Igor

Thanks for your responses! I'm closely working now on the first described feature (control on sync'ed show). Of course, it's linear show in order of sequence of music files in the playlist. But you can switch between slides or call necessary slide e.g. using button or hyperlink. Also sound comments to slides also play. Keyboard, mouse, objects fully workable. Apparently, the Pause function will also pauses music (maybe optional not to stop music). I think there won't be fast-rewinding (2x, 3x, etc). Because it's not simple task to provide good stability for this function. There will be usual switching from a slide to a slide. Navigation bar is fully available with all functions - navigation, help, print, pause, etc. I also plan improve Navigation bar and add new interesting capabilities. Probably and some kind of menu, too. Thanks for idea of Slide Counter! I also think that optional Slider Control (as progress bar in the "Loading..." window in past versions) could been implemented into Nav. bar, too.

I'd like to discuss two possible features: Full control of slide show in synchronized mode (as an option) With this option it will possible to go onto any slide (also backward or forward); use Navigation bar; use objects; pause. Note: because the music depends on slides, it will rewind if e.g. you will go backward. Exactly as you rewind DVD film. Proportional scaling (as an option) As you know currently PTE uses all possible screen place (normal or wide screen 16:9) and it doesn't scale main picture and objects in different screen resolutions. It's a best variant for simple slides with main picture only and simple text captions - to use all place of the screen. But if slide contains many related objects, menu it better to keep all proportions in all screen resolutions. It looks exactly as image of video film. Note: it will use proportions of screen which creator prefered. E.g. because our displays have usual proportion 4:3 (1024x768) or 5:4 for LCD 17" and higher (1280x1024), there are will be two black not used places (at left and right) e.g. if user have wide screen (16:9). You can see similar effect when watching wide DVD film on 4:3 display (two black strips at top and in the bottom).

It's a really strange problem. Probably this problem in sound drivers or in the CD-R disk or in CD-ROM drive. Windows can't normally read some places on the disk and then skips occur. I just created test show with 21 photos (2,5 Mb, 2240x1680) and several MP3 tracks (256 kbit/s) - 70 Mb of EXE file and it plays OK under Athlon 1600 and even on Pentium 233 Mhz, 64 MB RAM, 50x CD-ROM drive. However I very want to help you solve this problem! First please try this writen CD-R disk on another PC. Also try to write the CD-R disk with speed not more than 16x and use high-quality CD-R disk.

PicturesToExe v4.14 is released http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr.zip (1,3 Mb) What's new in v4.14: This version contains only one improvement in comparison with previous v4.12. We've improved MP3/OGG/WMA playback to fix very rare cases of music skips under some PCs. It could happen with some Pentium 150 - 400 Mhz and I know only one case with Athlon 2000 Mhz.

I'm glad that this test version helped to solve music skips! (We'll publish this updated version soon.) About cursor. I didn't change it in that version. But I seen similar difficulty and in previous versions. I'll try to fix this small visual bug. Please fully disable the cursor and set it always on.

Dear David, I think this problem can be solved! Please let me know your PC's configuration (CPU, memory size, screen resolution). Also I just sent you a email with special test version. And I will wait for your response about result.

Terri, Navigation bar doesn't appear in teh sychronized mode when you exactly assigned time of show for slides on the time-line. Please let me know if you used this mode for showing slides and what time interval between two slides. Also I'd grateful if you could send me project file (it's a small .pte file only) of your presentation to igor@wnsoft.com When you make changes in a presentation, you always need to click "Create" button to produce updated .EXE file with your show. I advice you to press Ctrl+F9 and it produces new .EXE file and automatically runs it. p.s. you said that your presentation is 630 Mb and it's very large file! Probably you've used WAV music files or not reduced BMP or JPEG images from digital camera? I recommend to use mp3 music files and JPEG images with resolution 1024x768 or 1280x1024 at 100-300 Kb per each image file. Thanks you for your patience,

Hello Terri! It's a very strange problem. Did you tried to save your project file (Main menu | File | Save) BEFORE clicking of the "Create" button? As minimum it will save all your settings and you will able to continue work with earlier composed project of the slide show. After you've saved your project, press "Create" button and then try to run produced .exe file (via Windows Explorer, not from PicturesToExe). Will this .exe file be successfully started and played? If not, try to remove music in the PicturesToExe and produce new .exe file again. If it will help, then please let me know the following: 1) Version of PicturesToExe; 2) Version of Windows; 3) Your PC (CPU, memory size, screen resolution) 4) Usual graphical size of your pictures (in pixels), file size (in KBytes) and type (Jpeg or BMP). 5) File size of music files (and is it mp3 or wavs?)

I'll reply soon!

Dear Granot, Thanks for your utility! Yes, Bill is right - to correctly find fonts' folder we should to use function from API or just read this path from the Registry. And it works under all versions of Windows: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders "Fonts"="C:\WINDOWS\Fonts" It is necessary because even for Windows 95 user can choose another path of installing. E.g. many years ago I always assign C:\Win_95 p.s. probably we will add installing of fonts in the next versions (on the fly with deleting after exiting of show).

