goddi

Greetings, Just published a show called 'Russian Onions' in the Slideshowclub.com. ‘Russian Onions’ is a collection of the distinctive architectural church domes I photographed on a recent trip to Russia. These domes were created to allow the weight of the heavy Russian snows to slide off. Though I was captivated by these domes, I was even more impressed attending the Orthodox services in the churches. However, in most of them, photography was not permitted. One that allows photography is the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg (the last set of images). (3:41) Gary

Lin and Dave, I understand your point. Though I am far from getting that creative! But good to know. Thanks... Gary

Yes... I usually don't get myself into this position with images not being exactly the same size. Yes, I can do the cropping when in Photoshop to crop to the same size. Good point. Thanks... Gary

Peter, I've been going through your suggestion. And YES, it work well. It took me a while to figure out the Mask but I think I did. However, one thing that puzzles me. When you 'Add Mask', the 'Size in Pixel' default is 512x512, and that is the maximum size. I was expecting to be able choose more like an '1920x1080' aspect ratio. So I figured that if I select '512x341', I'd get the correct aspect ratio (1.50) for my images. Then to get my 86% zoom that I am usingt, I just set its zoom to 86. Then I added the image to the 'Mask Container'. I can then create the animation that will be masked by the Mask (Rectangle). Works well. One question...why does it only give a maximum '512x512' aspect ratio and not normal aspect ratios? The only problem that I see is that you can not add a 'Common/Drop Shadow' to the 'Mask (Rectangle)'. If the Drop Shadow is added to the image, it disappears during the zoom or pan animation (moving with the image, but expected). But, this is a step in the right direction. Thanks for helping me understand how to use the 'Add Mask'. Thanks... Gary Added later: You might ask, why do I want to add the Drop Shadow to all my images? I had to do a lot of transforms and a bit of cropping so the sizes are just a bit different for most images. Putting in the mild Drop Shadow seems to help in the fade transitions to minimize these slight differences in image sizes.

Wideange, Actually, I think I'd prefer to be able to apply to solution to images individually, not necessarily Globally. This would give the ability to be more creative. If an image was reduced in size, then the black area around the image could be 'frozen' as if its borders are the borders of the full frame window. And just apply animations to it. I always have horizontal and portrait image so this would make it easy to use on whatever size you have, and not having to create a variety of masks. Maybe it is a difficult thing to program...but maybe not. But I think it would add to the creative capabilities of PTE. Gary

Greetings All, I seemed to have cause a bit of confusion with my posting. Let me try to clarify. I am not trying to make a traditional 'border', such as a border stroke line around each image or anything to do with DVDs. I just want to leave a black space around each image in the show by reducing the images by a certain percentage. In this case, about 86%. Ok, that is easy and it is done. But then I want to do some animation with some of the images, such as zooming-in and panning. But when this is done with these reduced sized images, the zoomed-in images expand beyond the 86% and the panned images move left or right. I want these animated images to animate withing the 86% established area. Barry attached an example (#12) and that is what I am trying to achieve. But I will want it to be rectangular with no white stroke. Just trying to keep it simple. But I don't want to have to make a layer or mask. I want the flexibility to change the % reduction without having to make a new layer or mask. I have been asked 'why' do I want the '86%' reduction in image size. Just seems to fit the show style I am trying to achieve. Also, normally I would expand the images to the 1920x1080 and crop out the top and bottom of the images to be full frame at 16x9. But, most of the images would have to be cropped too much, losing important portions of the image. I did not leave extra space when they were shot. Also, I did not want black bars on the left and right sides, if left at 100%. So I reduced the size of the images to 86% to have the black space (I should have not used the word 'borders') all around the images. Since I added a 'shadow behind each image' (Default tab), I could not use the simple solution of adding a blank black rectangle to each side of the images I wanted to animate. If I had not wanted the 'shadow', I would not have come across this problem of wanting to add some animation to some of the images that have been reduced to '86%'. Now that I think of it, I want the capability to make the black space that I created after reducing the size of the image to be the 'layer or mask' by just ticking a selection in the 'Main Image for New Slides' menu (Default tab). Then, all animation would be contained within the established reduced image area. Thanks... Gary

Yes, you have missed the real point of my posting. Forget about the borders. My primary point is to be able to apply animation to an image that has been reduced by using '% of slide to show main image', in Default tab. I'd like the image that was reduced in size to be treated as if it was the 'main image size', so the animation would operate within that reduced image's frame size. Currently, if you reduce the size of an image, and then zoom-in, the image will just enlarge again. I want the image to keep the same reduced size...but be able to zoom-in or pan, for example, without the reduced image's borders enlarging or moving. I only mentioned the borders (made in PTE) because if someone suggested applying blank black rectangles around each side of the reduced image, it would cover the border. Making a rectangular mask was suggested but I don't know, yet, how to do this. Gary

Peter, I have fiddled around with the Rectangle Mask but I could not figure out how to work it. Since you mentioned it, I will see if I can continue my fiddling with it to achieve the results I want. I don't need it for every image but it would be nice if I could get it to work. Thanks... Gary

Dave, Ok...I figured that. But would it not be a 'great idea' to be able to do what I am trying to do????? Gary

Dave, I am using '86%' just as a technique to have a black border all the way around the images and to show a border on each image. The problem with making a "matte' is that not all the images are exactly the same size and some are horizontal, some are portrait. So a single specific "matte" size would not work. If I put a blank black image to each side of the image, it would cover the border I have added to all the images, and a pain to have to do it to each image. I am not sure how to explain it but it would be nice if the '86%' (or whatever the reduction in the main image size you choose) could be made to act as if it was the 'main image size' so the animation would operate within that '86%' frame size. Any other ideas? Gary

Greetings, Normally, I have made shows with 100% of the slide showing. However, I am working on one that I have all the images at '86% of slide to show main image' (in Default tab). When I would zoom-in with 100% of slide showing, the frame of the 1920x1080 window would be boundary of the zoom, no problem. However, when set to '86%', for example, the zoom-in enlarges the image. I want the image to stay at the '86%' size and keep the same boundary of the '86%' frame. Is there a way to do this to make it a global effect for all images? I know I can do this by creating 4 rectangles (one for each side), but I'd have to do this for each image. And if a border is applied it would get covered by the rectangles. I am looking for a global effect to do this. And this would be useful for panning, etc., too. Thanks... Gary

Peter, Thanks...I had forgotten that trick. I was clicking on the topic, not the dot or star icon. Thanks very much. Gary

Greetings, In the past, when I would do a 'View New Content', the Forum would open to the new unread posting, skipping all of the already read postings. Lately, it has been opening to the very first posting that has already been read. So if there are, say, 3 pages of postings to a topic, it keeps opening to the first posting and I have to then scroll each time to find the new unread postings on the 3rd page. Is there something that I can do to get it back to opening to the new unread posting, not to the initial posting? Thanks.. Gary

Bert....Not to argue with you but that is just like closing your eyes and walking across the street, hoping you won't get hit by a car. Not testing a restore process is putting all your eggs in one basket. Why not give it a try? You will sleep better knowing it might work when you need it. At least, give the recovery boot disc a try. Just see if it will boot up as expected. You can't go wrong doing at least that. :) Gary

Bert, I really don't know the answer to this question, but what happens when your disk gets the 'blue screen of death'? It won't boot. To do a restore using the Windows System Image backup, won't you have to have a working version of Windows7? If you can't boot up the disk to Windows, how will you go about doing a restore? Can you create a boot restore disk so you can start a restore process? I really don't know but that would be what I would worry about. If you haven't tried to do a restore at all, I think you might try to do a restore of just a file or two to see if it works, at least while your disk is working. And how to do it when your disk does not boot. Just some thoughts I have. Gary

Lin, I don't think I agree when you say "if the hard drive itself is trashed (not just files corrupted or missing boot sector, etc.) you have to purchase a new hard disk, install an OS on it, recover all your files from the imaging software and then register each to make them work meaning you must enter each unlock code for each software which requires it." Yes, you have to purchase a new hard drive, but you just have to restore the backed-up image to the new hard drive. You don't have to install a new OS or unlock codes or re-register programs or anything like that. The newly imaged disk drive will work just like the old one. That is how I got my new hard drive, that replaced my crashed drive, to work. I only had to do the restore of the image. Piece of cake. That is why I favor the way Aronis works. Having mirroring working is probably the best to have in addition to imaging, but for most people, doing frequent backup imaging is the minimum to be safe. Also, don't you have to have both drives operational when you do a clone? If the original drive is trashed, the only resort is an image backup, if you have one. From my understanding, 'cloning' will copy a partition from one drive to another to make that drive an operational hard drive (not the same as 'imaging' which is use only to restore files or partions). Gary

Igor, I just tried the same test. I made sure that I had 3 projects with the correct File Tree associated with each. I re-installed 8.04. Each of the 3 projects showed the correct File Tree for each project. It seems to happen only when updating from an earlier version. And, none of my projects have been moved to any new location. Gary

