when you start and out when you finish. Slate shows only the next button that makes sense.
Morning: sign inSigning in to Slate Operations punches you in: "Punched in at 09:40." Or press Punch in on Home or Attendance.
From home: tick the boxWorking from home today on Attendance, before or after punching in. The day follows the box.
Evening: Punch outSlate asks first: "Punch out at 18:42?" Closing Slate does not punch you out.
Back again: Punch in againStarts a second session. The day's hours add both together.
The times are the studio's starting values: a forgotten day closes at 19:30. Your studio may use other times; see Settings → Studio policy.
The rules behind the buttons
Signing in punches you in only once a day, and only in Slate Operations. Signing in again, or after you punched out, does nothing. Slate Studio never punches you in.
On a day of approved full-day leave, signing in does not punch you in. If you press Punch in yourself, Slate asks: "You are on approved leave today (Casual). Punch in anyway?" If you are really working, ask HR to cancel the leave; it stays charged until they do. A half day of leave does not ask, because you work the other half.
Late means after the late cut-off (10:45 unless your studio changed it), and only on a day you were expected in. A first-half leave day is judged from the afternoon.
Short day means fewer hours than the standard day (9 hours) on a finished day.
In LOCAL MODE the automatic punch-in does not work. Punch in by hand when the connection is back.
Your month
Pick any month under My month. The cards at the top count Present, Late, Hours and WFH. Each day has a colour from the legend:
Legend
Means
Present / Late / Short day
You worked. Late or short as above. A day off you worked shows as Present, written "Worked on a weekly off" or "Worked on a holiday".
Working now
Today, punched in.
Auto punch-out
You forgot to punch out; Slate closed the day at the studio's time.
Missing punch
A punch-in or punch-out is missing. HR corrects it.
On leave
Approved leave. A holiday inside it stays a holiday.
Leave pending
A day you were not in, covered by a leave request nobody has decided yet. It still counts as absent until the leave is approved.
Absent
A working day with no punch and no leave. Nobody is absent before they joined or after their last day.
Holiday / weekly off
The day was not a working day for your office.
Wrong time on a day?You cannot edit your own attendance. Ask HR. The Fix a punch link on Home opens Attendance; HR's correction keeps who changed it, why, and the old times.
Leave and comp-off
In Slate Operations, open Leave. You see My leave: your balance and your requests. Your supervisor says yes first, then HR.
Card
Means
PAID LEAVE AVAILABLE
What you can still take. Casual, Sick and Earned share this one balance. Requests waiting and leave booked are already taken off. If it is below zero it says "Overdrawn by …".
EARNED
2 days for every whole calendar month since you joined. After a year end: what was carried plus this year. "No joining date recorded - ask HR" means HR must fill it in.
AWAITING APPROVAL
Days held by requests nobody has decided yet.
BOOKED
Approved leave still to come.
COMP OFF
Only where the studio uses comp-off (see below).
The month you join is credited only if you worked all of it. At most 12 days carry into the next year; the rest lapses.
Asking for leave
Request leaveThe Request leave window opens.
Type, From, To, ReasonDuration: Full day, First half or Second half. A half day is one date only. Add a short Reason: it is required, and your supervisor and HR both see it.
Read the cost"This will cost 3 days." If it is more than you expect, the reason is written under it.
Send request"Sent to Ravi Kumar - 3 days." The request now waits on your supervisor.
Why one day off can cost three: the sandwich rule
The studio works Monday to Saturday; Sunday is the weekly off. Holidays are free. But if you take off a working day that sits between two non-working days, the days off on both sides are charged too.
Asking for more days never costs less: Saturday and Sunday together still cost 3 in the first example. The cost is fixed when you send the request. Your studio can switch the rule off; Settings → Studio policy says "Sandwich rule: on" or "off".
Leave types
Type
Plain meaning
Casual, Sick, Earned
Paid days off. All three come from the one Paid leave available balance.
Comp Off
A day back for a day you worked extra. Offered only if your studio uses comp-off.
Unpaid
A day off without pay. No balance needed. Ask for this when your balance runs out.
Project Rest
Rest after a hard delivery. HR grants it; you cannot ask for it. It does not come from your balance.
Who says yes
The Waiting on column names whose desk it is on; Decision shows what the approvers wrote. Your bell rings on every decision: "approved by … and now waits for HR", "approved", or "rejected", with the reason. Double-click it to open Leave.
Changing your mind: Withdraw
Still waiting: select it and press Withdraw. "The days it is holding go back into your balance straight away." It becomes Cancelled.
Approved, not started yet:Withdraw asks HR to cancel it ("Sent to HR to cancel."). It shows Cancellation requested, and the days stay deducted until HR agree. If HR refuse, it goes back to Approved.
Already started: you cannot withdraw it. Ask HR to correct it.
"Request not sent. Nothing has been deducted."The box says why. Usually: "You already have a request covering those days" (withdraw that one first, or pick other dates); the dates are before your joining date or in a year HR closed; or "That is 5 days and you have 3 available" (ask for Unpaid instead, or shorten it). If it says your holidays or requests "could not be read", wait a moment and try again; if it keeps happening, tell IT.
Past dates are allowed. Slate marks them "retrospective" so your approver knows.
Comp-off: only where the studio uses it
Comp-off is switched off in Slate unless your studio turns it on. If it is on, you see the Comp off card and the Comp Off leave type. Look at Settings → Studio policy for your studio's rules. With Slate's starting values:
You worked
You earn
A weekly off or a public holiday, at least half a standard day (4.5 hours)
1 day
A working day of 12 hours or more
Half a day
A working day of 18 hours or more
1 day
It is counted from your attendance, not from a form. Slate Server credits it once a day. A day is never credited twice.
