Igor

I just bought newest FullHD 1920x1080 LCD projector Epson 1080UB. This projector is real breakthrough for LCD projectors. It has in five-seven times more deep black level than my previous LCD projector Panasonic AE900. Epson 1080UB has real contrast 4000:1 without IRIS. No flickering and no rainbow effect, of course. I watched several slideshows and I never seen before such natural picture with clear colors and perfect contrast. Pure joy to watch slideshows on this 16:9 projector. Highly recommended. Cost of home version of this projector $2800 in USA. Released in December of 2007. Review: http://www.projectorreviews.com/epson/powe...080ub/index.php

PicturesToExe detects capabilities of video card and decide can it provide hardware acceleration or not. But regrettably some low-level video cards (SiS, Intel) report that it can work in Direct 3D mode and support all features, but work absolutely incorrectly. How Microsoft approved these drivers - it's another question.

scj, What version of Windows you use and what video card installed in your PC? Slideshow may skip slides and transition effects if you used very large images and close interval between them. If pressing of Esc button doesn't help and you can't exit slideshow, there is a problem in drivers. Please update drivers for your video card. My experience shows that such rare problems with EXE files created in versions 5.x happen because of incorrect work of drivers of video cards. And updating of these drivers solves the problem. I consider we did well our part of work, but we depend on quality of drivers. p.s. I'm sorry for slow response, our technical support will work during weekends soon.

It happens if you configured DEP protection for all programs under Windows Vista. This problem related with main program of PicturesToExe only. No problem with created slideshows. To solve this problem, please read this article: http://wnsoft.com/apr/windows-vista.html

We didn't add special limitation of images size. The possible limitation can be in JPEG/PNG library which we use. Personally I never reached this limit in my slideshows and demos. But even if you reached this limit, slideshow will not load these images on any PC, because we use built-in JPEG/PNG/GIF/BMP loader which works equally on any PC. Also don't worry about limit of particular video card and its memory size, because we use special mechanism of loading of large images to video memory. Some other slideshow makers I've tried don't have this mechanism and fail to load large images depending on particular video card.

Please try to update drivers for video card in your PC. If this version worked before it means some settings or files of Windows are damaged and it can't use DirectX hardware accelerated mode more.

We'll include special "Use mipmapping" option for Image and Text objects to solve visual problem during animation when picture/text "shimmer" when you greatly reduce or enlarge objects, say from a dot like size at a center of a screen (1%) to full size on entire screen (100%). How better to call this option? "Mipmapping" name used in 3D terminology. Or "Anti shimmering" as more intuitive. How you consider?

Thanks for reporting about it! I'll contact to Invision support about this problem on Monday. It better to don't write them right now, because the forum in a process of moving to another server. Please always write me about similar moments.

Invision web hosting company informed us that they will move the forum to a new server today-tomorrow. Updating of DNS records may causes temporal delays with access to the forum.

Integration of timeline to main window is going well. It really looks much better now in main window with ability quickly switch - Slides list or Timeline. p.s. Excuse me for possible delays with my replies, I would like to concentrate on this task.

I would like to answer on many questions regarding work of PicturesToExe and created slideshows on Mac computers. We started work on Mac version of PicturesToExe half year ago because of increased popularity of Mac computers and Mac OSX. Probably it will be only for Intel based Macs. As a first result of this work, since some future version, PicturesToExe will generate executable file of a slideshow for Mac computers. Although you will work with PicturesToExe under Windows, but the program will capable produce native executable file for Mac OSX and EXE file for Windows. And your slideshows can be played on PCs and on Macs. Full version of "PicturesToExe for Mac" (editor, VideoBuilder, etc.) scheduled later. It's a stupendous work.

You can download self-extracting installation package of PicturesToExe: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr.exe

Newest LCD and LCoS projectors: Epson TW2000 ($3999 street price) and JVC RS1/HD1 ($5000) have very good contrast and black level comparable with DLP models. Personally I plan to buy Epson TW2000.

