> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.podigee.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.podigee.com/documentation/grow-and-monetize/monetization/use-break-canvas.md).

# Use Break Canvas

Inspect audio and video, move an ad-break boundary, set its capacity, and save an exact episode placement in Break Canvas.

Break Canvas helps you place an ad break at a natural point in an episode. In the Podigee Audio Video Ad Server, you can inspect audio and video together, move a prepared marker, audition the transition, and save the exact placement without separating the work from the episode source.

Use Break Canvas after you prepare episode ad-break suggestions. A prepared suggestion is not an approved placement. You must check the editorial boundary and save the exact values first.

## Before you start

You need:

* Access to **Monetization** and permission to edit episode breaks.
* A ready episode with a prepared break.
* The current audio or video source revision.
* Publisher authority for the selected episode.
* A clear commercial rule for pod size and unfilled slots.

## 1. Select the exact episode and preview track

1. Go to **Monetization > Inventory**.
2. Select **Review episode breaks**.
3. Select the episode under **Episode and media**.
4. Check the episode, audio, and video revisions.
5. Select **Audio** or **Video** under **Preview track**.

The selected preview track controls which media you inspect first. The prepared placement remains bound to every selected audio and video source shown on the page.

![Break Canvas with the selected episode, exact audio and video revisions, and the video preview track.](https://2032417310-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FbqUKO6lljHGzkEAzliPI%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c6c5101cbb7aafb53e56be2ecaf944795082337a%2Fdoc-monetization-026-audio-video-timeline.jpg?alt=media)

*Check the exact source revisions before you move an episode boundary.*

## 2. Inspect the episode timeline

Use the media players and timeline together:

* Play the **Audio preview** to hear the transition.
* Play the **Video preview** to check the visual cut.
* Use the **Audio waveform** to find silence, pauses, and changes in intensity.
* Use **Video frames** to avoid cutting through an important visual action.
* Use chapter labels when they are available to understand the episode structure.
* Use each prepared marker to identify a proposed break boundary.

![The audio player, video player, waveform, video frames, and three prepared break markers on one episode timeline.](https://2032417310-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FbqUKO6lljHGzkEAzliPI%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-8a5af7a89828905c571cc5b0d51d2d4c5499be4e%2Fdoc-monetization-026-waveform-video-frames.jpg?alt=media)

*Use the waveform and video frames as evidence. The final boundary remains an editorial decision.*

### Use chapters and transcripts

Chapter labels appear in Break Canvas when the current episode revision contains chapter data. Use them as context, not as automatic ad positions. A chapter boundary can still interrupt a sentence, music, or visual action.

If the episode has a transcript, open it from the **Podcast** context when you need to check the spoken content around a timecode. Return to Break Canvas and confirm the same point with the media preview. The transcript helps you understand the words, while the source media remains the final placement evidence.

## 3. Move a prepared boundary

Select the marker for the break that you want to change. You can:

* Drag the marker on the timeline.
* Press **Left Arrow** or **Right Arrow** to move it by 0.1 seconds.
* Hold **Shift** while you press an arrow key to move it by 1 second.
* Press **Home** to move it to the start.
* Press **End** to move it to the end.
* Enter an exact value in **Position**.
* Use the fine-tune buttons to move by 0.1 or 1 second.

The **Position** field updates with the marker. Keep the position inside the current source duration.

## 4. Audition the transition

1. Move the boundary to a likely pause or transition.
2. Select **Audition around boundary**.
3. Listen to the lead-in and the content after the point.
4. Switch to the video preview and check the visual transition when the break applies to video.
5. Move the boundary again if the transition feels abrupt.

Check the full context. A quiet waveform point can still be inside a meaningful sentence, and a clean audio pause can still cut through a video action.

## 5. Set capacity and fallback behavior

Review these fields for the exact break:

* **Ads in this break** sets the maximum number of slots.
* **Maximum break duration** limits the total ad time.
* **If not every ad slot is filled** controls a partly filled pod.
* **If no paid ad is available** controls a no-fill result.

Available partial-fill rules can include playing clean content, using a permitted house promotion, running the available ads, or not running a partial break. The no-fill rule can use clean content or a permitted house promotion.

![A refined mid-roll at an exact timecode with two slots, a 90-second limit, a house promotion for partial fill, and clean content for no fill.](https://2032417310-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FbqUKO6lljHGzkEAzliPI%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-a1ce9b80fbc08802061411b14655340b6ad54e8a%2Fdoc-monetization-026-refine-exact-placement.jpg?alt=media)

*Set the pod rules for the exact boundary, not only for the general episode plan.*

## 6. Add an editorial note

Use **Editorial note** to record why the boundary is suitable. Write a short statement that another operator or reviewer can understand, such as “Natural pause after the host completes the thought.”

Do not paste a full transcript or private listener data into the note. Record only the information needed to explain the placement.

## 7. Save the exact placement

1. Check the position, capacity, fallback rules, and note.
2. Check the audio and video source revisions shown under the break.
3. Select **Save exact placement**.
4. Confirm that **The exact placement was saved** appears.
5. Check that the saved position and rules remain visible.

![The saved mid-roll with its exact timecode, capacity, fallback rules, audio and video bindings, and success message.](https://2032417310-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FbqUKO6lljHGzkEAzliPI%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-954b40ccee191adc31f4b23f0f7e26ba33f02640%2Fdoc-monetization-026-saved-exact-placement.jpg?alt=media)

*Saving records the refined boundary for the current media versions. It does not approve the placement.*

Saving an adjustment creates a new break revision. The earlier revision remains part of the recorded history. Audio and video stay tied to the exact source revisions displayed on the page.

## Preserve the content timeline

* Do not move a pre-roll into program content or a post-roll before the episode ends.
* Do not place a mid-roll inside a sentence, music cue, sponsor disclosure, or visual action.
* Keep an audio and video placement aligned when they represent the same commercial break.
* Use a separate placement when the editorial boundaries must differ by format.
* Recheck the boundary when the episode source changes.
* Do not treat an intro, outro, trailer, or chapter mark as a billable ad unless it is managed as an authorized commercial placement.

## If a control is unavailable

* **The media preview does not load:** Check that the current source is ready and still authorized.
* **The waveform or video frames cannot be prepared:** Use the media player and exact timecode, then retry the visual preview before approval.
* **The marker cannot move:** The placement can be locked by an active required review or approval.
* **The position is rejected:** Enter a timecode inside the current source duration.
* **The audio and video bindings are stale:** Select the current media revisions and prepare or save the placement again.
* **The save is blocked:** Correct the stale source, permission, or publisher-policy problem shown by Podigee, then save the current exact version.

## Result

The break has an exact saved position, capacity, fallback behavior, editorial note, and media bindings. It is ready for the review rule that applies to the workspace.

Next, review and approve the exact episode placements before they become usable inventory.


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