Photism sends its visuals to other video apps as a live source. On Mac that is Syphon, on Windows it is Spout, and both are included with Photism at no extra charge. Resolume, OBS, VDMX, MadMapper and TouchDesigner all receive them, so Photism can be one layer in a bigger rig instead of the whole screen. This is how to set it up in five steps, plus the two things that trip people up.
The five steps
- Get the current build. Owners re-download from photism.app/redownload. Mac: run the installer again. Windows: unzip over the old Photism.vst3 or standalone folder.
- Open the output window. Press Shift+O in the plugin, or O in the standalone app. This is the projector window; it is also the Syphon or Spout sender.
- Turn it on. The output window’s top bar has a Syphon toggle on Mac and a Spout (beta) toggle on Windows. Flip it. The status reads Sending with the frame size once video is flowing.
- Pick the source in your receiver. In Resolume add a Syphon or Spout source and choose Photism. In OBS add a Syphon Client or Spout2 Capture source. In VDMX, MadMapper and TouchDesigner it appears in the usual Syphon or Spout input list. The number after the name tells your Photism instances apart when several are open.
- Size it. The video frame follows the output window. Resize the window to change the resolution your receiver gets.
Mac: Syphon and the Screen Recording prompt
Syphon output needs macOS 14 or later. On older systems the output window works as before and the toggle does not appear.
The first time you turn it on, macOS asks for Screen Recording access. Allow it for Photism when you run the standalone app, or for your DAW when you run the plugin (Ableton Live, Logic, whichever host holds it). If macOS asks you to quit and reopen, do that, open the output again and flip Syphon back on. This happens once per app.
Two more Mac notes. While Syphon is on, Photism keeps the displays awake so a sleeping screen does not freeze the feed. And after you quit and reopen Photism, pick its source again in the receiver; in our Resolume test the old clip did not reconnect on its own.
Windows: Spout is a beta
Spout works the same way and needs Windows 10 version 1903 or later, or Windows 11, with a graphics driver that supports Windows graphics capture. It builds and starts cleanly in our tests. What we are still collecting is results from real graphics cards and receivers, which is why the toggle says beta. If it misbehaves, turn it off, keep using the projector output page, and write to [email protected] with your Windows version, graphics card, Photism format and receiving app.
What stays where
Syphon and Spout carry video only, on the same machine. Audio stays exactly where it was: the plugin listens to its track, the standalone app listens to the input you picked in Audio Settings. Closing the output window stops the feed. Closing only the plugin editor leaves it running, so you can tuck the editor away during a set.
NDI, which crosses the network, is not in yet. The Max for Live device and the browser version use the projector output page rather than a native sender for now. If you need either, say so at [email protected]; the count decides what ships next.