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ShotWork asks for libmpv, or will not start

You see: On macOS, Download followed by libmpv's build name, before ShotWork's window appears. Or Could not start, with Use a File I Already Have… and Quit. Or, in the download dialog, a message that the download failed, with the reason.

Why: libmpv plays video in the viewer, and ShotWork cannot run without it. On Windows it comes with the installer, so Could not start there means the installed file has been removed or damaged. On macOS it is fetched once, with your permission, and kept in ShotWork's app data folder; the dialog comes back if it was declined, if the download never finished, or if that folder was cleared or moved.

Fix:

  1. On macOS, connect to the internet, start ShotWork, and choose Download. ShotWork opens once libmpv is in place. If the download fails, read the reason and choose Download to try again.
  2. On Windows, run the ShotWork installer again, which puts libmpv back. If you have a copy of libmpv already, Use a File I Already Have… in Could not start takes it.

If that didn't work: A download that keeps failing with the same reason usually means the build's source is unavailable for the moment; try again later. If ShotWork seems to look in the wrong place for its files, check whether SHOTWORK_DATA_DIR points it at a folder you did not intend; see Where ShotWork keeps its files. The dialog and where the files end up are in The components.