AVI Our programmer is helping me in creating of AVI video-output module. It will included when it's done. And I think it will be realized as a plug-in (to keep the main code of PTE small and compact). Let us the ability to embbed the files which we use now in "Run external file" so we'll have also "Run embedded file". I'll try! Help system Yes, we're already working on it! Some alternative to OBJECTS that won't with changes with screen resolution changes. Good theme about proportional resizing of all elements of the slide! I think about it a half-year. I'd like to discuss this question a little bit later in a new topic. To ADB 1. Yes, I wanted to make it already in v4.1, but still have no idea how to add such button to the main window of PTE elegantly. 2. Push effect (and probably Zoom) is scheduled for this new v4.20. But I'm afraid there will be a little pause between effects in your case of panorama, at least 50-100 ms. (to prepare next slide). 3. I think in the future next versions. I'll think about Animations for objects - I also really like this idea. About interface. I'm continue think about this every time. I want to find more fine solution. And of course, we will discuss variants together! Auto backup. How many new interesting ideas! Thanks I will try this idea (of course, as a special separate .pte file). (also I hope that PTE v4.12 works stably anyway) Thank you!

I'd like to thank creators of "England - The West Country" show. http://www.beechbrook.com/pte/downloadfile.asp?id=471 It's a terrific presentation!

Dear friends! I'm back and glad to start work on a new version! Now I'm busy with reading and processing your suggestions in the two large topics. Our main plans for the next v4.20 are following: + New effects; + Full control in synchronized mode; + And ideas which you'd like to see. We've spent last week to improve MP3/OGG and especially MIDI playback on old PCs (Pentium 150 - 400 Mhz). Also I think that Fade in/out transition effect will works much more smoother.

Dear Ken, It's not new version, but a little updated v4.1 with fixes of several problems. It's 5-10% of time and work which usually takes really new version.

PicturesToExe v4.12 is released http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr.zip (1,3 Mb) What's new in v4.12: * Fixed bug of v4.10 when Visual Editor crashed on exit. * Fixed delay with synchronization in OGG Vorbis music file after rewinding on the time-line. * Fixed old bug when personal music of a slide didn't start, if main playlist is empty and "Repeat music after playing" option is turned off. * Fixed bug in window of Personal settings of a slide. * Fixed old memory leaks, if terminate Fade in/out transition effect. * Fixed sound skips on old PCs (150 - 400 Mhz) when second or later mp3 music file starts. * Fixed several minor bugs. + Improved smoothness of Fade in/out transition effect for first slide with background music. + Various minor improvements. + Updated Slovak and Ukrainian language files. Two fixes added in v4.11 earlier: * Fixed bug of v4.10 when you was not able to set "Time limited usage" option in new presentations. * Fixed bug of v4.01 and v4.10 only with synchronized presentations which have Startup Window with added "Exit" button. Presentation closes with error, if user choosed "Exit" button in this Startup window. The problem is fixed now.

Yes, I had vacation with 2 weeks. And after v4.12 I'll plan to have one more week additionally

Also there is AbyssAudio Converter ($17) It converts between MP3, WMA, OGG and WAV files. http://www.abyssaudio.com/aaconverter.zip But there are (but I can't recollect) similar freeware products.

PicturesToExe v4.12 beta http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1,3 Mb) What's new in v4.12: * Fixed bug of v4.10 when Visual Editor crashed on exit. * Fixed delay with synchronization in OGG Vorbis music file after rewinding on the time-line. * Fixed old bug when personal music of a slide didn't start, if main playlist is empty and "Repeat music after playing" option is turned off. * Fixed bug in window of Personal settings of a slide. * Fixed old memory leaks, if terminate Fade in/out transition effect. * Fixed sound skips on old PCs (150 - 400 Mhz) when second or later mp3 music file starts. * Fixed several minor bugs. + Various minor improvements. + Updated Slovak and Ukrainian language files. Two fixes added in v4.11 earlier: * Fixed bug of v4.10 when you was not able to set "Time limited usage" option in new presentations. * Fixed bug of v4.01 and v4.10 only with synchronized presentations which have Startup Window with added "Exit" button. Presentation closes with error, if user choosed "Exit" button in this Startup window. The problem is fixed now.

Hello! We've fixed delay in synchronization of OGG Vorbis music after rewinding on the time-line. Please wait for future v4.12 very soon. Dear Bill, Thank you for sending me example how to reproduce sound skips on old PCs (150 - 400 Mhz). It happens when second (or later) file of mp3 music starts. We'll fix this problem.

Dear Barry, Thank you! I just read your posting and sent a reply: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums//index...t=ST&f=3&t=1000

Dear Barry! (I just sent you email!) We are very grateful to you for your publication about PicturesToExe in the UK Digital Photo Magazine! I was very pleasantly wondered when our sales became vastly increased a week ago. And all this time we have a lot of new customers from the United Kingdom. We never seen such effect after any publication! I can remember only similar lesser case, - small publication in a newspaper also in the Great Britain, and also on August, but in 2000. p.s. Happy Birthday! I noticed announcement on the start page of the forum! With kindest regards,

Sorry, you're right! Just my trip will only at the end of this week.

PicturesToExe v4.11 is released. http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr.zip This version contains two fixes: * Fixed bug of v4.10 when you was not able to set "Time limited usage" option in new presentations. * Fixed bug of v4.01 and v4.10 only with synchronized presentations which have Startup Window with added "Exit" button. Presentation closes with error, if user choosed "Exit" button in this Startup window. The problem is fixed now.

Dear Johnny, Thanks for finding this bug! I was able to reproduce it, when created similar test presentation with your description. This problem appears in v4.10 and in old v4.01, if you click specially added "Exit" button in the Startup window of presentation which has Synchronization mode with music. I just prepared fix of this problem: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr.zip

I'm sorry! Because it was my careless mistake, as I just checked up. You couldn't turn on the time limited usage option in newly created presentations only. Just changing of this checkbox was ignored when you clicked "OK" button in the Project options. Really 5-minute simplest fix. Please download this corrected version 4.11: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr.zip