Igor, Yes, it does. I don't see any other problem except for the correct File List not being retained. Gary

Greetings, Not to beat a dead horse, but I just want to give my two cents on the Acronis backup program. Lin stated that his experience with Acronis was a major pain. Not sure if that was an older version or not. For me, it is very easy to do an image backup with it. I have 3 physical hard drives in my PC that are all backed-up with just a couple clicks. It takes several hours, but what is the alternative? However, Lin did a clone of a failing hard disk before it failed. I think the problem with many of the 'backup' software programs is that you have to have an operating system that is running on the drive you want to restore with the restore program installed. This really makes no sense to me. This brings me back to Acronis. The great thing about Acronis is that you can make a restore disk. I have had to use it several times. When your PC won't boot and all you see is the blue screen, all you have to do is insert the disk and your PC will boot up. You will be in your OS and then you can do a restore of the entire backup (programs and files) or just a single file. So doing an 'image' backup, for me, has saved my bacon many times. I recently had a drive crash and just put in a new drive and restored the 'image' to the new drive, using Acronis. I have just too many programs and data files to even think of having to re-install or lose when a drive crashes (and they will). Gary

Igor, I followed your steps above. PTE will retain the File List/Tree whenever I change the 'file/folder' location in the File List. The problem is that after I have upgraded to a new version, ie 8.03 to 8.04, the File List/Tree does not retain the previously correct files/folders in the File List/Tree that previously matched the show. After upgrading, the File List will keep the files/folders that is there from another project and does not change, even if you open other projects. This happens with Open Recent Project or Open. So I have to 'reset' the associated file/folder location each time. Once I do that, the proper file/folder locations does stay correct...until I update PTE again. So each time I open an old project after an upgrade, the File List for each project is incorrect until I reset it. Let me know if there is any other test you want me to do. As Dave mentioned, I, too, keep my pte, images and music files in the same folder for each project. Not sure if this has any bearing on the problem, though. Gary

Peter, I have a similar mix of files. I have 41 .dat files, ranging from 0.dat to 125.dat. One is empty. Many have multiple projects listed that are not related to each other. Dave, I have Windows 8.1 on both my desktop and laptop, both with PTE ver. 8.0.4. Strange. Gary

Thanks,Dave. So now it is just two of us. I went back to the 'special location' and found 2 .dat files that has a reference to the Tortuguero pte show. But, one shows the path to the actual Tourtugero.pte file and the other shows the path to only the folder that contains the Tortuguero .pte file (\PTE-Costa Rica-Tortugero\). The .dat file that has the path to the Tortuguero.pte file, also has incorrect FileListPath to the 'PTE-Fox-Michelle' folder that contains the images that are not associated with the Tortuguero show. I don't know how to interpret these different .dat files, but perhaps this might help Igor or someone figure out what is going on. Thanks... Gary

Igor, Thanks for indicating the 'special location' where the FileListPath information is stored for the PTE projects. First, I did not uninstall the previous version 8.0.3. I installed 8.0.4 over that version. Second, I did not move any project files to another location. So, I took a look at the 'special location' you mentioned. I found an example of a show that would fill the File List with the incorrect images, i.e., images from a different show. I then found .dat file in the 'special location' that relates to this show. The correct FileListPath for this show is shown in the '121.dat' file but the correct images do not show up in the File List when I open the show. In the attached screenshot, the correct filename for the show is 'PTE-Costa Rica-Tortuguero' but the File List pulls up the images for another show called 'PTE-Fox-Michelle'. Can you see what might be going on here? This problem has been happening each time I do an update. Thanks... Gary ADDED LATER: I just when through the same procedure on my laptop and it also displays the same problem.

Greetings, I have brought this up before. The last time, I think, was back in December 2013. http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17187-folder-in-file-list-and-project/?hl=%2Bfile+%2Blist But I will bring it up once more. I just upgraded my PTE version from 8.03 to 8.04. After doing this, and then opening an already saved PTE show, the File List does not keep the previously associated location of the images used in the show. It seems to retain whatever the previous File List was for whatever show was recently opened. So I have to do a hunt and peck to re-establish the images used in the show to be in the File List. This holds true for each and every previous show I have made. This is aggravating to have to do this for every show. Once the proper location is found and the show is saved, the File List is properly retained. Why does a simple upgrade of a version lose the proper association of the File List for the shows? Gary

Eric, Chad, from OrangeDox, apparently listened to some of my suggestions and is making some changes to make it more intuitive. You might want to check it out. Gary