Johnwnjr

I feel a mixed up kid! I have a monitor which I use most of all 1680 x 1050 at 16:10 On this I have made my Avs at 1024 x 768 which is the same resolution as my projectors. Following bbdigital advice I have started making my latest Avs as 1920 x 1080. All seem to work OK on other monitors or screens, although obviously the format varies where ever they are shown, with some black fill ins. I quite like the 1920 x 1080 even on projection as it takes on the widescreen aspect but cuts down the picture size with black at the bottom. John

Thank your for pointing out the two features in my ten steps to Making a Menu. I have edited the list and said untick 'Hardware Accelerator', and at the end of point 9 added 'to the background jpeg' - John

I have just produced a menu for 6 sequences using v.6 PTE. This was made in 20 minutes. It launches 6 sequences: a PowerPoint sequence, and older versions of PTE plus one made on the latest version of PTE. It also has a heading for for the club and a moving 3D banner "Happy Christmas". I presume this is the sort of thing you want with one left click on the menu button to launch a sequence. The menu itself needs two left clicks to launch from the Desktop. As has been mentioned it is prepared in a similar way to any PTE sequence, but is a one slide sequence with a suitable plain background. Here is a step by step rundown:- 1. Open PicturesToEx 2. Click File > New (New Project Dialog appears) Insert Menu name and Click OK. 3. The opening window of PTE is on screen. Find your chosen background slide and double click on it to insert the slide into the Slide List. This slide is best if it is a Jpeg reduced to the size required by the projector eg 1024 x 768 or whatever resolution is going to be used to present the show. The slide can be one prepared in Photoshop. 4. At the bottom of the PTE Window click on Project Options. Make sure in the dialog that appears with the following tabs, that the following are correctly adjusted:- MAIN TAB - Repeat show until ESC is pressed. ADVANCED TAB - Always show mouse cursor. SCREEN TAB - In version 6.0 fill in the details as you would for a sequence, but untick 'Hardware Accelerator'. EFFECTS TAB - Disable by clicking the two small boxes top right. C.OK. Save the Project by clicking File > Save. 5. Select the Slide in the Slide list and Click on Objects and Animation which will show the background slide. Probably best to have this at 50% and you may need to click on it to select it so that the Green Line appears around it. Now click on Button Icon top left and Properties top right. 6. The Button will appear in the centre of the screen. Drag it to the position you require (possibly middle left). In Properties, select font etc., and Alter the word 'Button' to the Title of the Sequence. 7. Click 'Common' Tab and click on 'None' in the Action on Mouse Click box. This produces a list of alternatives. Click on "Run Application or Open File..." This will open most files and return to menu after showing the sequence, but if you are running v.6 files "Run Slideshow with Return" will be more appropriate and achieve the same end. 8. After 7 is chosen a block appears below in which you can browse for the file by clicking the 'file open icon' you wish to open. Complete this action. 9. You have now completed your first Button but NB before you add another, click on the background picture before clicking on OK for next button. You should also complete all your buttons before adding any text to the background jpeg. 10. Having completed all buttons for the required sequences Text can be added in the usual way by clicking 'A' and by experimenting and possibly altering the timing and applying keyframes you can have fun in having a moving title while the menu is waiting on the screen. Hope this helps, John

Here's How: 1. In Windows Explorer, navigate to a file of the type you want to associate (GIF, JPEG, etc.). 2. Click on its icon once to select it. 3. While holding the shift key down, right click on the icon. (Note: Holding the Shift key down is not necessary in Windows 2000 and Windows XP.) 4. In the pop-up menu, choose Open With... A box will open asking you to choose a program to open that file type. If you have a lot of software installed it could take a few moments for this box to appear. 5. Pick a program from the list. 6. If the program you need isn't in the list, choose [other] to navigate to another EXE file on your hard drive. 7. If you always want that program to open these types of files, put a checkmark in the box that says: Always use this program to open files of this type. Tips: 1. Make sure the program to which you associate a file type is capable of opening that type of file. Images must be opened in an image editor or viewer, text documents must be opened in a text editor or word processor, and so on. 2. You can also change file associations in Windows Explorer by going to View > Folder Options > File Types.

