Igor

Robert, George, I just sent you emails.

At this early stage of the work I would not speak about all features we've scheduled for this new version of PicturesToExe. Periodically I shall visit "Ideas and suggestions..." section of the forum to mark other features which will be included to version 5.1. Some features which planned for version 5.1: + Masks for objects for special effects. + Many improvements in VideoBuilder (music in DVD menu, accepts MPEG2 files, much faster rendering, and etc.) + Improved starting of another slideshow from current slideshow in hardware accelerated mode (no flashings more). + Vast optimization for old video cards on slideshows without Pan/Zoom effects in hardware accelerated mode. + "White frame for image object" option. + Also a lot of small improvements. ? User manual and help file for all functions and options. I think we will release version 5.1 and next versions every 6 months.

We already started works on the next version 5.1 Some future features already in development since May of 2007. VideoBuilder will be vastly improved. New features and it will work much faster on modern video cards and dual core CPUs. PicturesToExe 5.1 will support Masks for object(s) (for special effects). Also a lot of features that you asked. Additionally we started work on some features which you will see in version 5.2 and even in future versions in the next year. To be competitive we should do such investigations for future.

We'll make possible combining of several projects (slideshows) to one EXE file. It's in our plans. I like this idea. Probably already in 5.1 but most likely in version 5.2

In our TODO list. Probably in version 5.2

This feature in my plans. I'm thinking for a long time how to better realize this function. Currently I didn't find suitable variant.

Olivier, Please visit Microsoft's website: http://www.microsoft.com/directx Then click "Download the latest DirectX". I hope it will help.

Olivier, Please read my reply here: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6997

Olivier, We will try to help you solve this problem. If bug in PTE, we will quickly fix it. I would like to clear moment with old version 4.31. In another topic you wrote different results for v4.31's slide shows: I'm sure it definitely points that problem in drivers of Intel video card. We have one PC with Intel 865 integrated graphics and all is OK, because of this I think that updating of video drivers should help. Most likely you will find similar problem with 3D games with these current drivers.For lucky_frogger Olivier, If all is OK with v4.31 or v4.48 and this problem happens only in new version 5.0 please perform several tests which will help us to exactly determine a reason of the problem. 1) How this slideshow plays on your PC? http://wnsoft.com/apr/show/PteShow.zip (8 MB) 2) Create simple slide show with Fade effects only and DON'T add any music files. How it will play without music? 3) Create simple slide show with Fade effects only, go to Project options window, Screen tab. Uncheck "Hardware acceleration" option and click "Preview" button in the main window of PicturesToExe. Or create EXE file. How it will play now? 4) Again open Project options, Screen tab. Change back again and set checked "Hardware acceleration" option and choose "Windowed mode" instead of "Fullscreen mode". How it plays now? I didn't recieve any bug-reports on created in version 5.0 slideshows in our technical support for past 2 weeks. No problems. We very carefully developed slideshow engine and, I hope, well tested it. Because of this I suspect that this particular problem can be in Intel video card or drivers or combination of other factors. However a very strange problem. I would like to solve this problem, of course.

I just fixed this visual bug. Please download newest build 5.02

Build 5.02 + Updated Polish language file. * Duration value didn't show on the status bar when you visually changed duration of a transition effect on the timeline. * Fixed rare bug of previous versions when "Select all images" action in popup menu not always worked for the File list.

It should works with default settings. "Pause when window of slideshow becomes inactive" option should be enabled in your project.

Thanks, I'm already thinking about next version 5.1, I plan to begin the work soon.

Across The Stars I watched thunderstorm today and I've did several photos. Then I decided to combine clouds with cosmic photography I've found on Hubble Space Telescope website. Just an experiment, a short slideshow. http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/Across_The_Stars.zip (4 MB) And infinite screensaver on this theme: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/Across_The...Screensaver.zip (900 KB)

I will be on vacation next two weeks or so. Probably I will respond only on highy important problems.

This problem may occurs only with main program of PicturesToExe 4 or 5 (not with slide shows). It's a conflict of reg. keys protection in PicturesToExe and Vista. But this problem may happens only if you enabled "DEP" option for all programs in Windows Vista. When you install PicturesToExe 5 it should warns you about this problem. Please read it to solve this problem: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/windows-vista.html

Keith, Please remind me what video card you have in your PC and version of Windows. Please send me source files of this project. Do you can reproduce this problem when re-build EXE file, or it's necessary to restart Windows?

Press-release. WnSoft Announces PicturesToExe Deluxe 5.0 http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/press-release/pte-50.html

Al, Thank you for your PTE-5 Adjustor!

PicturesToExe Deluxe 5.0 requires DirectX 8.1 or higher to use hardware accelerated graphics. But it should work even with DirectX 6.1 (without hardware acceleration of graphics). Music player in PTE 5.0 requires DirectX 6.1 or higher. I tested on newly installed Windows 98 without updates and PTE worked. Maybe it's local conflict with particular sound card. I'm glad that updating of DirectX helped. Windows XP ships with embedded DirectX 8.1 and it's quite enough for PicturesToExe Deluxe 5.0

The benefits of version 5.0 in comparison with old versions even if you don't use Pan/Zoom effects. 1) On PC with modern video card you get: - Ideally smooth Fade in/out effect. 60-100 frames per seconds according refresh rate of your display. Old version even on modern PCs couldn't show more than 40-60 frames per second. And difference will be more noticeable on high resolution displays (1920x1200, for example). - You can set wide smoothing line (50% of slide width, for example) for Circle, Slide, Gates, Hour Hand effects. Old version can't manage these effects with smooth playback on values more than 200 pixels. - Curling of page effect works ideally smooth now. - Show of transition effects exactly synchronized with display (so called Vsync mode). It gives ideally smooth playback even for simple transition effects. 2) Benefits for your slideshows available for any PC: - Powerful text captions and objects with drop shadow or glow. - Proportionally scalable objects of a slide (independent from screen resolution) - PNG images support. - Better quality of music, especially under Windows Vista. - New cool Navigation bar in slide shows. - Seven skins for buttons for your slide shows. 3) Benefits in main program of PicturesToExe Deluxe 5.0: - Burning of DVD-Video discs with your slide shows right in PicturesToExe. - New vastly improved editor of objects and animation. - File tree in the main window of PicturesToExe will help to find images for your slide shows. - Ability to quickly create backup of your project (Main menu | File | Create backup in ZIP) - Undo/Redo - Better support of Windows Vista. - HD presets in AVI video output. - Base version of PicturesToExe 5.0 is free for all existing users of PicturesToExe (excluding VideoBuilder for burning DVD-Video discs). - The program still starts very quickly, fast work of the program and very small size of created slide show (270 KB for slide show engine). And additionally you can use Pan/Zoom effects with ideally smooth playback and sharpness of picture as no other product can't.

Don, I'm sorry about this problem! We tested on Windows 98 and slide show worked on our PCs. Please download these two EXE files I just created, how they will play under your PC with Windows 98: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/Win98_test1.zip (1.7 MB) p.s. Try to uncheck "Pause when window of slideshow becomes inactive" in Main tab of Project options. Will it help? Thanks in advance,

Fred, You don't see Fade effect when hardware acceleration enabled in beta 13. Because of this we disable hardware acceleration on G550 card with this version of drivers. Keith, Use "Hardware acceleration" option for all projects except of menu slide show to run other slide shows (as Lin Evans described in another topic).

Thank you! I confirm this bug and will fix it later. We attentively tested very complex engine (8 parallel threads/processes which manage graphics and audio in a slide show), but skipped such simple bugs!

This "% of the screen to show slideshow" option a little modified, but exists: