Support

Installation

After downloading, open the msi (Windows) or dmg (Mac) file. Follow onscreen instructions.

License Key

On download, Gumroad will provide a license key. The first time you open the app, you'll need to enter this license key to prove purchase.

Opening the App

Once installed, the app will can be found in your Applications folder (macOS) or Start Menu (Windows). We recommend pinning the app to the Start bar at the bottom to open it quickly when required.

Loading a video

The video to be analysed must be available on the computer where the program is running. Click "Load Video" on the main screen, or "File" > "Load Video" in the menu, and choose the video to be analysed from the files on your computer/storage.

Choose where results will be saved

An output directory must be selected to save the results to. This can be anywhere secure.

Trimming the video

By default, the entire chosen video file will be analysed. To trim a section off of the start or end of the video, adjust the double slider.

Contrast and Exposure

The greater the difference in brightness between the pupil and the surrounding area, the more reliable the results. In general, a high contrast value helps, whereas the exposure value is less predictable - sometimes low exposure helps to make the pupil more clear by darkening it, while high exposure can help to "bleach out" surrounding areas.

Pupil Threshold

This can also be seen as pupil brightness. It gives the system a minimum level of darkness that it will read as a possible pupil. If the exposure value is high, it is more likely that the pupil threshold will need to be decreased. If the program cannot find a pupil, it is likely that this value needs to be increased.

Mark the pupil to be tracked

After selecting a video, the initial position and diameter of the pupil needs to be marked. After clicking "Mark Pupil" a new window will open. Here you should click on one side of the pupil to be tracked, keep the mouse button pressed, and drag a line to the opposite side of the pupil.

Availability

Head movement correction is only in the Full version of Eye Precision, starting at version 1.1.0. Eye Precision Basic is not suitable for videos recorded with visible light and therefore doesn't require head movement correction

Function

EP Animations displays actual vs expected eye position. If the test subject's head moves relative to camera position this affects the results. Head movement correction reduces the effect.

Marking head position

Use a brightly coloured sticker or other marker within the frame of the video, attached to the test subjects face. When marking the sticker in the app, try to ensure that nothing outside of the sticker is marked - the marking circle should stay within the brightly coloured area.

Error conditions

If the marker moves out of the video frame or is obscured during the video, head movement correction will not work. Re-record the video or analyse without head movement correction.

Profiles Basics

Profiles are saved settings, allowing quick setting of Exposure, Contrast and the Pupil Brightness Threshold. Using a profile allows saving and loading of setting known to provide optimal results with certain video types, recording devices or test subjects.

Saving a profile

Saving a profile is as easy as clicking the "Save Profile" button and giving your profile a name. The current slider settings will be stored. You can also save a profile via the toolbar menu at the top of the screen (MacOS) or window (Windows).

Loading a profile

To load saved settings, you can click the "Load Profile" button and choose the profile from the dropdown list.

Deleting a profile

Careful - deleting a profile can't be undone. The Delete profile option is found in the toolbar menu at the top of the screen (MacOS) or window (Windows). Choose the profile you want to delete in the dropdown menu. Note - the default profile won't stay deleted. If no default profile is found, the program will make one when launched.

Media Player

From version 1.0.7 Eye Precision allows results video playback with VLC Media Player or a built-in video player. You can choose the method un der "Media Player" in the toolbar menu at the top of the window (Windows) or screen (MacOS).

Calibration

Analysis of actual vs expected eye position is only possible when a calibration animation is recorded at the start of the video. The calibration animation takes around 20 seconds. The test subject must try not to blink during this section of the test.

Planning Animations

EP Animations comes various types of saccade, pursuits, OPK and gaze holding animations. Add the required animations to the queue by selecting them in the dropdown list and click "Add to queue". You can move or remove animations from the queue with the buttons below.

Starting/Restarting/Stopping animation

The Start/Stop buttons are located underneath the animation queue. Ensure that your recording device is active!

Setting dot size, colour and background colour

On the left of the UI the dot properties and the background colour can be chosen. Note that the OPK stripes are always red, so a red fixation dot when testing OPK suppression will not be clearly visible.

Recording Video

To record a video, you can use any recording device. The app does not record video itself.

Video Requirements

The video should be recorded in a well-lit environment, with the test subject facing the camera. Ensure that the pupil is clearly visible and that there is minimal head movement during the recording. Any frame rate can be used, but of course a higher frame rate gives more accurate results

Recording with an iPhone

Optical light recording is more difficult than infrared goggles, but in the right conditions can be effective. My best results so far have been with the main camera of my iPhone, with the built in flash light turned on. Frame rate can usually be selected at the top right of the video view. For example results on this site I position my phone on a tripod, around 10cm from my face, slightly below eye level and angled upwards. Eye colour has an effect on the quality of results possible with this recording method.

Preparing video

After the animations are completed, stop recording. Ensure that the recorded video is available on a computer with Eye Precision installed. If desired the video can be cropped in any suitable editing software.

Pre-Analysis in Eye Precision

Once the video is uploaded to Eye Precision, run Eye Precision as normal (see instructions above). Ensure that the full calibration phase is included in the video. Try to cut any unnecessary time from the start and the end of the video using the time sliders. Once testing has run, view the results to ensure clean graphing.

Expected Results list

Return to EP Animations and click Data Analysis in the main window. This opens a new windows with the animation queue now listed as standardised results. This list is the expected results graphs that will be compared to the analysed results. Use the buttons below to add/move tests if necessary.

Results file

The results from Eye Precision must be uploaded to the program. Click the Browse button and navigate to the output folder from Eye Precision. Open the folder containing the test to be analysed, and choose the eye_tracking_output.csv file. Folders and files may be renamed (for example to test subject identifiers) if prefered.

Manual Calibration

Once "Generate Graph" is clicked, the program will attempt to automatically run a calibration. In the event that this is unsuccessful, a warning may appear or the result graphs may be clearly offset or incorrect. In this case, close the top window. You will see the window with the expected results list. At the bottom is the calibration graph. If the red markers don't line up with the 4 saccades of the calibration animation, click "Manually Mark Jumps". Click on the saccades (straight vertical lines) to mark the calibration points and confirm. Then click "Generate Graph" again to use these manual calibration markings.

Interactive Results Graph

EP Animations displays and saves a static graph of actual vs expected eye position. For an interactive graph, click "Open interactive graph". This will open a browser window. Windows users may need to grant permission the first time that this opens. Although this graph opens in the brower, no information is uploaded to the internet.