PictoWave shows the waveform coming next as an overlay on your video so you catch every voice cue and every music hit seconds before they land, without ever looking away from the image.
Free 14-day trial, full-featured, no credit card required.
When mixing a video program, cues rarely land on a predictable grid. Without a visual cue, you end up checking the timeline constantly, splitting your attention between the picture and a playhead position, often missing the exact moment to act on a fader.
PictoWave puts the upcoming waveform right over the image, so the picture never has to compete with the timeline for your attention again.
The waveform, always ahead. A few seconds of lookahead, right where your eyes already are.
Every cue anticipated. See dialog or music hits coming before they land, not after.
Zero context-switching. No more darting between the image and a position indicator all day.
Comfort and efficiency, all day long. Less eye strain, fewer missed cues, faster passes: the mix just flows.
Drop PictoWave on any audio track or stem bus you want to see: voice-over track, dialog stem, music stem... What you insert it on is what you get. It's that simple.
Make a selection on the timeline and click Learn. There is nothing to pick: PictoWave reads the tracks that carry its plug-in. A quick offline pass builds the waveform.
The companion app displays the waveform right over your picture. Resize it, place it wherever suits your eye, and keep watching the image.
Start light with PictoWave, or go all-in with PictoWave Pro's standalone video engine. Either way: one payment, no subscription, and a free 14-day trial to see for yourself. Prices in euros include VAT: the rate shown is 20%, though it may differ depending on your country in the EU.
A floating waveform window over your existing Pro Tools video preview. Set up in seconds, nothing else to change.
Every waveform feature of PictoWave, on top of a standalone video engine built for dedicated video cards and multi-reel sessions.
Both apps share the same core promise: the waveform ahead, always in view. PictoWave Pro adds a full video engine on top for dedicated Blackmagic video cards output and multi-reel sessions.
| Feature | PictoWave | PictoWave Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Waveform overlay ahead of the playhead | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adjustable lookahead, colors & playhead | ✓ | ✓ |
| Overlays Pro Tools' own Video window | ✓ | Not applicable |
| Standalone video engine | - | ✓ |
| Playback windowed, fullscreen or through Blackmagic devices | - | ✓ |
| Every video reel on one timeline (even on Pro Tools Studio) | - | ✓ |
| Batch Learn: all reels in one go | - | ✓ |
| Two simultaneous waveforms (e.g. dialog + music) | - | ✓ |
| Multiple video codec support | - | ✓ |
| Automatic Machine Control setup | - | ✓ |
| Best for | Pro Tools' own video window, on any display | Blackmagic video output, reel-based shows, two waveforms |
Render a new video file with the waveform, the playhead and the timecode burned into the picture. Set in and out points on the Pro Tools timeline to choose the range, or batch-export every reel at once, each one bounded automatically, with the audio bounced from a Pro Tools bus you pick in the app.
Beyond Blackmagic hardware: dedicated video output through other professional video cards and interfaces.
Imported videos automatically transcoded to ProRes or DNx, for guaranteed smooth playback whatever you receive.
Replacing today's transport sync with Avid's native Satellite Link protocol: tighter tracking, even less setup. It hinges on protocol access from Avid, so it stays exploratory for now.
Taking PictoWave beyond Pro Tools is on our radar, no timeline yet, but it's on the list.
Both apps now ship as universal binaries and run natively on Intel Macs as well as Apple Silicon. PictoWave is light enough for any supported Mac; PictoWave Pro's video engine favors a dedicated GPU, with Apple Silicon the smoothest option.
Yes, both apps include a 14-day free trial, full-featured, no credit card required. Start yours here.
Yes. One payment, no subscription. Updates to the version you buy are free; entirely new major versions may be offered later as optional paid upgrades.
Pro Tools 2025.06 or later, Studio or Ultimate, on macOS 13 or later. PictoWave ships as a universal binary and runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. PictoWave runs comfortably on any of them; for PictoWave Pro's video engine, Apple Silicon gives the smoothest playback, and on Intel Macs the preview automatically adapts its resolution to the graphics hardware.
No. Insert the plug-in on any audio track or stem bus you want to see, make a selection on the timeline and click Learn. There is no aux track to create, no dedicated bus and no routing to build: PictoWave reads the tracks that already carry its plug-in, so what you insert it on is what you get.
No. PictoWave overlays Pro Tools' own Video window, nothing extra required. And PictoWave Pro doesn't need one either: pop its video out into an independent macOS window and put it on any display you like. Got Blackmagic hardware, a DeckLink card or an UltraStudio box? PictoWave Pro can drive a true dedicated video monitor through it, but it's never required.
To activate PictoWave on a computer, yes. Once activated, it runs offline. During the free trial, the app also needs to reach the license server from time to time.
More answers on the full FAQ page: setup, video sync, what gets written into your session, upgrades and licenses.
One-time payment, no subscription, up and running in minutes.