Compose a worship presentation
Turn a song into a worship deck with lower third and confidence outputs.
Use the four-step compose wizard to pick outputs, theme, lyrics, and arrangement, then open the presentation editor.
Quick start
- From Songs library or My songs, click Compose on a song.
- Step 1 — Presentation details: set title, folder, Screen layout, aspect ratio, title/credits slides, and Worship outputs.
- Step 2 — Select a theme: pick a required presentation theme.
- Step 3 — Edit lyrics: adjust ChordPro Song text; fix parse errors before continuing. Next goes to the manual arrange step. With the AI arrangement beta enabled, Generate with AI prepares a proposal for review.
- Review proposed lyrics/structure, arrangement, sources, and normalized slides. Cancel changes nothing; Apply to arrangement accepts selected, linked changes.
- Step 4 — Arrange sections: refine the accepted arrangement and slide splits. Use Refresh proposal to request another review.
- Click Create presentation — WorshipDeck opens
/presentations/{id}for worship editing.
You should land on a worship presentation with optional lower-third and confidence variants.
Deep dive
Shared wizard (catalog and My Songs)
The song catalog and My Songs use the same four-step compose wizard:
| Entry | Route |
|---|---|
| Catalog | /songs/{id}/compose |
| Church song | /my-songs/{id}/compose |
The header shows Compose "{song title}" with Step {n} of 4: {step title}. Contextual help:
| Location | Help |
|---|---|
| ? next to the page title | Full wizard |
| ? next to Worship outputs on Step 1 | Output options |
Catalog browse and My Songs CRUD stay in Songs library and My songs — this article covers the wizard only.
Wizard steps
| Step | Title (UI) | What you set |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Presentation details | Title, folder, screen layout, aspect ratio, title/credits slides, worship outputs |
| 2 | Select a theme | Required theme (Next disabled until a theme is selected) |
| 3 | Edit lyrics | ChordPro source; parse errors block Step 4; Next is manual; Generate with AI opens beta proposal review |
| 4 | Arrange sections | Accepted/manual section order, slide splits, optional Refresh proposal; Create presentation |
Step 1 — Presentation details
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Presentation title | Deck name (required to continue) |
| Folder | Optional presentations folder |
| Screen layout | Routes main / Variant 1 / Variant 2 to physical screens — see Screen layout assignment |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9, 9:16, or 4:3 |
| Add title slide | Optional opening title slide |
| Add credits slide | Optional closing credits slide |
| Worship outputs | Lower third and confidence toggles (section below) |
Worship output variants
Compose auto-builds up to three content variants per lyric slide. Builder uses lower third displayIndex: 1 and confidence displayIndex: 2. Screen layouts name those slots Variant 1 and Variant 2. The filmstrip letters variants A / B (not plan-draft “B/C” wording).
| Output | Variant index | Filmstrip | Compose toggle | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main congregation slide | 0 (main) | Numbered main thumbnails | Always on | Full lyrics (+ chords on main when the song has chord content) |
| Lower third | 1 | Letter A | Lower third (variant 1) + text/background colors | Bottom overlay text |
| Confidence monitor | 2 | Letter B | Confidence monitor (variant 2) + optional chords toggle + colors | Stage/congregation confidence lyrics |
Mental model: Content variants.
Not the same as the Chords presenter tab. Musician full-deck chord charts use /presentations/{id}/chords — see Presenter views. Confidence-monitor chords are a content variant on the worship deck, not that presenter tab.
Lower third (variant 1)
Enable Lower third (variant 1) to generate filmstrip letter A slides with a bottom overlay style. When enabled, pick:
- Lower third text color (default
#FFFFFF) - Lower third background color (default
#0EB258)
Use lower third for IMAG/streaming layouts where the main slide stays full-screen and a caption bar shows the current lyric line. Map this output to the layout slot named Variant 1.
Confidence monitor (variant 2)
Enable Confidence monitor (variant 2) to generate filmstrip letter B slides for a stage or stream confidence feed — typically larger type and fewer words per slide than the main output. When enabled, pick:
- Confidence text color (default
#FFFFFF) - Confidence background color (default
#000000) - Show chords on confidence monitor — only when the song has chords (see next section)
Map this output to the layout slot named Variant 2.
