Igor

Please leave here your feedback on the new version 7.0

PicturesToExe Deluxe 7.0 is available now We're grateful to the forum members for their help with creation of the new PicturesToExe! Also I must say thanks to our translators for the translations of the software and user guides. Download: http://www.wnsoft.com/files/picturestoexe/picturestoexe-setup.exe (12 MB) Press-Release: http://www.wnsoft.com/press-release/pte-70.html User Guide for PicturesToExe Deluxe 7.0: http://www.wnsoft.com/picturestoexe/help/ A Guide to New Features of PicturesToExe Deluxe 7.0: Please read this tutorial about new features and learn how to use them. English: http://www.wnsoft.com/files/picturestoexe/user-guides/7.0/PicturesToExe-700-Guide-to-new-features_EN.doc French: http://www.gdesroches.com/formation/pte/guide-nouvelles-fonctions_pte700.doc (Thanks to Gérard Desroches for the translation) German: http://www.wnsoft.com/files/picturestoexe/user-guides/7.0/PicturesToExe-700-A-Guide-to-New-Features_DE.doc (Thanks to Heinz Gebhardt for the translation) Italian: http://www.wnsoft.com/files/picturestoexe/user-guides/7.0/PTE-7-Guida.doc (Thanks to Carmelo Battaglia for the translation) Dutch: http://www.wnsoft.com/files/picturestoexe/user-guides/7.0/PicturesToExe-700-Gids-nieuwe-functies_NL.doc (Thanks to Cor Van der Kinderen for the translation) Swedish: http://www.wnsoft.com/files/picturestoexe/user-guides/7.0/PicturesToExe-700-Guide-to-new-features_SWE.doc (Thanks to Roger Bengtsson for the translation) Sample Show Created With New Features of Version 7.0: Key Features: Video Clips in Slideshows Put video files onto slides and apply effects (3D effects, Masks, Pan/Zoom/Rotate, Shadow, etc). Playback in real time. PicturesToExe has a built-in converter for video files with the ability to resize or crop video clips. Unsharp Mask for Sharp Picture This feature dramatically increases the sharpness of the picture. PicturesToExe adds unsharp mask for the entire screen in real time, even for slides with animation. Improved Quality of Picture on DVD Now, PicturesToExe is the only software program that provides the best picture quality with more details on DVD. We use smart image processing to deliver the best quality. Improved User Interface Slide list displays the times of slides and duration of the transition effects. Updated view of the main window of the program. New Navigation Bar in Slideshows With a slider control for rewinding and sound volume control. Recording of Voice Comments You can easily record sound or voice comments to slides right in PicturesToExe. Full List of New Features and Changes: + Embedding of video clips to a slideshow: > Add a video file to the Slide list or as an object in the "Objects and Animation" editor. > Instant preview and playback in real time. > Apply effects for video objects (3D transformations, Masks, Pan/Zoom/Rotate, Shadow, etc). + Unsharp Mask (Project options | Screen tab). This feature dramatically increases the sharpness of the picture. PicturesToExe adds an unsharp mask for the entire screen in real time, even for slides with animation. + New Navigation Bar in Slideshows. With a slider control for rewinding and sound volume control. - Slide list displays times of slides and duration of transition effects. + Improved view of the main window of PicturesToExe. + Improvements in the "Objects and Animation" editor: > Added "Sharper/Smoother" parameter for Image, Text and Button objects. + Improvements in VideoBuilder: > Improved quality (sharpness) of the DVD picture. > Improved stability of VideoBuilder and compatibility with DVD drives. + Added "Offset" parameter for the sound comments of slides. This allows for the delayed start of an audio clip. + Added "File Info" window (Ctrl+I) for a selected media file in a popup menu of File list, Slide list and in the "Objects and Animation" editor. + File list now displays audio files. You can drag audio files and drop them in the Slide list. Project options window will appear with added music files. + Mask object can use a color 32-bit PNG image file with an alpha channel for special visual effects. + Insert Blank Slide function available in the timeline mode now. + Copy/Paste functions available in the timeline mode now. + Added a choice of aspect ratio for New project function (Main menu | New). + PicturesToExe shows a progress bar when creating executable files. + The program keeps settings in a profile for the current user. + To switch between the Slide list and Timeline press the F6 hot key. + PicturesToExe can work now under a limited user account (not administrator). + A list of recent projects in the main menu highlights the currently opened project. + You can enter another license key for PicturesToExe or VideoBuilder. Run PicturesToExe, see the main menu | Help sub-menu. + Double-clicking MiniPlayer (in the main window) switches between the windowed and fullscreen mode of the MiniPlayer. + Now it is possible to select several slides and type one text comment for these slides in the main window. + Improvements in the Main tab of the Project options. + The program displays progress on video encoding and when creating an executable file on the taskbar in Windows 7. + Changed list of transition effects suggested by default. + Improved message window for an unsaved project ("Save", "Don't Save", "Cancel" instead of "Yes", "No", "Cancel"). + Replacement of a main image/video file will update the related object name (if the user didn't change the object name manually) ! "Hold Time Points" option moved from the main window into the main menu | View | Advanced. ! Advanced tab renamed as the Control tab in Project options. ! Removed 10 slide limit in the trial version of PicturesToExe. Try the best photo slideshow software now. Diashow programm You can subscribe to this topic to receive email notifications on updates of version 7.0.

