goddi

====================== Igor and Sergev... Correct. When I opened a project, choose "Create HD Video...", I choose "Convert", it looks like it starts the encoding and I get an icon "Creating..." in my Tray, but nothing seems to be happening. (I tried HD-low; SD 800x600). When I look in the Windows Task Manager, I get "Not responding" to Videobuilder and Creating HD Video... . I am attaching screen prints of its Applications window and the Processes window (2 files, top part and bottom part). I tried the Create AVI and it worked just fine. Specs: Windows XP Pro; Svc Pack 2 NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 (256megs) Processor=3mhg Ram=2Gigs. Gary Applications.doc Processes1.doc Processes2.doc

=========== I was trying a 3-minute show. Each time I tried the HD Video choice, I'd check the Windows Task Manager and it would show '...not responding'. I think the Create AVI was working. I got the progress window but I stopped it after a few minutes. Gary

Igor... With the Beta, I tried to Create an 'HD Video...', an 'AVI...' and a 'UTube...' and each time nothing really happened. I could see an icon for the Create function in the Tray but nothing seemed to be going on. When I did a Ctrl-Alt-Del, each time I would see '...not responding' to the PTE function. Are these supposed to be active in this Beta??? It seemed to be using up all the resources of my PC (Windows XP) because other functions like MyComputer would not come up. Had to reboot to get everything back to normal. As others have indicated...no progress bar. So I'm not sure what is going on. Gary

Greetings... I posted this request some time ago. Many read the post but no one replied to it. I'd like to post my request again since I don't see this change in the new 5.6 beta. Currently, when in Project Options, the Set Defaults button changes every setting you have made in each Tab back to the Default settings. I was playing around with the new curl, flip and swap Effects that Igor added to the 5.6 beta. Very cool tools. But, after playing with the settings, I couldn't remember what the defaults were. After hitting the Set Defaults, ALL settings are reset to default. All I wanted was the Effects tab's settings to be reset. I think it would be an improvement to have the name of Set Defaults changed to 'Set All Defaults' and add a second button, 'Set This Tabs Defaults' so that it will only reset the setting in the tab the user is currently in. Thanks... Gary

=============== Igor... I'd like to make a suggestion as a user who does not work in the Timeline much, but needs to use the 'Arrange all points'. New users, and users like me, don't need to get into the Timeline except to view the waveform to insure that the slides have, in fact, been spread to the end of the music selections after we have clicked on 'Arrange all points'. My suggestion is to put the 'Arrange all points' button to the right side of the O&A button. This would solve the problem. Each time slides are added/removed, the 'Arrange all points' button would be easily available in the Classic View. What would help to identify when we need to re-select the 'Arrange all points' button would be to have this button go Bold anytime a slide(s) is added/removed/moved from the Slide List. The 'Arrange all points' button can be kept in the Timeline view if it also makes sense to keep it there. Also, I would rename the 'Arrange all Points' to something like 'Spread/re-spread Slides Equally Across Music Selections." I'd like to add another 'improvement' I think would be helpful for people who like to work in the Classic View. I'd like to see a horizontal thin blue line at the point where each of the music selections ends/starts in the Slide List (especially if you have more than one music file). This would help in rearranging the slides to fit within a particular music selection. Yes, you can also do this in the Timeline View, but it would be a nice feature to see where the music ends/starts when you want to 'Start Preview from the current slide' just before the music selection ends/starts to see if that works the way you wanted it. Much faster than having to get into the Timeline and find that thin blue line. (In fact, I'd like to have that thin blue line in the Timeline View to be more prominent. It is a little hard to find.) Thanks... Gary

================= Peter.... Yes, I see what you are saying about the mini-player not working correctly when slides are added/removed. I think this is a BIG problem because it causes confusion. Especially when the slides are spread out correctly in 'Preview' and 'Start preview from current slide', but NOT in the mini-player or the Timeline. After one would add/remove slides, and looked at the timeline to see that the slides were not spread to the end of the music, or play it in the mini-player, surely would cause a great deal of concern. If the 'Auto Spread...' worked by automatically re-spreading the slides after adding/removing slides (in Preview AND in the mini-player), I would agree with you about the global values for the project level being in Project Options. But since it does not work, it has to be fixed or it should be taken out of Project Options. The 'Auto Spread...' is not functioning as a global value. This is what has cause me, and others, problems. This is what I have not been very effective in trying to express. And, if 'Auto Spread...' is fixed to work as a global value, what is the need for "Arrange all points"? Would that still be needed? Not sure under what circumstances you would use this. In my added comment, I did not say that Synchronize music and slides spreads the slides along the music. In my suggestion to rename it as 'Spread/Lock Music Over Slides', it was to make it more clear that this choice spreads the music over the slides (as it does), as opposed to spreading the slides over music. You might have read it too fast. One choice, 'Auto Spread...', spreads slides over music and the other choice, 'Syn music and slides', spreads music over slides. (And when 'Auto Spread...' is fixed, there is no need for the word 'Lock' since both would be functioning in a similar manner.) Gary

==================== Peter... Sure, if you press the right buttons in the right sequence, everything works. However, if it is not intuitive, then, maybe, there can be some improvement in the programs menus to make 'everything work' better. I have been scratching my head about this issue because I really think the menus can be tweaked a bit to make it clearer. Here are my latest thoughts: 1- Move the Auto spread slides along music from Project Options to be a button to the right of Objects and Animation. I say this because it is a button that you would click on each time you add/remove slides from the Slide List to re-spread the images over the length of the music. I would also rename this button to be Spread slides over length of music. And each time slides are added or removed, the button should become bolded to draw attention that it should be re-clicked to re-spread the slides. (Currently, even though Auto spread slides along music is selected, it does not actually keep the slides spread over the music. You have to go into the Timeline/Timed Points to click on Arrange all points each time slides are added/removed to re-spread the slides.) 2- I would also remove the Arrange all points from the Timeline/Timed Points menu. I would do this because you would have direct access to the newly positioned Spread slides over length of music, mentioned above, and I don't think this function necessarily belongs in the Timed Points menu. I think this would solve this recurring issue where the user thinks the program is not doing what he thinks it should be doing. I say all of this from the standpoint of someone who practically always likes to spread the slides over the length of the music. I don't think it would step on the toes of those who use the Timeline to do more fancy things. What do you think....???Gary Added later... Perhaps Synchronize music and slides should be renamed Spread/Lock Music Over Slides.

==== Ooppsss... Sorry. I use the Beechbrook site so often to host my PTE shows, I forget not everyone goes there. http://www.beechbrook.com/pte/ Thanks, Gary

Greetings, I just posted my latest PTE slideshow. Many of the images are from slides that I had to scan. The quality did not turn out so good. I left the ragged slide edges to give it the 'old' slideshow look. A few of the images were captured from video, so the quality is really not too good. I left out a few trips where I could not find any images. But the PTE show is a compilation of images that is more of a tribute to my wife who will travel just about anywhere and anytime. No hairdryer needed. Gary Added later: http://www.beechbrook.com/pte/ (Will be hosted for 30 days.)

Peter... You said "What is "synchronization" about if not about working with both the images and the audio at the same time? If you have no audio you have nothing to "synchronize" against." When I talk about 'synchronization', I am only talking about just spreading the images over the length of the inserted music. Perhaps, there should be two different terms, 'synchronization' and 'spreading'. Synch'ing is like moving the images to appear to the beats of the music; 'spreading' is arranging the slides to be spaced out evenly over the length of the music. So maybe we are not talking about the same thing??? To make it more complex, I think selecting the 'Synchronize music and slides' keeps the music spread over the length of the slides, no matter where you start the show. The way I see it is that you can have music without 'synchronization'--using the 'spead' definition. So, the 'Arrange All Points' is just moving the slides to be spread out over the span of the music. To me, this is not an 'audio' function, since you are not doing anything to the audio you already have inserted. You are just 're-spreading' the slides equally across the music. I think the problem is that when 'Auto spread slides along music' is checked, it does not really keep the slides equally spread along the music. If you later add more images, you have to go into the Timeline View and click on 'Arrange All Points' to insure the slides get re-spread across the music. I think it would be nice to have the 'Arrange...' button also in the Classic View (so you don't have to get into the Timeline View). When I try to explain to a novice that you have to check 'Auto spread slides along music' but it does not really spread images that are added later and you have to go into the Timeline View and click 'Arrange All Points' after each time you add more images...it does not make sense--especially if the person does not need to use any of the other more advanced functions in the Timeline View. Gary