I am sorry but I did not finish replying, due to something else that was happening on the computer at the time. I am typing this on a wirelessly connected XP laptop! Still regarding Vista don't get anyting less than Vista Home Premium. Get 3GB Ram and a large hard disk, and a Nvida Graphics Card. The book Plain & Simple Windows Vista is a very good introduction to all the hidden new little programs and extras in Vista compared with XP. Hope this helps you. John

I have Vista 32 bit and have PTE 5.52 and latest Beta 7. All work perfectly. No problems. Have been using regularly for two months now. John

I am not sure about this for v.5.0, but it works in v.5.5. If you like to experiment with your ordiginal show with music it will not do any harm. Set the .exe file running and immediately press Pause/Break on the keyboard. From there you can move on one slide at a time, or back, with the cursor keys. The space bar switches the sound on or off. For you purposes this may be helpful. John

Replying to Igor's three headings:- 1) The present method eg: O & A screen being a different Window to the opening screen seems to work well. Place new features which do not fit into either the opening Window or O & A into yet another Window with access from either the opening screen or the O & A window. I don't think highlighting the importance by High or Medium would work, as users would rate the various features differently. 2) Reworking the opening screen by adding icon buttons beneath the present menus to go in logical order to the different stages in making a simple sequence. This would be particularly useful to new users. Eg: Slides (To give user the slide options), Lightbox (To take user directly to the Lightbox Window which is excellent for comparing similar pictures, sorting, deleteing etc.) , Options (to bring up the "Main" dialog with access to "Advanced Tab"), Sound Tab (to add soundtrack, perhaps this could incorporate a button to switch on the waveform, and Timeline), Transitions (to bring up present Effects dialog in Project Options), and you could add Output Show (to have .exe, DVD, youtube etc). If you added Titles & Motion - these would take the user directly into the O & A Window. Over the years I have got used to the present arrangement of PTE, and don't find it difficult to understand, but I have seen beginners just not knowing what to do, and in what order when they come to the opening screen, and I think that this suggestion adapted in the best way you think, would be most beneficial and not upset the more experienced members. 3) I think that the program has to continue to develop, but if advanced professional features can be added to possibly and "Advanced Screen or Window" to be used as required, and keep the basis you have now would be the best course. John

In making two or three sequences recently I reach a certain stage where I have the slides spaced out to roughly fit a piece of music and commentary. I then with the timeline and waveform in view run the sequence with these in view and fit the slides exactly to the commentary and music. In doing this it is necessary to pause the run through and drag and drop the slides into the required place. Sometimes I find that the section in view jumps a considerable distance, even to the extent of moving the slide that I am working on way out of order. It then has to be brought back and replaced and I continue on my way. I find this rather annoying that what should be a simple matter of placing a slide in position causes this hassle. Does this happen to others, or am I doing something the wrong way? I have to add that it doesn't always happen, more usually towards the end of the sequence. I sometimes start at the end and work backwards to try and sort the last slides into the correct positions. John

May I recommend Edirol R-09 Portable Audio Recorder. This like the one above and appears to have the same features and again is a high quality machine with an inbuilt stereo microphone of fine quality. As you would expect the price is in line with the quality at £250. To read full details go to www.keene.co.uk who are a most reliable firm. They have a catalogue and this item has detailed information on half of page 39. The catalogue is free, but you can probably look up the details on the website. Hope that this helps in some way, John

I have always found that Photoshop Elements does everything you will ever need for AVs and Prints, without you having to learn more. You might even get away with Picaso which is a free program and does all the basic things that Photoshop Elements does, although much finer tuning exists in P.E. To have a look at Picaso just put the name in Google. John

Quite right! I too can recommend seeing the New Slide Show "Another Age" by bbdigital. I believe that it will answer some of your queries. It is easy to download from Barry's entry under New Slide Show. Digital projectors tend to be brighter than slide projectors and are not necessarily related to watts of output. Some are in fact too bright, as are the ones intended for daylight viewing. With regard to scanning in dozens of slides, it does take time, and I agree that it is probably best to do one or two short shows to begin with and see how you get on, and consider still using your two projectors etc., for others. I scan my old ones in as people ask me to show them, as long as they give me enough notice! But once you have used digital, you appreaciate many advantages, including less equipment to carry to shows. John