A day still open, missing a punch, or closed by the automatic punch-out earns nothing. So punch in and out properly.
Unused comp-off lapses 90 days after the day you earned it.
Spend it by asking for Comp Off leave. If the leave is cancelled later, the comp-off days come back.
IT Support
In Slate Operations, open IT Support. Report a problem here rather than messaging somebody: a ticket has a clock, a message does not.
Report a problem, pick a CategoryPress Report a problem. Pick Workstation, Software / Licence, Network, Storage, Render Farm, Peripherals, Access / Account, or Other.
Answer two questionsWho is affected and Can you carry on. Answer honestly. They decide the priority, not you.
Summary and DetailOne line: what is wrong. Then what you were doing, what happened, what you expected. Shot or project name helps. No attachments yet: paste the error text, or say where a screenshot is on the share.
Send to IT"Ticket #57 sent. IT aim to respond within …" Your machine's name is added if Hardware lists one for you; untick it if the problem is elsewhere.
Who is affected ↓ / Can you carry on →
I cannot work at all
I have a workaround
I can carry on
The whole studio, or a service everyone depends on
P1
P2
P2
My department, or several people
P2
P3
P3
Only me
P3
P3
P4
The promise (SLA)
IT's clock counts working time: 10:00 to 19:00 on the studio's working days, unless the studio changed it. Sundays and studio holidays do not count. A P1 counts around the clock.
Priority
IT reply within
Fixed within
P1 Critical
15 minutes
4 hours, day or night
P2 High
30 working minutes
8 working hours
P3 Medium
2 working hours
3 working days
P4 Low
4 working hours
5 working days
When IT ask you something, the ticket says Waiting on you, sits at the top of your list with a banner "IT need your answer on #57", and IT Support in the left list shows a count. IT's clock is paused until you answer.
Following your ticket
Your open tickets are listed. Tick Include closed for old ones. A ticket in bold has a reply you have not opened.
The With column names who has it, or says Not yet picked up. Point at a row to see "Reply expected by …" or "Fix expected by …".
Select it and press Open (or double-click) to read the conversation. Type, then Send reply or Ctrl+Enter.
The bell tells you when IT pick it up, reply, need your answer, change its priority or resolve it.
A reply on a resolved ticket (a thank-you, say) goes to IT and leaves it resolved. To say it is still broken, press Still broken - reopen.
When something goes wrong
What you see
What it means
What to do
Sign-in: That user name and password do not match.
Wrong user name or password
Check both, and Caps Lock. Still stuck: ask your administrator to reset your password.
Sign-in: Can't reach the studio database…, button Database unavailable
Slate Server is off, or the network is down
Press Try again. If it does not work, tell IT.
Sign-in: …Slate is working on this computer's copy. Header: LOCAL MODE
Slate could not reach the studio database and uses this PC's copy
You can work, but nobody else sees it until you press Sync. Tell IT. Punch in by hand later.
Sign-in: This account is switched off or its last day has passed.
Your account was deactivated
Ask your administrator or HR.
Sign-in: This studio's database is new and has no accounts yet.
A brand-new studio database
Ask your administrator for your account.
Choose your password right after signing in
Your password was reset or is new
Choose your own, at least 8 characters. Cancel takes you back to sign-in.
Pop-up: Studio folder not found
The shared folder is not connected on this PC
Slate works locally. Check the network cable, or ask IT to map the drive.
A screen says Can't reach the studio database
That screen could not read the database just now
Your work is safe. Press Try again. If it does not come back, tell IT.
Could not open … or Could not load …
Something went wrong on that screen
Press Try again. If it keeps happening, press Copy details for IT and paste it into a ticket.
Home: Nothing assigned to you right now. Dashboard: No shots assigned to you
No shot names you as its artist
Ask the coordinator to check the shot is assigned to your account.
Dashboard: 'APPROVED' is a review verdict.
Only a supervisor or coordinator sets APPROVED, RETAKE and OMIT
Set SENT FOR REVIEW instead.
Dashboard: You are not assigned to Roto on SH010.
You can set only the department you are named on
Ask the coordinator if you should be on it.
Dashboard: SH010 was changed by someone else a moment ago.
Two people changed the same shot
It has been reloaded. Set your status again.
Dashboard: red banner, read-only
The server cannot be reached
Nothing is lost. Press Try again; wait for IT.
RV: …a supervisor or coordinator sets review verdicts in Slate.
Artists cannot give verdicts from RV
Set your cell to SENT FOR REVIEW.
RV is not installed on this machine, or could not start
RV is missing or broken on this PC
Raise a ticket, category Software / Licence.
CAP Rename: a row says Conflict - …
That new name cannot be used
Read the reason. Change the pattern or remove the file. Nothing is renamed until all conflicts are gone.
CAP Rename: Failed - … after pressing Rename
A file was open or locked; nothing was renamed
Close the file in Nuke or RV and rename again.
Attendance: Could not punch you in automatically
The automatic punch-in failed
Punch in on Home or Attendance.
Attendance: You have not punched in today, so there is nothing to punch out of.
No punch-in today
Ask HR to add today's times.
Attendance: a day says Missing punch
A punch-in or punch-out is missing
Ask HR to correct it. It earns no comp-off until then.
Leave: Request not sent
The request was refused; nothing was deducted
Read the reason. Usually an overlapping request: withdraw it first.
Leave: the cost is higher than the days you picked
The sandwich rule
Read the line under the cost. Change the dates or ask HR.
IT Support: Waiting on you
IT asked you something
Open the ticket and answer. Until you do, it stays stuck.
Slate BETA 2.3.0 · Slate Studio Handbook, for everyone in the studio · This page can be printed. Each part starts on a new page.