Peter & Lin... Thanks for your replies. I have read them a couple times but it has not sunk in yet. I will print out your steps and give them an actual try once I get some time this week. I appreciate your responses. Gary

============= Peter, I could never figure out what 'Frames' were supposed to do. Now you have shed some light. Thanks. I think I understand a little more. I have looked through the Help/Tutorials but I am still not clear on how/why to use them. I think I see that it is useful to separate the animation that one might put on 2 or more images(?) in one slide. But I am not clear on the sequence to do this, or maybe even why I am using Frames. Do you first import the image; then add the frame; then do the animation? I have played around with this and when I add two images with frames, I can not seem to be able to select the keyframe to add animation to it. And, once I add a frame, many time I can then no select it. But then sometimes I can get it to animate...I am confused....nothing new. Maybe it is because I just don't understand the sequence for the image/frame/animation...??? Can you give us a Frames 101 with a little more detail? Thanks... Gary

====================== John... I don't consider this problem with "Arrange All Points" to be an audio issue. To me, it has to do with 'synchronization'. When I am in the Classic View, I don't want to have to get into the Timeline View just to re-sync the slides to the music. I'd just like the button to do this to be up front right in the Classic View screen. In fact, I'd also like the Classic View to have an indication where the audio files start and stop. This would leave the Timeline View to the more advanced users but allow the Classic View to offer an indication, if you have more than one audio file, where the audio begins/ends in relationship to the images. One step further would be to bring in the waveform vertically into the Classic View window. That would make me very happy. I just don't feel comfortable in the Timeline View when I am only trying to sync the slides with the music. My main point was that I don't think one should have to jump from the Classic View to the Timeline View just to re-sync the slides to the music. Gary

================= Peter, This requirement where you have to go into the Timeline to click on "Arrange All Points" is a real bug-a-boo that I find with PTE. It seems there are many questions just like this where a less experienced user finds that the music ends before the slides end, when they are trying to have the slides sync'd with the music. If one has all the music and slides sync'd, but then adds more images, the only way to re-sync them to the music is to go into the Timeline and click on the "Arrange All Points" (even if you have 'Autospread...' checked). I have made many shows and I frequently forget to do that step to re-sync'd the show after I have added more images. I have mentioned this before and suggested that this step be moved next to where the O&A button is located, for example. Maybe I am incorrect in my thinking because I have not received any agreement with this suggestion that I have posted before. Wouldn't this help out??? Gary

============ Dave, Thanks... I made progress with you help. So now I have created the file. What do I do with it??? I tried to Open it but Windows does not recognize it and, I guess, I don't have the appropriate program to run it. It is only to be run on a website, or can I actually play it in Windows? Thanks... Gary P.S. And the file I created does not have an extension. Should it have an FLV extension??? Added later: Ohooooo... I just added the .flv extension to the file I created and it now plays in my Winamps player!!! Got it. Thanks... Nice file size reduction, 305mb to 14mb.

============ Lin, I downloaded the program and tried it. I was able to Open an AVI file and play it in their window. Another AVI, only showed a green screen. I am assuming that I should be able to open an AVI and convert it to a FLV file??? I know it is not your job to explain someone else's program but, if you can help, what can I do with this program??? Seem neat but I just don't seem to get it. I selected Output and chose FLV...but what next? Thanks for any insight you can give... Gary

================ nobeefstu and Peter... No problem. I really appreciate you both taking the time to check this out. I had not started yet to work on the 'missing errors' you first stated. I wasn't really sure what to do anyway. But thanks for telling me to ignore it and all is OK. But I still wonder why these 'main' images unexpectedly expanded, more than once. Gary

==================== Peter.... Noooooo! Don't admit defeat!!! But you have explained very well everything that I have done. The text comment numbers were added just to identify the slides during this diagnosis, but they were not there originally. I see what you are saying that each image that enlarges, is a 'main' image in a slide where I have 3 or more images, all resized to be smaller in that one slide. That seems to be the only consistency that pops out. I hope Igor reads this and analyzes what might be going on. I wonder what would happen if I unchecked 'main' for that one image in each slide??? What is 'main' supposed to do??? Thanks for looking at it... Gary

=================== Peter, I always hit the Close button to get out of the O&A window. I know that I had set these images reduced to the size that I wanted. I went on to do editing in the rest of the show. After each change I made, I was sure to do a Save and Create. I reviewed the show dozens of times and the images were just fine. Then, later when I can back to take a look a the show, these resized (reduced in size) images in the upper left hand corner expanded back to just about their original size. The pte file is 53k but the zip of all the files is 4.5mb. Maybe I can take out a few more of the slide to make it smaller. I will try this. (Just removed all images except for the 3 images and the zip of the show is down to 2.3mb, still too big to attach. Do you think if I just put in 2 image, that you can still diagnose the problem??? That brings the file under 2mbs. Ok, I will try to attach it here... Gary Cris_Portraits_test_Oct1_2008_8_45_59.zip

====================== Peter... Well, it happened again. I worked on the file today. Everything was fine. Later today, I opened the file and noticed that 3 slides have images that expanded to a larger size than what I had previously set them to. Each of the slides that has this problem, has 3 or 4 images that I imported and made smaller (using the handles on each image) so that they all fit. There are no special changes made to the slides. Very basic. I just brought in the several images, resized them in the slide, that's it. The only thing that seems consistent with these 3 problem slides is that the upper left image is the one that expands. I tried to run the PTE Project Reporter to see if anything popped up. I didn't see anything different between these 3 slides and any other of the slides. I tried to save the Project Reporter file but each time I tried, the program failed at about the 67th slide. Tried 3 times. Failed 3 times. So I don't know what to do to diagnose this problem. Any suggestions??? The exe is about 45mb so it is a bit too large to post. But maybe I can dump all the images and music except the 3 problem slides and a few around it to make it more manageable. Thanks... Gary Added later: I reduced the show down to just 14 slides and no music but the file is still too big to attach here. It is a bit over 4mb and the max that an attachment can be is 2mb.

=========== Lin, Thanks so much for the tutorial. I will play with it. Jean-Claude, A English version would be great!!! Thanks all... Gary

================== nobeefstu... I have not changed any of the defaults. Mouse buttons: Left=none; Right=next slide. MouseWheel=disabled. Permit Control of Keyboard=checked. I hope it happens again so I can take more time to see what might be going on. Thanks... Gary P.S. One thing I have noticed is that this problem occurs always right after I have made an adjustment in one of the slides. I make the adjustment and I immediately want to see the effect so I run the Preview from a slide. However, lately, after each change, I do a Save and Create first, then do the Preview. It does not seem to happen when I have done this.

================= Mary... I would give it a try but my expertise with Photoshop is limited. I know what you are talking about but I don't know exactly how to make that slide. But I will poke around and give it a try. Thanks... Gary

======================== Lin... I seem to be good at having problems that no one else has. I know for sure that my hands were not anywhere near the keyboard when this happens. Perhaps, my mouse is what might be inputting something strange. When it has happened, to try to get it to unfreeze, I have tried every key on the keyboard to see if anything would work. Only the right mouse key seemed to have be able to 'unfreeze' the problem and let the Preview play. Strange but true. I will keep my eye on it when/if it happens again. But as I said earlier, with my luck, after posting this problem, it might never happen again..... Just venting the problem seems to help! I'll report back... Thanks, Gary

========== Mary... Thanks for the heads-up on this issue. No rush. I know it is easy for me to say but it would be so nice if the Screen effect can magically be a 'mask'. Thanks... Gary