Igor

PicturesToExe v5.00 beta #3 http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1.5 MB) What's new in beta #3: + Slide-show starts on 30% more quick than in beta #2 + Slide-show works more smooth on old video cards. + Solved problem with smoothness of Pan/Zoom effects because of activity of antiviruses. + Loading of slides speeded up in 2 times. + Visual editor: + Added "Transparent for Click" option for objects. It's useful e.g. if you have "mask" image will cover other objects. An object with this option will impossible to choose visually only via List of Objects. + Added "Ignore Not Selected objects" option in popup menu of "Tools" button. It's useful if you need to work with some selected object laying under other objects, and other objects bother to work with that object. + Added "Time range" parameter for objects. These two values means time interval where an object is visible on the screen. + Press Ctrl+S to quicky save project when you in Visual editor or in "Customize synchronization" window. + Filename of selected object displays in the status bar. + Added "Undo All Changes" and "Redo All Changes" to popup menu on "Tools" button click in Visual editor. + "Add image" allows to insert several new images at once. + Thickness of smoothing line in percents now. + "Close show after last slide" and "When show ends keep last slide in show on screen" option work again. + Almost synchronized start of music. We'll rework work with music in the next beta #4 + Various other improvements. * Fixed bug with appearing of horizontal line in slide-show with some aspect ratio values. * Fixed bug with File Tree when Nero Scout v7.0.1.4 installed. It's was not our bug. * Fixed bug in "Create backup in ZIP" function. * Fixed bug with timeline in Visual editor if slide longer than 1 hour. Music still not fully synchronized. We'll fully comple work on synchronization in beta #4 Thank you for the help and testing of beta #2 Please let me know about any problem you find.

In beta #3 - Slide-shows will work more smooth on old video cards or old PC. - Slide-show starts on 30% faster. - New slides load almost in 2 times faster - Antiviruses and other programs with high load in background don't disturb to work of slide-shows anymore. We scheduled only to rework initialization of video mode, but after rewritting of all code we found these several useful optimizations

Jean-Pierre, Sorry, it doesn't work in beta #2

thedom, Sorry, I don't know your name. I did today that selected keypoint always visible above other keypoints. Tell me please more in several phrases about timer ruler in Visual editor. As I wrote earlier in beta #3 images-objects will have name of file.

This problem should be solved in beta #3 on the next week.

Ken, Reasonable request! It's in our plans.Harold, - With v5.00 final release it will possible to do slide-shows (without Pan/Zoom) which will play ideally smooth on all PCs and all video cards. As earlier with v4.48 - Slide-shows with Pan/Zoom also will play on *any* PC, but not enough smooth (like large Macromedia Flash movies) on old video cards.

thedom, You are always welcome! No problem. You see that we add some new features on the fly on request. We're trying now to complete beta #3 with all promissed improvements.

Harold, I have second PC at my home with Pentium III Celeron 900 MHz and ATI Radeon 9600XT. Pan/Zoom effects in v5.00 work almost ideally. But with Athlon XP 1,4 GH or Pentium 4 1.4 GHz is better. At my work I have Athlon XP 1.6 GHz and ATI Radeon 9500 and it works absolutely ideally on any complex Pan/Zoom effects. No problem with Windows 98/Me So if you have opportunity, try ATI Radeon 9600 card on your current PC. p.s. PC where PTE v5.00 works fine also will work with new graphical interface of future Windows Vista which requires modern video card.

128 MB required for absolutely ideal playback for even largest slides (3500x2300, or 9000x1024). For example, at least ATI Radeon 9500 or NVIDIA Geforce 5500 or higher. It's ideal video card. Such video card can handle any effects for slide-shows. 32 MB - minimal video card to play slide-shows with Pan/Zoom/Rotate effects. I hope we'll find additional optimizations for old video cards.

Jean-Pierre, It's very good suggestion and feature. I added it to our TODO list. We'll try to realize it in v5.00 or v5.10

Yes, it's size of object. And it already exists in .pte project file. See "Size" value of an object. As you know, Images have own size. For Rectangle you will able to set size in beta #3.

Al, We did as you asked. Newely added Rectangle has size as slide with some proportions. Also now it will possible to change virtual size of Rectangle. For example, you can type 1024x768 it's not real size on the screen, but only intended to specify necessary proportions of Rectangle.

Al, A good idea about default aspect ratio of newely inserted Rectangles. I'll discuss your idea tomorrow with Aleksey.

Harold, Slide-shows created with future betas of v5.00 will work on your PC, but slowely. It's necessary to have modern video cards with 128 MB of video memory. Classical slide-shows without Pan/Zoom effects will work as usually on your PC.

PicturesToExe v5.00 beta installs to another folder, has own configuration file, doesn't associate with .pte project files in Windows Explorer. And it creates own program group "PicturesToExe 5" in Start | Programs menu. So you can use new and old version independently.

Thanks! Although I wrote to ATI about this bug in their drivers, we need to have a solution for current versions of drivers for all ATI video cards.

David, Yes, you're right. I just found alternate solution to fix bug on ATI video cards with gamma. Please try this example: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/KeepGamma.zip (380 KB) Thanks in advance!

David, It seems I found way to solve this problem with gamma chaning. Please download and try this example and let me know about result: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/RestoreGamma.zip (400 KB)

David, I finally understood this problem and reproduced on my PC. It's a mistake in drivers of ATI video cards. If initialize DirectX for slide-show in same display mode (width/height/refresh rate as current display mode) this problem occurs. I wrote to ATI about this problem. This problem doesn't happen on NVIDIA video cards.

David, Please try these two tests with Gamma: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/Gamma.zip (350 KB) How these two variants - "Gamma" and "NoGamma" work?

Al, I think it works because new "image-parent" has same proportions as previous "parent".

Al, We understood this problem. It's particularity of system of objects with relative coordinates and relative sizes. The only current solution - copy only one parent-objects with child-objects. I don't know at this moment another solution, sorry.

Jean-Pierre, I noticed you have problem with black screen. It could happen with old video cards. We've fixed bug in future beta #3.

Al, It's not a bug. Objects has relative coordinates linked with their parent. Because of this if you copy several objects to another parent (with another proportions), this relative coordinates gives another results. So you need to copy root objects (e.g. Frame object) which contains child objects. In this case all will be OK. Another example because of relativity. If you have Rectangle which about quarter of screen. And inserted inside Rectangle very small. Copy/paste this small Rectangle to slide and you'll see that it will be larger visually.

It's our main work - we're WnSoft.