Home Web development Selah Screens

Selah Screens · Mac app

Worship slides any volunteer can run.

Selah Screens is a Mac app for Sunday services. Build the running order once, then run the projector, the stage monitor and the livestream from the arrow keys, from the first song to the last announcement.

Ask about Selah Screens See the screens

Version 1.0 for Mac. Not publicly available yet.

Selah Screens operator window: a seven-item Sunday running order on the left, the verses of Be Thou My Vision in the middle with Verse 2 marked live, and the live preview, timer, output switches and message box on the right.
4 Screens from one Mac: operator, projector, stage monitor and livestream
3 Bibles that work offline: KJV, ASV and BSB
16 Public-domain hymns ready to use on day one
12 Remote control endpoints for a Stream Deck or Companion

The setup

One laptop, four screens.

The operator works in one window. The projector, the stage monitor and the livestream each get their own output, and they all follow the same live slide.

How Selah Screens connects one laptop to four screens A Stream Deck, Bitfocus Companion or phone browser sends commands such as /v1/next to the operator laptop over HTTP on port 7777. The laptop runs the Selah Screens control window and feeds three outputs: the main projector on display 1, the stage monitor on display 2, and the livestream lower third as a window captured in OBS. Stream Deck, Companion or a phone browser Off until you turn it on /v1/next port 7777 Operator laptop Selah Screens control window Arrow keys run the whole service Display 1 Display 2 Window Main projector Lyrics, scripture, slides and media 7:49 24:58 Stage monitor Current and next slide, clock and timer Livestream Lower thirds on black or chroma key, into OBS One laptop running Selah Screens feeds the main projector, the stage monitor and the livestream, and a Stream Deck or phone can control it over HTTP on port 7777. Stream Deck, Companion or a phone browser Off until you turn it on /v1/next, port 7777 Operator laptop Arrow keys run the whole service Main projector Lyrics, scripture, slides and media 7:49 24:58 Stage monitor Current and next slide, clock, timer Livestream Lower thirds on black or chroma key
Pin each output to a display once, and it opens in the right place every time the app starts.

How a Sunday runs

Build it on Saturday, press one key on Sunday.

Most worship software expects a trained operator. Selah Screens is built around a running order, so the person at the laptop only has to follow it.

  1. 01

    Build the running order

    Add songs, scripture, typed welcome slides, images and videos, and slide decks in the order they happen. Copy last week's service to start the next one.

  2. 02

    Pin the screens once

    Assign the projector, stage monitor and stream to their displays in Settings. From then on they open there by themselves, with no setup on Sunday morning.

  3. 03

    Press the right arrow

    Past the last verse of a song, the next press moves straight into the next item. Going back from the first slide takes you to the last slide of the item before.

The screens

What each screen shows.

Real screenshots from the app, using the hymns and Bibles it ships with.

Main output · projector

Big, clean words on the main screen.

Every verse and chorus becomes its own slide. Set the font, size, shadow and lines per slide once, and every song follows it. Pick an image or video loop as the default background, or give one song its own.

  • Fade or cut between slides, and nothing fancier
  • A caption line with the title, author, copyright line or your own text
  • Clear to your logo, plus an optional watermark in any corner
  • Hide the words and keep the background playing, or go to black
Main projector output showing the second verse of Be Thou My Vision in large white text over a dark blue and plum gradient, with the song title in small text at the bottom right.
Stage display on black: the clock and a yellow 24:58 countdown at the top left, Verse 2 and a red LIVE badge across the top, the current verse in very large white text, and the next verse previewed in yellow below.

Stage display · confidence monitor

The band always knows what's coming.

The stage display shows the current slide large, the next one in yellow underneath, the time, and a badge for what the room actually sees: Live, Media, Text hidden, Black or Logo. It keeps showing the words even when the main screen is blank.

  • Countdown or elapsed timer beside the clock, red in the final minute
  • Messages show on stage as a bold amber bar
  • The clock and the next-slide preview can each be turned off

Stream output · lower thirds

Lower thirds your livestream can key cleanly.

The stream output is a separate window that shows lyrics and scripture as a lower third and nothing else. Capture it on black, or pick a green or blue background: the band, shadow and outline switch off by themselves, leaving plain white text on a flat color.

  • Photos and videos on the main screen never show up on the stream
  • Its own caption setting, separate from the main screen
  • Messages can go to the stream too, or stay off it
Stream output on a flat green chroma key background, with four lines of a hymn verse in plain white text along the bottom third and the song title underneath.
The Bible tab with the BSB translation selected and Romans 8:38-39 looked up: one slide per verse, the first marked live, and the verse text shown in the live preview.

Bible · works offline

Type a reference, get the verses.

Type John 3:16-18 or Psalm 23 and each verse becomes a slide straight away. KJV, ASV and BSB are stored in the app, so nothing needs to download during the service. ESV works online with your own free key from api.esv.org.

  • Short forms work, like 1 Cor 13:4-7
  • Scripture goes in the running order like any other item
  • ⌘K finds a song, a service item or a reference from anywhere

Slide decks · display settings

Bring in the announcement deck as it is.

Add a PowerPoint, Keynote or PDF file, or paste a Google Slides link, and every page becomes a slide. The deck remembers where it came from, so Refresh pulls in the latest edits without rebuilding the service.

  • PowerPoint and Keynote files convert on the Mac, using LibreOffice, Keynote or PowerPoint if one is installed
  • Loop a deck at your own seconds per slide for pre-service announcements
  • Identify Displays flashes a number on every screen so you know which is which
Settings, Outputs tab with display assignments for the main screen, stage display and stream, caption and stage options, next to an imported three-page announcements deck with its second slide live and a Refresh slides button.

Live controls

Six keys cover a whole service.

  • →SpaceNext slide, and on into the next item
  • ←↑Previous slide
  • BHide the words, keep the background
  • NBlack screen
  • LClear to your logo
  • ⌘KFind a song, item or verse

Down, Page Down and Page Up work too, which is what most presentation clickers send.

Also included

The details that matter on a Sunday.

Songs

Lyrics import and song orders

Import plain text, ChordPro or OpenLyrics files, or type a song in the editor. Save orders like Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, and each section gets its own color.

TextChordProOpenLyrics
Timers

Countdowns and messages

Count down a number of minutes or to a clock time, like 9:30. Show it big on the projector with your own label before the service, or only on stage. Send a message to any mix of screens.

CountdownElapsedMessages
Media

Backgrounds and media cues

Use images and video loops behind the words, or play one fullscreen on every output at once. Video sound plays from the main output only.

ImagesVideo loops
Music

Sheet-music bands

Attach a notation image to each section of a song. Those slides show it on a white band on the main screen, a large card on stage and a band on the stream, each switchable.

PNGSVG
Outputs

One switch per screen

Each output has its own on and off button. Off blacks it out instantly and mutes any video. On brings it straight back to whatever is live.

MainStageStream
Library

Kept on your Mac

Songs, services, settings and media live in a folder on the Mac, with the song library in a plain JSON file you can back up. Each install keeps its own.

LocalJSON

Remote control

Run it from a Stream Deck, Companion or a phone.

A small HTTP API built into the app. Any button that can open a web address can drive it.

How it works

Off by default, local unless you say so.

Turn it on in Settings, Outputs. It listens on port 7777 and only answers the Mac itself until you tick the option to allow other devices on the network.

  • Commands set a state, they don't toggle, so a double press can't undo itself
  • /v1/status returns the live state as JSON
  • No password, so only allow other devices on a network you trust
The 12 endpoints 
GET http://your-mac:7777
/v1/next          /v1/previous
/v1/blank         /v1/black
/v1/clear         /v1/logo
/v1/message?text=...&main=1&stage=1
/v1/message/clear
/v1/timer/countdown?minutes=5
/v1/timer/elapsed /v1/timer/clear
/v1/status

Where it stands

Honest notes before you ask.

Version 1.0

A Mac app, not a download page yet.

Selah Screens is packaged as a universal Mac installer that runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. It isn't notarized by Apple yet, so we aren't offering a public download. If it sounds right for your church, get in touch and we'll show it to you.

Lyrics and licensing

Only public-domain hymns are included.

The 16 bundled hymns are old enough to be in the public domain. Lyrics to newer songs are copyrighted on their own, which is what church licensing covers, so you import the songs your church is licensed for, for example a ChordPro or text export from CCLI SongSelect.

Under the hood

How it's built.

Built by WT Digital Consulting as our own product. Need a desktop app of your own? See our web development work.

Electron 32 Plain HTML, CSS & JavaScript No frameworks, no bundler pdf.js for slide decks Local JSON storage Built-in HTTP server Universal macOS build

Questions

Common questions.

Can I download Selah Screens?

Not yet. Selah Screens is at version 1.0 and the Mac installer isn't notarized by Apple yet, so there is no public download. If you'd like to try it at your church, get in touch and we'll talk it through.

Does it come with worship songs?

It ships with 16 public-domain hymns, including Amazing Grace, It Is Well with My Soul and Be Thou My Vision. Song lyrics are copyrighted even without the music, so contemporary songs are not included. Your church imports the songs it is licensed to use, for example a ChordPro or text export from CCLI SongSelect.

Does it need the internet during a service?

No. Songs, slides, media and the KJV, ASV and BSB Bibles are all stored on the Mac. You only need a connection to import a Google Slides link or to use the ESV online with your own free key from api.esv.org.

Can a Stream Deck or Companion control it?

Yes. Turn on the remote API in Settings, then point a button at an address like http://your-mac:7777/v1/next. It is off by default and only answers the Mac itself until you tick the option to allow other devices. There is no password, so only allow other devices on a network you trust.

Will it work with our livestream?

Yes. The stream output is its own window that shows lyrics and scripture as a lower third. Capture it on black, or choose a green or blue background and the band, shadow and outline turn off automatically so the key stays clean. Photos and videos on the main screen never appear on the stream.

Does it run on Windows?

No. Selah Screens is a Mac app. The installer is a universal build, so it runs on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Interested?

Ask us about Selah Screens.

Book a 20-minute call. Tell us how many screens you run, whether you stream, and who runs the slides on Sunday, and we'll show you the app and tell you honestly whether it fits.