PicturesToExe license terms provide two variants if you bought one registration key: - For one PC only (for any number of users). - Or only for one user who has two or three PCs (home PC, laptop and PC at his office, for example). In other cases you have to buy second registration key.

Thank you, friends! I wish you Happy New Year! And let help make this world better and people happier with a wonderful possibility which was given us - photography. The beauty recorded on photographies will inspire people improve all aspects of life. With cordial regards, Igor

Due to national holidays in our country, all offices including our one, are closed since December 30 up to January 8th. Because of this I would like to take one week of a vacation. Progress on version 5.2 is good, I consider that we have already completed a quarter part of the work.

bjc, Perfect presentation! You inspired me how to better promote PicturesToExe. I also seen stuttering on scrolling of a map. You wrote that you used windowed mode and then I modified your EXE file to get it work in fullscreen mode and voila - absolutely smooth scrolling of a map reached. Although slideshow works with hardware acceleration in windowed mode, but it can't be exactly synchronized with refresh rate of a display under Windows XP/2000. Only under Windows Vista windowed and fullscreen modes work at same manner and with ideal smoothness. Conclusion: if you use Pan/Zoom effects it is highly recommended to use fullscreen mode.

Geoff, Please tell me when this feature can be useful.

The first beta of version 5.2 will be published in two-three months. Can't say at this moment, most likely this feature will be added later.

Dominique, I remember about "Mask" feature. Sorry, I can't promiss it for version 5.2, but we'll try. I dream about this terrific feature, too. I have large TODO list for this version, but I'd like to tell only about several features now: - Timeline mode in main window of PicturesToExe. - Real preview of a slide at right-top corner of a main window and real picture of a slides in Slide list. - Quick preview of whole slideshow as in video player (in main window - preview panel). - We're reworking fullscreen mode to solve problem with starting second slideshow from current one (without flashing of a desktop). - Various improvements in Objects and Animation editor. In version 5.2 we'll vastly rework code of PicturesToExe and slideshow's engine to make possible many future improvements, including Masks. V5.2 is a key step in development of PicturesToExe. This work is invisible outwardly, but it will open new horizonts for PicturesToExe. Exactly this we want to implement. Real preview without delays on preloading, like high-quality playback of a slideshow in EXE file.

I'm so happy writing code for next version 5.2. Right now I'm working on feature I dreamed to implement many years ago - unified Slides/Timeline mode and real preview of a slideshow at right-top corner of the main window (like in video player). Excuse me for possible delays with replies, I fully concentrated on development of version 5.2.

ATI understands and confirms this bug, but these new drivers with partial solution is all that ATI suggests right now. Thanks for letting me know about result. So, I'll continue work on my own solution for all ATI video cards and with any drivers.

Thanks, It's pleasant to receive so many emails and messages. And Merry Christmas! p.s. I'm working on version 5.2 and today one more part of the important program code is written.

Dear Guido! I'm glad to see you again! We wish you and all members of the forum Merry Christmas!

Today ATI released a new version of drivers 7.12 for Radeon videocards where partially solved an old problem with incorrect gamma settings in slideshows created with PicturesToExe 5.0 and 5.1 and if you use Adobe Gamma Loader (or another color calibration software). This problem caused by a mistake in ATI drivers. Only on Radeon videocards and only under Windows XP. Unfortunately ATI didn't enable this fix by default (probably in future versions). But ATI provided us a special parameter which enables unified gamma settings for desktop and fullscreen 3D mode which is used in slideshows. And this problem will be completely solved. 1) Download latest drivers from ATI website (7.12 or newer): http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html (Radeon 9500 or more new video card and Windows XP are required). 2) Please download this utility we've prepared, click the button and restart Windows: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/ATIGammaFix.zip (160 KB) p.s. I've almost found my own alternate solution which will work with any versions of ATI drivers without special actions from side of a user. But it will work only for new slideshows created with next version of PicturesToExe (probably 5.11 or 5.2). A way suggested by ATI works for all slideshows created with any version of PicturesToExe.