If you continue use all future new versions within features of Standard edition you need not pay for the upgrade. Deluxe features are: HD video output, DVD, YouTube/Facebook, video for iPad and iPhone.

I thought that table view of the slide list and the file list is not used anymore. I'll think about your proposal in the next version.

I agree. But we will release version 7.0 probably already today. I'll create separate sub-forum for the following beta version (7.1 or 7.5).

Thanks! We just fixed this problem. Please wait for the final version. Please send me source video clip from Canon 7D. We'll check up. Gary, We removed this view from version 7.0. You could observe same view in previous versions (Horizontal view).

Den, Please click the link "Report the file as a false positive". I see this function on the attached screenshot. Try the following temporal solution. Find a folder: C:\Program Files\WnSoft PicturesToExe\6.5\All\Components\UPX\ Rename UPX folder to another name. Now create executable file with an icon again. Will it help?

I forgot to say that currently 75% of customers buy Deluxe license.

After the release of PicturesToExe Deluxe 7.0 we will stop sales of PixBuilder Studio, graphical editor with layers and various tools for image editing and manipulations. Because now PixBuilder Studio 2.0 will be completely free product for everybody. P.S. I'll move this announcement to the PixBuilder's section of the forum later.

The licensing could be simplier, but we want keep our obligations for existing customers.

We will make several important changes in licensing of PicturesToExe and in the upgrade policy with an immediate effect after the release date of PicturesToExe Deluxe 7.0. Changes for New Customers 1. We announce the end of sales of Standard edition. 2. We begin sell only Deluxe edition of PicturesToExe at same price as now ($75). 3. Instant delivery of a license key. A customer receives his key immediately after purchasing. 4. We introduce new license keys. Simple view of a new key guarantees that the key will be safely delivered to a customer. Example of a new license key: A1W79-NB5DE-2G2U3-ABCSB-PUQA4 5. Deluxe edition is licensed on the "new version = pay upgrade charge" basis. Free upgrades to minor versions. We plan release major versions which require pay for the upgrade every 12-24 months. We will release free minor versions with a number of new features. 6. You can skip upgrade for at least one major version. For example: If you buy version 7.0 you get free upgrade to 7.0.1, free upgrade to 7.5. You can skip paid upgrade to 8.0. And upgrade later 9.0 with discount. 7. Cost of upgrade to a new major version is 40% of full version. 8. Customer always uses one license key. After the upgrade customer receives a new license key which replaces the old one. Changes for Existing Customers Summary: These changes almost don't affect to existing users of PicturesToExe who bought PicturesToExe before the release of version 7.0. 2. All existing users use their current license keys. No need to change license keys. 3. Users of Standard edition, Personal edition, and Business edition (hereafter we use term "Standard edition") install and use all future versions for free within functions of Standard edition. 4. Users of Deluxe edition have 2 years of free upgrades to any future versions since date of purchasing. Later they can use any previous version with all functions for unlimited time, or use any future version within functions of Standard edition, or pay for the upgrade to the latest Deluxe version at special price (40% of full version). 5. After the upgrade of Deluxe edition (from Standard edition or expired Deluxe key) you get a second license key for Deluxe features which allows free upgrades to minor versions, and paid upgrades to major versions. Your original license key still allows use any future versions for free within Standard edition regardless of the second Deluxe key. Reasons of These Changes 1. Old licensing system was very complicated for understanding. Two years of free upgrades for Deluxe was not typical offer for software. User who already bought Standard edition could see again a nag-screen when he tried to access Deluxe features. It caused annoyance. The problem also came when Deluxe user faced with a sitation when Deluxe part in the new version expired and required new license. Whereas Standard functions worked fine. 2. New licensing since version 7.0 will be simple and we offer simple upgrade policy. 3. I'd like to explain the reason why we want to stop free upgrades for life for new customers. It was a serious problem for normal growth of our company. With upgrades we can have predictable income for our company, even if we face with a possible saturation of professional market share in future. We need more programmers for our second new product, we need more Mac programmers, we plan to hire staff for technical support during all 7 days per week. And we need new beta-tester. We plan spend funds for promotion (marketing) of PicturesToExe and to improve our website. All these expenses require more funds and predictable income. If we feel that a future version doesn't have enough number of significant improvements and features we will publish it as a free upgrade. With hope on your understanding.

Thanks for the file! We'll check up.

Please could me send me sample video file? I'll check up for this problem. (You can upload file through a free service of www.mediafire.com and then let me know the download link by personal message.)

Hello Den, Examine this file, please: http://www.wnsoft.com/files/test/pte-654-slideshow.zip Sample show created in version 6.5.4.

Please try Beta 20 I just posted. Probably this version will cure that problem. http://www.wnsoft.com/files/picturestoexe/picturestoexe-beta.exe

PicturesToExe Deluxe 7.0 Beta 20 is available now. It is a release candidate with all features of version 7.0 Download link in the first post above. List of changes: * Bug-fixes.