I am surprised no one has responded to you. There are a lot of old timers on this Forum! I am one of them but have gone digital for sometime. A Third Image can be produced especially well using PTE 5.1 and it sounds as though you need to process each slide before you put it into a digital/video show. By processing each slide, I am refering partly to the brightness query that you mention. Presumably you scan your slides into a computer, then you need to remove any dust. Next go to 'levels' in whatever software you are using and if necessary adjust these by moving the sliders to each edge of the graph. This may brighten your slide in itself but you can then adjust in various ways, through the software, - eg: contrast/brightness, etc., These controls will only need a touch, and if you go too far, noticeable on the preview, you can reset back again. Finally go to Filter - Unsharp Mask and by using from about 50 to 100 and 1.5 pixels just 'see' the image sharpen very slightly. I am sure with this you will see your image brighter. Always keep your original slide in a separate folder so you can go back to it and use a copy to play about with. At this stage of examining each slide it is a good time to resize to 1024 x 768 or whatever your projector works at. Hope this helps a little. Others may have more to add, I hope! John

I have the solid state Edirol R-09 by Roland. Although I haven't had it for long, I have used it to record a voiceover with it, on quality stereo mic, (it can take an outside mic), and I recorded a broadcast over my hi-fi. The latter was because I didn't have time to set up to record, and just switched the Edirol on to record the sound from the speakers in our lounge. Obviously, not the best test but if came out very well. As it records to a SD card there is no noise from the machine. It can be battery powered or mains, and records up to 24-bit although I have only used it at 16-bit sound (CD standard). I have also used it for playback of Oral History recordings previously recorded on tape, then edited in the computer, and put onto the Edirol for playing back to an audience. It takes WAV files and MP3 and I used WAV. The file headings appear in the readout, so it was easy to pick which excerpt I required. It is a very well arranged machine, easy to use for recording and playback. As I have no live recordings as such, except an experimental voice-over, - you'll have to take my word for it that the quality is there and very good. Full Details can be found in the Keene Electronics www.keene.co.uk or from Edirol site which I believe can be found via Google. Hope this helps. By the way it will record for 2 hours plus with a 2GB card at the highest quality and 1993 minutes at lowest MP3. It will take 4GB cards maximum. John

I have a homepage on AOL http://hometown.aol.co.uk/johnwnjr/myhomepage/photo.html and have had a promotion for PicturesToExe for a long time. If you would like to try the link you will see what I mean. I cannot see a way of alterning it to your request but hope that it will suffice. There is a link also to my home page from web page www.Alcester.co.uk then go to > A-Z > Services > Photography > Audio Visual Presentations (scroll down) Website. Best wishes, John Ruffell

This Tutorial is excellent and very much appreciated. Thank you for all the time and work you have put in in producing this. I am sure that it will be most useful to many people who you may not hear from. John

I must add my congratulations to achieving such a useful program. When you look at the list of work involved over the 2 years it is mind-boggling. I have already made a short sequence with the final version, and have made many with the various Betas. I have never found anything suspect to report, but maybe that is because I have not yet ventured into all the new facilities. I hope more tutorials will be forthcoming! Not that I am expecting or looking for any faults now. I think that the list published this morning by Igor about 9am as a separate list on the PTE Forum is a very good advertisement, and I am disappointed to see some who are not satisfied with your great effort and achievement. Best wishes and thank you. John

May I suggest keeping present description, but including a dialog with the explanation that you have given of enabled and disabled. It then seems very clear to me. John

I followed Lin's suggestion but could not see any hesitation. All was as smooth as silk as they say. John

I agree with the majority, that is, we do not need auto pan/zoom. Turning out several shows a day is not for me! I soon get tired of all the movement effects, and particularly like the creative possibilities of the Opacity feature. John

As far as the music is concerned if you add 10 seconds silence to the end of your soundtrack you should find that it will not start to repeat. John

Yes, I am getting five a day and simply delete them without looking further. John

Lin, This worked fine for my computer, but I would have thought the scroll should have dropped downwards, not shot upwards to start. The text going upwards seems natural enough. This is just a passing comment. John

I enjoyed both your sequences and thought them very entertaining. Wonderful how you have changing scenes from your living room window! John