With or without chords
ChordPro [chord] markers make chord display options available:
| Song | Confidence enabled? | Show chords on confidence monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Has chords | Yes | Toggle visible — turn on for chords on confidence, off for lyrics-only confidence while the source still has chords |
| Lyrics only | Yes | Toggle hidden — confidence is lyrics-only |
| Either | No | Toggle hidden |
Musicians who need a full chord chart during the service should use the Chords presenter tab — Presenter views — not the confidence variant.
Screen layout assignment
The Screen layout dropdown lists templates from Screen layouts (including No layout and {name} (default)). Each layout maps content types — main slide, Variant 1, Variant 2, speaker notes, blank — to physical Screens.
Step 1 shows this hint:
Map variant 1 to your streaming lower third and variant 2 to the confidence monitor in your screen layout.
Operators choose layouts in present mode — Screens and layouts. Admins define physical screens first, then bind them in layout templates. This article does not walk through the layout builder.
Step 2 — Select a theme
Pick a presentation theme (required). Themes control fonts and colors on generated worship slides. The theme grid opens on the Worship category by default. Use Popular, All, other category tabs, or Search themes to browse. Next stays disabled until a theme is selected.
Step 3 — Edit lyrics
Edit the ChordPro Song text before arranging. Fix any errors shown before clicking Next. Edits here apply to this presentation; they do not change the catalog or My Songs library copy unless you save there separately.
Step 4 — Arrange sections
Drag or double-click sections from the Sections pool into Arrangement, reorder, and use Split slides to break lines across slides. At least one arranged section is required (Add at least one section to the arrangement.).
AI arrangement (beta)
When AI arrangement is enabled for your church, Step 3 shows Generate with AI beside Next. Next still goes to Step 4 for a manual arrangement. Generate with AI prepares and opens Review song proposal. Review cue removals, structure changes, repeats, transitions, and slide boundaries. Dependent changes stay linked. Cancel preserves Step 3 exactly; Apply to arrangement updates the wizard lyrics and arrangement, then opens Step 4. Step 4 offers Refresh proposal for a new review.
This beta may not appear for all churches. If the button is missing, arrange sections manually.
After compose
Click Create presentation once. WorshipDeck prevents a retry of the same compose request from creating duplicate decks. On success, the new deck opens in the presentation editor.
The result is a worship presentation. Further lyrics, arrangement, and chord styling live in Worship songs in presentations (and the presentation editor). Do not expect the compose output toggles inside the editor panel.
Re-apply from the editor
Re-applying the song from the worship editor rebuilds slides from the arrangement and preserves the lower-third and confidence options chosen during compose. Those toggles do not appear in the editor — change outputs by re-composing from Songs or My Songs, or by editing variant slides manually.
Tips
- Configure screen layouts before Sunday so Variant 1 and Variant 2 land on the correct outputs.
- Disable confidence chords when the stream feed should stay lyrics-only even though musicians use the Chords tab elsewhere.
- Finalize section order in Step 4 before heavy color tweaks on variant slides in the editor.
Troubleshooting
Select a theme / Next disabled on Step 2
- Step 2 requires a theme. Pick any theme card, then continue.
Fix the song text errors before continuing
- Return to Step 3 and correct ChordPro syntax shown in the preview.
Add at least one section to the arrangement
- In Step 4, drag at least one section into the arrangement list.
Lower third or confidence not on the right screen
- Confirm the presentation’s Screen layout maps Variant 1 and Variant 2 to the intended screens — see Screens and layouts.
Show chords on confidence monitor missing
- The song has no chord markers, or Confidence monitor (variant 2) is off. Add
[chord]syntax in My songs or Step 3, then enable confidence.
Re-apply didn’t change lower third or confidence
- The editor preserves compose snapshot options; toggles are not in the worship editor. Re-compose from Songs / My Songs, or edit variant slides manually — see Worship songs in presentations.
Proposal review or Refresh proposal missing
- AI arrangement may be off for this church. In that case Step 3 only shows Next, which goes to Step 4 for a manual arrangement.
Could not create the presentation
- You need at least one arranged section, a theme on Step 2, and no Step 3 errors. Check connectivity and retry. If the song changed in the library while you were composing, refresh and start again from Compose.