Daniel, I'm working with your posts above. Please give me some time to read throughly and perform all experiments. APLman, Thanks for your suggestions! But I really don't see the ideal solution yet. There are 3 different way to show slide duration in the slide list: 1) ProShow Producer. This software displays pure slide duration and you have to enter separately slide duration and durations of transition effects. Try a little experiment in ProShow Producer. Start a new project, add one video clip to the slide list. Everything is OK at this point. Add more pictures to the slide list and set different durations of transition effects. Now move this video clip to another place in the slide list. Here you'll see a problem. Your video clip will be cropped or will freeze during playback. Because the program doesn't care about required full duration of this slide with video clip. When you move a video clip in the slide it, the software moves only pure slide duration + outbound transition effect. But this slide will receive different inbound transition effect and unpredictable total full slide duration after re-arrangement. Same problem will occur with a slide which has a complex animation on the slide. Objects which have several keypoints (keyframes) customized for particular time. If you create complex animation you exactly imagine what duration should be for this slide. If duration will be changed the animation will look incorrectly. See Figure 1 below. 2) PicturesToExe 6.5 and earlier versions. The software displays pure slide duration + incoming transition effect. You don't see full slide duration and you don't see pure slide duration. The more I think the more I find this mode useless. However we didn't remove this mode completely. You still can activate this mode in the program (uncheck the two options in the main menu | View | Advanced options | "Show full slide duration" and "Keep full slide duration"). 3) PicturesToExe 7.0 The software displays full slide duration (pure slide duration + inbound and outbound transition effects). The program cares about correct duration of slides with video clips or complex animation if you re-arrange slides in the slide list. There is no problem with duration of video clips which may occurs in competing slideshow products. I find this mode more suitable for described reasons. This new mode is not ideal, but on my opinion it better suits for all features of PicturesToExe and has less problems than other variants. Figure 1. What happens if move a slide with complex animation to another place in the slide list in previous versions. This problem doesn't occur in version 7.0

Thanks, Tom! I confirm this problem with the video converter. The output file always was AVI in fact. We used wrong file extension (*.MP4) in previous beta versions. It should be *.AVI.

Sharper/Smoother parameter for Image objects: The default value since Beta 19 is "-100". It gives same sharpness as in previous versions (default quality) but no moire. Zero value in version 7.0 Beta gives same result as if in previous version 6.5 turn on "Mipmapping (anti-shimmering)" option. - New projects will have "-100". - Loaded projects (created in previous version 6.5 and earlier) also will be converted to "-100". - Projects created in version 7.0 Beta 1-18 has "0" and I recommend change this value to "-100" manually.

Thanks, Lin! I did same when we were working on the new design of our website In the next version I'll add "Save Slide as PNG image" command (with custom size) to the popup menu of the slide list.

Thanks, Barry! I confirm this bug in Beta 19. We'll fix it on Monday.

Barry, Please try Beta 19. We've fixed there a very similar problem with same error code.

We have two diametrical problems with image quality - blurring or aliasing/shimmering. Version 6.5 and old versions By default version 6.5 and earlier versions provide more sharp picture but you can also observe aliasing of fine details on static images and strong shimmering/moire during animation. These effects depend on pixel size of source images and screen resolution of displays. The more large image (more megapixels) you use the more moire/aliasing you see. So one user can observe this problem, while another user (with a different display) will not see any problem. Version 6.5 suggests "Anti-shimmering (mipmapping)" option (turned off by default)which completely removes moire and aliasing, but it also removes fine details. Picture looks blured. See this small demo: http://www.wnsoft.com/files/test/pte-658-quality-test.exe Version 7.0 Since version 7.0 (and especially Beta 19) I developed and used another solution. And even by default you see picture with same fine details as in previous versions. But this picture almost doesn't have a moire problem or aliasing problem. You can slightly affect to image quality changing "Sharper/Smoother" parameter in the Objects and animation editor. I recommend to set -100 (minus 100). This is default value since Beta 19. You need not care about this parameter in common cases. I hope that it's best solution for image quality. Sometimes if you discover a rare case of moire (especially if you add oversharpened image) you can change this parameter to "0" or even (plus) "128". See the demo: http://www.wnsoft.com/files/test/pte-700b19-quality-test.exe Additionally you can apply unsharp mask for entire screen since version 7.0 This option vastly increases visual sharpness of picture. This option should not cause moire problem.

Dave, Previous beta versions had a mistake. "Sharper/Smoother" parameter for image objects was "0" by default. Now since Beta 19 new image objects (or projects saved in 6.5 and earlier) will have "Sharper/Smoother" parameter set to "-100". I'll explain what it means in my following post today later. Barry's post above helped me discover this problem. Also memory usage was reduced in two times in Beta 19 in many cases. This is noticeable in projects with heavy slides.

PicturesToExe Deluxe 7.0 Beta 19 is available now. It is a release candidate with all features of version 7.0 Download link in the first post above. List of changes: + Reduced memory usage. + Increased sharpness of pictures * Bug-fixes.